I put together weekly plans for the computer lab for grades K-5. These plans include everything you need so that the planning is done for you.
I decided to take on my own challenge of incorporating a STEM activity every day for a week. It turned out to be a huge success where both my students and I had a blast. Here were the various …
Your kiddos are going to love creating their own lab coats to use during science experiments! Their easy to make, fun to create, and a perfect BTS activity.
I put together weekly plans for the computer lab for grades K-5. These plans include everything you need so that the planning is done for you.
I put together weekly plans for the computer lab for grades K-5. These plans include everything you need so that the planning is done for you.
Are you looking for a fun natural selection simulation activity for your evolution unit? You are in the right place. “Survival of the Fittest Finch” will not disappoint you nor your students! I did…
An educational blog that shares ideas about teaching! Mostly geared towards science, but sometimes offer ideas that any teacher might benefit from. Come see me!
These are the crafts that can be used with the Gospel Lights- SonSpark Labs V.B.S. program. I will be slowly uploading new crafts in the next coming weeks. Although most Vacation Bible School curri…
Virtual dissections can be a huge help in teaching science, biology, physiology and anatomy. Here are some of the best resources for your lessons and labs.
Monday with Arielle Opening Activity: Decorate craft stick magnet. Make marshmallow molecules! Circle Time: Date/Time/Weather Story: "The Magic School Bus & the Science Fair" Singing Time Snack: cheese, crackers, fruit Wiggle Time: “Branches of Science”. Look for bugs, plants, and rocks, clouds, sun, and moon; discuss different sciences. Lesson: Can we be scientists? What is a hypothesis? Experiment – is it magnetic? Craft: Make an atom by gluing pom-pom protons, neutrons, and electrons on paper. Which element will you make? Wednesday with Naomi Opening Activity: Puzzles and Dot to Dot coloring Circle Time: Date/Time/Weather Story- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Talk about how Science helps us to know that caterpillars turn into butterflies. Talk about our own observations of our pet Praying Mantis, Joey. Discuss the way Joey's eyes change colors, the way he camouflages and hunts, the way he eats, the habitat he prefers etc. Now that we have observed Joey for 3 weeks, we will let him go back into the wild!) Music Dice (Roll giant dice with song names on them, then sing the songs) Snack: Mini Apple Pies (Peel and chop apples, dust them with brown sugar and cinnamon, roll them into store bought crescent rolls, brush melted butter on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, and then bake.) Talk about how the apples start out hard but then get soft. Talk about the dough being soft and squishy and then becoming more firm and crispy. Make a hypothesis as to why this happens. Wiggle Time: How will our bodies react when we…? Pick a motion and then hypothesize what will happen to your body when you do it. (i.e. What will happen to my body when I run around in circles 10 times? What will happen to my heart if I jump up and down 20 times?) Lesson: Remind children what a hypothesis is and what a scientist does. Talk to them about the importance of experimenting – start Freeze & Frost experiment Lesson Application Activity: Science Experiments! (All Experiments were copied verbatim from A+'s "Science Projects: Physics Tricks" a workbook that I found in the Target dollar bins! They are NOT my own!) 1. Magic Balloon What you Need: Small water or juice bottle, empty and rinsed out (The top should be small enough that you can stretch the opening of a balloon over it.) Latex balloon (new) 4 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons baking soda Optional: a small funnel is helpful for getting the baking soda into the balloon. Result Timing: 5 minutes Directions: Pour vinegar into the bottle Using a small funnel, or a piece of paper shaped into a cone, spoon the baking soda into the balloon. Holding the balloon so that the baking soda doesn't tip into the bottle, stretch the opening of the balloon to fit over the neck of the bottle. Slowly straighten out the balloon and tip it upside down so that the baking soda falls into the vinegar in the bottle. What happens? Draw pictures of the balloon and bottle as they looked before and after the experiment. Explanation: When you mix substances like vinegar and baking soda, you cause a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction changes the original ingredients in some way. In this case, vinegar and baking soda react to each other and produce carbon dioxide. Although carbon dioxide is an invisible gas, we can spot in in two stages of this experiment: First, when the baking soda is dumped into the vinegar, carbon dioxide is produced and it makes the vinegar bubble. Second, the carbon dioxide rises through the vinegar into the air where it's caught in the balloon. The reaction should produce enough carbon dioxide to at least partially blow up the balloon. 