Rethinking Learning

21st Century Learning

Vladdy ~ The Challenge!

Follow the link for the FREE download!

STEM Challenge with Vladimir the Science Reindeer!

Vladimir the Science Reindeer!

Introducing.....

Vladimir will be visiting our classroom tomorrow and will be bringing with him some super fun challenges!  

Vladimir the Science Reindeer has dropped in to visit this season.

He brings with him some quests for us and each challenge has a

special reason.

Vladi is from the cold North Pole where he assists that red-suited man.

He needs our help to problem solve and for us to do all we can!

Accept these challenges as a team and join in the competition.

Do your best and learn a lot as you enjoy this new tradition!

Periodic Table Analogies Project

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/steffijacobs1/periodic-table-analogies-project

Learning About the Periodic Table

Our lesson topic this week was on the families of the periodic table.  My students were given "Periodic Parts" and had to place them together to best represent the periodic table.  They were instructed to color each family a different color or pattern.  Students also had to label the number of valence electrons each family/group has and the number of energy levels for each period.  Specific information was recorded for Alkali Metals, Alkaline Earth Metals, the Halogens, and the Noble Gases.

Link to file on Teacher's Notebook: 

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/steffijacobs1/periodic-parts

More Decor...continued...

More Decor!

The Planner Project

So I've decided to jump on the "teacher planner"bandwagon.  I tried to create my own last year and didn't follow through with it.  Now I'm getting serious about it ;)  I already have my daily lesson planning sheet.  All I need to do is make copies of it.  The cover has been created and I am quite pleased with it.  Today I will be making a list of all the things I'd like to include in the planner.  One thing I'm going back and forth on is binding.  Should I have it bound at Staples or just punch holes and place it in a three-ring binder?  Hmmm..decisions, decisions!


I will be posting the finished project on Teacher's Notebook once I have all the pieces complete.

Science Word Parts

I've had many people request the file I use to create my word parts-word wall.  So finally....here is the link!

Science Word Parts

This is linked to Teacher's Notebook and is downloadable for FREE---all 46 pages!

Special thanks to Heather Myers and Dina Baxter for developing the list.

Reading Quotes~

I am so pleased with how well these turned out!  There are some imperfections but I think that just adds character.  I plan to place these on the wall behind my very small classroom library.

Download the template for free from Teacher's Notebook:  

Reading Quotes

NC Educators

The North Carolina General Assembly has approved a budget that deeply cuts educational funding.  We have a Governor who does not respect the public school system.  I ask that any visitor to my blog please keep us in your prayers as we get prepared for a new school year with even less funding for our students.  I also ask that any NC Educator who visits my blog to ALWAYS educate yourself on the educational platforms of every politician running for office.  Sometimes we tend to look at other more current issues and turn the vote into a Democrat vs. Republican contest.  It isn't about that.  Education is the key to our future.

Lesson Planning

It seems that each year I am in search for the perfect lesson plan template.  Most of the templates I've found are geared towards the elementary teacher.  I only teach one subject (thank goodness) so the templates for multiple subjects just doesn't work for me.  To get myself organized and prepared for the new school year I decided to create my own template.  I came up with two designs.  One design if for planning a week at a time.  I call it "A Week at a Glance."  This is just a basic form not intended for tons of detail.  The second form was designed for a daily lesson plan.  It includes titles for much more detailed planning.

Both forms can be found at Teacher's Notebook-For Free!  

The Simply Scientific Classroom ~ Teacher's Notebook Shop

A Week at a Glance

A Daily Format

This one is designed with NC 8th grade teacher in mind.  Of course it can be edited to suit any grade level.  At the bottom of the template I included HW-homework, FA-formative assessment, ISNB-interactive science notebook, and vocabulary section.  

Getting An Early Start!

