MSM 322:  I don’t feel like cleaning this up.  No one eats their Wheeties anymore.

Jokes You Can Use:

 

What’s the difference between a Hippo and a Zippo?

Why do scuba divers fall backward into the water?

Have you heard the rumor going around about butter?

Today at the bank, a little old lady asked me to help check her balance. So I pushed her over. Everything’s OK though. The check bounced.

Have you ever tried to eat a clock? It’s very time consuming. Especially when you go back for seconds.

A magician was driving down the street. Then he turned into a driveway.

Two parrots were sitting on a perch. One turns to the other and says “Do you smell fish?”

 

Advisory:

 

The baffling reason many millennials don’t eat cereal

Few things are as painless to prepare as cereal. Making it requires little more than pouring something (a cereal of your choice) into a bowl and then pouring something else (a milk of your choice) into the same bowl. Eating it requires little more than a spoon and your mouth. The food, which Americans still buy $10 billion of annually, has thrived over the decades, at least in part, because of this very quality: its convenience.

 

And yet, for today’s youth, cereal isn’t easy enough.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/23/this-is-the-height-of-laziness/

 

His Smile

She has connected with him and it has made all of the difference in the world. At this point you might be wondering how, why, when? To be quite honest, I don’t know. What I do know is that she has been spending time with him on the weekends. Bonding. Connecting. Having fun engaging in non-school related activities. Even her duty-free lunch period is spent eating with him and a few of his friends. Because she knows that a cafeteria full of students and noise can be difficult for him.

http://www.bamradionetwork.com/edwords-blog/his-smile

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

Chemical Cleanouts

 

I was recently reading the January, 2016 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  

 

In this issue, I read the article, “Scope on Safety.”  It was written by Ken Roy, director of environmental health and safety for Glastonbury Public Schools in Glastonbury, CT.  The article focused in on the safety question of the month, which was: “How often should middle school science labs have chemical cleanouts?”

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/2/25_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Chemical_Cleanouts.html

 

From the Twitterverse:  

Alice Keeler ‏@alicekeeler

ThingLink – Let Students Figure it Out – http://www.alicekeeler.com/teachertech/2016/01/19/thinglink-let-students-figure-it-out/ …

 

Rich Kiker ‏@rkiker

After years of analysis, Google discovers the key to good teamwork is being nice http://buff.ly/1TFkSZt  #GoogleEDU

Podcast 322 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-27 12-09-19

 

Diane Ravitch ‏@DianeRavitch

Amy Frogge: My 9-Year-Old Will Take Tests That Are Longer than My LSAT Exam http://dianeravitch.net/2016/02/27/amy-frogge-my-9-year-old-will-take-tests-that-are-longer-than-my-lsat-exam …

 

Sue Gorman ‏@sjgorman

U.S. Department of Education Recognizes 13 States and 40 Districts Committing to #GoOpen with Educational Resources http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-recognizes-13-states-and-40-districts-committing-goopen-educational-resources …

 

Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo

How To Use Data – & How Not To Use It – In Schools http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2016/02/response_how_to_use_data_-_how_not_to_use_it_-_in_schools.html … my new Ed Wk post w/ @betamiller @ASCD

Podcast 322 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-27 12-10-21

 

 

Matthew Lynch ‏@Lynch39083

Happier Students, Higher Scores: The Role of Arts Integration http://is.gd/lqY18j  #artseducation #edpolicy

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

 

Strategies for Reaching Quiet, Disengaged, Struggling, and Troublemaking Students

The Quiet Student

The Disengaged Student

The Struggling Student

The Troublemaking Student

 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/reaching-quiet-disengaged-struggling-troublemaking-students-david-cutler

 

Diagnostic Teaching: Pinpointing Why Your Students Struggle

by Terry Heick

 

  1. Fundamental curricular & unit design
  2. Complete all missing or incomplete assignments
  3. Differentiate assessments on non-mastered standards
  4. Isolate and prioritize standards for mastery
  5. Choose new materials/resources that feature more transparent illustration of standard
  6. Daily use of student exit chart
  7. Student goal-setting & progress monitoring
  8. Beyond-the-classroom support systems

 

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/diagnostic-teaching-why-students-struggle/

 

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/10kQUtJvszYe-5C_suerdfX92vqDyzHkDoNxsiphc_fU/edit?usp=sharing

Resources:

 

3 Reasons Why All Learning is Personal

by George Couros • February 23, 2016 • 2 Comments

Here are three reasons that struck me upon reflection of this experience.

  1. Each individual has their own experiences and acquired knowledge. (Past)
  2. Each person creates their own connections to content based on the reason mentioned above. (Present)
  3. What interests each person biases what they are interested in learning moving forward. (Future)

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/12323

 

4Tests

Tests in 5 Basic areas:

Also have other exams available. There are lots of ads. The questions can be useful examples or good for students to explore. The TOEFL includes Listening questions.

https://www.4tests.com/

 

Web Spotlight:

 

Student Learning Communities (SLC’s)

by dkerr • February 21, 2016

Once a cycle or once every week or two, students will get into their student learning community (grade specific or subject specific, or ultimately, passion specific that isn’t tied to grade level bands or subject areas) and collaboratively reflect on the day to day experience of school.

