Prime Time; 131; Pavillion of Science Technology

[Music with children singing] (singing continues) [Moderator, Ed Sardella] Hello I'm Ed Sardella host for Prime Time. This week we'll visit the Pavilion of Science Technology. We'll tour the Denver Art Museum, and will have an explanation of the summer reading program. Author Patricia Curtis discusses pet ownership, and students at Gust view a display by the Denver Dumb Friends League. Then Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joseph Brzeinski, describes the middle school concept.

On Saturday mornings at the Pavilion in City Park, instructor Alice Walters challenges students to discover the exciting realm of science technology. (music) [Alice Walters] Good morning everybody I'd like to welcome you here to the Pavilion of Science and Technology for the first in our next series of Saturday morning classes. And this morning we're going to talk about the science of cold or cryogenics. Now I have some very special liquid right here. This is liquid nitrogen. And liquid nitrogen is like water in that it has a boiling point and a freezing point, and it's odorless and tasteless. Although I'm not really sure you'd want to drink it because liquid nitrogen, that liquid nitrogen in that container there, is boiling at the

temperature of minus 195 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Can anybody guess what's going to happen if I put this balloon into liquid nitrogen? Well, the best way to find something out is to try it, assuming of course it's not too dangerous. Let's try putting this balloon into the liquid nitrogen. Can anyone tell me what's happening? [Several children interjecting] It's shrinking. [children speaking] It's melting. Oh my gosh. She's melting it. I'm melting. I'm melting. Through the plastic. ?inaudible? It's freezing. It's going to be gone. [Walters] What's going to happen if I take it out? [Several children commenting] Turn to paper. ?inaudible? It's going to break. [Walters] At the bottom you can see the shadow of what's, what

is liquid air. Actually it's liquid oxygen just down there at the bottom. So we just turned some gas into a liquid. What would happen if I put my finger in liquid nitrogen? [Several children commenting] It would freeze. It would die. It would hurt. [Walters] Yes, it does hurt. What would happen if I put a flower in liquid nitrogen? Let's get my little flower out here. Here we go. I have a nice little carnation; it even smells nice. What will happen when I put the flower in the liquid nitrogen? Guess. [With children commenting] Yes. It will crinkle up. What else? Any other guesses? It will turn brown. [Walters] Well let's find out. Living tissue is made up of things called cells. Cells aren't quite as small as molecules. In fact cells are fairly large. There are some animals that are made up of just one cell. But cells have something in them that's very, very

common. They have water in them, a whole bunch of water. Now water when it freezes expands - somebody mentioned that before. And as the water inside the cells expands it breaks the wall of the cell, so that although the flower looks exactly the same, [breaking sound] it's not. Now that gives you some idea what would happen if you put your finger into liquid nitrogen. I'd like to thank you all for coming by this morning. I'd also like to remind you that next week we're going to be doing an activity on probability. [Moderator, Ed Sardella] Stories about animals and pets are popular subjects that appeal to children. Patricia Curtis is the author of "Animal Rights," "Cindy, Hearing Ear Dog," "Greff: Guide Dog for the Blind" and a fall publication, "Training and Working with Animals". Patricia Curtis also represents the Pets Are Wonderful Council. It assists organizations like the Dumb Friends League, which goes to schools to promote

proper pet care. [Moderator 2, female] At Gust Elementary on west Yale, Principal James Larson explains the importance of learning about animals. [Larson] Well in conjunction with Be Kind to Animals Week we invited the Dumb Friends League to come out and have an exhibit for our children - to enlighten them and give them some learning experiences that deal with the care and the responsibility of animals, animal shelters. We had some of the children draw pictures of animals, and we found that there was a lack of experience from the children in terms of the knowledge about animals. And we feel that dogs and cats are almost as important as human beings. And we felt that the knowledge that they could derive from the Dumb Friends League would be invaluable. So we had the exhibit here, and the children are attending an assembly where they're dealing also with different ways that dogs and animals are used in their lives. There are a lot of families today where the children have an animal but have never been shown how to properly take care of it, to

