January 11, 2013
Ms. Miele from Village Park Elementary School in Pennsylvania brought me wonderful thank you cards, with student writing and drawings, after my visit there this week.
We don’t have enough space here to share them all, but I wanted to show you some of the lovely notes from these students.
Destiny wrote: "Mr. Simon, I hope you had a great time here," along with this lovely drawing of the two of us holding hands. Thank you, Destiny!
Savannah wanted me to know that she has some suggestions for new books: "What about flowers or bees? Birds are cool, too." And she added, "P.S. You inspire me." I am so touched by that.
2nd grader Tyler wrote: "I liked when you showed us the paper airplane!"
And look at this terrific drawing of a space monster! One of my favorite topics!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
January 9, 2013
Welcome to Writing Wednesday!
Today we’re going to start with this funny photograph of a snow person and snow dog! Isn’t it great? We would like you to tell us in your own words what snow animal you would build if you could.Think about your favorite animal, and tell us why you like that animal so much. Use facts, concrete details and other information to convince us why your snow animal would be the best one ever!
When you are finished writing, click on the yellow "comments" link at the bottom of this blog post if you would like to publish your snow animal writing for others to read. Or, share with your classmates, family or friends!
Happy (snowy) writing!
Note for Educators: Today’s Writing Wednesday exercise is designed to support CCSS Writing Standard w.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (2b) Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
Posted by: Liz Nealon
January 8, 2013
The Cassini orbiter - an unmanned space probe - sent back this magnificent image of Saturn last month. The reason this photograph is so spectacular is that the orbiter is shooting from the "dark side" of Saturn, so the planet is glowing with the sun’s light behind it.
Look closely at the bottom left-hand corner of the photograph - do you see anything there? Those two little spots are Enceladus and Tethys, two of Saturn’s moons.
Here’s what Carolyn Porco, leader of the Cassini imaging team at the Colorado-based Space Science Institute, said about this image:"Of all the many glorious images we have received from Saturn, none are more strikingly unusual than those we have taken from Saturn’s shadow. They unveil a rare splendor seldom seen anywhere else in our solar system."
Posted by: Seymour Simon
January 6, 2013
Scientists think that feathered, two-legged dinosaurs called Oviraptors may have used their muscular tails to shake their feathers as part of a mating dance, just as some male birds do today. One of the researchers who analyzed 75-million-year-old oviraptor fossils said, "I think like peacocks, oviraptors were strutting their stuff by shaking their tail feathers to show off."
Oviraptor tails were short, but were made of many tailbones attached by very strong muscles. This suggests that their tails were both very flexible and very strong, enabling these prehistoric animals to do eye-catching dances and hold powerful poses. The mating dance has apparently been with us through the ages!
Drawing by Sydney Mohr
Posted by: Liz Nealon
January 6, 2013
Seymour Simon is heading back to Pennsylvania and visiting six more schools this coming week. As promised, we are running our contest again for students in the Pennsbury school district. Welcome to the AWESOME SCIENCE WORD contest!
Two lucky winners are going to receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s newly updated SCIENCE DICTIONARY, with more than 2,000 entries!
Did you ever spend time browsing through an encyclopedia or dictionary? You might not have been looking for a specific word but just leafing through, finding cool topics and reading about them. For this contest Seymour Simon invites you to browse through his online Science Dictionary and find a word or image that you really like. Here is the link where you can find his Science Dictionary online: http://www.seymoursimon.com/index.php/science_dictionary/
Here is what you need to know to enter Seymour’s Awesome Science Word Contest:
Take a look around in the online Science Dictionary and find a word that you think is an Awesome Science Word. Once you have decided on your word, you have to do three things:
1. Tell us what your word is and explain the definition in your own words.
2. Tell us why you think your word is awesome.
3. Use your Awesome Science Word in a sentence to prove that you really understand what it means.
Here is an example. Let’s say that I look at the online Dictionary pick "geyser" as my Awesome Science Word. I would write:
Definition in my own words: A geyser is a hot, underground pool or stream of water that sometimes explodes into the air, releasing hot water and steam.
Why it is awesome: I think it is awesome that hot water, smoke and steam can just explode out of the ground without any warning.
Using it in a sentence: If you ever go to Yellowstone National Park, don’t walk too near the "Old Faithful" geyser, because you never know when it is going to blow!
Here is how to enter once you have selected your Awesome Science Word:
A. Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog to enter the contest by sharing your word along with your definition, why you think it is awesome, and your sentence using your word.
B. When you write you information, be sure to also tell us your name (first name only), your school, and your teacher’s name. That way we can find you if you are the winner!
C. Be sure to post your entry by midnight on Friday, January 11th. The contest ends then.
RULES:
- Two winners in the Pennsbury Schools will be chosen randomly from all the correct entries.
- Older students may enter individually, and we will pick one winner.
- Students in grades K-2 may enter as a class and work with their teacher to enter the contest; there will be one classroom winner.
- Both winners will receive copies of the printed version of the SCIENCE DICTIONARY, autographed by Seymour Simon.
