Click the “Read More” link to see the full tutorial.

—–
Materials needed

A hardcover book, dust sleeve removed.

Note: When finding a good cover, take a piece of standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper and fold it in half.  The cover should be the same size or slightly larger than the piece of paper.  

Always perform this test, because hardcover books come in a wide variety of sizes.  A book that is too small will not protect the edges of the pages, and a book that is too large will be very difficult to bind.  

3 to 4 yards of thin string or yarn

The string should be about 1/8″ thick or slightly smaller.  Cotton twine or “Sugar ‘n Cream”-type yarns work well.

A yarn needle

Masking tape or cloth tape

Tape

Razor blade or sharp knife

Paper

Standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper works well, although this technique can accomodate many other types of paper.

 A couple of large beads

The holes in the beads need to be large enough that they can fit on the string or yarn you will use.  A small piece of string or fishing line can help string the beads onto the yarn.

—–
Prepare the Cover 

Take the hardcover book and the razor blade, and carefully cut the block of pages away from the cover.  

If you open the book, look at the area where the block of pages meets the cover.  There should be a thin layer of paper joining the two.  Cut through the paper on the front and the back of the book.  Be careful not to cut through to the spine of the cover.
 
After the pages have been separated from the cover, it should look like this:

..minus the cat, of course.

 Take the masking or cloth tape and cut two strips that are the same length as the spine of the book.  Tape the rough edges where you just cut so they look a little neater.

—–

Prepare the Pages

To assemble the pages of your new journal, you will start off by making little “booklets” called signatures.  Take about 10 pieces of 8.5″ x 11″ paper and fold it in half so that it will be able to fit inside the cover.  

The number of signatures that you will need depends on the thickness of the cover’s spine.  To see how many signatures you need, make 5 to 7 signatures and fit them snugly into the cover.  Your signatures should fit somewhat like this:

As you can see, the folded ends of each signature are able to touch the spine.  The signatures should be snug and fill the spine area completely.  Any signatures that are not able to touch the spine should be removed.

—–

Putting It All Together

Next, we will secure the signatures to the cover and bind the book together.  The signatures will be basically tied to the cover, with a decorative weaving done up the outside of the spine.

The first signature will be tied directly to the spine.  

Open the cover and place the first signature inside, with the folded edge of the signature lined up against the spine of the cover.  Open the signature to the center fold and run the yarn from the back of the book cover to the center fold, as shown.

The leading end of the yarn is pictured as the blue piece of yarn that goes behind the book cover.  Tie the signature tightly and securely to the cover, but make sure not to apply excessive pressure because it could cause the spine to tear.  

Cut the “tail” that remains to a length of one or two inches.  Tape it to the inside of the spine.

Now, we will add the rest of the signatures by tying them to the cover in a slightly different way.

Take the next signature and open it to the center fold.  Lay it on top of the inside cover and the first signature, similar to how you did with the first signature.  Run the yarn up the center fold of the signature and wrap it back around the cover.  Do this loosely so that a loop of yarn remains where you first started, at the bottom of the book.

In this picture, the yarn has not been wrapped around the cover yet but you are able to see the loop at the bottom of the book.  Take the end of the yarn and feed it through this loop, as pictured below.

Pull the rest of the yarn through until it forms a knot.

This is what the knot looks like when it is fairly loose, but until the rest of the signatures are secured, you must keep things very tight.  This is what holds the pages to the cover, and you want everything to hold together securely, so keep the string held tight from this point until the weaving starts.   

Repeat this process with the remaining signatures, until all the signatures are secured to the cover.  

Next, we will complete the binding by weaving the remaining yarn up the spine.  Start by threading the yarn through the yarn needle, and be sure to keep the yarn that binds the book held tight!

Close the book and hold it so that the spine is facing you.  There should be as many strings on the spine as there are signatures in your book.  They should be spaced evenly and fairly tight against the spine of the book.  

We will start weaving closest to where the loose yarn starts.  In this picture, it is at the bottom left corner of the spine.  

