These resources come in a thirty-two page package worth $8.50, but for the next few days they will be on sale for ONLY $3.50. Get them now and be prepared for your first science unit in the fall!
Get the Science Lab Safety Package here.
Science Lab Safety Package: SALE
Hello everyone! I just finished completely revamping all of my middle school lab safety resources. The PowerPoint has a new look and now comes with a student notes sheet, a teacher notes sheet, and a modified student notes sheet for SPED students. The questions on the quiz did not change but the quiz overall has a slightly new style. The rules and scenarios activity has a new look as well.
These resources come in a thirty-two page package worth $8.50, but for the next few days they will be on sale for ONLY $3.50. Get them now and be prepared for your first science unit in the fall!
Get the Science Lab Safety Package here.
These resources come in a thirty-two page package worth $8.50, but for the next few days they will be on sale for ONLY $3.50. Get them now and be prepared for your first science unit in the fall!
Get the Science Lab Safety Package here.
What's Growin' in My Classroom: April 2015 Secondary Smorgasbord
Do you use card sorts in your science classroom? I like using them with my middle school students. Card sorts can be used in a variety of ways. They are a great way to see what students know going into a new unit. They can be used to practice new concepts. Or they can be used to review material your students haven't worked with for awhile.
My
seventh grade science students always enjoyed card sorts, and we especially used card sorts during our physical science unit. We brought out card sorting activities for elements, compounds, and mixtures; homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures; the changes in states of matter; and physical and chemical changes.
My
students liked card sorts because they could work together with classmates
while they classified the cards. It felt like a game.
I liked the card sorts because they allowed me to meet the needs of all the
students in my class. The card sort was great for my many ELL students because
each card had both words and pictures. The kinesthetic learners benefited as
well because they could move and arrange the cards. The advanced students could provide rationale
for each of their classifications or create their own examples to add to the
card sort. Students who needed more practice with the content could work with
partners who could explain the material while sorting the cards.
Another
thing I liked about using card sorts in my classroom was the versatility. The activity
could take as little as five minutes by having students quickly sort the cards and
checking their answers. Or the activity could last up to forty-five minutes,
which allowed for students to record their answers, explain and defend their
classification choices, and answer reflection questions. It was also flexible because
it could be used as a unit introduction, a way to practice new material, a quick
check of understanding, or a review. The activity could easily turn into a fun class
competition by seeing which group correctly sorted the cards the quickest.
Take
a look at the many different card sorts I have used with my seventh grade science students.
- Physical and Chemical Changes Card Sorting Activity
- Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Mixtures Card Sorting Activity
- Elements,Compounds, and Mixtures Card Sorting Activity
- Changes in States of Matter Card Sorting Activity
- Measurement in Science Card Sorting Activity
- Steps of the Scientific Method Card Sorting Activities
- Genetics Vocabulary Card Sorting Activity
Thank
you ELA Buffet and Desktop Learning Adventures for arranging and including me in this Smorgasbord!
Learning Regular and Irregular Verbs
About two months ago I began teaching English to all ages of students in Korea. Something I've noticed my Korean students are having trouble learning is the past tense of verbs. Regular verbs, like "play," are easy for most of my students because simply adding -ed changes the verbs to past tense. Once my students understood that, regular verbs became easy for them. However, irregular verbs are more difficult.
The past tense of irregular verbs can be tricky because there is no addition of -ed; the irregular verb changes. For example, "run" changes to "ran" and not "runned." Learning irregular verbs seems to be a matter of memorization. Because of this, my students need plenty of practice and repetition. To help them, I created three different worksheets. The first worksheet focuses on regular verbs only, and the second worksheet only gives practice with irregular verbs. The third worksheet is a combination of regular and irregular verbs. All worksheets have two parts and a total of fifteen questions. In the first part the students change verbs from present to past tense. In the second part the students change present tense sentences to past tense sentences.