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/12355

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Open Textbook Post

http://troypatterson.me/2015/08/23/open-textbooks/

 

Personal Web Site

MSM 321:  Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Go Mindset!

 

Jokes You Can Use:

 

My friends say they don’t like my skeleton puns. I should put a little more backbone into them..

I’m close friends with 25 letters of the alphabet, I don’t know y.

Astronomers got tired of watching the moon rotate around the Earth, so they just called it a day.

What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?

I lost my mood ring and i don’t know how to feel about it..

I don’t trust stairs, they’re always up to something.

My friend’s bakery burned down last night. Now his business is toast.

What kind of concert only costs 45 cents? A 50 Cent concert featuring Nickelback

Shout out to the people who don’t know what the opposite of in is.

So what if I don’t know what apocalypse means. It’s not the end of the world.

 

Advisory:

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-24-18

 

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-24-56

 

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-25-34

http://twentytwowords.com/global-fast-food-items-you-cant-get-in-the-u-s/

 

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

 

CELLS, PATHOGENS & DISEASE

 

IN THIS ISSUE, I READ THE ARTICLE, “OUTBREAK! CELLS, PATHOGENS AND DISEASE.”  IT WAS WRITTEN BY JANICE ANDERSON, LANA MINSHEW, AND TIFFANY MCLENDON.  THE ARTICLE FOCUSES IN ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOUR MINI-LEARNING CYCLES, BASED ON THE 5E INQUIRY MODEL.  THE FOUR MINI-LEARNING CYCLES ARE:

  1.  COMPARING CELL TYPES
  2.  BACTERIA VERSUS VIRUSES
  3.  CDC OUTBREAK
  4.  CREATING A PUBLIC-SERVICE MESSAGE

 

HTTP://K12SCIENCE.NET/PODCAST/PODCAST/ENTRIES/2016/2/8_MIDDLE_SCHOOL_SCIENCE_MINUTE-CELLS%2C_PATHOGENS_%26_DISEASE.HTML

 

From the Twitterverse:  

Dru Tomlin ‏@DruTomlin_AMLE Feb 18 Tulsa, OK

Keeping the smiles coming as we raise the praise 4 the magical middle grades OMLEA1 #mlem16 @AMLE @JasonGalloway77

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-26-19

WeAreTeachers ‏@WeAreTeachers

Hey, #teachers! Check out these #writing resources! #posters #lessons & more! http://ow.ly/VPQ6q  #edchat #k12

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-26-46

Linda Hopkins ‏@lindahopkins38

Beautifully put. #NeD16

pammoran ‏@pammoran

“Medium as student blogging platform” by @becline https://medium.com/synapse/a-new-paradigm-in-student-publishing-medium-adobe-voice-adobe-slate-4e9e4e864256#.43qic22u0 … #satchat

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-27-15

John Kuhn ‏@johnkuhntx

Parents: Sarcastic Excuse Note From Chicago Parent http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2016/02/parents-sarcastic-excuse-note-from-chicago-parent.html#.VshgVB4rFxN.twitter …

Jennifer Bond ‏@teambond

There are many ways to make formative assessment fun! Check out my @BloomBoard collection http://goo.gl/zTtQGT

Podcast 321 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-20 12-27-46

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”  

 

Strategies:

 

5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Unmotivated Students

  1. Students are more motivated academically when they have a positive relationship with their teacher.
  2. Choice is a powerful motivator in most educational contexts.
  3. For complex tasks that require creativity and persistence, extrinsic rewards and consequences actually hamper motivation.
  4. To stay motivated to persist at any task, students must believe they can improve in that task.
  5. Students are motivated to learn things that have relevance to their lives.
  1. How is your relationship with your students, really?
  2. How much choice do your students actually have?
  3. Are you relying heavily on carrots and sticks…or Jolly Ranchers?
  4. Do your words contribute to a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
  5. What are you doing to make your content relevant to students’ lives?

Plain Old Good Teaching

http://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/plain-old-good-teaching-2/

 

Resources:

 

Permission Slips

35 templates to download and use.

http://templatelab.com/permission-slip/

 

Student Instructions For How They Can Create A Cloze (Gap-Fill)

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2016/02/19/student-instructions-for-how-they-can-create-a-cloze-gap-fill/

 

Tech Coaches

Two teachers who work with teachers. They are doing GREAT things in the classroom.

http://iblog.dearbornschools.org/techcoaches/

 

Web Spotlight:

 

Stop Humiliating Teachers

BY DAVID DENBY

 

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/stop-humiliating-teachers

 

The End of Solitude

By William Deresiewicz

“I once asked my students about the place that solitude has in their lives. One of them admitted that she finds the prospect of being alone so unsettling that she’ll sit with a friend even when she has a paper to write. Another said, why would anyone want to be alone?”

