A Long Time Ago

This post has been a long time coming! I finished my first year teaching. I worked this past year in Newport News, Virginia. My kiddos were the light of my year. I have never had so much joy, heartache, stress and fun! I now understand what teachers mean by your first year is trial by fire because that is exactly what it is. The year is about trial and error and finding what works for you and for you students.

My next new change is going to be when I move to Raleigh, North Carolina! My goal will to make this website a site that my parents will be able to use and get ideas for at home projects! Lets see how its goes

Unexpected Adventures

Everyday is a test of flexibility when being a building substitute. Today started like any other I arrived at school and got my assignment from the secretary. Unlike most days today I received an afternoon assignment for a first grade classroom. I went along for my morning prep and had morning tutoring before school. When all of a sudden I was called over the loud speaker. When I arrived in the office I got the unexpected news that a sub never showed and I got to go on a fourth grade field trip and was leaving that second.  Everyday you learn more about yourself. Today I learned that unexpected field trips filled with dancing bus drives are always accepted!!!

Starting out

Starting student teaching has to be the hardest and most exhilarating experience. You spend three and a half years learning about something that is not tangible until you actually walk into the classroom and take it over. Yes I had the amazing experience of hours and hours of observations and hands on experience, but that is a different because at the end you walk away and hand the classroom back to the teacher. Then student teaching comes along and it is a whirl win experience. In any given day you have highs, lows, and finding enjoyment in the small victories. So remember this humbling experience and all that happens in it I am going to start keeping track of it on this blog. Some will be highs and some will be lows but all of it will be what I learn about teaching and what I learn about myself.

Sink or Float Investigation

This sink or float experiment is for a Kindergartner classroom the objective is to understand the density of an object. This project is also a great use for making predictions or hypothesis, recording data, and graphing the conclusion. All in the scientific process. 

Materials:

• Plastic Eggs 
• Plastic Tub
• Tape (to cover holes in the eggs)
• Lego
• Feathers
• Coins
• Rocks
• Dry Pasta
• Crayons
• Water

Books:

• What Floats? What Sinks?: A Look at Density By Jennifer Boothroyd

• Floating and Sinking  By Niz and Ellen S.

• Who Sank the Boat By Pamela Allen

 All three books are different level of difficulty. They are all on what makes and object float or buoyant and what makes sink. These are exploratory text used for giving the basic understanding of what causes the floating and sinking.

Procedure: 

1. Using a graph sheet guess if the object will sink or float. For the earlier grades this can be marked by letters or certain colors, by a pictures of what the objects were.
2. As you conduct the experiment make markings to see if the object actually did sink or float. 
3. After the experiment ask the question Are the results what you expected? Make guesses on other objects that would sink or float.
4. Finally make a graph of the objects that float versus sink. 

Additional Resources:
Thank You to No Time For Flashcards for the idea and the pictures.
There is a lesson on Science Net Link
Kinder Days

Learning Through Lessons

Water Changes This is a Zunal that I set up for one of classes. This web quest is created to show students to teach them about the water cycle. It includes vocabulary and suggested websites that will increase the students understanding. Lastly it does include an in class activity that is cross curricular.

Power Foods This Zunal is highly recommended from all my peers. It was set up by a fellow classmate and is all about the new standards for healthy living and the new pyramid/plate system for healthy eating, also known as food nutrition. This is highly interactive as the students get ready to have dinner with the President and First Lady.

Modeling Shadows This shadow lesson if from the website scincenetlink.com this includes the purpose, context, motivation strategy, and assessment. This in-depth look at a lesson to teach students about shadows and how they change. the purpose of this lesson is "To demonstrate understanding of shadows by creating a physical model of concepts". With the materials on the side of the screen giving it easy access.

Sounds Waves A usually hard topic to understand because of the unseen nature of it. This lesson brings the unseeable into the real world where students can grasp the concept. It creates concrete objects to help students visualize and comprehend the idea of sound. The essential questions for this activity are understand that sound is a form of energy that travels in waves referred to as compression waves, understand that sound waves can travel through different mediums, understand and observe that sound.

