MarcoGram September 2004 -- Cycles of Change

Cycles of Change
For many teachers and students, the beginning of the year is in fall, not January. It's time to get back into the groove and start the learning cycle all over again. This month, the MarcoGram examines things that operate on some sort of cycle, including nature, the economy, literature, mathematics and history. Use the warm-up activities below to examine the occurrence of cycles, then scroll down for more lessons and resources.

Photograph of sleeping child by Elmer Johnson courtesy of American Memory (LC-USF34-001084-C).

1. Biological rhythms in our bodies work like clocks to signal different things, such as when to wake up and when to eat. Examples of biological clocks also are evident in the animal kingdom: Periodical cicadas burrow into the ground and emerge 17 years later, and Pacific salmon return to their birthplace to lay their eggs. As summer vacation ends and the school year begins, we must adjust our biological clocks to match the school schedule.

At what time do you go to sleep at night? When do you wake up for school? Do you feel tired or energized when you wake up? Have students use Internet or library resources to research human sleep patterns. How many hours of sleep per day does a baby require? How much do adolescents need versus adults and seniors? Have students keep charts on their sleeping habits for one week. Then ask how they felt that week (energized or tired) and if they think they're getting enough sleep.

Explore the inner workings of biological clocks in:

"Adolescent Sleep" (9-12) from Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science

"Biological Clocks" (3-5) from Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science

"Cicada Invasion" (3-5) from Science NetLinks, American Association for the Advancement of Science

"Magicicada: A Life Cycle" (K-4) from ARTSEDGE, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

"Pacific Salmon" (K-2) from Xpeditions, National Geographic Society

2. It's not uncommon for communities, towns and villages to experience periods of recession, recovery, growth and decline. Fluctuations in the economy or population, the construction of a superhighway or the closing of a factory can affect the life cycle of a town.

In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe examines the demise of a small African village. European missionaries who sought to help the village by introducing religion, politics and formalized education actually helped disrupt the traditions that had enabled the village to thrive for many years before.

Have students use an Internet glossary, encyclopedia or dictionary to define recession, recovery, growth and decline. In what period is the nation's current economic cycle? What needs to happen to reach the next stage in the cycle? In what stage is your community?

Examine the life cycle of communities in:

"Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Teaching Through the Novel" (9-12) from EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities

"Economic Indicators" (9-12) from EconEdLink, National Council on Economic Education

"Unemployment in My Hometown" (9-12) from EconEdLink, National Council on Economic Education

"Women in Africa: Tradition and Change" (9-12) from EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities

3. One holiday that's on the same day every year is your birthday -- except for those who were born on February 29. That day occurs only in a leap year -- which comes around every four years!

Did you know that in any group of 30 people, there's a 70% chance that two people share the same birthday (month and day)? When is your birthday? Do you know anyone who was born on the same day?

Have students poll everyone in the class to determine everyone's birthday and write the dates on the chalkboard. What percentage of students in your class share the same exact birthday (including year)? Was anyone born on a national holiday? How many were born in spring, summer, fall and winter? Have students use Internet or library resources to locate famous people who share the same birthday.

Learn about the mathematical properties of birthdays in:

"Birthdays and the Binary System: A Magical Mixture" (6-8) from Illuminations, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

4. In a circular story, the plot follows a series of events that eventually end up at the beginning. One example of circular writing is in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, in which Ponyboy emerges from a movie theatre in the first and last sentences of the story. Laura Joffe Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is another great example of a circular story.

A fun way to introduce circular stories is to explore circular words, or "palindromes" -- words or phrases that are spelled the same when written both backwards and forwards. "Madam, I'm Adam" is a popular palindrome. Provide some other examples (such as mom, dad, radar or level), and encourage students to think up more palindromic words and phrases.

Follow the path of a circular story in:

"Unwinding a Circular Plot: Prediction Strategies in Reading and Writing" (3-5) from ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English