The first worksheet, Past Tense: Regular Verbs, my students breezed through with little assistance. They needed a lot more help with the second worksheet. I started class by writing some examples of irregular verbs on the board. Sometimes the students knew the past tense form or were able to guess. Other times they needed to be told the past tense form. We did most of the second worksheet together in class.
Before the final worksheet, Past Tense: Regular and Irregular Verbs, I made a chart on the board with student given examples of verbs. I had the students then identify the regular and irregular verbs. We made present tense sentences with each of the verbs and then changed those sentences to past tense. The sentences we made together were simple so we were able to better focus on the verb changes. "They play in the park." turned into "They played in the park." After this practice, the students completed most of the worksheet on their own.
Since my students still need practice memorizing the past tense of many irregular verbs, I'll have them make flashcards to practice with. I also might try a card game like Concentration. Or I might have the students sit in a circle and have one student give a verb and the next student say the verb and give its past tense. Going around the circle, each student would repeat what the previous student said and then add a new verb.
Find the worksheets I created for my classroom by clicking here.
The past tense of irregular verbs can be tricky because there is no addition of -ed; the irregular verb changes. For example, "run" changes to "ran" and not "runned." Learning irregular verbs seems to be a matter of memorization. Because of this, my students need plenty of practice and repetition. To help them, I created three different worksheets. The first worksheet focuses on regular verbs only, and the second worksheet only gives practice with irregular verbs. The third worksheet is a combination of regular and irregular verbs. All worksheets have two parts and a total of fifteen questions. In the first part the students change verbs from present to past tense. In the second part the students change present tense sentences to past tense sentences.The first worksheet, Past Tense: Regular Verbs, my students breezed through with little assistance. They needed a lot more help with the second worksheet. I started class by writing some examples of irregular verbs on the board. Sometimes the students knew the past tense form or were able to guess. Other times they needed to be told the past tense form. We did most of the second worksheet together in class.
Before the final worksheet, Past Tense: Regular and Irregular Verbs, I made a chart on the board with student given examples of verbs. I had the students then identify the regular and irregular verbs. We made present tense sentences with each of the verbs and then changed those sentences to past tense. The sentences we made together were simple so we were able to better focus on the verb changes. "They play in the park." turned into "They played in the park." After this practice, the students completed most of the worksheet on their own.
Since my students still need practice memorizing the past tense of many irregular verbs, I'll have them make flashcards to practice with. I also might try a card game like Concentration. Or I might have the students sit in a circle and have one student give a verb and the next student say the verb and give its past tense. Going around the circle, each student would repeat what the previous student said and then add a new verb.
Find the worksheets I created for my classroom by clicking here.
Teaching English in Korea: My New Students
It’s been a while since I last posted. What’s kept me away? In February I started a new teaching job. Now
I teach English to all ages of Korean students at an English Education Center
in Pyeongtaek, Korea. I work with kindergarten all the way up to adults. I’ve
gotten into the swing of things and have more time to blog again. This new teaching
position is quite different from my previous one, where I taught seventh grade
science in Oklahoma.
When I was back in Oklahoma my class sizes were upwards of
thirty. Now, my biggest class is 12 students. It’s been a very nice change. The
smaller class sizes allow me to get to know my students better, something I was
missing when I had the enormous amount of students I did in OK. However, it is
way more difficult to get to know my students because most of them speak very
limited English. I think it’s difficult for us to relate to each other as well,
since we have such vastly different backgrounds. I’m working on coming up with
things we have in common with each other. So far food, recreational activities,
and the occasional movie have created some fun partial conversations.
Most of my new students came into my classroom with English
names. I have no idea what their real names are and that’s strange to me. Do
you know what happens if students come into your classroom without English
names? The teacher gets to name them. Their English name will stick with them
for the rest of their English education, which can be well into adulthood. Some
of the names the students receive are amusing, though that may or may not be a
good thing. For example, there is a little boy named Honey and an adult named Obama.
Some are named after superheroes. I guess as long as they’re happy with their
names, right? I’ve named two adults and around half a dozen kindergarteners. Whenever
I think I might have a new student who needs a name, I try to have some in the
back of my mind because it can be challenging to come up with an acceptable
name on the spot. I was going to name my adult class Downton Abbey character
names, but unfortunately only one student in that class needed a name. I named
her Daisy, and she was pretty happy to have the name of a flower.
