It's beginning to feel like fall, ya'll! The temperature is cooler. The leaves are falling. The candy corn is poppin' up in all the stores. And Halloween is just around the corner. TRICK or TREAT? Now chances are, if you were to give your students the choice, they would likely choose a TREAT. But, let's offer them a TRICK instead. Keep reading to find out how we TRICK our students into learning. You would be surprised at the engagement you can receive from your students by simply letting them earn points. Gather up your best activities and assignments for the topic. Go to the ole' faithful filing cabinet, GOOGLE, or TpT. Make a menu and assign points for each of the assignments. CLICK HERE to download a FREE template. Your students will love being able to choose what to do and your administrators will love seeing the differentiation. Another way we TRICK our students into learning is by giving them a … [Read more...]
Our Last Performance
If you are reading this, you are helping me organize my thoughts because today, I have to write a speech. It's a simple, informal speech that will be given in front of a small group of educators in workday attire about a not-so-simple man. Out of my comfort zone, I enrolled in my first speech class my 2nd semester of college. Maybe this, in part, is one of the reasons why. The story begins over 10 years ago, when I dressed myself in a pink and white pinstriped suit, something of course I purchased to wear when I lived in Atlanta. It was not the small town kind of outfit. As my name was called to head back to the interview, my heart began to race. I was led out of the office, through the mail room, and down a short hall only to enter an overwhelming room filled with other administrators, teachers, and the department head. The people in the room quickly worked to make me feel at ease. I don't remember much about the interview questions, … [Read more...]
Encourage Excellence Through Friendly Competition
Consider playing a card game, a tennis match, the lottery, shuffleboard, or baseball. What do they all have in common? The players are trying to win! The competitors use their best card and they swing level in order to beat their opponents. You can encourage excellence in your classroom through friendly competition! How? Consider doing the following:1. Make it a Competition. And tell them it's a competition. Watch your students as they try to complete the assignment "better" than the others...all while learning at the same time. 2. Add Choice to the Assignment. Let them choose. Maybe they prefer drawing over writing or creating. Let them choose what they prefer to ensure each student or group puts in their best effort, showing what they do best. 3. Have Someone Judge. We like to get someone extra special to judge the assignments. How about your principal, assistant principal, fellow teacher, or counselor? You will see that your students will love showing … [Read more...]
LOVE Ionic Compounds Bonding and Naming
This is the week where we celebrate love. In our class, we are also celebrating our ability to write chemical formulas and name ionic compounds. Chemical nomenclature can be a tough concept for many students to grasp. But, I believe that practice makes perfect...and that is what we do. We PRACTICE until they are experts! How do we do it? First, I teach them how to write chemical formulas for ionic compounds. We take baby steps, though. We talk about what makes an atom want to gain or lose electrons and whether or not it will form a cation or an anion. Next, we talk about how to "drop and swap" to write the chemical formulas. "Drop and swap" is the catch phrase that we use often to remind them to drop (the charges) and swap (the numbers). We start with binary compounds first and then add in polyatomic ions for the tertiary compounds.Second, we talk about how to name the compounds by using Sodium chloride as an example. … [Read more...]
Recap #GSTA17
How awesome was it? The Georgia Science Teachers Conference has become something that I look forward to each year. Lots of fun...lots of information...lots to share! Here's a recap of some of the AMAZING ideas and resources that we received from GSTA 2017.The Rocket Book WaveI ordered one before I left the presentation where the idea was being shared. First, you simply record information (take notes, draw a diagram, etc.) in the notebook. Next, you scan it with the app. Whatever was on the page, gets enhanced, cropped, and stored into the cloud. And get this...it erases after you put it in the microwave. I'm so excited about the ideas I'm having for using the notebook. More to come once I receive mine in the mail and get to try it out. Knowledge HookIf you like Kahoot, you are sure to like Knowledge Hook. It is very similar. It can be used as a quick formative assessment tool. Gives you great data to analyze! Spiral … [Read more...]