2. Invisible Skin What you Need: 4-6 drops of vegetable oil Water faucet Liquid or bar soap for hand washing Result Timing: 10 minutes Directions: Holding your hands over the sink, put about 4-6 drops of oil into one hand and then rub your hands together. Turn the cold water on and let the water run over your hands. What happens when the water touches the coating of oil on your hands? Try to remember what your hands look like so that after they are clean again you can draw how the water looked on your hands. Rub some soap into your hands and put them back in the water. What happens when the water touches your clean hands? Explanation: Water is made of extremely tiny pieces called molecules. The molecules of water stick together very tightly. The molecules that make up oil are arranged differently from water molecules, so when they're put together, the oil molecules won't easily dissolve into the water. You probably noticed that the water rolled off your oily hands rather than washing the oil off with it-the water molecules stick to other water molecules rather than grabbing onto the oil molecules. 3. Crashing Colors What you Need: Cereal bowl Skim milk Red, Blue, and Yellow liquid food coloring. (Gel food coloring won't work in this experiment) 1 tablespoon of liquid dish detergent Result Timing: 5 minutes Directions: Fill the cereal bowl with skim milk. (not quite to the top.) Gently add a few drops of red color into the milk in a small spot at the edge of the dish. Repeat with blue and yellow, moving around the dish's edge so that each color is as far from the other two colors as you can make it. Do not stir the milk or jiggle the bowl! Slowly pour a little detergent into the middle of the bowl. Make predictions as to what colors will appear when the primary colors are mixed. Draw and color what you see. Explanation: Just like water, milk is made of molecules, tiny pieces that stick together. They stick so closely that when you put in food coloring, the food coloring (for the most part) just sits on top of the milk. Scientists call this trick surface tension-the molecules stick together as if there is an invisible skin across the top of the milk. When you add detergent to the milk, it pulls the milk molecules apart so that surface tension is weakened. The milk and detergent molecules move around, and so does the food coloring! Where the colors mix, you may see a little green, orange, or purple. 4. Freeze & Frost What you Need: Metal coffee can with plastic lid (empty, clean and dry, or a small stainless steel mixing bowl, plastic wrap and a runner band.) 8-10 ice cubes 1/2 cup of salt Spoon Result Timing: 30 minutes Directions: Put the ice cubes in the coffee can. Pour the salt on top of the ice cubes and then use the spoon to stir the salt and ice a few times. Put a lid on top of the container, or cover it tightly with plastic wrap and a rubber band. Let the can sit on a table or counter. Check back in 10 minutes and again at 20 and 30 minutes. Do you see anything happening on the outside of the container? Write down what you observe every 10 minutes. Explanation: You should see frost forming on the outside of the container, starting at the bottom, within 10-20 minutes. If the ice cubes are on the inside of the container, why did frost form on the outside of the container? It's because of a process called condensation. Even when there's not a cloud in the sky, there is water we can't see - water vapor - in the air around us. As the temperature cools, some of that invisible water vapor changes into liquid water that we can see and touch. In our experiment, the ice causes the sides of the container to become much cooler than the air around the container. This cooling caused the water vapor to change into liquid water where it touched the container and then to freeze, forming a coating of frost. 5. Homework: Growing Gummy Bear (Teaches Osmosis) Friday Field Trip Visit your local Children's Museum. There are often FREE days at the museum or Groupons and other offers that can make it less expensive. Be sure to invite some friends!