groom the animal, to feed the animal, and the responsibilities that go along with the animal. So we felt that that was would be a valuable experience. [Moderator 2] The Denver Dumb Friends League is a nonprofit organization which tries to educate the public about the proper care and treatment of animals. They provide a quarterly newsletter, free pet care booklets, obedience classes, and offer to the schools films, slide shows, and displays to educate young children. Every hour in the United States over 10 thousand cats and dogs are born. Every day, the Denver Dumb Friends League receives about 75 animals. Only a third of them are adopted. The rest are put to death because there are not enough homes to go around. To better understand this pet population problem, many elementary school children visit the Dumb Friends League on guided tours to learn about proper care and the prevention of random breeding. The goal is that someday there will be no unwanted animals

waiting at the Dumb Friends League, and hoping someone will take them home. Patricia Curtis is the author of many books on pets. At the Dumb Friends League she discusses the values of pet ownership and why she writes children's books. [Patricia Curtis] Well I'm very interested in writing books for children, especially my interest in the handicapped came about through my interest in animals, really in the use of animals for the handicapped. There's so many causes that one could persue as a subject to write about and read about, but I

had just sort of chosen animals as mine. But I love writing for kids, particularly because their minds are so unbiased, and they're generally so responsive and sympathetic. [Moderator 2, Lin Mrachek] Mrs.Curtis, when you write children's stories what message are you trying to convey? [Curtis] Well several really - that animals are our companions, that they are fellow creatures, that they deserve good treatment, that the joys of having one is worth any amount of care and work that you have to do to treat your animal correctly. Just to try to give a very positive view of the other animals that we share the planet with, and particularly those we share our homes with. [Lin Mrachek] There's been a great deal of research done showing that pets are beneficial. What is the pet's role in the family?

[Curtis] Well they play many different roles, depending on the size of the family and the ages of the members of the family. The most obvious role is that people, the parents, will get a pet for a child assuming that the pet will teach the child responsibility, which really isn't right because the parent must follow through and make sure that the child does treat the pet correctly and take proper care of it. But it can be a wonderful tool through which the parent can socialize the child and teach the child some of the great civilising qualities like empathy and consideration for the needs of another creature. You know a family therapist reported a study that was made of family members with pets. And most of them when they were asked who gets the most strokes - that is petting, words, gestures, touches - most of the people in the survey reported that the pet got the most strokes in the

family. In other words, people found it easier to express their affection for the pet, than for each other, which is interesting because it makes an outlet for the need to touch and fondle and cuddle and caress. [Lin Mrachek] We teach pets to do tricks, but what do pets teach children? [Curtis] Well they teach children that another creature has a mind and has feelings. They teach children that an animal has a great deal of love to give and that it's just a great companion. For one thing the child has a creature who is always on his side - no matter what kind of report card he brought home or whether he's had a quarrel with his sibling. You know the animal is going to be there for him. [Lin Mrachek] What about if there are problems within a family? How can a pet help? [Curtis] This is very interesting. There have been studies of this. Problems within a family very often the pet will be the stabilizing

factor. A child, for instance, always has the pet to comfort him if the parents are quarreling. Another thing is one researcher reported a wonderful incident where when the children were quarrelling and fighting amongst themselves, if the mother said stop hitting your brother it didn't always happen. But if she said stop hitting your brother, you're upsetting the dog, the children would then stop because they felt that it would be just awful to have upset the dog. [Lin Mrachek] What criteria should be used in selecting a pet for a child? Do you recommend more than one pet, a dog and a cat?. Are there any rules that people need to follow along that line? [Curtis] I always recommend more than one, more than two even. The main reason is that I think if the parents are both working or out of the house, and the children are in school, it's very lonely for a pet. Dogs and cats are very social creatures and I always recommend getting at

least two. They have each other for company, and they're not so dependent, and they're not so stressed then when everyone is out and they're wondering who's going to come home. My parting words should be to come down to the Dumb Friends League and adopt at least one, and preferably two pets, because it's good for you. And this little fella needs a home, for example, and there was a whole batch back there just as cute as this one and they need homes. [Sardella] Field trips cultivate the powers of accurate observation. A group of Lincoln Elementary students toured the Denver Art Museum and examined the exhibit of colonial America. [music playing] [Patterson Williams] The period before the revolution was the colonial period because that was

when we were whose colony, basically?. British. I mean there were some other people who had colonies in America too but we were basically a British colony. And after the year 1776, and after the revolution was over, is what's called the Federal Period. And that's the early times of American government without being controlled by England. All right would you please, right now, find a partner? I want you to work just in twos. I'm going to give the person who is facing me an object. That person is going to be asked to examine the object carefully and describe it in words to the person whose back is to me. [Children describing object] This cutted me. The side of it because it makes a hook. You can turn it around and pull it up and stuff. See if you can get a different layer on the teeth, and then there's the thing that holds the teeth in place. It holds on the teeth at a different level. Then it comes out, and it goes into like a plate which comes up with something that looks like it burns incense or something.