 

http://chronicle.com/article/the-end-of-solitude/3708/

 

Today’s Teens

…every two years, the federal government asks thousands of teenagers dozens of questions about whether they are all right.

Most of the survey questions show that today’s teenagers are among the best-behaved on record. They smoke less, drink less, and have sex less than the previous generation. They are, comparatively, a mild-mannered bunch who will probably shoo away from your lawn quite respectfully (and probably wouldn’t dare set foot on your lawn to begin with!)

http://www.vox.com/a/teens

 

How People Learn to Become Resilient

BY MARIA KONNIKOVA

What was it that set the resilient children apart? Because the individuals in her sample had been followed and tested consistently for three decades, Werner had a trove of data at her disposal. She found that several elements predicted resilience. Some elements had to do with luck: a resilient child might have a strong bond with a supportive caregiver, parent, teacher, or other mentor-like figure. But another, quite large set of elements was psychological, and had to do with how the children responded to the environment.

http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-secret-formula-for-resilience

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site

 

MSM 320:  GONG ZHE FAT-HI!!! How long should we talk?

 

Jokes You Can Use:

 

Q: What gets wetter the more it dries?

A: A towel.

Q: What do you get when you cross fish and an elephant?

A: Swimming trunks

Q: What happened to the dog that swallowed a firefly?

A: It barked with de-light!

Time Traveler?

 

Middle School Science Minute  

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

MODELING ECOSYSTEMS

 

I was recently reading the January, 2016 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  

 

In this issue, I read the article, “Modeling Ecosystems.”  It was written by Anthony J Petrosino and Michele J Mann.  The article discusses the hierarchy of model types.  They include:

  1.  Physical Models
  2.  Symbolic Models
  3.  Computational Models

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/2/5_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Modeling_Ecosystems.html

 

From the Twitterverse:  

Terie Engelbrecht ‏@mrsebiology

How to Create Annotated Screenshots With Evernote Web Clipper – http://shrd.by/YZjEPt  Love me some web clipper-Good stuff. #edtech

Gaggle ‏@Gaggle_K12

Why School Administrators Should Take an Interest in Twitter: https://www.gaggle.net/speaks/school-administrators-take-interest-using-twitter/#.VpZN01GTtV0.twitter … #principalpln #suptchat

Kim Campbell ‏@KimCamp4Kids

Kim Campbell Retweeted Larry Ferlazzo

Outstanding. About to use this with my after school program, SOAR!!

Kim Campbell added:
Larry Ferlazzo @Larryferlazzo

I Did My Best Job Teaching A “Growth Mindset” Today – Here’s The Lesson Plan http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2016/02/05/i-did-my-best-job-teaching-a-growth-mindset-today-heres-the-lesson-plan/

Gail Heinemeyer ‏@glhnmsa

Top 15 Things Your Middle School Kid Wishes You Knew http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-vail/top-15-things-your-middle-school-kid-wishes-you-knew_b_5844308.html … #BetterTogether via HuffPostParents

Tom D’Amico ‏@TDOttawa

4 Great Movie Making Apps! by KELLY WALSH http://sco.lt/5VcUt7  #ocsb #movies #edtech #edapp

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”  

 

Strategies:

 

I Wish My Teacher Knew

It all began as a way for 3rd-grade teacher Kyle Schwartz to get to know her students a little better…

“As a new teacher, I struggled to understand the reality of my students’ lives and how to best support them. I just felt like there was something I didn’t know about my students.”

She Asked Her 3rd-Graders to Share Anonymously, But She Had NO Idea the Notes They’d Write | 22 Words 2016-02-06 12-50-46

Podcast 320 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-06 12-51-27

Podcast 320 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-06 12-52-10

Podcast 320 - Today - Google Docs 2016-02-06 12-52-34

http://twentytwowords.com/she-asked-her-3rd-graders-to-share-anonymously-but-she-had-no-idea-the-notes-theyd-write/gallery/2/

 

Brain Storm Ideas

 

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/02/7-tools-for-hosting-online.html#.VrYL67ArJdA

Resources:

 

WIDA Can Do Descriptors:

https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/

 

100+ Google Classroom Resources

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/google-classroom-resources/

 

GETech

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/02/students-can-compare-maps-side-by-side.html#.VrYU7LArJdA

http://geteach.com/

 

Web Spotlight:

 

NI primary school sends moving letter with children’s results

Harmony Hill Primary School in Lisburn enclosed the message within a letter informing pupils of their score in the post-primary entrance exams.

The poignant note encouraged them not to feel disheartened if they did not get the news they were hoping for.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-35449405

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

France Changes The Language & The Circumflex  

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/05/not-the-oignon-fury-france-changes-2000-spellings-ditches-circumflex  

 

Personal Web Site