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Leave it to Vicki Cobb to notice that our nostrils behave in some mysterious ways. This Minute is sure to get your students sniffing around for the truth! |
English/Language Arts
Explore lead sentences - questions
Another Minute that starts with a question - add this to the Mentor list and ask your students what is going on here? Can you find a pattern to these question leads? Challenge them to take a closer look.
STEM
Explore scientific studies
Use this Minute to have students set up a scientific study of the “mystery of the alternating nostrils”. Have them design charts to reflect their findings and brainstorm other factors that should be noted to keep the study on track, like the stuffy noses or chronic allergies or time of year or pollen counts! This could be constructed as a long-term study over several months. Then gather the data and make decisions as a class about how to compile it. Practice expressing the numbers as statistics. Reinforce the students’ use of decimals and percentages. Ultimately, have students brainstorm about what they think might be going on . Can they find an explanation? Sounds like it might be a whole lot of fun to try!
Research Skills
Explore primary sources
In the last paragraph, Author Cobb challenges students to check with their dentists about their knowledge of this phenomenon. Doing so would mean they are accessing a primary source - someone who sees noses on a regular basis and is therefore qualified to respond. Use this Minute to introduce the difference between primary and secondary sources and have students spend some time in conversation trying to figure out the pros and cons of each kind of resource.
Explore lead sentences - questions
Another Minute that starts with a question - add this to the Mentor list and ask your students what is going on here? Can you find a pattern to these question leads? Challenge them to take a closer look.
STEM
Explore scientific studies
Use this Minute to have students set up a scientific study of the “mystery of the alternating nostrils”. Have them design charts to reflect their findings and brainstorm other factors that should be noted to keep the study on track, like the stuffy noses or chronic allergies or time of year or pollen counts! This could be constructed as a long-term study over several months. Then gather the data and make decisions as a class about how to compile it. Practice expressing the numbers as statistics. Reinforce the students’ use of decimals and percentages. Ultimately, have students brainstorm about what they think might be going on . Can they find an explanation? Sounds like it might be a whole lot of fun to try!
Research Skills
Explore primary sources
In the last paragraph, Author Cobb challenges students to check with their dentists about their knowledge of this phenomenon. Doing so would mean they are accessing a primary source - someone who sees noses on a regular basis and is therefore qualified to respond. Use this Minute to introduce the difference between primary and secondary sources and have students spend some time in conversation trying to figure out the pros and cons of each kind of resource.
© Karen Sterling, 2017 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
