inquiry Blocks
Inquiry Blocks are where students craft a driving question about something they're curious about. It begins with a fairly simple question that, with the help of teachers, is revised until it becomes more complex and something that doesn't have a simple answer to it. I listed below the work I've done, starting with my first one. Enjoy!
This was my first Inquiry Block and it began with the word color. From there I developed a variety of questions that related to color and I decided on this one. Then, when my research was finished, I was required to present it in any format I'd like. I choose to do a poster type presentation that had little facts on it. This allowed me to speak about it in depth and for others to ask questions. However, I did do another research part that I listed below to show my work and questions.
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A reduced ability to distinguish between certain colors
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99% of all colorblind people are not really color blind but color deficient
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Happens when there’s a problem with the pigments in certain nerve cells in the eyes that detect color. The cells are called cones and are found in the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye (retina)
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If just one pigment is missing, people might have trouble telling the difference between red and green (most common type)
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People affected by tritan color blindness confuse blue with green and yellow with violet.
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People with blue-yellow color blindness often have problems seeing reds and greens, too
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The most severe form of color blindness is achromatopsia. A rare condition where a person cannot see any color, only shades of gray
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Most color blindness is due to a genetic problem
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About 1 in 10 men have some form of color blindness. Very few women are color blind
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Color blindness is more prevalent among males than females, because the most common form of color vision deficiency is encoded on the X sex chromosome
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The drug hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) can also cause color blindness. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions
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Different things can cause it such as: aging, eye problems (glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, or diabetic retinopathy), an injury to the eye(s), or side effects of a type of medication
This one was truly engaging. I got to look into slavery quite a bit deeper than a traditional history class would. Generally, people believe that African Americans were the only slaves. That, however, is not true. There were slaves of all race. Even Native Americans and Caucasians were sold into slavery and typically cost more than others.
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12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the Middle Passage
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Some 500,000 slaves were brought to the United States (or the colonies it was built from) in the history of the slave trade
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In America there were many white slaves
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Typically cost more than AA’s and were common
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The Irish slave trade started when 30,000 prisoners were sold
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Majority of the slaves to the New World were white
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From 1641 to 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English
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17th and 18th centuries - Irish slaves were nothing more than human cattle
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For money purposes the English began to breed Irish women (starting at 12) to African men
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Some Native Americans were captured and sold by others into slavery to Europeans
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Mexicans were not slaves either
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1823 - The Mexican government had issues with the settlers in America though because they didn't allow people to buy or sell slave
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Mexico required that the children of slaves be freed when they reached 14
This Inquiry Block has been the most interesting of all the ones I've done. It touches on every topic that's important to me and allows me to dig deep into those controversial issues. I love it because it gives me the chance to switch perspectives and view some issues from the other side. This really lets me get an understanding on how other people view something. That was one of the reasons I choose to research this question actually. I wanted to be able to understand the people I disagree with. That way I can create an argument for their points and hopefully be able to show those people the other side of what they believe and maybe change their mind.
For my next Inquiry Block, since I broke this one into three parts, I want to continue onto my next section. Next is women's rights and I'm hoping to look at how they began, changed throughout the years and what they look like today. Hopefully that will lead to some new ideas and paths for me to look into, like it did with my first two sections.
My first Inquiry block was this one. I wanted to research Leukemia to understand what it is and how it affects the body. I created a Prezi for this one to demonstrate my learning and the link is below for you to go through! I focused on the four main types to find the differences and narrow down my topic some.
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Leukemia is cancer that starts in bone marrow, where blood cells are made
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The bone marrow starts to make abnormal white blood cells (Leukemia cells)
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Abnormal white blood cells grow faster and don't stop growing
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Over time they crowd out normal blood cells
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It may be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia gets worse very fast and may make you feel sick right away. Chronic leukemia gets worse slowly and may not cause symptoms for years
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It may be lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lymphocytic leukemia affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia affects the other type of cells that normally become granulocytes, red blood cells, or platelets
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Eventually white blood cells overtake other types of cells which carry oxygen to body tissues and platelets, which allow blood to clot
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Abnormal white blood cells can also spread to other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, skin, spleen, liver, brain, and spinal cord
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Treatment of leukemia depends on the type, certain features, the extent of the disease, and prior history of treatment, as well as the age and health of a patient
Why do those that discriminate against marginalized groups believe the way they do?
Marginalized Groups - LGBTQ Rights
Marginalized Groups - Racism
This Inquiry Block is focused around the concept of empathy and is trying to get the kids in Mosaic to make a difference in our community.
I chose this because it relates to a lot of my other projects. Nearly everything I’ve done in Mosaic has been working with people that were/are under-served within our community. Since empathy is the center of this IB, I knew I could easily find another project that I want to start and begin the process of creating a difference throughout Douglas County. Empathy is also something that I value. It’s one of the biggest reason I do everything that I do.
Another major reason I picked this one was also because I already have in mind a way I want to go with it, or at least a few ideas on what demographic to focus on.
The idea my partner and I have come up with is a clothing bank throughout Douglas County high schools. Our hope is to begin at Castle View and test it first, change it if needed, and then expand so that homeless teenagers have access to quality clothing. We've reached out to different charities throughout Colorado to begin looking at how they do what they do. This allows us to build our prototype already knowing what does and doesn't work for them!
For more information on this topic please look at my "Invisible" Homeless Population page!