First Week of School Field Trip | Part 1

The earth grade studied the flora and fauna of the ice age. They also studied glacial deposits and how they were formed. We tied this into an in-depth discussion on global climate change. The picture above was taken at the Henry Reuss Ice Age Center in Dundee, Wisconsin. We had an opportunity to climb and esker and kame and view many glacial hill formations. 

Mammoths lived in Wisconsin during the ice age but scientists believe that they died out due to hunting pressure and change of habitat.

This outwash plain was formed by a raging river coming from the glacier carrying fine outwash (fine gravel and sand).

The glacier also deposited many large rocks and large pieces of copper like the one shown above. These are called erratics. This is a large piece of copper weighing over 300 pounds that traveled over 300 miles from copper deposits in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. 

Flash Freebie!

We are moving in all sorts of new directions around here! In honor of school back in session, cooler weather and pumpkin spice lattes, we're offering a FLASH FREEBIE!

I've been doing graphic design for many, many years but have never had the chance to package and sell my art (usually because I'm too busy completing a freelance project to figure out what else I can do with my work!). Now that my niece and nephew are back to school, nap time has become my favorite time of day again! In honor of some regained freedom (and some not-so-great potty training) we are offering you TEN {10} Autumn Backgrounds for FREE for a limited time.

Get to our Teachers Pay Teachers Store RIGHT AWAY! This won't last long!

Cheers!

Jolene

Friday Fun!

Oh, sweet Friday afternoon. I'm sitting down to post this blog and drink some tea. I almost spit out my tea when I read the tag...so maybe I laughed harder than a normal person might have, but when the school year begins, we look forward to Fridays even more than the summer! My niece and nephew have gone back to school so it's just me and The Boy (the three year old boy). The days are a little longer.

This week, we started some mini lessons in the morning. Finn and I are beginning to study some sight words. Anyone have any suggestions for teaching a rambunctious three year old?! He is excited to learn, but as a non-educator myself, I am stumbling along with the actual "teaching" portion. We end up doing some reading and follow up with some sort of craft project (because that's what I'm good at and Finn likes to do!).

Jerry has had a busy first week back to school! He took his eighth graders on a field trip to learn about glacial deposits. I'll be posting some photos in the coming days. His kids were really excited to have a field trip during the very first week of school!

In the mean time, for some more Friday Fun, check out this incredible infographic demonstrating the distance from Earth to Mars. It really puts space in perspective! I think I'll use it in "Finn School" next week.

Enjoy your weekend!

-Jolene

Well, here we go again!

Well, here we go again. Another school year begins on Tuesday. Lots of years since 1973, but I'm still having fun!

Kettle Moraine Ice Age Center

I met parents and students last night for our open house. It  was great to see the enthusiasm from 8th graders when told about our field trip to study glacial deposits next Friday.

More to come on this next week!

Parnell Tower

Photos from Wikimedia Commons

Book Talk Tuesday | Quiet by Susan Cain

This is the first of a few reviews on the book that I am currently devouring, processing, and reflecting upon. I can't get enough of the book, but I can only read short bites at a time because there is so much to process!

As a self-proclaimed "introvert" this book peaked my interest on a whim. I was looking for something new to read from my local e-library (have you tried Overdrive Media App? That's a post for another day.) I stumbled across Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and decided to give it a go. I thought maybe it would help me "fix" my introverted behavior.


Regardless of where you fall on the introvert-extrovert scale, as a teacher, parent, friend, or sibling, I urge you to read this book. My whole world has been opened. Until I read this book, I thought that there was something wrong with me.

As it turns out, I'm good as an introvert. I don't need fixing. I just need to re-frame my perspective and this book helped me to do just that.

Cain takes studies, interviews and puts them into an easy-to-follow story line where every word packs a punch. She explores the concept of introversion in our very extroverted culture.

I think one of my favorite paragraphs is, "Yet inner behavior was still behavior, thought [Dr.Elaine] Aron, even if it was difficult to catalog. So what is the inner behavior whose most visible feature is that when you take them to a party they aren't very pleased about it? She decided to find out."

I laughed out loud as I read that because I have never been able to explain why I dread (with anxiety attacks) going to a party.

Cain catalogs old and cutting edge research on the topic of introverts, high-reactive personalities, and sensitive personalities. I have already benefited from reading the book in my own personal life, and with the way I talk to my three year old son who I suspect is a sensitive type. Maybe he's introverted like his mama, maybe he's more like his dad. Whatever the case, if you know someone who is an introvert or one yourself, your interactions will benefit from reading this book. Your introverted students will thank you - and if these findings are true, you may propel them into a very bright future by acknowledging and fostering their introversion.

Back to School Link Up | What Friday

Last day of the Back to School link up at Blog Hoppin'. Today's topic is What Friday. What do you like teaching the most?

I like to teach any lesson that's hands-on. So I attempt to craft my lessons following four criteria:

1. The lesson must challenge students.

2. The lesson must be novel.

3. It must be hands-on.

4. Finally, it must be applicable to real life.

To give you some examples, in studying the rain forest, I will actually have my students build a full-sized rain forest in the classroom. Or when studying rockets, we will build and launch rockets.

In this photo, students are solving a challenge with a limited number of supplies and time!

When students have an opportunity to build something with their hands and apply it to real life, the lesson immediately has meaning for them. And a bonus is that the kids love the activity. So they are learning and loving learning at the same time. Can you think of a better way to create passionate learners?

Be sure to check back in the coming days for a brand new FREEBIE at our store! In the meantime, check out our two favorite FREEBIES already available to you right now!

A Maker Space in Every Classroom
Quicksand in Your Classroom

Enjoy your weekend...it's my last of summer. I head back on Monday!

~Jerry

Back To School Link Up | When Thursday

It's When Thursday at Blog Hoppin' linky party!

Part of the benefit of being a middle school teacher is the chance to work with so many students throughout the day. My schedule looks different than many of those that I've read on the linky post as they are primary grades. I taught 4th grade for a large part of my career, and I loved having the same students in my room all day long. But I'm looking forward to the rotations and the ability to focus directly on science all day!

My day begins with homeroom where I'll have{20} 6th grade students. Following homeroom, I'll have those same 6th graders for science class. We're beginning the year studying astronomy. Part of our studies will include reducing the solar system to approximately 1,000 yards and we'll be making Constellation T-Shirts.

After 6th grade science, I'll jump to the first (of two) eighth grade science classes. Eighth graders will begin the year studying glaciers and glacial deposits. We'll take our first field trip on Day #4 of school! After glaciers, we'll breed fruit flies.

After 8th grade science, I head to the Makers Lab to work with various grade levels.

After Makers Lab, I have a planning period that will no doubt be used for working really hard {insert science shenanigans here}.

My planning period will run into lunch which, no doubt, will be one of the best parts of the day {and not because it's lunch!}!

I plan to show science-related movies during the lunch hour and it will be open to students. I with show movies with a science theme including, "Gravity", "The China Syndrome", and "October Sky" (based on the Homer H. Hickam Jr. book, Rocket Boys).

After lunch I have an RTI period which is a focused reading group. Then I finish out the afternoon with the second section of 8th grade science, and back-to-back 7th grade science.

Seventh graders first area of study will be to build their own chargeable batteries from lead sheet and magnesium sulfate. They will charge the batteries on a harness and doing experiments and math to measure force and distance.

I'm excited to get started. We're going to do a lot of creative things this year. I'm going to focus on hands-on activities and students evaluating themselves and the work that they do. I have scoped out our field trip destination and you'll hear more about that in future posts!

~Jerry