Rain forest The students will learn about the term rain forest, discover the importance of protecting tropical rain forests, make mobiles depicting unique and plants found in the Amazon rain forest. They there is books included but my favorite part of this wide grade ranging lesson was the vocabulary terms that could be chosen based on the grade level. 

Life Cycle This life cycle lesson primary focuses on the food web. The purpose is defined as "To help students understand that some insects depend on dead plant material for food and they interact with other organisms in various ways". I like how on the side bar they have the sections with it broken down for different sheets and activities. The motivation strategy is one that I would use in my own classroom.

Butterfly A lesson devoted completely to understanding the characteristics of the life cycle of a butterfly. The activity for this lesson is the observing of a caterpillar, if this can not be done in class I would recommend that the students watch videos of the life cycle so they still see the images. Then do their own interpretations of the life cycle through paint. 

Forced to Move This physical motion lesson on force and motion. The objective "demonstrate an understanding of the terms force, gravity, friction, and speed". The activities in this lesson is engaging in classroom discussion and see how the movement is affective. 

Wonderful Waves This odd lesson has the purpose to "To demonstrate that simple models can be used to represent real world objects that are not easily brought into a classroom". In this case it is talking about the ocean and waves.

Recycle The purpose of the recycling lesson is "To identify those materials that can be recycled and possible uses for these materials". Recycling is an important lesson for the schools now because of how we want students to work through keeping the planet healthy. 

10 Amazing Reads

An amazing wow worthy book that has a science theme to it can be hard to find some of the times but with some extensive research on other teacher blogs and the National Science Teachers Association website I have found a range of books that can be used in a variety of classrooms.

Even an Octopus Needs a Home by Irene Kelly 

This is a NSTA accredited book that is well illustrated but a higher level book, grades 3-5. it gives descriptions and pictures on each of the animals habitats. it also contains small interesting facts that would hold the attention of the students. The large drawings are visually rich that have intricate details that attract students eye.

Poetrees By Douglas Florian

A book on types of trees in poem format. This book covers everything from leaves to seeds to roots all in poems. It is also a NSTA recommended book for Earth Science based on its accurate  and detailed information. This book also contains a glossary at the end of the book with the important information.

Life in the Ocean By Claire A. Nivola

A book from the view of an Oceanographer this story like many biographies has the background information. This NSTA recommended book includes both information on the coral reefs and the deep ocean. The accurate and detailed pictures of the ocean and reefs also intrigue students to gain understanding to see what the ocean needs to stay healthy.

The Science of Magnets By Jonathan Bocknek

This Living Science book gives examples of how magnets are used in the real world. The fact filled book gives examples of how magnets may be different in appearance. This book also included puzzles that student are given the chance to answer brain busters while learning the material. Finishing off the book with a glossary giving students the chance to look at the bolded words again.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

An inspiring story of how to over come hard times is mixed with technology and engineering. The book includes details of how to build windmills and how to make the activities in the classroom. This story would inspire students to go beyond their own thinking to see how sometimes it is necessary to go out of your way to do something.

What Color Is My World? By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

A cross-curricular book that ties in technology, engineering and social studies. This book highlights some less known inventors. This book would be optimal during Black History Month, to highlight inventors that the students do not yet know. This NSTA recommended book show people who helped make our lives possible without us knowing who they are.

 

B is for Blue Planet: An Earth Science Alphabet By Ruth Strother

This alphabet book is not just for primary grades the detailed information gives a deeper link into the content that with both interest and inform. The wide variety of information provided in this NSTA/CBO Outstanding Science Trade Books can be used in both whole group and student inquiry.

Coral Reefs By Jason Chin

This NSTA Outstanding Trade Book is known form its specific illustrations. This imaginary trip through the reef describes not only the sea creatures but their habituates. This happens for animals from the frogfish to whales. It also compares the reefs to cities for students can see the common comparison. 

