High Sierra Topix

dave54 wrote:Sierras is OK with everyone except a few purists.

Sorry, not OK with the locals here (who, BTW, are not pure in any sense of the word). Interesting that you can so easily defend your being so egregiously wrong... And this is the kind of lesson you are going to teach in your school?
Maybe should stay in the Cascades?
Mark

Math:
Have them do an orthographic profile of proposed route or section of route by hand. A good charting and graphing exercise. By hand means with pencil, graph paper, something to measure squiggly trail lines. Label a major feature or two. Calculate proposed time to complete that section based on average speed formula of 2 mph + 1 hr for each 1,000 ft of elevation gain. Then you can play with calories of energy, etc. Have them track time data and mark on map during hike, then compare time to calculated time using the average formula. After a few of these, if their speed deviates much from the formula results, have them tweak the formula to see if they can come up with a personal speed formula.

I think I'm going to start referring to them as "them thar hills", Y'all

When you start introducing algebra to the boys, you can have them create linear formulas to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius and vice versa starting with a graphing of two known points, working through the point/slope formula and ending with a linear equation in the form y=Mx+B, then isolate for x. Have them take temp measurements in the field and convert to C.

Convert meters to feet and vice versa, dimensional analysis converting from one unit of measure to another based on the idea that anything multiplied by 1 is unchanged. Example, 1 Liter = 0.264 Gallons, therefore L/.264 Gal = 1 and .264 Gal/L = 1 so 6 Liters/1 x .264 Gal / Liters = 6 x .264 Gal = 1.58 Gal and the unit "Liter" cancels out of both numerator and denominator. All kinds of conversion fun.

Have them calculate the height of a tree using a 1ft length of 1/4" tubing as a surveyor scope.

Yeah, I like math.

zwoij wrote:

ERIC wrote: Lesson No. 1. It's "Sierra", never "Sierras".

When I speak Spanish, which I do regularly, I would only say Sierra. In English, it doesn't matter, except to the purists, who I am happy to annoy.

How about helping me teach my boys about the Sierras Nevadas Mountainses?

Give it a couple years until all the fuddy-duddys aren't a problem anymore. There's bigger fish to fry than a name. I think it's more important and worthwhile to introduce your kids to a love and appreciation of nature than strict linguistic rules.

Just checking in to make sure we're all talking about the same thing, here.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sierra

Mark?

Now that's funny Eric!!! Some of the latter definitions are downright disturbing.

As to the original post, I commend you for wanting to teach and instill such values in your children.

As for the grammatical debate, sigh . I'm a geologist and the topic was driven into our brains by our field instructors so I always say Sierra, but why is everyone given such a brow beating over it on this site??? How about just pointing it out without busting someone's chops (as the first response did)? Just saying!

still agree with Mark. If you're teaching or doing scientific research, you need to be more precise in your words. Should be Sierra, or the Sierra Nevada. But.. there are worse parents/teachers out there who don't really care about the details. Details are everything if you want a (meaningful) job.

If your children find a Sierra topic of interest, You should look to see if they can attend either reviews or even meetings on a current topic to see what really happens. There is a lot of effort behind the scenes, but the interaction would be enlightening. They might not comprehend it at the time, but.. Politics are good as well.

I liked them thar hills.

Food! What surprised me about teaching at NOLS, is when we go course evaluations from students, the thing they liked the most and said they learned much, was ration planning and cooking. Eating is very basic. Really motivates people.

Have the kids do all the food planning. Learn nutritional value of food. Go shopping. Have a budget. How many calories do you need? How do other nutrients make you a stronger backpacker? Hydration. Why do we need all that water. Lots of math here. Then practice cooking. Cooking is chemistry-science. Food comes in a box - but how did it get in that box? Where does your food come from?

Hands on skills. Safety in handling hot pots. How to build a fire. What is a fire anyway? How does it produce heat.

Fishing! Lots of biology here. Disect a fish. Back to food - how much nutritional value in a fish. And food from the fish's perspective. Tie flies. Why to fish like certain insects vs others? Fishing rod. What is the physics of a cast?

Exercise physiology- how does your body work when you exercise? Why does altitude matter? How does food fit into all this?

Jimr wrote:When you start introducing algebra to the boys, you can have them create linear formulas to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius and vice versa starting with a graphing of two known points, working through the point/slope formula and ending with a linear equation in the form y=Mx+B, then isolate for x. Have them take temp measurements in the field and convert to C.

Convert meters to feet and vice versa, dimensional analysis converting from one unit of measure to another based on the idea that anything multiplied by 1 is unchanged. Example, 1 Liter = 0.264 Gallons, therefore L/.264 Gal = 1 and .264 Gal/L = 1 so 6 Liters/1 x .264 Gal / Liters = 6 x .264 Gal = 1.58 Gal and the unit "Liter" cancels out of both numerator and denominator. All kinds of conversion fun.

Have them calculate the height of a tree using a 1ft length of 1/4" tubing as a surveyor scope.

Yeah, I like math.

Excellent ideas. Just the kind of feedback I was hoping for.

I will have to brush up on my math quite a bit to be a good teacher! I went through calculus and enjoyed it but haven't used anything beyond the very basics of math in almost 20 years. Do you have an example of the orthographic profile you mentioned in your other response?

The trick is going to be finding topics that they will be truly interested in.