Pass your yarn needle over and under the strings in an alternating pattern that pleases you.  

I did a basic over-under-over weave, but many different patterns work.  Just be sure to change your pattern as you go back through or else your weaving will come undone!  You will learn quickly what works and what doesn’t. 

As you weave, try to keep the yarn tight and neat.  Occasionally you will want to push down your weaving to make sure it is evenly packed and straight.

—–

Finishing Up

Once you reach near the top, weaving will become very hard to do.  The next steps illustrate how to finish off the weaving, and how to add a built-in bookmark to the book as a finishing touch.  

Here is how to finish off the weaving.

Wrap the yarn around the top a couple times and pull it tight.  It will look something like this:

I like to poke the yarn up through the top of the coil of yarn so that the next step is a little easier.

Now, we will make the bookmark.  Lay the remaining yarn down along the side and tie a double knot at a point close to where the spine ends.  

It should be at or below where the spine ends–we will be adding beads to it as well, and the beads must be able to fit below the pages for it to work properly.

String your beads onto the yarn.  Sometimes it is easiest to do this by feeding a thin piece of folded string or fishing line through the bead, and using that to thread the bead onto the string.  The following pictures should help illustrate this:

Pull the end of the red string and……

It pops onto the white string!  Pull the rest of the end through the hole in the bead, then tie off with a double knot.

Trim the end and you’ve got a finished bookmark!

But wait!  You’ve got a finished journal too!

Now go write in your new journal and enjoy it!  Or.. bat around the beads with your paws.

The end!

Watch the following video and write a reaction to Max’s story.  Your reaction must be a minimum of two paragraphs and refer to specific elements in the video.

Bonus:  Discuss any other ways that trash could be used to help others, similar to the way that Max did.

Image from: http://www.wpneighbors.com/images/Three%20Cans.jpg

Aluminum cans are very common, but we don’t often think about where they come from.  We will compare how an aluminum can is made from raw materials versus how one is recycled and made into a new can.  Answer the questions at the bottom of the page, and bring in your answers for next class.

Read the article linked below to learn about how a new can is made.

Making Soda Cans

Then, read this article about how aluminum is recycled.

Recycling Aluminum Cans

After reading both articles, please answer the following questions:

1) An aluminum soda can is constructed from how many pieces?

2) Where does raw aluminum come from?

3) What is the energy equivalent of recycling one aluminum can?

4) How much gasoline is saved if each person recycles one aluminum can per month?

5) How long does it take for an aluminum can to break down if not properly recycled?

6) Write three questions or thoughtful comments in relation to these two articles.  

   

Image from: http://www.emagazine.com/images/0703curr_besafe.jpg

 

 

Read this article about how industrial waste was literally covered up, but eventually found its way into a community with tragic results.

EPA.gov – The Love Canal Tragedy

Your assignment for next class is to write a reaction or reflection on this article.  Your reflection must be a minimum of three paragraphs and cite specific elements of the article.

Image from http://usversusthem.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/2007_06_arts_dumpster.jpg?w=500&h=332

Dumpster-diving is yet another way to divert waste from landfills, but this practice is not without controversy.

This practice is pretty self-explanatory, but does not necessarily involve diving headlong into a trash bin.  Usually it involves a person standing outside a bin and looking through the trash for something in particular.  Sometimes people are looking for food or discarded yet usable items.  However, there are those that look for materials with personal details, to be used for various purposes.

For example, journalists have been known to “take the plunge” and Dumpster-dive to get information about a particular story.  Law enforcement officials can pick through trash to uncover incriminating evidence.  Still others have found documents with sensitive personal information and have used that information to steal another person’s identity.

Still others use Dumpster-diving as a way to get food or supplies, especially if they do not have the financial means to buy all that they need.  A staggering amount of food is thrown away from grocery stores and supermarkets every day, and lots of it is still perfectly edible–if not entirely appealing.  Keep in mind that getting your food from a Dumpster is quite risky business and I personally do not advocate this practice, but it does provide a food source for some people.

