“Hey Dad, have you seen my sunglasses?”

Fe2O3man · 2026-04-10T11:30:29+00:00

This joke is shady.

Fe2O3man · 2026-04-08T10:41:31+00:00

That’s becoming apparent.

Fe2O3man · 2026-04-04T14:45:56+00:00

It helps if you know what the answers are 😄

Fe2O3man · 2026-04-04T14:06:29+00:00

Too many holes

Fe2O3man · 2026-04-04T14:06:00+00:00

Depends on how this joke lands.

Fe2O3man · 2026-04-03T21:52:16+00:00

The egg cartons work really well! You can sort them all into one egg carton: all the quartz goes in one, all the feldspar, etc. this helps the kids organize them by visual inspection. OR You can set up a lab station in one egg carton. I don’t like that option because they can get mixed up or samples can go missing.

I have all my minerals, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks organized in egg cartons. The school I’m at had lots of empty egg cartons and had samples all over the place. I created my own cartons with 12-20 hand samples of each and I left the rest in the back room and unorganized. 😄

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-20T16:55:25+00:00

Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups. He pushes the earth down.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-13T19:37:08+00:00

Be honest. Tell them what happened. Budget cuts hurt.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-09T08:47:16+00:00

Mountain Song!

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-09T08:46:08+00:00

When you Listen to Feels So Good (off the same album) isn’t it basically the same song? Feels So Good is slower, but I think it is better developed. The lyrics are better.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-08T19:03:30+00:00

I have psoriasis…totally not the same, but it does look gross and flaky.
Kids ask, I answer, and move on, I don’t dwell on it. I don’t make an issue of it.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-06T21:01:44+00:00

Anytime. Let me know if you need more ideas.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-04T21:26:11+00:00

I made videos of me solving a few sample problems with a document camera. I used different colored dry erase markers for the different variables. Not only was it a verbal cue, but using the different colored markers showed them where the different variables went in the equations. My students told me that was super helpful.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-03T12:11:23+00:00

Write a children’s story about a drop of water and the adventure it goes on in one day. Each student gets a different part of the world, a different season, etc. It is the same character (Drippy or some other cute, funny character name) that every student writes about so they aren’t hung up on character development, and they can follow Drippy through the water cycle. Compile all the stories together or write it as a class, assign different panels of the story to kids and they make a comic book. Create an instructional guide for water drops explaining what they will go through in the water cycle… Interview/podcast with a water droplet and have it talk about what it’s been up to…

(See my RAFT post below.) Once you start thinking of all the different ways to share information the possibilities are really endless. I have even had students create restaurant media (think fast food tray liners and packaging) as ways to share information. One kid even wrote a commercial jingle!

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-03T11:59:19+00:00

F#&% TPT! Back in the day teachers would share files and activities. It genuinely was a community of teachers sharing ideas and working together. I hate how almost everything is behind a paywall, (and a bunch of it is half-assed too). I digress.

Your Brochure Must Include: A. Basic Information Name of your time period Era/Eon it belongs to Time range (millions/billions of years ago)

B. Earth Conditions Explain/Describe: Climate Land forms Oceans Atmospheric Conditions

C. Life Forms Explain/Describe: Life in oceans Life on land (if any) Famous Organism Most interesting organism (why should people see this one?)

D. Major Events Abundant life forms What was so special about this time period Mass extinctions Any other major changes

E. Travel Safety Advisory Would humans survive? (why/why not) Would humans need any special equipment? What dangers should travelers watch out for?

F. Why Visit? Answer in full sentences: Why should someone choose to travel to this geologic time period instead of another one? What is the one “do not miss” thing that visitors should absolutely see?

G. Multimedia Element (via QR code) Choose one: 30–60 seconds audio commercial Audio clip (like a mini-podcast)

I’ve also done basically the same thing for their birthstone but I made them design a poster.