Tips and Tools to TEACH the Periodic Table
Which elements are metals? Which elements are nonmetals? Where are the metalloids located on the periodic table? Is sodium an alkali or alkaline earth metal? Is Neon a halogen or noble gas? Is Uranium a part of the lanthanide or actinide series? These are essential questions that your students will be able to answer after completing a few engaging activities to learn about the arrangement of the periodic table. 1) Color To Learn-Give your students a blank periodic and have them color the different groupings to learn about the arrangement of elements on the periodic table. If your students respond well to teacher-centered lessons, provide the instruction and allow your students to color while you do. Provide a more student-centered method of instruction by giving the group names and letting your students explore to find their location on the periodic table.The Periodic Table Coloring 2) Color More-My students loved this activity. It was a Color by Element lesson. They … [Read more...]
6 Steps to Help Your Students Master Sig Figs
Call me crazy...but I LOVE teaching sig figs (aka significant figures)! I'm not sure why I do, but I do. It could be the challenge that goes along with trying to get students to understand how to use them and why to use them. Or maybe it is just my obsession with numbers and data. No matter the reason, I find it fun! You can even teach them in 6 simple steps.Step 1: Show them why you use themAfter a few years of struggling to teach the concept of significant figures, I realized that the students didn't understand why they were being asked to use them. Consider the number 3.00. Because of their math background, they ask "Can't I just say 3?". When you answer "No!", they don't get it. It's the same, right? To them it is, so we must teach them that in science, it isn't. Show them significant figures using any measurement tool (like a digital balance). Measure the mass of an object. If the tool shows the mass of the object to equal 2.1 grams, ask them if we would … [Read more...]
10 Strategies To Engage More Of Your Students
Think about the last time you went over a worksheet. Maybe it was a homework assignment or a practice assignment that they did in class. If your students are like mine, it's a challenge to get all of them to participate (or even pay attention). Each time, it seems to be the same students, raising their hands to volunteer and share their answers. Going over the worksheet may not be entertaining, but getting the correct answers is important to each student's understanding. So, what can we do to get more of our students engaged when going over an a worksheet?Draw Names-As the students enter the classroom, greet them with a small piece of paper. Have them autograph the paper and turn it back in to you. Randomly draw names, or have the students draw names, for turns to share their answers. Let Them Call On Each Other-To get started, call on one student to give the first answer. If this student gives the correct answer, allow him or her to … [Read more...]
Not Just Another Worksheet
© Candybox Images | Dreamstime.com - Bored student girl sitting between stack books If our students are used to the same basic type of worksheet for review or assessment, chances are they might be getting bored. So, what are they really learning? Make the review or assessment of your lesson more effective by not giving just another worksheet. Here's a few strategies I use to mix things up a bit in our classroom. Cut and paste One of my favorite alternatives to a traditional worksheet is a Cut and Paste worksheet. Start out with your questions as you normally would. Next, make an answer bank. Finally, students cut out answers and paste them with the appropriate question. You can even differentiate and modify by adding more answer choices to challenge the students that need to be challenged. Maze Instead of a basic multiple choice worksheet, why not try creating a Maze for your students? Download and use this FREE Simple Maze Template for your worksheet. Add questions or problems … [Read more...]
Make Your Observer Say “Wow!”
© Raywoo | Dreamstime.com One of our main goals as a teacher is to teach our students and to assess their learning of what we teach them. A goal of our leaders is to see that we are doing exactly that and assess how well we are. Just as many of our students want to make a 100 on a test, we do too. We want to make our observers say "Wow!". So what exactly are they looking for? Luckily, I have the inside scoop because I am married to one. Here's a few ideas... When your boss gives you a task, chances are nowadays they don't ask you to do it alone. They will form a team to get the job done. More minds will sometimes work better together. Why did I say sometimes? Group work can work, or it can fail miserably by becoming a time for your students to catch up on the gossip. We must first assign groups wisely. When our administrators assign groups, they may group subject teachers or grade level teachers together. Sometimes it may be a group of teacher leaders. The … [Read more...]