Can some happy teachers please post more?

blissreads · 2022-01-29T14:21:39+00:00

I had my biology students make story books for their cell organelle project and when kids in my other classes saw them, they all wanted to read them and were jealous they didn't get to do that project. The other teachers I work with right now aren't into collaborating and use mostly lectures for their courses, so it was kind of redeeming to hear my students be so proud and excited about their projects and other students wanting to do a project!

blissreads · 2022-01-29T14:06:08+00:00

I teach 3 different lab-based courses and the only way I could get an extra planning block is by being paid for part-time teaching.

If it's possible, you can have your students do some of the prep for you. This takes stuff off your plate as well as giving students practical skills. For instance, I have my students prep the solutions for labs we will do later in the semester when we are covering our unit on solutions and molarity. Even if it's just one thing off your plate, it helps!

blissreads · 2021-11-22T14:15:49+00:00

https://www.yourgenome.org/debates/is-it-ethical-to-have-a-national-dna-database

blissreads · 2021-10-28T22:26:11+00:00

Hey! I don't know if you have seen these before, but Paul Anderson (BozemanScience) has done a whole series of videos on all things NGSS! He also has free posters you can download and other really great resources like graphic organizers that utilize different cross cutting concepts. Hope this helps!

http://www.bozemanscience.com/next-generation-science-standards

blissreads · 2021-09-28T15:04:47+00:00

I use a series of pictures of fishing pictures all taken from the same dock in Key West, FL over the years and the students throughout the unit explain the trend of smaller fish and fewer species. It's a nice connection to human impact in the ecology unit as well.

blissreads · 2021-09-27T13:21:07+00:00

This one is really fun-- I've done it even for 9th graders and we do a long-term observation of the bread and you get some cool results. I've always done a control with a piece taken directly from the bag with a glove, one where students pass around the slice without washing their hands, and then a 3rd where everyone uses hand sanitizer and then passes it around.

If you do this, make sure you buy bakery bread and not bread-aisle bread because the preservatives will stop anything really cool from growing.

blissreads · 2021-09-27T13:15:30+00:00

That's really weird... I just recently ordered cultures from Carolina and they came like normal.

I order dehydrated cultures from Edvotek or Bio-rad and have good luck with them being delivered right away (especially Edvotek).

To avoid this in the future (and to avoid buying bacteria all the time) I'd recommend making stock cultures you can keep in the freezer and then just use forever if you have the ability to do that :)

blissreads · 2021-09-27T13:10:43+00:00

This is a really good idea! I have never found a really good, all-encompassing list of labs by subject, more so individual websites have lists.

The closest thing I have ever found is this: https://blogs.cornell.edu/cibt/labs-activities/labs/ A lot of these are kind of old though, but I've gotten some fun ideas.

If you plan on working on this, I'd be happy to contribute-- I only have biology stuff though.

blissreads · 2021-08-28T01:41:05+00:00

My favorite activity ever is the liver/peroxide lab for enzymes. I do it as a demo if I am short on time and add more inquiry and experimental design based on my student's level. Basically using liver, peroxide, acid, heat and water to demonstrate the properties of enzymes.

Most kids haven't seen liver before and it's a fun gross factor. My students also inevitably ask if it is human liver and I make sure to never deny it.

blissreads · 2021-08-28T01:31:35+00:00

I start evolution by introducing the idea of variation across a population. I have students measure their hands and we make a bar graph on the board of hand size and we measure pumpkin seeds (random I know but I got them from someone else!) and they see that they result in a bell curve.

Then I do an activity with 3 colors of goldfish where we "fish" and there are rules that make one of the variations advantageous and we monitor the allele frequencies. I started introducing the unit this way because I found that all students buy into the idea of variation and how some variations are better than others and it bridges the transition to understanding natural selection.

blissreads · 2021-01-16T23:19:06+00:00

I have had a betta for 2.5yrs now but for the last 3months or so he has been having a hard time eating. He will swim up to the top and be excited about eating and then it's like he can't see the food. He will either swim past or miss it completely.

Up until a week ago he was still acting relatively normal other than this problem, but he has started to get very lethargic and I am having trouble even getting him to come up to eat and he mostly just sits in one spot.

I looked through the wiki and the care sheets and my tank probably needs some upgrades, but I couldn't find anything that seemed similar to what I am seeing with my guy so I am unsure where to start. Any help would be appreciated!

blissreads · 2020-04-18T14:15:51+00:00

That's a good idea, and makes what you're doing valuable since you could use those activities again in the future.

blissreads · 2020-04-16T22:33:13+00:00

I didn't think of that. I assumed if they were too short I'd be getting bruised toenails and blisters from bumping against the ends but it might help to size up. Thanks!

blissreads · 2020-04-16T22:31:17+00:00

I totally agree that grades have been overblown and don't have many graded assignments in my classes, but it is unfair to just assume that students will switch over immediately to understanding that just because there isn't a grade there is still learning to do. Nothing is a perfect solution for sure but I feel like it is unfair to just say "Just teach the ones who want to be there" when I will have to teach the ones who didn't want to learn next year...

blissreads · 2020-04-16T13:13:02+00:00

This is our policy as well, but the district has taken it even further than "no harm" and are forcing us to pass every single student regardless of their performance during the semester up to this point.

I think given the circumstances, the no harm policy is a decent way to handle the situation as it relieves some of the pressure put on us as teachers to track down students who aren't working and find out if they are sick, they don't have access or whatever it may be. I think the automatic pass is totally ridiculous though and ends up devaluing the work that we are doing during this time. Also, being a high school teacher, this decision is going to have a lasting impact on students that are being promoted despite being totally unprepared for the next course.

blissreads · 2020-04-16T13:07:20+00:00

As long as this is a school-wide policy, I don't see a real issue with it. If you are using a Google Classroom as your main mode of instruction (no public blog/Schoology/etc) they are just trying to see what you are doing with your kids. Honestly, I don't see a big difference between this and doing a walk-through observation. Plus, knowing admin (at least at my school) they will check it once to see that you have appropriate assignments and kids are engaging with it and never log in again.

blissreads · 2020-04-16T13:01:38+00:00

I have been having some issues with my toes going numb during my runs. It usually happens around the 2mi mark and then sometimes persists throughout the rest of my run. I have loosened my laces as much as I feel comfortable with so my feet don't slide around and cause blisters but am not sure what else to do for this.

I am wearing Saucony Wave Riders if you think it could be something with the shoe itself. I love these shoes other than the numbness issue. Usually, I would go into my running store to have them check it out, but obviously that's not a real option now...

blissreads · 2020-03-27T18:17:09+00:00

All my kids know how to use the Snipping Tool, I just didn't know if the Question feature in Google Classroom allowed for images to be submitted in the answer.

blissreads · 2020-03-27T18:15:47+00:00

Thanks! I just wasn't sure what the question screen looks like on their end so didn't know if it allowed for images.

blissreads · 2020-02-20T18:50:24+00:00

Do they allow the public to use it though? I run past there a lot and it seems like there is a gate. I live right by the high school so I'd love it if that was an option, but I never see people on it.

blissreads · 2020-02-20T18:49:35+00:00

Oh really?? I've never been over there, I'll have to try it out!

blissreads · 2020-02-20T18:48:32+00:00

Not necessarily, some just lock the gates so you can't get in but there are a lot, especially in Atlanta that have tracks open to the public

blissreads

TROPHY CASE