I had the opportunity to work in my classroom this week.  I know, people think I'm crazy for spending my summer vacation in my room... But I know I need to make some much needed changes to my decor and organization.  This is going to be a process for sure!  At the end of this past school year I had my students help remove everything off the walls in hopes that my room would get painted over the summer months. Well, that didn't happen.  So I was left with a blank (and dirty) canvas.  I loved my classroom decor last year.  It made me smile to walk into class and see all the bright and cheerful colors.  I noticed a difference in the students I had last year in comparison to the previous years.  I have no scientific proof stating that my decor was responsible, but I'd like to think it had something to do with it.  My students respected our room! I felt they tried harder to take care of things and keep it cleaner than in the past.  Now there were some students who would leave trash behind or gum under the chair, but they were few as compared to the past. I want the classroom to be a place my students can be proud of, a place where they enjoy being.  With this being said, I am going to post pictures of my classroom once again.  I'm sticking to my bright pink, blue, and green color scheme along with zebra stripes of course!  And I have to keep my deco-mesh wreath!  Just please remember this is a work in progress.  I still have lots to do!

Storage/Absent Work/Library Area

In this section, I still have lots to organize.  The two closet sections have been cleaned out and everything has a place.  The bottom shelves and top cabinets are a mess!  But I'll get to that soon.  I split the wall space for an absent work section and the other section is for my SSR library.  On the left side closet doors I have Thinking Maps posters.  On the right I have my self assessment stop light and star cards.  I know the top of the cabinets looks like a mess, but I do plan to make a type of garland out of the deco-mesh that is sitting there.  So even though I have a long way to go, at lease I have started!

Lab Stations/Word Parts

I am happy to say that all of the drawers in the lab station area have been cleaned out!  Now I need to work on the cabinets.  I also will be re-making my word part word wall.  Since the curriculum has changed some, there are some word parts I need to delete and some I need to add.  Above the cabinets are the posters that spell out "ThINK" ...of course taken from the periodic table.  I plan to add some smaller posters that are similar.  I just need to plan out which words I can spell using element symbols.  

I Can Statments

 

This is similar to what I used last year.  I found some zebra striped, magnetic strips at a teacher store.  I thought they would be perfect for creating sections on my white board.  My plans are to either create small "I can" statement posters to place on the correct day or I can simply use a dry-erase marker and write it in.  

Core Vocabulary Word Wall

I've gone back and forth with various word wall ideas and settled on a similar idea from the past.  I used zebra wrapping paper to make a bulletin board background...and it looks great with the rest of my decor!  Above I three categories, Earth Science, Physical Science and Life Science.  Under the headings I will place picture cards of the important vocabulary for each section.  I stapled some of the words I know I'll be starting with and after looking at this picture I think I need a solid background behind each word.  But overall I am pleased! 

THE WREATH! 

My deco-mesh wreath has become quite popular on Pinterest.  I was even given a shout out from PBS :)  So it was obvious that the wreath had to stay!  I did add a new chevron lamp, and new photo made by last year's students and my bunting/banner that reads SCIENCE.  I love this section of my classroom!!!  

Updates....

As I complete other sections in my classroom and as the ones I've posted pictures of are complete I will upload photos of the finished product.  I'd love any feedback and ideas to make this room even better than last year!  

Other pics...

Looking back...

Wow, what a school year! 2013-14 will be a year I won't forget. I was blessed with amazing students and teammates. What more could a teacher ask for? As I look back on the school year my heart becomes filled with happy memories and positive thoughts of students I will miss so much. Even though this past school year held more positives than negatives, there is ALWAYS room for improvement! I try to set personal goals at the beginning of each new year. I usually claim that I will be much more organized...every year. However, I usually fall short of that goal. So this year organization will not be a goal in which I hope to achieve, it will be a necessity! I'm going to start this goal out right and list the ways in which I want to be organized.

 1. I will use the right file drawer of my teacher desk for all home base information.
 2. I will use the left file drawer of my teacher desk for classroom information.
 3. I will create labels for all of my lesson files to be organized by essential standard.
 4. I will consolidate the 2.5 million notebooks/binders that are cluttering all my bookshelves.
 5. I will organize my digital lessons that are stored on my computer.
 6. I will create a USABLE teacher notebook.

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Managing Transistions