Dumpster-diving has a dubious legal status.  In most places, taking someone else’s waste is not considered illegal.  However, if a person is caught picking through a Dumpster on private property, they can generally be threatened with a trespassing charge.  

Answer two of the following questions:

What are your personal feelings about dumpster-diving?  Is it ethical, unethical, or are you unsure?

If you saw a Dumpster filled with usable items in good condition, would you be tempted to take anything?

Do you think a person’s waste should be considered their personal property, even if they don’t want it anymore?  What kind of consequences could this have?

Ethical Dilemma Podcast

Audio podcast transcript under the cut.

This exercise will help to illustrate a real ethical dilemma that scientific researchers face in the course of their work.

Imagine the class is divided up into groups of six. Two are medical researchers, two are from a drug company that is sponsoring this particular study, and two represent members of the public, specifically families of patients that this study could benefit.

The sponsors are from a drug company that has developed a drug that they believe could cure all types of cancers.

The medical researchers have been undergoing patient trials on cancer patients, and after one year, the drug has had strange results.

Cancerous tumors seem to shrink dramatically with the first treatment. However, after one year of constant treatment with the drug, there seems to be a pattern emerging of tumors suddenly returning at an alarming rate, and two patients have died.

What do the researchers tell the sponsors and the public about this drug?

There are several outcomes to this ethical dilemma. Scientific research is supposed to be objective and focused on what actually happens, rather than a desired result.

However, if the researchers disclose all information about the trial results to the sponsors, the sponsors might stop the trial before more information can emerge. The goal of a drug company is to assure the public and the medical community that the medication they produce is safe, but they also need to make money so that they can develop more medications.

If the drug company knows that prolonged usage of this drug seems to cause explosive growth in tumors, the sponsors might try to suppress the results of the study because it would give the impression that this drug is not safe.

One would hope that the sponsors would also discontinue any possible plans for using this treatment for cancer patients, unless a new study tested its potential as a short-term tumor shrinkage treatment, rather than a long term treatment.

Another outcome is that the researchers refuse to disclose information about the study to the sponsors and finish their study. However, once the findings are published, the sponsors still might try to suppress the results of the study.

So where does that leave the public? Should the public know about the potential short-term benefits and the long-term dangers? Should the study just be abandoned, with no reports made to the public?

You decide. What do you think?

Image from: http://www.thejabberwock.org/blog/2/weird.png

The scientific method is used as a tool to gain real knowledge about our world, and it is meant to be as trustworthy and reliable as possible.

Although scientific research is meant to be as objective as possible, the ideal of completely objective research is sometimes difficult to fully attain depending on the nature of the research being conducted.  While many researchers try to maintain a high level of objectivity in their research, that is not always the case.  The sad reality is that scientific research can and has been compromised, manipulated or even falsified for various reasons.

A few of the biggest ethical offenses committed by scientific research include the following:

• Manipulation, falsification or misrepresentation of data
• Incorrectly designed study
  
• Incorrect collection of data
• Allowing personal bias to influence the result or interpretation of data
• Coming to premature or inappropriate conclusions
• Biased study sponsorship

Another area of ethical concern is conducting experiments on human beings.  It is unethical to conduct experiments on humans that can have a significant impact on their lives, health or well-being without their full knowledge of the risks and consent.

Assignment:

Read each of the articles below.  State the ethical violation(s) that are present in each story, along with a short (1 or 2 sentence) personal reaction to each piece.

Some of these reports may contain bias on the part of the author or reporter, so take that into consideration when reading these articles.

Water Lead Levels in Washington DC

Energy Prices in California

Autism and the MMR Vaccine

Herbicides and Deformed Frogs

After reading the articles and writing your responses, choose one of the following:

Come up with your own scientific and ethical dilemma for the class to discuss.

Find another article that addresses an ethical concern in regard to scientific research.

Take one of the above articles and write a two-paragraph reaction to the article.

Write a two-paragraph statement exploring the possible implications of scientific misconduct or fraud.