I miss working with seventh grade students. That was one of
my favorite parts about teaching in Oklahoma; I got to work with my favorite
age of students every day. Now my students are kindergarten through six grade
plus two classes of adults. Surprisingly, my favorite classes to teach are my
adult classes. The first day I was so nervous. The class had started late
because the teacher using the room before me finished her class after the bell.
I came into the room and began to set up quickly. I casually said “hello” to
the class and was shocked when every one of the adults said, in unison, “hello”
back to me. It was such a surprise that it made me laugh aloud and ever since
then I’ve enjoyed every class with them. Also, it is a wonderful change to be
thanked by all of your students after you teach a class.
The youngest grades are…interesting for me. I’m doing just
fine teaching them, but they drive me a bit crazy. I’m not a natural at connecting
with that age level. In addition, there is an extra level of difficulty because
they know the least amount of English.
The first day I taught my kindergarteners, I spent an entire ten minutes
trying to get them to pack their bags and line up at the door so they could go
to their next class. Eventually, they were so late their next teacher came to
my room to get them. She’s a Korean teacher so within moments she got them
packed up and herded into her room. They’ve
improved dramatically since then, but there’s been plenty of humorous minor problems
that’ve popped up. I think I should
create a series of blog posts entitled “Teaching Kindergarteners Who Speak Only
Korean When You’re Actually a Middle School Teacher Who Only Speaks English.”
It’d be quite comical.
Well, that’s all I have time for now. I’ll try to write
another post soon. Let me know if there is anything in particular you’d like to
know about the differences between teaching in the US versus Korea.
Memorable Teachers and How They Made Me a Better Educator: Part Five
I am lucky to have had five teachers who made a powerful and
positive impression in my life and, looking back, I realize they greatly
influenced the kind of teacher I am today. For this five part series, I will
talk about why the teachers were important to me and how I use what I learned
from them in my own classroom.
Part Five: The School of Life with My Brother Jeb
Hands down, the most influential person in my life was my
older brother Jeb. One of my fondest memories is when he brought his yellow VW
bug to school to share with my science class when I was in 8th
grade. You see, he had tricked out his car so it had an impressive (and loud)
car audio system and had won multiple competitions. He knew all about sound and
shared some of what he knew with my classmates (while blaring Insane Clown
Posse in the background).
When I was really little I used to sneak over to my
brother’s room after our parents had given us lights out and we’d pretend like
his bed was a tank and we were destroying bad guys. Jeb used to take me to his friends’ houses,
even though I was six years younger than him, to play Dungeons and Dragons.
When I was in middle school and high school he’d bring me to his apartment to
play video games, especially Halo. He made sure I knew I could talk to him about
anything and he valued my opinion and thoughts. Between my sophomore and junior
years of high school, he was diagnosed with cancer and nine months later he
died. During his entire sickness he modeled strength and positivity. His absence continued to shape me into who I
am today.
Jeb’s life and death taught me how to be strong and how to
empathize with others. As a teacher, he helped me relate to and support my most
difficult students. I understand their pain and am therefore better equipped to
relate to them and give them what they need. He made me want to be a role model
for others, just like he was a role model to me. I want to make my students
feel valued just as Jeb made me feel like I was important. And it’s pretty nice
to see students’ jaws drop when I know more about Halo and ICP than they do.
Take a look at the other teachers who are a part of this series.
Part One: Elementary School
Part Two: Middle School
Part Three: High School
Part Four: Graduate School
Take a look at the other teachers who are a part of this series.
Part One: Elementary School
Part Two: Middle School
Part Three: High School
Part Four: Graduate School
Memorable Teachers and How They Made Me a Better Educator: Part Four
I am lucky to have had five teachers who made a powerful and
positive impression in my life and, looking back, I realize they greatly
influenced the kind of teacher I am today. For this five part series, I will
talk about why the teachers were important to me and how I use what I learned
from them in my own classroom.
