Do you and I run in the same circles? Doubt it. Although we do share at least one circle: teaching. Right? And if you and I ha...

Here is a true story. Every day, I have about 50 tabs open on my computer, and I use two search engines. Don't ask me why I use Google and Safari. I think

Updated guide for patient positioning, know the positions like Fowler's, dorsal recumbent, supine, prone, lateral, lithotomy, Trendelenburg.

Many upper elementary science teachers start the year teaching their students about science process skills and scientific practices like: working safely in the lab using science tools asking questions planning and carrying out investigations analyzing and interpreting data constructing explanations with claims, evidence, and reasoning Here are some resources and ideas that can help make ... Read more

I have put together a short list of tips and links for fellow artists.

I am so excited to launch my first "series" of blog posts! It's making me feel all grown-up and blogger-like :)My first series is going to be on increasing student engagement in the classroom. Over

My children thrive on routine. I know this but I forget. I’m hoping this colorful addition to our kitchen will help us map out our days with a little more intentionality. This was simple t…

Study the human body anatomy with kids by making an anatomy model with these free printable life-size human body organs!

Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.

If you want your children to learn more about body organs and their functions, these human body printables for kids are just what you need!

Ready to make math centers work in shorter middle school class periods? Get the details - structure, scheduling, activities, and more!

I LOVE Four Corners! It is seriously one of the easiest strategies to boost engagement that I know of and it's a cinch to put together!Basically, all it requires is four signs for your classroom:Hang

A few years ago, I teamed up with my friend Noelle from Maneuvering the Middle to put together our favorite teaching strategies and class management ideas as

Making Your Life-Sized Body (Organs) - Activity

There are two sides to every novel: plot versus character. There’s no doubt that these two elements are fundamental components of every story, however...

If you look at your fingers, you'll see lots of lines, arches and loops. Did you know your fingerprint is unique to you!! Even more unique than your DNA.

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"Research has shown that the ability to self-regulate is essential to the development of learning skills and work habits (Baumeister & Vohs, 2011), which are critically important to student success throughout the grades." We have been using the 'Zones of Regulation' as a way to support our students with their self-regulation. We hope to give our learners a good start on their journey to self-regulation. Ontario Kindergarten curriculum has now created 'Self-regulation and Well-being' as one of the main 4 focuses of the program. The curriculum document tells us, "Dr. Stuart Shanker (2013b, p. xiii) identifies the following as six critical elements required for “optimal self-regulation”: when one is feeling calmly focused and alert, the ability to know that one is calm and alert when one is stressed, the ability to recognize what is causing that stress the ability to recognize stressors both within and outside the classroom the desire to deal with those stressors the ability to develop strategies for dealing with those stressors the ability to recover efficiently and effectively from dealing with those stressors" We began our learning by investigating feelings and emotions. We did many activities and spent a couple weeks exploring and learning. We began to slowly introduce the Zones of Regulation to our learners. You can get a copy of the book here. [We did not follow the exact program of the book, but rather used it as inspiration for our own version]. We connected our learning about feelings to the colours of the Zones of Regulation. We then explored each zone in more detail. We used the framework 'looks like, sounds like, feels like" to help our learners use their own experience and to get a full understanding of each zone. We added this work to the wall in our 'Self-Regulation centre' in our classroom. We added photos of our learners demonstrating some of the behaviours and facial expressions you might see for each zone and added those to our wall. Recognizing what Zone they are in and others are in takes some learning. We have been reading a variety of books and discussing what zone we think the characters are in and why. Some of the books we've read are: Since the 'Green Zone' is the zone where we are optimally regulated, we want to support our learners in working to get themselves back to the green zone, should they find themselves in another zone. As a group, they came up with the following list: We have been doing a lot of "noticing and naming" the emotions our learners show throughout the day and then naming the zone they are in. For example, "I see your fists are clenched and you're frowning. I see you're angry and in the Red Zone." We are beginning to work on implementing strategies for our learners to down-regulate (from the Yellow or Red Zone) or up-regulate (from the Blue Zone). Our 'Zones Check-In'. This allows learners to take ownership and to visually see whether they need to up or down regulate. Right now, we give them a strategy we feel will work best (unless they tell us what they need) and are working towards our learners doing this independently. Some strategies we're using: Self-Regulation Centre- we have placed fidget toys and books here for learners to help down-regulate. Yoga- both individually and whole group. Our Yoga centre in the classroom Cosmic Kids Yoga (click for link) Take 5 Breathing- independently or collectively. We (educators and students) are continuing on our learning journey about the Zones of Regulation and ways we can ensure we're regulated (Green Zone) throughout the day. We will continue building independence when up- and down-regulating. We hope you will continue to support the Zones of Regulation at home. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Truth is, finding virtual dissection and labs isn't as hard as it used to be. We have a list of the best Virtual Dissection and Labs for Homeschoolers!

The Empowered Educator - Children's Cardboard X-ray 'Tablet'

Alright, it's mid-July! I know you are thinking about back to school time. You can't go shopping without seeing school supplies on sale or displays of new shoes and clothing, and I know you are getting excited. It's a fun time of year, isn't it? But... it's also stressful. You have ten tons to

Start your year of right with these activity ideas for the first week of school for secondary special education classrooms.

Don't lose your marbles with this fun law of momentum lesson. Grab some marbles, and toilet paper rolls to try out this science lesson.

Track student behavior the quick, efficient way: use a checklist. Free, editable trackers can be used to document and graph behaviors.

My family is not very strong in math, so I am always nervous when we reach the high school math years. I am so very thankful that high school math doesn't have to be a scary thing since there are so many great helps available online.

