Some Music for Science

Hello all,

I was in a classroom last week with students singing the Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song.  OK...I gave them permission to sing it, if they knew it.  The brief encounter reminded me music can be a great hook for a lesson.  It can also be useful in helping students recall information and encourage them to become more familiar with vocabulary.  Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

Greg Crowther Music Links  Plenty available for Biology, Life Science, and Biochem.

Coma Niddy University Science Raps  Dark Matter, String Theory, Nanotech, Gen Science.

Educational Science Raps Great Water Cycle Rap.

Mr. Lee Gen Science, Earth Science, Life Science.  Huge fan!!

Rhythm Rhyme Results  Gen Science, Earth Science, Life Science (some require payment).

AGHS Lab Safety Rap FREE Lab Safety Rap, uses the Lab Safety rap from Rhythm Rhyme Results.

The Singing Zoologist  The name says it all.  May be better suited for elementary students.

Have Fun Teaching  Quite a variety here, including subjects other than science.

The Hurricane Song Classic song about hurricanes.

The Element Song Classic by Tom Lehrer.  Updated list, including elements Fl and Lv from 2012.

Mr. Edmond’s Density to the tune Popular  He has many other, mostly Physical Science, videos with visuals here.

I’ll save the Mole Day goodies for closer to the special date ;-).

Happy listening,

Mrs. A

Thinking NGSS and Literacy??

Hello all,

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are out! I’d like to share with you Understanding the Next Generation Science Standards MOOC through the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh STEMlab with Dr. Eric Brunsell. A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course.  The course is free, but for a small fee students can earn a certificate proving their participation and completion of the course.  If you haven’t discovered Paul Anderson of Bozeman Biology on You Tube, he has a number of excellent short videos to help navigate the NGSS that will eventually cover all of the Science and Engineering Practices, Cross Cutting Concepts and Disciplinary Core Ideas.  I was a big fan of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) resources in the past and I continue to be with the webinars and journal articles regarding the NGSS.  I highly recommend joining NSTA.  The organization was a tremendous help to me when I was starting out as a science teacher.  I also recommend joining the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers.  Their conference will be held in Appleton next spring.  NEW ChemShare has also been beneficial from the presentation on NGSS to listening to teachers bounce ideas off one another to learning about upcoming professional development opportunities. I'd be happy to forward you the contact information for NEW ChemShare if you contact me.  Sometimes it’s just nice to meet new people working out in the field.

Happy viewing,

Mrs. A

Earthquake Blogging

Hello all,

I’ve been in search of two blogs relevant to my unit topic for class, earthquakes. I discovered the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) and the Seismo Blog out of the University of California Berkley Seismological Laboratory. The PNSN blog focuses mostly on the Washington and Oregon areas.  A January post shows seismographs pickup on more than ground vibrations from earthquakes, such as sonic booms from bolides entering the atmosphere. It’s fun to click on the seismograms link and view the station clusters and activity. I truly enjoyed the variety of earthquake information available on the Seismo blog. The site offers current news stories, information on recent earthquakes, and content on earthquake predictions and warning worldwide. 

Happy viewing,

Mrs. A

More Gifts from K-8 Friends

Hello all,

When I saw K-8 at the top of “Blogging Helps Students Learn Literacy Skills and More”, I thought I would have to look for something more relevant for the secondary classroom.  I’m glad I kept reading. Teacher Linda Yollis shares the benefits of maintaining a classroom blog.  Quality literacy skills are being developed and the students are learning what it means to be digital citizens.  The students are engaged, choosing sometimes to post from home.  More information about what all of that means can be viewed on her Wiki site created to share tips with educators interested in blogging. Her class blog is also accessible from the article and shows many examples of the creative ways she has been able to connect the classroom blog with lessons in the classroom.  I found it interesting that she has virtual volunteer parents that help encourage discussion by commenting.  I’m not sure secondary parents would be interested in this.  I do like the idea of the blog being open to family to view and support their children.  I do plan to go back and explore her Wiki in greater depth.  I could see using her students’ videos to teach online etiquette and some literacy skills.

Blogging Helps Students Learn Key Literacy Skills and More. (2012). Curriculum Review, 52(2), 7.

Enjoy!

Mrs. A

Growth Along the Journey...

Hello All,

I'm adding many new online resources for my prospective classroom. Some information has been applicable as I substitute teach. While substituting, sometimes I think through how I could have implemented a literacy strategy or look for what the teacher is using that I can borrow from and apply. Overall, the literacy class has made me much more aware of the literacy strategies being used in classrooms. I especially view my time in the elementary schools as a gift, since much of what secondary teachers are integrating is old news to many elementary teachers! (I perceive a Word Wall in my future classroom)

On a slightly different note, I have had students in my science classes write fictional stories using their vocabulary words to review and check for understanding in the past. While working on a vocabulary foldable for the literacy class, I thought it may be interesting to have the students write earthquake stories as lift-the-flap books. The students could read through younger elementary level earthquake books first for ideas and content or I could walk the students through a few books. Reviewing these books would continue to reinforce information being learned in the earthquake unit. Once the students finish with their lift-the-flap creations, we could share these books with an elementary class as reading buddies (pair an older student with a younger student to read). If we were unable to visit an elementary classroom, we could pass the books along to an elementary teacher for awhile. Perhaps, the books could be part of their independent reading selection for a few weeks or used in some other manner in the classroom.

Happy defining this week,

Mrs.A

A Quick Addition...

Hello again,

The earlier post led me to Fractus Learning where I discovered 7 of the Best Science Blogs for Students and Teachers.  Another large chunk of time is gone…. Here is a look at a few of the sites.  I was drawn to The Frog Blog,  originally because of the frog picture (media was mentioned above in 6 Tips for Quality Student Blogging). I value the global perspective presented on this site.  Unfortunately, The Frog Blog will not be continuing.  I think the past content is worth a look.  It contains information on many science topics and science education.  Hmmm, I can recall listening to The Naked Scientists a few years ago and integrating Podcast clips into science lessons. Having revisited, I think I may use some clips from there again in the future.  Students enjoy listening to the program and for educators it is an easy way to keep up with science content.  I highly recommend listening!  I was hoping Bad Science would give me some quick short attention getting pieces to use in the classroom.  It wasn't what I thought it would be.  If you are looking for bad science in medical or pharmaceutical areas, there is much to choose from there.  Be sure to review thoroughly, some of the language may be inappropriate for the classroom.

Enjoy,

Mrs. A

Two Blogs, Too Many Choices

Hello All,

Here are two blogs I follow on occasion.  I say on occasion, because I lose track of large chunks of time if I go to either of these sites.  Both are more technology based.  The first is Richard Byrne’s Free Technology for Teachers.   Whether you are looking for interactive maps, instant feedback solutions, or tips and tricks to work with the many Google apps sooner or later Richard will post something to make your day that much better.  If you are looking for information to setup a blog or you desire to branch out and create a website, click the tab Creating Blogs and Websites.  It has plenty of resources to help you choose the right tool to get off to a good start.  The other blog is Gary Johnston’s Teaching Ahead of the Curve.  His blog is geared toward ed tech, science teachers, and math teachers.  He gets quite excited about curriculum development and assessments.  The February 17, 2013 post is actually a repost of his article from Fractus Learning, 6 Tips for Quality Student Blogging.  I have to admit, I too have struggled with the content quality seen in some students' blog posts.  The tips are applicable to me as well as I work on finding a voice for this blog.  I appreciated his insights.

Enjoy,

Mrs. A