- Students who are not in the Pennsbury (Pennsylvania) school district may also enter this contest. If we have at least 20 entries from other schools, we will randomly choose a third prizewinner from the non-Pennsylvania entries.
This new book is completely updated, and was just published by Dover Books on December 19.
So, get to work and send us your entries today. Good luck!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 31, 2012
The Top Seymour Science Story of 2012 was the passing of the brave astronaut and explorer Neil Armstrong. Nearly 100 of you commented on this story about his amazing life.
You may have heard that an astronaut named Neil Armstrong died today. He was a hero to me and to many others – the man who took a “giant leap for mankind” when he first walked on the moon on July 20, 1969.Neil Armstrong was a man of courage, and although he was a private person, he gracefully accepted his role for the rest of his life as the “face” of the space program and a symbol of man’s exploration of the solar system beyond our own planet.
This is a photograph of a footprint on the moon, left by our astronauts back in 1969. It marked the first time that human beings walked on ground that was not Earth. That footprint may last for a million years or longer, because there is no air on the moon. Without air there is no wind to blow the dust around.
The print of that first giant step for mankind will live forever on the moon, just as Neil Armstrong’s brave quest to explore and learn more will live forever in our memories.
When asked how they would like Neil Armstrong to be remembered, his wife and family said:
"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."
I think we can do that, don’t you?
Tessa, from Galax, Virginia wrote: I’m soo sad that Neil Armstrong died. He was so awesome to me. I look up to him.
A reader named Amy added: I am so sad hearing about Armstrong’s passing. Tonight when I go outside I will look up to the sky and say ‘thank you Neil Armstrong for all you did. You’re always in my mind.’
And an anonymous reader commented:
I like how he was the first astrounaunt to ever walk on the moon.
I like how when he was walking on the moon, how he wasn’t afraid.
I like how he was a hero to everyone on planet Earth.
I like how he could survive on the moon when there is no air.
I like how he was a man of courage and wisdom.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 30, 2012
Once in awhile we select a Writing Wednesday topic that you all really want to write about. That happened in 2012 with a story called “Moose Emergency.” I love this story because your responses show the world that my Seymour Science readers are people who care about animals and our planet Earth. And, you believe that your words and your actions will make a difference.
Rather than pick from your writing, we are going to include every single one of your responses here. This is the #2 Seymour Science Story of 2012.
Welcome to Writing Wednesday! This week, we are asking you to use your writing to convince people to support an important cause. 
The Problem: 2012 is one of Alaska’s snowiest winters ever. 92 inches of snow have already fallen in Anchorage, Alaska - that’s 18 inches more than they usually get in a whole year! And there are still ten weeks of winter left.
The snow is so deep that moose - the largest deer on Earth - are using plowed highways and railroad tracks to get around. This is dangerous, and they are being hit by trains and cars in record numbers. Although the moose is not officially endangered, the population is much smaller because of hunting and other human activities.
The Alaska Moose Agency wants the governor to declare a "Moose Emergency," so that they can get permission to clear trees and cut paths to give the moose safe pathways to walk on.
Your Assignment: Imagine that you are part of the Alaska Moose Agency, and you are making posters to hang up all around town, asking for a Moose Emergency. The poster can’t have too many words on it, or it will be too hard to read. So, you must argue your case, and make people care about saving the moose…..in 50 words or less.
Tips to Make Your Writing Powerful:
o Set the scene by appealing to your reader’s senses and imagination.
o Include descriptive details to help to convince the reader that your cause is important.
o Use strong verbs to get your reader to take action.
Kids from all over the country, but particularly students from James Fallon Elementary School in Wayne, NJ and Mr. Keane’s 4th grade class in Prospect, Connecticut, leapt to the defense of the moose!
Here is all of your passionate writing. Way to go, readers!
Poor Little Moose :( - Will, Ohio
Save the Moose: Please save the moose they are going to go endangered. Please help they don’t want to go in the railroads and streets but the floor is covered in snow you can’t blame them. They will go extinct please help them. They need lots of help please help. - Arctic Penguin, New Jersey
Save the moose! Clear pathways for the moose. Drive slower and more carefully. Stop hunting moose. Save them from trains. Stop hunting the moose. Stop eating a lot of moose 
- Mr. Mystery
Save the moose from being endangered. Help convince the Alaskan Government to make safe paths for the moose to walk. Alaska is having a major snow storm and the only places moose’ can walk is plowed streets and railroads. Save the moose please. Thank you very much. -...
read morePosted by: Seymour Simon
December 29, 2012
Over the summer I received a letter recently from Susan Hall, the Media Specialist at the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) School in Ohio. Ms. Hall wrote: As a 5-8th grade school, we are using your book GLOBAL WARMING in a summer Cyber e-reading program, paired with a fiction book titled FIRST LIGHT by Rebecca Stead, which also deals with global warming. Our very curious learners are enthusiastic about your book and have some questions for you!
