Summary:
Shawn and Troy talk about AI, AMLE Conference, School Safety and more. Dave lifts up the importance of physical science.
Jokes:
An invisible man marries an invisible woman.
- The kids were nothing to look at either.
I won first prize in the National Punctuation Society raffle.
- They gave me a posh trophy.
If anyone else tries to make another pancake joke today…
I’ll batter them!
I went to the doctor with hearing problems. He said, ‘Can you describe the symptoms?’ I said, ‘Homer’s a fat dude and Marge has blue hair.’
I ordered 2,240 lbs. of Chinese soup.
It was Won Ton.
My wife texted me she saw a wolf on the way to work.
- My question is how she knew it was on its way to work?…
Doctor: Your brain fell out after your accident, but we managed to put it back in.
Me: Thanks for reminding me.
I just got a new job as a street cleaner!
- Turns out there’s not much training involved, you just pick stuff up as you go along.
This morning, I accidentally ran into the man who once sold me an antique globe.
It’s a small world.
What do Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan have in common?
- I’m not exactly sure, but there’s certainly a Bond between them…
Why is 69 afraid of 70?
Because they once had a fight and 71
Great Wheat Sharks:
Middle School Science Minute
by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
Importance of Physical Science
I was recently reading the September/October 2026 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.
In this issue I read the section “From the Editor’s Desk” written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled “The Crucial Role of Physical Science in the Middle School Classroom.”
Physical science in middle school is usually an introductory survey course that combines chemistry and physics to study non-living systems, matter and energy.
https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/43305594
Reports from the Front Lines
The Front Lines Crud
Subbing
Utah State University Subbing Resources: Handbook Training – STEDI.org, Substitute Teaching Division
School Safety
Pulling the Boot
The Social Web
Eric Curts @ericcurts.bsky.social
💎 2 New EduGems 📑 Worked Example Coach www.edugems.ai/gem/worked-e… 📑 Worked Example Generator www.edugems.ai/gem/worked-e… Guide students one turn at a time from studying a worked example, to correcting a mistake, to fading practice & solving problems independently
💎 2 New EduGems: ❌ Odd One Out Maker – www.edugems.ai/gem/odd-one-… ❌ Odd One Out Game – www.edugems.ai/gem/odd-one-… Create and/or play an “Odd One Out” critical-thinking game for any grade level, subject area, and topic
MiddleWeb @middleweb.bsky.social
NEW: Helping Students Make Better Use of Feedback. Curtis Chandler shows how to craft feedback so that students see it not as a list of things they’ve done wrong but as a tipsheet showing them where to go next. #edusky #teachersky
NEW: The What, Why and How of Productive Struggle. Barbara Blackburn and Sherry Johnson discuss what productive struggle is, why it’s important, and how teachers can utilize the process to accelerate learning. www.middleweb.com/54564/the-wh… #edusky #teachersky
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social
OK, since this thread has blown up a bit, I think it’s worth clarifying in a new thread to what extent the ‘GenAI is asbestos for the mind’ analogy might hold up, and where it breaks down (as even useful analogies always do) Study explores how AI use affects performance on math and reasoning tasks – Berkeley News
Strategies:
Any Human Ever
Almost everyone who ever lived was born recently, because population grew exponentially, so a random birth is far more likely to fall near the present.
Resources:
Google Gems to become Skills
Personal Gems need to be pulled by November. School Account Gems need to be converted by June 1, 2027.
https://support.google.com/gem ini/answer/18560919?hl=en
AXIS The Culture Translator
What it is: Girls’ flag football is the fastest-growing high school sport in the US. The NFL is now pushing for all 50 states to invest in the sport.
Why it’s sweeping the nation: As concerns around tackle football injuries grow, youth participation in the sport has decreased. Enter: flag football, which is like regular football, minus the tackling. The appeal for parents? Flag football is safer and requires less equipment. The best way to produce future fans is participation in youth sports, so it makes sense why the NFL has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into youth leagues. And it seems to be paying off, according to Bloomberg. Over 41 states now offer girls high school flag football programs, and 25 states have officially sanctioned championships at the high school level. Now there’s a path for girls to play in college on NCAA D1 women’s flag football teams. The sport will make its Olympic debut for men and women in the 2028 LA games, which could boost popularity even further
The Rithm Project
Building human connection in an age of AI.
From crisis to crossroads. The rising generation has the power to reverse the trend toward isolation and build a future where humanity and connection thrive. We’re here to help them lead the way.
https://aicurrents.therithmproject.org/current-01
Web Spotlight:
Is Direct Instruction a Dirty Word? What I Learned from Zach Groshell
If you’ve been in education for any length of time, you’ve heard the debate. Should the teacher lead, or should kids discover?
His epiphany was that there’s a third way. In his words, it’s “to drive all decisions based on a body of evidence, the science of learning.” When something is new for kids, they need explicit teaching. Then the teacher slowly hands over the reins until students can do it on their own, and get creative with it.
https://ajjuliani.com/blog/is-direct-instruction-a-dirty-word-what-i-learned-from-zach-groshell
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