Before the start of each school year, I spend a lot of time reevaluating the routines and procedures that I use in my classroom. Establishing routines and procedures early on, sets the stage for a well-managed classroom and helps ensure "smooth sailing" for rest of the school year!! Below is a list that I refer to each year when establishing routines and procedures for my classroom.... {Click here to download!} Like anything else we teach our students, these routines and procedures need to be taught, modeled, practiced, and reinforced!! The following are the routines and procedures that I focus on the most, and the ones which I believe help foster a high-functioning learning environment.... Entering the Classroom "Ready to Learn" One of the first procedures that I teach my students is how to enter the classroom, and what to do once they come in. I strongly emphasize that they need to enter the classroom "ready to learn". We spend a lot of time talking about what it means to be ready to learn.... coming in quietly, having all materials needed for class, ready to follow directions or routines, and ready to GET TO WORK!!! My students learn quickly to always look to the white board for directions. First thing in the morning, after recess, and after lunch, I always have specific directions written on the board. Students learn to come in, look to the white board, and then begin following directions right away. This gives me time to take care of business, especially in the morning. At the same time, it teaches students independence. I always love the compliments I get from subs about how well my students follow directions, and how quickly and easily they get to work!! Teacher Signal The "teacher signal"-- No teacher should be without one!! For me, I have always use the simple and easy, GIVE ME 5. With this, I simply raise my hand and say, "Give me five," and my students raise their hands and show me that they're ready to.... STOP! LOOK! and LISTEN! Below is the graphic that I have displayed for the first weeks of school. We spend a lot of time discussing the expectations, and PRACTICING during those for first few weeks. {Click here to download!} Most of the teachers at my school and our principal use this strategy, so it's something consistent for the kiddos from year to year. However, I have always been very intrigued by some of the fun and catchy "attention grabbers" out there. I have often thought about giving some of these a try. Here are some great examples.... {SOURCE} {SOURCE} Transitions I will never forget my first year of teaching.... It never occurred to me that I would need to teach students how to transition from one activity to the next. So of course, chaos would ensue each time I gave students a simple direction, such as taking out a text book, or coming down to the rug. Each simple task would turn into full-blow conversations!! I would then have to get their attention all over again to give the next direction. A vicious cycle!! I quickly learned that quick and quiet transitions needed to be taught, practiced, and reinforced, NON-STOP for those first few days of school. The key is to always wait until students are quiet and then set the expectation for WHAT they need to do, and HOW they need to do it. I also teach my students to save their movement for when I am COMPLETELY done giving a direction. Quality of Work I spend A LOT of time at the beginning of the year discussing the quality of student work. It's always amazing to me how upper grade students forget {or do they?!} some of the most basic skills they learn in the primary grades. We're talking things as simple as using a period at the end of a sentence, or misspelling the word "read". In my class, I like to have a list of "must haves" that students refer to as they are working, and before they turn an assignment in. While of course there is always room for error, there are just certain things that are simply nonnegotiable for upper elementary (general ed.) students.... {Click here to download!} If anything on the list is missing, I simply hand assignments back to students, and remind them to refer to our Must Have List. Additionally, we spend a lot of time focused on "presentation" and students taking pride in their work. For example, when I assign projects I ask students to outline their writing with black or colored marker, add details and at least 3 colors to their illustrations, and to make the most of the space they have on their paper. I spend a lot of time modeling this, and I am constantly reinforcing high-quality work. In my classroom, time, effort, and pride go a long way!! Final Thoughts With any and all routines and procedures, it is so important to constantly set expectations during those first days. Right before recess, I always remind students about what is expected when they come back into the classroom after recess. Before an assignment, I ask students to tell me how I expect them to behave while they are working. We are constantly talking about expectations! Plus, we practice ALL THE TIME!! When we line up for lunch, we practice how to walk in a line. When we come in after lunch, we practice how to come in the classroom quietly. It seems like a lot, but it is so important to get them in place so that the rest of the year is smooth sailing!!! If you're looking for some Back to School activities and printables to ease you into the school year, be sure to check out this Back to School resource in my teacher shop. Click on the pic below to learn more!