11 Experiements That Failed By Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter

This highly interesting book is of a young girl doing experiments of what she sees interesting. This includes seeing if you can go a whole winter eating only snowballs and ketcup. This story includes question, hypothesis, material list, description of how it will be conducted and her findings. This book is highly investing with students to see how the experiments will end up.

Newton and Me By Lynee Mayer 

A NSTA Outstanding Trade Book for 2011 is known for its illustrations and informational text. It is a text on more of the physical science, of a boy learning with his dog (Newton) about the laws of motion from some everyday objects. All objects that could be used in the classroom. 

Wow Worthy Websites

A website or blog can either be engaging or have ideas for something that is easy and manageable to do in the classroom. These are just the hand full that I think are worthy of sharing with you.

Not Just Cute 
A website devoted to going beyond the normal amount of teaching to hit the the whole child development. This mom and educator has a wide variety of mesmerizing activities that are engaging not only the body but the mind. It can be used by not only parents but also for teachers for activities to do in and out of the classroom. The specific example I gave was to activities based on reaction of chemicals.

Discovery Kids
The Discovery Channel affiliate website has activities and games that help further the learning from topics that vary from the penguins to alligators. The website includes not only games but also puzzles and activities. This website is easy to manage and kid friendly and asks questions that they are interested in finding the answer.

Science Kids
This website is sectioned off into areas that are easy to manage including experiments, games, facts, quizzes, projects, lessons, images, videos, and topics. The part that I found most interesting was the variety of experiments. The one that looks interesting to me was Make Glowing Water this experiment is to find out what makes water glow like highlighters pens or tonic water. The experiments that are on the website include objectives, materials and instructions.

Weather Wiz
Weather is all around us! At least that is how weather wiz kids will be figuring out. This website is set up by meteorologist Crystal Wicker, specifically for kids to further their learning on weather. The website goes beyond what defines weather and breaks it down into groups like: winter storms, clouds or wildfires. This website also has experiments but my by far favorite part of this website is the fact is has a section devoted to Weather Safety, which every child needs to understand. 

Bill Nye The Science Guy 
The man that we all grew up with the experiments that started it all, Bill Nye is all about the educational learning. This website is filled with experiments ideas, his episodes, helpful worksheets, pop quizzes, and solving problems. Looking back at the episode section it is broken down into section of science and then the topic making it easy to find what you are looking for. And the music is catchy as always!

Science Center Activities 
This website contains ideas for how to create centers for the classroom on a specific science theme. The center are based on cross curricular ideas that are meant to balance the room. Some of the centers include frog math, magnifying pictures, magnets, where does it come from and so much more!

Kid Blog
This website was set up by a former school teacher, Rachel Miller. Later she teamed up with another mom blogger, Holly. She started this website to help her family keep track of everything that they were doing but this small project turned into an explosion of craft ideas with the material list and instruction. She also continuously updates her blog with new activities that she comes up with or discovers and thinks they are worth sharing. Some topics include; fun with vinegar and baking soda, messy with solids and liquids, extracting and egg yolk with nary a crack. This site is filled with a variety of experiments and activities. 

Dare to Explore!
The National Geographic Kids website is the kids version of Nation Geographic. This kid friendly site is a reputable source for information just simplified for better understanding. It includes games, videos, and a fun stuff tab. In the Fun Stuff tab there are a variety of easy to make experiments. 

Science New
This all kids website has more than the experiments it has current information about the latest scientific break thorough. This current information can vary from stem cell research to animals. The information is broken up into sections; explore, atoms and forces, earth and sky, human and health life, tech and math, and extra. 

Making Science Fun
Steve Spangler Science is a website that not only include a variety of experiements but also the option to but equipment that may be desired for the classroom.  The experiments and activities on this page vary from gobstopper candy scienc, to science fair ideas. It is also broken down into age groups so that the experiments are not to complex for a certain age group.

Wonderville
This is a website that was build not only for parents but teachers. There are a variety of experiements but there are also lesson plans that include the new common core standard. They also and break it down in to information that is lhelpful for all afes. There are also sections for smart gallery for each lesson that carries additional information.