[Williams with children interjecting] And what's thing? Hold that thing up. We have not the slightest idea. [laughing] [Patterson] Well now I do believe you have already figured out how to hold it. I mean you can sort of tell the bottoms and the tops of most things, not all things, but the most. [Child] Is a candle holder and you can carry it around the house like that? [Patterson] Well it has a hook like this, right, for hanging? So it is a candle - try to snuff a candle with it. Turn it upside down and try to snuff it. Man, very tough, very, very difficult., It would be hard with this one too, but easier with this one. That is a candle holder, and the one thing that you don't know about it yet is what those saw teeth are for. Look what she was doing. Look what she's doing. Ahhh... You can, it is an adjustable. You can raise and lower your light. Now we are going to go into the house. You must work in the room that you are assigned to work in, and you must pick a piece of furniture that has the same purpose, the same use, as the piece of furniture that you've already drawn. But

you are to draw it's outline and its decoration. I would try to draw the outline of that middle thing that hangs down, and then try to draw one outline of one of those arms that comes off - not all of them. That be tough. I must admit drawing all those arms would be difficult. Are they the same, or different? What would you say? Your last job after you finish your drawing is to list three ways in which these two cups and saucers are the same and three ways in which they are different. This one is rounded around the top, and this one, see how it goes... [Patterson] It's... I don't know how many sides. I bet it's octagonal. I bet it's eight. One, two, hard to count, three, so I bet it's eight. Octagonal - O, C, T, A, G, O, N, A, L - but you can just say eight sided. This is not really an old floor but it must be put together. You know how old floors are put together in what they call a tongue in a groove? Do you know what that is? Yeah. Do you? Yeah. I mean like the board has a little hole in it like that, and then the next one has a little stick

out thing, like that. And I think that's what makes it... you know. [Child] It's that way at our house. [Patterson] And you have... [Moderator 1] Reading skills can be strengthened through the Denver Public Library's summer reading program and the public school's summer school activities. [Linda Essig] For over 50 years the Denver Public Library has had a special vacation reading program. And this year we're having something even more special in the way of summer reading because we're having a dinosaur reading program starting June 1st. You can go to any of your Denver Public Libraries and pick up a vacation reading tally that looks like this. All you have to

do is to read eight books, and after you've read eight books you list them on the line, and then you take it back to any Denver Public Library and you can have the staff member sign your special certificate down here and put on a dinosaur stamp. They will also, at that time, give you another certificate and this will admit you to the Denver Museum of Natural History to see such friends as the Tyrannosaurus Rex. And there are a lot of other activities you can do to keep up your reading this summer. You might want to go to the supermarket with your mom and just help her read the names of the packages as you go along. [Child and Mother] It's milled rice, sugar, salt, malted cereal syrup, sodium ascorbate. That's right. And vitamin C. OK that's all right. Let me find my recipe. Here it is. Do we have all that? Let's see. We need the mixed nuts. OK let's go get them.

[Essig] Or if you have a special recipe that you like, you might come to the library and find just a book on that recipe and fix it and read it as you do it. We hope that you'll come to the library this summer and be a Readersaurus. [James Vandever] Well the purpose of the Denver Public Schools reading program is to keep pupils involved in reading during the summer. It is a program that is remedial. We work with pupils to increase their reading skills in some area that has been identified where they have a deficiency. [Teacher with children] When I touch these, would you tell me what they mean please? Consonant, vowel, consonant. Great, that was really good. Okay we're going to switch. All of those are short vowels. We do a lot of visual things, a lot of high appeal things, we use colored chalk, we use games - just anything like that would really keep them motivated and hold their attention and make them want to come back to summer school tomorrow.

