Isaac Newton worked from home too

Schools have closed in South Africa and many other parts of the world due to the Covid-19/Coronavirus outbreak. Our learners here in South Africa are also requested to work on their own to prevent falling behind. 

Here is a wonderful story to motivate everybody. 

In the 14th century, the Black Death, also known as the Great Bubonic Plague, the Great Plague or the Plague, wiped out between 75 to 200 million people in Europa and Asia, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351 in which it is believed that 30% to 60% of the European population was wiped out. 

The disease was caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, commonly present in fleas carried by rats and mice. This is a very good reason why we must not have rubbish bags lying in our streets. They attract rats and mice, which endangers everybody due to the possibility of bubonic fever; even today.

Anyway, the plague repeatedly returned to Europe and the UK throughout the 14th to 17th centuries. In London, from 1665 to 1666, the Great Plague caused havoc. 

It was during this period that young Isaac Newton was at university. Due to the seriousness of the disease, "social distancing" was applied and the University of Cambridge sent the students home. Newton went back to his family's estate and it was there where he came up with his theories in mathematics and physics. All by himself, without his professors to guide him. Everybody knows the story of the apple and Newton ...

The Washington Post recently published a wonderful article about Newton and his work at home. It is available here and a pdf version is here. It will hopefully motivate our learners to do their best and to work in their best interest for themselves.

A lot of interesting information is available about the Black Death, the Great Plague, Bubonic plauge, and even Newton's apple tree. To start reading, go here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plague_of_London

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plague/symptoms-causes/syc-20351291

https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/tangled-tale-nists-newton-apple-tree (pdf of this is here)

Newton's first law of motion: Excellent demonstration

Here is an excellent demonstration of Newton's first law of motion and inertia from Don Lincoln's Facebook page. Click here to go directly to the post.

Message from Dr Angela Stott

Dr Angela Stott sends this message to all teachers. Please take the advice seriously and follow it. In her message she has also invited you to contact her if necessary. 

Dear teachers

As you start your planning, please may I remind you of the resources you have received from me. Please do use them! Write the dates and planned homework into the Newton pace setter. Put the posters up in your class rooms and go through the games and worksheets yourself to remind yourself of what they teach, then plan how to use them. Also let the learners copy the discs onto computers they have at home as early as possible and encourage them to use the resources at home as much as they can. If possible, also put the discs onto your school computers. Try get the principal to plan time into the school timetable when physical science learners can work on the computers with this software, e.g. early before school or in the afternoon after school. This needs to be done regularly from January to November. It takes a lot of time to learn! Planning ... especially time and resource planning at the start of the year can improve effectiveness without huge extra effort; so let's work smart from day one!  You have my email and WhatsApp to ask for clarification if needed so feel free to do so. 

All the best!

Angela

Newton's laws and productivity

How can Newton's laws of motion help us to get things done? How to avoid procrastination?

Incorrect facts we teach our pupils at school!

We teach our pupils certain facts, but do we make them aware that it is fine to query the facts? Look at the article about "incorrect" facts they learn at school.