I'm sure you've seen those paper rollercoasters that some students make - they're about a meter high and have all sorts of turns and loops. Pretty neat - but who has the time?! Not I. So instead of spending weeks sitting and waiting while my students cut colorful cardstock and glue and tape I do a version that only takes a couple of days to complete and is far more rigorous in terms of the Physics calculations. After doing some research (like going to Canada's Wonderland) the students sketch out a rollercoaster ride that they would love! Once they've got a nice shape that loops back to the beginning they need to come up with the dimensions for this rollercoaster. They'll do all sorts of calculations, but need to make sure that the rollercoaster meets certain restrictions: -Max speed between 135 and 150 km/h. -At least two hills – one high hill and one no higher than half the height of the other. -A power calculation showing the power required to pull a 12000 kg train up the first hill. -A calculation to show the deceleration of the train in no more than 10.0 m. (They’ll have to determine the initial speed) -A work calculation to show the work done by the brakes to slow the train to a stop in no more than 10.0 m at the end of the ride. -Optional: (Level 4) Includes a loop where the rider feels 2-4 gs. -An obvious theme. -A title. To put it all together in a neat presentation, here's how the students layer their rollercoasters to show all the different features and calculations. Layer 1: White board Draw the rollercoaster to scale. Layer 2: Plastic (clear drop cloth for painting or dollar store shower curtain works well) Label the heights of all hills and loops. Label all speeds at the top and bottom of hills and loops. Label the power, deceleration and work as listed in parts 3, 4 and 5. Layer 3: Plastic Show all calculations for speeds, power, deceleration, work. Layer 4: Plastic, optional Any other cool design features, scenery, additional awesomeness. These student came up with such great themes, drew everything to scale, calculated velocities, energies, work and power, made sure that the riders wouldn't experience too much speed or g-forces and added incredible design details - all in TWO 75-minute periods of class time! FREE RESOURCES Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to Mrs. Brosseau's Binder newsletter. FREE RESOURCES Signup via email for access to free resources and great teaching tips! Subscribe
Part 4 of this series is dedicated to assessing notebooks/journals. I give a notebook grade at least once every 6 weeks. I feel that it is important to not only ensure that students are following directions and organizing their journals in the same way the teacher is, but also to certify that the information in the notebook is accurate (for future reference). This task could become rather cumbersome with my 50-60 students. To make the notebooks easier to assess, motivate my students a little more, and avoid being subjective in grading, I developed a rubric. (I haven't formally used a notebook rubric one in the past so I am excited to get to use one this year!) Feel free to download your free copy of each rubric by clicking on the picture:
It has been such a busy couple of weeks collecting baseline data on my students, attending new staff trainings, organizing files, and co...
copyright the photographers Earlier this year I had the great pleasure to be included in a iPad App project that brought together my friend and photographer Hirohsi Watanabe, videographer Michal Ka…
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!
The Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation promises coverage with a seamless, natural-looking finish, so we had to see if it lives up to the test. Ahead, a beauty writer shares her full review.
I am surprised that I am up posting right now as today was an exhausting day. The kind of day I would not trade for anything but I am tired. The art room was double booked all day today and will be again tomorrow to make sure that all of my 1-5 grade artists are able to meet Will "Kasso" Condry, Muralist, to view him painting a mural in the art room "live" and to participate in a collaborative circle painting project that I am running. Busy, busy, busy. All that were in the art room today know one thing with certainty---> Will Condry is quite incredible. Before I fall asleep, here are a few photos from the day. Update: June 28, 2013. This blog post has been VERY popular due to Pinterest and has generated thousands of page views for this blog since Dec. 2011. If you create a project inspired by this post, please share your results and link back! Have fun! I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THESE CIRCLE PAINTINGS .....and now..... Kasso mural sneak peek...and he's not nearly done.... He painted in these expressive circles the "skeleton" for this section of the mural in minutes. student asks a question to Will Condry while he paints
To help you grasp the core concepts of Cardiovascular Care Nursing (or Cardiac Care Nursing), here are our visual nursing mnemonics and tips!
Hi friends! As promised in our homeschool plan post, I'm following up with our nature study plans. I touched on it briefly in that last post, but teaching my girls about the natural world is very important to me. How do we raise kids who will do their part to protect the Earth from climate
Is anyone else bored with their school's 1970's lab safety video and classic tour-of-the-science-lab routine? I know I am. Here's a few of my lab-safety faves: 1. Make a Lab Safety Poster CHECK OUT THE PROJECT HERE. Student pairs are given a lab rule and make a poster. Graded with a rubric (and students self-assess). I love it for a great way to have student work collaboratively early in the year, which is a skill they will need for the science lab. it is also a great way to decorate the classroom with student work early in the year! Here is a sample of a student's project hanging in my classroom. It isn't an example of an A+ project (the project lacked strong communication of the rule verbally...) but it is a great example of creativity with materials and showing the rule visually! 2. Matching Activity . Here's a picture of the baggies I pass out to the small groups. 3. Sponge Bob Lab Safety Students read the story and list as many broken lab rules as they can can find. In the end, they should find about 20 broken lab rules. 4. Tell What Rule Was Broken Cartoon & Cartoon Video ...I just use both as warm-up activities during the first week and give the students a written question, such as: "List 3 lab rules that were broken." or "List 3 lab rules that were followed." 5. Interactive Practice Quizzes Students must pass with 90% to be allowed in the lab. An example of interactive practices quizzes can be found online here. 6. Fun Lab Safety Videos Much more entertaining than than the classic lab-safety-videos.
Learn about dissolving and colors with this lollipop science experiment for kids.
Easy kitchen science experiments for kids - awesome ideas for a potion lab!
From exploding Peeps to dancing gummy bears.
