Tag Archives: science literacy

Word Root Exercise: Anthrop/o

Posted on June 14, 2021 | Leave a comment

Here is a worksheet on the Greek word root anthrop/o. It means man and human; I always teach it as meaning simply human, just as I avoid locutions like “mankind” in the interest of avoiding sexism in language.

You can probably already perceive that this is very productive root in English. It gives us, of course, anthropology, anthropocentric, philanthropy, and misanthrope among a number of other commonly used words in the high school curriculum. And it you are interested in teaching students about global warming and environmental degradation in this, the Anthropocene Era, this is worksheet leads the way in building the necessary vocabulary for such an endeavor.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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The Weekly Text, June 11, 2021: A Lesson Plan on Geometric Angles by Degrees from The Order of Things

Posted on June 11, 2021 | Leave a comment

This week’s Text is a lesson plan on the degrees of angles in geometry. Here is the worksheet with a short reading and a series of comprehension questions.

The reading covers the five types of angles in geometry: acute (1-89 degrees); right (90 degrees); obtuse (91-179 degrees); straight (180 degrees); and reflex (180-359 degrees). This is an exercise designed to supply diverse learners with practice manipulating two symbolic systems–i.e. words and numbers–at the same time. It also, I would think (but also qualify this with something that is beyond dispute–I am not a teacher of mathematics), introduces students to the concept of angles in geometry.

For more on the material I developed from Barbara Anne Kipfer’s superb reference book,The Order of Things, see the About Posts & Texts page visible on the masthead of the home page of this blog.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Cultural Literacy: Microchip

Posted on June 7, 2021 | Leave a comment

Since there is currently a worldwide shortage of them, and this as particularly affected the automobile manufacturing industry, now is a good time to post this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the microchip. It’s a full-page worksheet with five questions; as it is formatted in Microsoft Word, the user is left with a lot of latitude where expanding, contracting, or otherwise adapting this document to suit his or her needs.

So have at it.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Word Root Exercise: Aero

Posted on June 3, 2021 | Leave a comment

Here is a worksheet on the Greek word root aero. It means, as you probably know, air, and is an extremely productive root in English, yielding such staples of the lexicon as the verb aerate, the adjective aerial, and the noun aerodynamics. In other words, like many Greek roots, it forms the basis of many words across the parts of speech that we use in the hard sciences.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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The Weekly Text, May 21, 2021, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Week III: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Zhang Heng

Posted on May 21, 2021 | Leave a comment

This week’s Text, in the ongoing observation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2021, is a reading on Chinese astronomer, poet, and mathematician Zhang Heng and its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

This is a one-page reading that in spite of its brevity does a serviceable job of introducing Zhang Heng, a fascinating polymath who worked in the service of Emperor An of the Han Dynasty. Among Zhang Heng’s many accomplishments is his his invention of the world’s first seismoscope. A seismoscope records the motion of the earth’s shaking, but does not retain a time record of those shakings, like a seismometer does. I could go on at some length about Zhang Heng, but would rather, this morning get out for a hike before it gets too warm.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Influenza Vaccine

Posted on April 26, 2021 | Leave a comment

Here is a reading on the influenza vaccination along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

Over the years, I have heard various public figures opine on the need for a return to a solid civics curriculum in public schools in the United States. In fact, two United States Senators recently introduced legislation, called the Educating for Democracy Act, that would invest $1 billion the development of civics education in our country. In general and particularly in the light how closely our country has veered toward fascism in the past several years, I must concede the point. Apropo of civics education, I submit that learning about the science of vaccines, and vaccine efficacy, is at the moment an integral element of civics education–not to mention part of a general education.

So here you are. There are other materials on this site about vaccine–just search vaccine or vaccination.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Term of Art: Abstract

Posted on April 14, 2021 | Leave a comment

“Abstract, (noun) A text summarizing the matter or principal points of a book, article, record, or speech, especially of an official or technical document; abbreviated or concentrated version; condensation. Noun: abstractor; Verb: abstract.”

Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.

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Skyscrapers

Posted on April 13, 2021 | Leave a comment

Here is a reading on skyscrapers along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. 

If memory serves, I wrote this, along with some other materials, for a student who possessed a considerable interest, bordering on obsession, with tall buildings. Like most of the materials based on Intellectual Devotional readings you’ll find on this site, this is a short but thorough general introduction to the topic. Keep an eye on it, though: this is one of those articles in which information can quickly go out of date. Indeed, I have revised this reading a couple of times as buildings get taller and taller.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Wright Brothers

Posted on April 4, 2021 | Leave a comment

Here is a reading on the Wright Brothers along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. Over the years, several students I’ve served were highly interested in aeronautics and aviation, so I’ve tagged these documents as high-interest material.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Luminary (n)

Posted on April 1, 2021 | Leave a comment

With Women’s History Month 2021 now past for another year, I’ll spend the month of April posting the usual melange of material from the warehouse here at Mark’s Text Terminal. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, so you’ll find a daily post of related documents and quotes here throughout the month.

For today, here is a context clues worksheet on the noun luminary. It’s a common enough word in English that it’s worth teaching to students. Don’t forget that the Latin roots lumin and lumen (light, shine, torch, lamp, heavenly body) are richly productive in English, including several key scientific terms. In fact, making that link may be the the best use to which this worksheet could be put.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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