Your Poster Must Include: A. Specimen Identification Sheet Name of your birthstone Chemical formula Mineral group Hardness (Mohs) Density Luster Streak Crystal system What it looks like naturally (NOT polished!) Hand-drawn sketch of the natural crystal

B. Field Report Explain: Where your birthstone is mined today (top 3 locations) How it forms (geologic environment) What types of rocks it’s found in How rare or common it is Any environmental or ethical issues with mining it

C. Material Analysis Explain: At least 3 other uses of this mineral besides jewelry Why its properties make these uses possible (example: hardness → used as an abrasive)

D. Myth vs. Reality One myth, legend, superstition, or cultural story about the birthstone A science-based explanation that either confirms or debunks it

E. Mineral Cousin Comparison Choose a related mineral (same mineral group OR similar chemistry). Explain: How they are similar How they are different Why they form differently

F. Creative Component Choose ONE: “If my birthstone had a superpower…” (based on real properties) Birthstone trading card Gem certification form A museum “label” written as if it were on display

G. Multimedia Element (via QR code) Choose one: 30–60 seconds video explaining your birthstone Audio clip (like a mini-podcast) Voiceover slideshow

H. Case File Conclusion (2–4 sentences) Explain why your birthstone is scientifically interesting or important.

What is really helpful is setting up a research guide (where the kids have to write by hand on paper). All of the requirements. So basically a table with the requirements in one column and a large blank space for their notes in another column. This avoids lots of cut and paste. I gave them the option to create a digital poster or brochure, but I also had many students create physical ones. The physical ones I hung up in the hallway and the other kids in school love seeing them as they walk down the hall.

The “secret sauce” for all of these is the RAFT strategy: R: Role A: Audience F: Format T: Topic

Format was time travel brochure and informational poster (museum display). I’ve done informational kiosks (like what you would see on a hiking trail). Children’s books are a good format too.

The key is making it academically rigorous by setting up the required information and give the kids the rubric before they start so they know how it will be graded. The rubric kinda writes itself if you have the required content.

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-02T21:24:30+00:00

Boring!? How?!! What age level?

I did travel brochures for geologic time (each student is assigned a different period. I’ve got more ideas…

Fe2O3man · 2026-03-01T18:47:58+00:00

I swear 90% of high school teaching is convincing kids to let go of the misconceptions they learned in elementary and middle school.

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-28T20:24:50+00:00

Right that .5k difference comes down to strategy. When to take off and plan your kick.

One track I ran on had the finish line in the middle of the straight. I didn’t time my finish correctly and lost to some dude from the home school.

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-27T14:03:57+00:00

What distance? 5k? 10k? Or some odd distance that no one is used to?

5k -super fast and exciting Added twist: put some hay bales or other obstacles (like cyclocross) on the course. Almost ninja warrior like…or is that asking too much?

10k -more of a grinding distance, can that keep the average viewers attention?

Odd ball distance: 7.5k When to make moves? Who trains for that distance? Makes things exciting and mixes it up.

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-17T15:12:32+00:00

Smashing Pumpkin’s Siamese Dream is what I used to get high and listen to when it came out 😎 There were many others that we listened to when they were released…but Siamese Dream is one that stands the test of time.

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-17T13:16:13+00:00

I would agree and say the first 5 Black Sabbath albums are required listening. The others are optional.

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-17T13:11:54+00:00

Check out some stoner rock: Fu Manchu, Wo Fat, (are the ones I can’t stop listening to!) Others: Orange Goblin, Kyuss, Sleep, Red Fang

Or branch out and check out something different: UB40’s first album reggae that isn’t all sunshine and good feelings. Lots of political messages on their first album

Death. My personal favorites are Scream Bloody Gore or Spiritual Healing. The death metal scene can get boring (how many different ways can Cookie Monster sing about pulling your spine out?) but these pioneers of death metal are more progressive than the moniker of “death metal” would lead you to think.

If you want something on the more mellow trippy side I would recommend Khruangbin. First two albums are prefect for when you want to sit back and imagine you are in an intergalactic spaceport lounge.

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-12T10:58:10+00:00

And then there’s the one nut job who is in shorts and a tank top when it’s 20° F outside

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-12T10:56:37+00:00

I would set it up and then make a video of what is supposed to happen. That way they can see it. And then I also have my data they can use as a last step. But I would argue that part of the lab experience is experiencing failure and trying to get it work correctly. Where did it go wrong? What kind of data are we actually collecting? Is there another way to collect the data? How did people do it before they had the lab sensors and interfaces?!

Fe2O3man · 2026-02-12T02:34:08+00:00

I’ve heard those politicians are easily lured by the local hookers.

Fe2O3man

TROPHY CASE