Part Four: Graduate School with Dr. Yost
In undergrad I met a woman named Dr. Yost. She was the
director of a rigorous program called the Professional Development Center that
allowed first year teachers to teach full time with the support of a mentor
while also getting a Master’s degree in fifteen months. She came to one of my
education classes to recruit students for the rather competitive program. I met with her in her office afterward and
discussed the PDC program with her and she encouraged me to apply. She followed
up with me several times that semester to make sure I was going through with my
application.
During my student teaching experience the next semester, in
a small town in South Dakota, she came to see me in the classroom—bringing with
her the superintendent of the district. After they watched my lesson they told
me I was accepted to the program and they wanted me to continue to teach in
that school. Of course I accepted their offer. I got to know Dr. Yost during
that very demanding year and developed a huge respect for her and her no-nonsense
approach to teaching and life. If I or any of the other first year teachers in
the PDC program made a mistake we’d hear about it. She wouldn’t be mean, but
she was honest and told us how it was and how we could improve. She never beat
around the bush.
The entire PDC program, which was largely facilitated by Dr.
Yost, taught me invaluable lessons about teaching that I use every single day
in the classroom. She stressed the importance of self-reflection. All first
year teachers wrote reflections about their teaching experiences several times
a week. Dr. Yost read everything and provided feedback. She emphasized how much it’s possible to learn
from other teachers and required us to observe our mentors, other first year
teachers, and teachers of different grades and subject areas.
Dr. Yost ingrained in me the values of self-reflection and
learning from others. Because of her, I have grown as a teacher much faster
than I would have otherwise. I will always have a great respect for her, be grateful
for her encouragement in applying to her program, and thankful for such an
incredible first year teaching experience.
Take a look at the other teachers who are a part of this series.
Part One: Elementary School
Part Two: Middle School
Part Three: High School
Part Five: School of Life
Take a look at the other teachers who are a part of this series.
Part One: Elementary School
Part Two: Middle School
Part Three: High School
Part Five: School of Life
February Funnies: Fun with a Hovering Helicopter
The next day he came to class and pulled the helicopter from his bag. Before the bell rang and class began he showed me how it worked. The helicopter had a little fan in it that helped it hover over a surface. When he had his hand under it and moved his hand the helicopter would follow, floating just above his palm. It was a super cool toy and I was looking forward to trying it out myself, as were the dozen or so students around us. Unfortunately, the student moved his hand up a little high and a little too close to my head, causing the helicopter's fan to completely entangle itself in my hair instantly. The helicopter was snugly stuck on the top of my head. The students, of course, thought this was hilarious. The owner of the helicopter was displaying some very mixed emotions; he clearly felt bad about it but also was trying not to laugh too hard.
After unsuccessfully attempting to dislodge the helicopter from my head, I enlisted the help of several female students in my class. When they pulled out some scissors I decided I'd rather have the geography teacher across the hall give it a try. The bells had rung by that point, signaling the beginning of class. I stood in front of my class of thirty-five seventh graders with the helicopter on my head and my hand firmly on the helicopter. I hastily gave directions to the students to begin their Do Now while I got some help in the hallway.
The geography teacher's students were lined up outside of her classroom listening to her instructions for the day. As soon as I walked out, there were a few chuckles from students which caused the teacher to glance my direction. She had some sympathy for my predicament and came over to determine just how tightly the helicopter was wound in my hair. Pretty darn tightly it turned out. She had a student bring over scissors. Before she could make any snips, the math teacher came out to the hallway to see what all the commotion was about. When he saw us he told us to hold on a second and quickly reentered his classroom. He returned with his camera, took a couple of pictures, and told us to continue.
A few cuts later I was free of the helicopter (and a few chunks of hair). Sadly, the helicopter didn't fair as well and never hovered again. And that's just one of my very public, very embarrassing funny teaching moments.
Thank you to ELA Buffet and Desktop Learning Adventures for including me in February's Blog Hop.
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