Before you start this artwork, I would suggest you talk to students about the difference between various drawing techniques. I got th...

Learn about cells for kids with FREE All About Cells reader, Cells worksheets, edible DNA model, Cells Game, and more human body activities for kids.

What is narrative therapy? Find its approach, examples & key concepts.

Middle School 6-8th Grades Science Fair Project Ideas

So, are you itching for winter break to get here or what?!? I am drowning here, people! Between report cards, conferences (for my students and my own kids!), shopping, baking, parties, wrapping... DROWNING!Don't get me

3 Essential Downloads for the First Day of School Expectations % %

The pencils are sharpened, your classroom is clean and the bell rings…gulp…here they come! My feelings on the first week of school are conflicted. On one hand, it’s one of the most important weeks. Explaining and practicing the class procedures and expectations sets the tone for the rest of the school year. Success is vital. On the other hand, I’m so excited to start teaching my historical content that waiting until all the expectations are explained requires a lot of patience! Every teacher has their own plan of action for that pivotal time. Here are 5 things I can’t live without during the first week of school: One: An Icebreaker. I aim to try and make kids feel comfortable in my classroom on day one. One of my favorite little activities is Fact or Fiction. Each student receives a small slip of paper and they’re instructed to write one fact and two fictions. Then each person (including myself!) introduces themselves and we all try to guess which statement is the fact! It’s a great way to quickly learn about each other. Two: Classroom Information and Expectations. This is every teacher’s staple, I know, but it had to go on the list because it’s a must-have! When you’re making your own, spell everything out – from the obvious grading procedures and late work policy to how to pass back papers and when to sharpen pencils and go to the bathroom. Trust me, leave no stone unturned. Your classroom will function much better if you set the tone from day one. (Oh, and don’t forget a seating chart!) Three: Fun and Games. On the second day of school, I love to start class with a little game. It’s a great way for the kids to start practicing our classroom procedures and expectations while getting familiar with their teacher and classmates. Here are some of my favorite games that I use during the first week of school: (P.S. Some of these activities can be found in my Back to School Activities resources! Click the grade level you’re teaching to check them out: Sixth, Seventh, Eighth) InstaFriend: This activity gets students moving around the room and interviewing fellow classmates! Their InstaFriend paper has a series of descriptions and characteristics. When they find a student who matches the description, they write their name in the box. Each name can only be used once! Right or Wrong: I love skits. LOVE THEM. I like to introduce students to the idea of skits during the first week by allowing them to create their own based on our class expectations. I first divide students into small groups of 2-3. Each group then randomly receives one of our class procedures or expectations. As a group, they have to work together to create two mini skits – one showing the RIGHT way to follow the expectation, the other showing the WRONG way. They get to be silly and I get to reinforce my class expectations. After each skit I happily point out all the positive behaviors as well as each time a class policy was violated. It’s a light-hearted way to grab their attention and create a positive atmosphere all while practicing the laws of the land. Classmate Bingo: I love to play this game at the end of the first week. I give each student a blank bingo board with a large selection of personal characteristics, hobbies, etc. at the bottom. The students choose 16 off the list and create their customized board. Then, I randomly select characteristics from the list. If a student has that characteristic on their board, they have to write down a student’s name that matches the characteristic – but no cheating! They have to use what they’ve learned about others during their first week of school to try and win the game. Four: A Pre Test. After a few days of class information and fun, it’s time to start getting down to business. Each year, I make a short pre-test on the information they’ll learn about that year. It gives me a chance to see what the kids already know and gives them a feel for what subject matter they’ll be learning about in the coming weeks. FYI: Your pre-test probably won’t take the whole class period. Make sure to have plans for other activities, too, on the day you give your pre-test! Five: A Writing Activity. True fact: when I tell kids they’re going to do a writing activity, they groan every time. It’s a signal that the “real work” is about to begin. Luckily, they’re always relieved when I assure them that this activity will require very little research because it’s about a subject they’re experts in – themselves! I have a few different activities to choose from each year. Here are some suggestions: Student Survey: What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What do you hope to learn in this class? These are just some of the questions I ask students in the survey. The more I know about my students, the better I can help them achieve success in my class. Write Away: A staple of many: write a letter to a future you! I ask students to write goals for the year, dreams they wish to see realized, and questions they want to ask their “End of the Year” self. I tuck these letters away and revisit them during the last week of school. I’m Ready: Like every middle school history class, we do a lot of writing and students always have to back up their reasons, statements, etc. with evidence to support their claim. In this writing activity, students have to identify which class rule or expectation they believe is most important and provide evidence to support their claim. This activity both reinforces my classroom policies and secretly gives me a preview of their writing proficiency. Have I left anything out? If you have any fun plans for the first week of school, share them in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas for my classroom!

Lets look at same cat Radiographs. Click on them to make them larger. First, we will learn some normal anatomy. This cat is laying on its right side. Labeled radiographs are below. Did you notice the stones in the urinary

I attempted to do a wall timeline with Caroline a number of years ago. For a variety of reasons, it did not work for her. I think part of it was her age, part of it was her learning challenges, and part of it was the layout. However, I believe a timeline can be a

Keep all of your lesson plans for the whole school year in one streamlined easy-to-access place with a Google Sheets Lesson Plan Template!

The Setting Life Goals worksheet serves as an effective motivation builder, which can also help to provide direction for therapy. Give your clients an...

Learn how to make a working pumping heart model with kids. This pumping heart model demonstrates how a real heart pumps blood in and out of its chambers!