(male child) Huge, hope, lite, Pete, mate. (teacher)Very good! Let's count your points. Let's count my points. Ready? Help me. Five, six, seven. [James Vandever, Coordinator Elementary Summer School Program] During the summer we have several goals. One of them is to keep our pupils involved in reading and to have them enjoy reading, as such. Its primary goal is to improve reading skills. [Dr. Joseph Brzeinski, Superintendent Denver Public Schools] This fall the Denver Public Schools will change its current secondary education structure by enrolling all ninth grade students in the senior highs, and converting the junior highs to middle schools for our seventh and eighth grade students. During the current year all junior highs have been piloting the middle school program. Their success, and that found in other school districts around the country, demonstrate that the middle school structure is educationally sound. In the studio with me is Mr. Irv Moskowitz, Middle School

Director, to discuss the changes that will be taking place. Irv, what is a middle school? [Irv Moskowitz, Middle Schools Director for Denver Public Schools] Dr. Brzeinski a middle school is a very, very special educational program for a very special student. And that's for the early adolescent specifically in Denver for the students in grades 7 and 8. [Brzeinski] Since the middle school is different, how's it going to be organized? [Moskowitz] Quite differently than the junior high, the middle school will be comprised of areas that will be focused on the academics - and that will be a core area with mathematics, English, science, social studies - all taught by a team of teachers. Then we will have an exploratory area made up of practical arts and expressive arts. And so we have a very, very unique offering for our students. [Brzeinski] What specific curriculum offerings will be in the middle school, in addition to those you've already mentioned? [Moskowitz] Well in the exploratory area we will be having music and art and foreign language for all of our students. That means that each student will be experiencing those areas, where in the past we didn't have that. Also in

the practical arts, we will have our shops - industrial education, home economics and business. But I guess the cornerstone of this curriculum will really be the academic areas - that core academic team. [Brzeinski] You had mentioned earlier the emphasis on reading instruction in the middle school. Could you say a bit more about that? [Moskowitz] Yes, Dr. Brzezinski, we're very serious about reading for middle schools and we will have special programs for those students who are not only in need of remedial help, but for all students - so that we can say in Denver that each student in the middle schools will be engaged in a reading program. [Brzeinski] What provisions are going to be made for those students who excel in their class work? [Moskowitz] We have a number of different opportunities and offerings for those students. First off right within the core area, students will be grouped according to their academic abilities, in many cases. And where they are there will be the challenges and the competition that these students need. In addition we will have enrichment activities for these students so that they can have in-depth work, as well as broadening out and having exploratory

opportunities. And then finally we will have a very much ongoing and fully implemented Gifted and Talented Program for our students in middle schools for 1982-83. [Brzeinski] For those pupils who may need some additional work, some corrective work, are provisions are going to be made for them? [Moskowitz] Oh certainly. That's one of the beautiful parts about middle schools, and that we can really personalize our education. When a team of teachers meets regularly, as a matter of fact daily, and have the same number of students - the very same students they can sit, speak to each other, and plan for these students - so that those students who are identified as being in need of remediation, or in need of a little additional in-depth work, can be singled out by the teachers and special provisions can be made for them. [Brzeinski] What kind of counseling program will be provided for the students? [Mostkowitz] We will have the counseling program that we're used to from our junior highs, which has worked very well. In addition to that we will have a fully comprehensive advisory program in our middle schools, and that is that all of our teachers will be engaged with small groups of students and

school related advisory matters. [Brzeinski] Although your primary responsibility deals with grades 7 and 8, what provision is being made in the high school to welcome the ninth graders? [Moskowitz] There has been a in-depth planning effort going on all year and being ready for this conversion. And as you say, Dr. Brzeinski, the four year high school is with us, as well as our middle school. And so we will be ready as far as curriculum is concerned, as far as staffing is concerned, as far as the appropriate materials for those students to use, and perhaps most of all, a sincere welcome for the ninth graders into our high schools. [Brzeinski] Well I think that's a good place to end this interview and we thank you very much for being with us today. Thank you. [Moskowitz] Thank you. [Moderator 1, Sardella] This is our final program. And Prime Time extends its appreciation to all of you who have become a part of the series. We've focused on educational opportunities in the Denver Public Schools stressing the importance of reading as the foundation for all learning. We visited many classrooms and covered special events, and we've demonstrated that it is the

partnership between school, home and community that contributes to the excellence in education in the Denver Public Schools. I've enjoyed being your host. Thanks for watching. I'm Ed Sardella.