Those very curious learners asked very good questions….and they have earned themselves a place as the #3 Seymour Science Story of 2012!
What a good idea to study this topic through both fictional and nonfiction texts! So, I’ve agreed to answer four questions from Ms. Hall’s summer students here on my blog. I hope that other readers will find this interesting, as well.
Why do so many people think global warming is a government conspiracy? (Andrew)
It is difficult to answer this question because no one really knows why people’s opinions are so diverse. The only thing that I can really answer is why I think that global warming is REAL and NOT a conspiracy. I think global warming is really happening because the overwhelming evidence of countless studies is that global warming does exist and that it is influenced by human activities. Just because a certain percentage of people believe that there is a government conspiracy is not evidence that there is one. For example, some people believe that humans and dinosaurs lived on Earth at the same time despite the fact that all the evidence points to the fact that dinosaurs became extinct tens of millions of years before humans appeared.
How could we simulate the earth’s atmosphere to study and test the effects of global warming? (Daniel)
Setting up a computer simulation to track complex climate changes is very difficult. Yet the ones that have been done all seem to suggest that global warming is real and happening very quickly.
What change in energy use would most dramatically slow down global warming? (Camryn)
Becoming more energy efficient is the single most important change we can help to bring about. The largest single source of greenhouse gases is electric power generation. The average home contributes more to global warming that an average car. That’s because much of the energy comes from power plants that burn fossil fuel to make electricity. So the less electricity we use, the more we are helping cut down on the use of fossil fuels.
Is it possible to reverse global warming? (Miriam)
Many scientists think that it’s possible to slow it down rather than just reversing the process. Either way, it’s to all our advantage if we conserve energy to reduce our use of fossil fuels.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 28, 2012
One of the top Science News stories of 2012 was the superstorm Hurricane Sandy. The New York and New Jersey areas are still trying to recover from the afteraffects of this storm surge, which destroyed homes, shut down the power grids, and will affect oceanside communities for years to come.
We chose this photograph our #4 Seymour Science Story of 2012 for its powerful illustration of the awesome power of this unprecedented storm.
I can hardly bring myself to call this the "Cool Photo of the Week." It is more like the ASTOUNDING photo of the week!
This shipwreck was long buried under the sand dunes on Fire Island - a barrier island off Long Island, New York. The force of Hurricane Sandy completely reconfigured the beaches of Fire Island, and exposed the bones of this wrecked schooner.
Park rangers think that it is the wreck of the Bessie White, which ran aground off Fire Island in either 1919 or 1922 - almost 100 years ago! The Bessie White was a four-mast Canadian schooner which went aground in heavy fog. The crew and the ship’s cat escaped in lifeboats, but they couldn’t save the ship or the tons of coal that it was carrying.
Seeing the sand rearranged to the point that this buried shipwreck is revealed really gives you an idea of how strong the winds and surf are during a hurricane.
Caroline, from Indiana, captured the reaction of many of our readers when she wrote: "That is so cool, and who would think that a 100 year old thing would still be there?!"
Photo: Cheryl Hapke, USGS
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 27, 2012
Once again, today’s story started with a Writing Wednesday assignment.
We asked our readers to look at the photograph below and describe the owl’s hunt for prey. These writers appealed to the reader’s different senses (sound and sight), used strong action verbs to describe the owl’s quest, and won themselves a place as the #5 Seymour Science Story of 2012!
The first author is a regular Writing Wednesday contributor.
As the owl swoops around, blending into the sky, the owl is going fast without going wooossshhhh. On the hunt for mice. - Will in Ohio
Two students from Singapore also joined in on Writing Wednesday. For our North American readers who may not have studied Southeast Asia yet, Singapore is an island nation just to the north of Indonesia, and it is made up of 63 islands! Here is what they wrote:
The owl lifted off the branch with a powerful stroke of his spectacular wings. He let a hoot slip out and ring in the air. He listened to the silent night to hear the scurrying feet of his dinner. There it was, a nice plump mouse. He broke into a dive and opened his claws wide, as wide as they would go. He felt the warm body of the mouse and forced his claws closed over the warm body. Then prepared himself for a feast. -Pollyanna
The Barn Owl glided through the air, flapping its wings in a perfect rhythm. Eyes narrowed down at the little mouse hurrying to get home. Swooping down the owl listened to the little feet of his dinner scurrying away. He folded his wings up tight, opened his sharp claws and dove in for the kill. After closing his sharp claws on the mouse the owl immediately lifted himself higher and higher into the sky and went back to his nest and put dinner on the table for the rest of the family. - Erin
And there was more. Our writers were clearly inspired by this photograph:
Barn owls look like they pay attention to where they are going because in the picture they were looking really straight. also, when the barn owls are hunting they look like a hawk because of how sharp they look. :0 - Olivia, New York
The owl might be silent so it’s prey dosen’t know its coming. So it is really silent. When you see something that an owl might eat you might hear silence then swoop its gone. That is my opinon. - Sarah, Oklahoma
Posted by: Seymour Simon