Image from http://apiclongisland.web.aplus.net/data%20analysis%20cartoon%201.gif

There are many ways to analyze data, but we will be doing rather simple experiments in this class that will usually only require observing visual changes and taking measurements. Measurements generally do not need to be exact, but precision always helps ensure more accurate results.

Although a perfectly controlled experiment is the ideal, many times experiments are subject to other challenges.  A study design may sound great on paper, but sometimes experiments do not go according to plan.  A study design may be flawed, the scientist could make mistakes during the experiment or other, unforseen variables may influence the outcome of the experiment.

For this reason, it is very important for the experiment to be repeated several times.  Each experiment provides a valuable learning experience and an opportunity to refine the study design so that the scientist can perform the most effective experiment for the study.

Repetition of the study also helps provide consistent, reliable data, and it gives the scientist the confidence that she can accurately evaluate her hypothesis, and others could replicate her experiment and produce similar results. When an experiment is completed and the results of each test recorded, it is time to evaluate the hypotheses in terms of what actually happened during the experiment.

If the hypothesis is able to be supported, the pattern shown in the data must match up with the initial hypothesis statement. If that does not occur, the hypothesis must be rejected.

Please note that rejecting a hypothesis or obtaining unexpected results is NOT intended to be any indication of failure on the part of the scientist. Many times, data obtained from an experiment will raise more questions and lead to further experiments and starts the process of scientific inquiry over again. “Unsuccessful” experiments have a valuable place in the world of science because they promote further exploration into the world’s mysteries, and sometimes they prompt unusual discoveries in the process.

Assignment:

Watch the video clip below.

Answer the following questions:

• State 3 hypotheses that are generated before the experiment.
• State 5 changes or modifications that the three hosts made to their cars
• What unexpected variables do the trio encounter?
• In the end, are the hypotheses that you listed supported or rejected?

Video: Amphibious Cars

A little background on this clip..

This is a clip from a British car show called Top Gear. The three hosts are challenged to build and test their own amphibious cars, with various results. In a previous show, they had all built amphibious cars that exhibited various problems, so they applied the results of their previous experiment to modify their cars appropriately.

If you can’t watch it on this page, click the link here to go to the YouTube page.

Image from: http://www.loopland.net/uploaded_images/(c)allan_sanders_2006-science-strip2-724519.jpg

In order to accurately evaluate a hypothesis, some sort of study or experiment must be designed to observe and analyze any repeatable pattern or relationship.  The purpose of the study is to generate reliable data that can be used to support or reject a hypothesis.

The study design is a plan that outlines what the experiment or study will entail, and how the results from the study will be used to evaluate the hypothesis.

Sometimes a study simply involves analyzing existing data to observe correlations between two variables.  Other times, a study will involve an actual experiment that tests one or more variables to gather data.

A study must be carefully designed to be objective and account for all variables present.  This is very important to consider, because although you are testing a hypothesis, your primary goal as a scientist is to present results that can be trusted, not to prove that your hypothesis was correct.

In an experiment, there can be many different factors that impact the outcome of an experiment.  The variables that are being tested as a potential “cause” of something are called independent variables.  The measured “effect” or change that is observed as a result of the variation of the independent variable is called the dependent variable.

Throughout the rest of this article, the word “variable” will used to mean independent variables unless otherwise stated.

Sometimes all variables are known and can all be controlled, but sometimes the outcome of an experiment will indicate that additional variables exist that need to be accounted for in some way.

When all independent variables are known and can be controlled, one variable is chosen to be an experimental variable.  This means that this variable will be  intentionally changed to observe any change in the dependent variable, and all other variables will be standardized, or controlled.

In many experiments, a control experiment is also performed.  A control experiment contains an experimental variable that is known to cause no change in the dependent variable.   A control is useful for comparing the amount of change that each independent variable causes in the dependent variable.

Assignment:

Watch the video.

Answer the following questions.

• What do you think is the purpose of this experiment?
• What is the purpose of the stunt man doing practice jumps?
• What are the safety concerns presented in this video?
• Specifically, what components of this prototype are they testing?

Video: Personal Airbag

If you can’t view the video from this page, click here.