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Notorious B.U.G.s

Liz Belasic4 Comments
Notorious B.U.G.s

Notorious B.U.G.s Research and Poster

As part of our entomology unit, students choose an insect that negatively impacts humans in at least one area of our daily lives: agriculture & horticulture, disease, economic hardship or nuisance.

Using Google Classroom, each student receives a blank Google Draw document and has artistic freedom to design their poster as long as the research requirements are met. I am able to check their work and add comments/corrections as they are doing their research and give real time feedback.

This is the handout with the requirements and for fun, we usually do a draft pick format to select insects.

notorius-b.u.g.sDownload

Cabbage Juice – Quick & Easy Set Up

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Screen Shot 2019-04-05 at 8.57.22 AM.png

Quick & easy – no fuss – no mess – way to prepare cabbage juice:

  1. Chop up half of a purple cabbage
  2. Add to a coffee pot
  3. Fill with very hot water from sink or water cooler
  4. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes
  5. Pour into flasks, beakers, or plastic cups
  6. Add a pipette or spoon to containers

You can add more hot water during the day as you use it, refrigerate leftovers if using next day.

Here is the link to my Cabbage Juice Lab: https://middleschoolscience.com/2016/02/28/cabbage-juice-lab-ph-indicator/

 

 

 

 

Making copies of Google Docs

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Star Wars Characters for seating

Liz Belasic5 Comments

I love Star Wars and found these really cute characters to use for my seating assignments. I have black lab tables and tape on one of the characters such as “Chewy” or “R2” in the corner. I also use the characters to assign partners and seats randomly.

PS – not 100% sure who the redhead is, assuming little Anakin? General Hux had red hair. Also, Han used a light saber, once, on the Planet of Hoth to cut open the tauntaun to save Luke – kids often ask about it.

Click on the image below to download it for free from TPT:

Free Star Wars Pattern Cards and Puppet Sticks
Free – PreSchool Printable @ TPT

I also found another great free set of Star Wars characters you can download from this blog:

Click on image to go to Google Drive

Power School Learning Management System

Liz Belasic4 Comments

Our school has been using Power School, formerly known as Haiku, to post homework and resources for our students. This is how I have my 6th grade page set up:

Screen Shot 2017-09-18 at 10.51.57 AMScreen Shot 2017-09-18 at 10.52.15 AM

It also ties into Google Drive and I am able to create a shared folder for each unit which allows students to access handouts, Google Slides, Google Sheets, etc… I simply drop them into the folder and kids have instant access to all files. I can also add links to additional resources such as videos or interactive websites.

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There is also an assignment calendar feed that aggregates all of their classes homework onto one calendar. For assignment details, they can click on the link to see homework specifics. I also use the gradebook which is a great feature. Students can see all of their science grades as well as current average.

Screen Shot 2017-09-18 at 10.59.35 AM

If you use a Learning Management System, how do you use it with your students?

Post it Notes for seating charts

Liz Belasic1 Comment

 

I started using Post-it Notes on construction paper for my seating charts and it makes changing seats and groupings really easy. What do you use?

post-it-notes-seating-chart

 

Super Easy to Make Cartesian Divers

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Looking for a fun summer activity? Make your own Cartesian Divers using paper clips and a bendy straw. Who can make the slowest diver?

Middle School Science Blog

Cartesian Divers - test out your divers in a beaker of water and then add to the 2L Bottle. Keep all your materials on the tray to manage spills. Cartesian Divers – test out your divers in a beaker of water and then add to the 2L Bottle. Keep all your materials on the tray to manage spills.

This was the easiest, and most inexpensive way to make cartesian divers I have ever tried, and each student got to take theirs home after class. Did I mention how much fun it was?!

Rescue Hook: Attach 2 straws together and add a paper clip hook for rescue missions Rescue Hook: Attach 2 straws together and add a paper clip hook for rescue missions

Materials

  • semi-transparent to transparent bendy straws – 1 per student
  • colored paper clips – 4-6 per student
  • scissors – 1 per 2-4 students
  • 2L bottle with cap – 1 per 2 students
  • beaker of water – 1 per 2-4 students
  • tray to contain spills -1 per 2 students
  • paper towels
  • optional: eye dropper with blue colored water

Part 1 – Demonstration:

As part of our density unit, we talk about the concept…

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Eyewitness Videos – FREE!

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I just stumbled upon this – the classic series by Eyewitness Videos is now available on YouTube for free! When I started teaching in the 90’s, we didn’t have all the amazing free online videos available at our fingertips like today and relied on…..gasp… VHS tapes. Having a collection of quality science videos in your classroom was highly coveted!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEBTfxJ13zkpZVbZTF3aukg/videos

About EWV: “Eyewitness is a natural history television series produced by BBC and DK Vision. The series is based on the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books series of children’s books.”

Here are a few of my favorites:

 

K-4 Lower School Science Position

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The Peck School, a co-ed, K-8, independent school in Morristown NJ, seeks a full-time Lower School Science Specialist for the upcoming school year.

 

The science specialist develops curriculum and provides hands-on investigations in grade K through 4. The ideal candidate will have strong content knowledge, broad technology skills, and a proven track record inspiring young learners. The candidate must be eager to contribute to Peck’s new STEAM program, developing innovating programing in concert with other faculty members. A deep understanding of learning styles, classroom management techniques, and the particular needs of students of different ages is also essential.

All candidates should have a minimum of three years teaching experience with elementary students, as well as exceptional communication skills, both oral and written. A degree or background in science or related STEM fields is required.

This position is an excellent opportunity for an innovative and highly motivated educator to join a wonderful faculty. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references by email to science @ peckschool.org.

Kindly reference the job title in the subject line of your email. No phone calls please. We encourage you to explore our website to find out more about our program and mission.

http://www.peckschool.org/about-peck/employment-at-peck/ls-science-specialist/index.aspx 

Blog Updates via Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, & Email

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Lesson updates are now available via:

I am also tagging the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for each blog post to help teachers find lessons more easily.