Today, Tuesday September 22, 2009 is the autumnal equinox. The equinox is the half way point between the summer and winter solstice and marks the first day of fall. The equinox is a great excuse to get outside with your students and take advantage of the sun before the weather gets too cold for outdoor [...]
Starting your lesson with a Do Now is good practice. It sets the tone for the class, gets students settled in (because they have to do it now), and ideally makes them think. A Do Now is a question or quote that either reviews or introduces a topic to students. But what constitutes a good [...]
New York state has updated the Scope and Sequence for high school science classes. The updated document is still labeled as a draft, but there are lots of improvements over the older version. Most noticeably, they went with a spiffy blue color scheme. The year is now broken up into two terms, with each term [...]
Meeting a new class can be both intimidating and exciting. Icebreakers are a good way to get students active and participating early. Here are 5 ways you can start your classes off on the right foot. Two Truths and a Lie For this icebreaker you will pass out 3×5 cards to everyone and ask them [...]
Group activities that truly engage students are hard to come by. This lesson is one of those activities. Space ship takes a look at rebuilding human civilization. What if the world was coming to an end? Who should we choose to continue the human race? Students are taken on a thought provoking journey to a [...]
Thank you everyone who attended the Dynamic Earth Professional Development. Below you will find the PowerPoint presentations that I used. If you have any questions about the presentations, feel free to leave a comment. Don’t forget to sign up for the forums. Day 1 – The Big Bang Day 2 – Our Solar System Day [...]
This list provides examples of literary terms, primarily in videos and images, though there are a few written texts here for now. … Hopefully this helps define, work with, teach, and learn these terms. http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2008/08/lit-terms-modern-media/ 1) Radiation & Conduction 2) Atmospheric Layers 3) Big Bang 4) Plate Tectonics
From the time you are a baby, you explore the world by touching, tasting, rubbing and smelling. The first thing a baby does when it is presented a new object is to pop it in it’s mouth and bang it around. We are naturally inclined to explore by putting our hands on the world around [...]
As a teacher, you’re always on the lookout for great educational resources. And you’ll find a rich supply of content on iTunes U. Take, for example, the free digital library available at Teachers’ Domain. Brought to you by WGBH, Boston’s award-winning PBS station, teachers’ domain offers downloadable videos and educator guides. Ranging from A Night [...]
I recently stumbled upon the Apple Learning Interchange which is a social network for educators. You can find a wealth of content ranging from simple lesson ideas to in-depth curriculum units for K-12 educators as well as a new channel for Higher Education faculty showcasing campus projects, research and more. Some of the lesson highlights [...]