Jokes:  

Whenever Tom Cruise is driving, his car is always on “Cruise Control”.

What do birds say on Halloween?

• Trick or Tweet

Geology rocks!

Geography is where it’s at

We all know that Halloween is Dracula’s favorite holiday. But what’s Dracula’s second favorite holiday?

– Fangs-giving

I threw a boomerang at a ghost the other day. 

• I knew it would come back to haunt me. 

Why did the witch turn someone into a road? 

• Forgot to use spell check. 

Why did the Cowboy adopt the Dachshund?

• He wanted to get a long, little doggie

I have a chicken proof lawn. 

• Yep, it’s impeccable

What is a skeleton’s favorite instrument?

• Trombone

Back in his day, Samuel Morse was considered to be….

• A dashing young man

If Watson isn’t the most famous Doctor, then Who is. 

Pre means before.

Post means after.

To use both of them together would be…

• Preposterous

There is only one thing that scares me about Halloween. 

Shawn says: Which is…

Exactly. 

My first time using an elevator was an uplifting experience. 

The second time let me down. 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: The New Normal

I was recently reading the September/October 2020 issue of “Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read the “Current Science Classroom“ column written by Chris Anderson.  Her article was entitled “The New Normal.”

What can we do, as educators, in the face of the worst pandemic in the last 100 years.? It can seem like an insurmountable problem, but in this podcast we share six things that are within our control that can have a positive impact on our school and community.

AND, A SPECIAL “Happy Birthday” to the one and only, the fantastic, Mr. Dave Bydlowski. 

Reports from the Front Lines

• Normalcy setting in?
  • Reading
  • Calendar/Planners/Organization
• Will this be permanent?
• Schools moving back to virtual

The Twitterverse

Typical EduCelebrity  @EduCelebrity

Is there a cure for the condition that renders students incapable of seeing an assignment posted online until a zero is posted as their grade?  

Phyllis Fagell, LCPC  @Pfagell

This 7th grader’s response to the question: “What do you think is the biggest challenge for middle schoolers right now, during the pandemic?” is Exhibit A of why I love middle schoolers so much.

NJAMLE  @NJAMLE

Middle School Mini-Conference (via http://smore.com) https://smore.com/q3g1y Brought to you by your friends @NJAMLE. We celebrate you the Middle School educator and your consistent grit and resilience. Join us for this live virtual event. #becauseyoudeserveit #njed @AMLE

Nick LaFave  @NFLaFave

Happy Halloween! The EdTech Graveyard: a page to remember EdTech tools that have passed away and provide suggested alternatives to help as you mourn your loss. https://buff.ly/2PA3evA #EdTech #HappyHalloween    #HappyHalloween2020 

Don’t forget #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm!  Todd Bloch will have a topic all ready to go and another great discussion will ensue.  

Strategies:  

20 juicy questions to ask students (#5 will REALLY get them talking!)

https://ditchthattextbook.com/juicy-questions/#annotations:hGaeWBYgEeukDeMN8dPRKg

Resources:

IDA Treaties Explorer

While treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States affect virtually every area in the USA, there is as yet no official list of all the treaties. The US National Archives holds 374 of the treaties, where they are known as the Ratified Indian Treaties. Here you can view them for the first time with key historic works that provide context to the agreements made and the histories of our shared lands.

https://digitreaties.org/

Web Spotlight:  

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site   

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

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Jokes:  

What is muffins spelled backwards? 

• What you do when the muffins come out of the oven

I attempted to exercise this morning.

• Didn’t work out

So I ate some Skinny pop, that didn’t work out either.

How do you fix a broken pumpkin?

• With a pumpkin patch

There once was a king who was only 12 inches tall. 

• He was a horrible king, but a great ruler. 

I tripped on a snare drum and hit my head.

• I may have a percussion

Kid runs in the room, “I mustache ask you a question, but I’ll shave it for later”

How does Mr. Miyagi eat his Babybel?

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Citizen Scientists

 I was recently reading the July/August, 2020 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read the “Methods and Strategies “ column written by Meredith Hayes, P. Sean Smith, and W. Robert Midden.  Their article was entitled “Students as Citizen Scientists.”

Citizen Science involves individuals who are not professional scientists in authentic scientific endeavors, typically in collaboration with or supervised by professional scientists or scientific institutions.  

Increasingly, Citizen Science is making its way into schools and into science classes in particular.

Reports from the Front Lines

• Classroom culture:  establishing patterns and rhythms in the schedule.  
• “Hi Mr. McGirr!  I’m in class from . . . “
  • On my way to Mt. Rushmore!  
  • The back seat of our new family car!  
• Google Meet 
  • Student Interlopers
  • Students being able to keep the teacher from hearing their conversations in class.  
• These kids have bonded, They are my kids.
• From learning to scroll to advanced features
• Kids being used to what is happening – moderating their own learning
• H5P
  • Dictation
• Talk to the Kids – online vs in room
  • Pragmatics

The Twitterverse

MBL @skiandsurf1964

Ss did research on the French and Indian War and completed this activity “Caption This”. Impressed with Ss creativity, some blended both humor & history. This S took it to another level and wrote in French.  

Fixing Education  @FixingEducation

Maybe we should have potato chip companies determine class sizes in classrooms.

Rjoseph852 @rjoseph852·Oct 7

Let’s reach and teach, not test! The Lost Year Fallacy https://teacherinastrangeland.blog/2020/10/07/the-lost-year-fallacy/… via @nancyflanagan @pepinosuave @blocht574 @pr05bps @pamlpugh   

@casandraulbrich @ncte @mieducation @BirminghamPS @TheJLV

https://t.co/bLGHSUwBAI?amp=1

Resources:

Together, Apart, and “Among Us” 

What it is: Among Us, a 2018 murder mystery game set in space, is attracting millions of new players.

Why it’s lonely quaranteen bait: Among Us didn’t get a lot of buzz in the US when it was first released, but was featured recently by a few prominent Twitch gamers and is now experiencing a meteoric surge in popularity. The premise of Among Us is similar to any “murder mystery”: Players have to find a randomly assigned “killer,” while the “killer” (who is also a player) bluffs their way out of being found out. The game is rated “E” and none of the “murdery” elements are very graphic in nature, but the game is suspenseful and intense as players test their skills of strategy and social awareness. With teens missing complex peer interactions, it makes sense that this game hits a bit different in 2020. And with a promised sequel now canceled to focus on improving the existing gameplay, more teens will probably be hopping on soon.  – From The Culture Translator – Axis.org  

Online Thinking Routines

Project Zero at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education has created a collection of Core Thinking Routines as part of their Visible Thinking Project. 

Web Spotlight:  

These Are Words Scholars Should No Longer Use to Describe Slavery and the Civil War

Let’s face it: a new generation of scholarship has changed the way we understand American history, particularly slavery, capitalism, and the Civil War. Our language should change as well. 

We no longer call the Civil War “The War Between the States,” nor do we refer to women’s rights activists as “suffragettes,” nor do we call African-Americans “Negroes.” Language has changed before, and I propose that it should change again.

 …he rejects “plantations” (a term pregnant with false memory and romantic myths) in favor of “labor camps”; instead of “slave-owners” (which seems to legitimate and rationalize the ownership of human beings), he uses “enslavers.”

 Specifically, let us drop the word “Union” when describing the United States side of the conflagration, as in “Union troops” versus “Confederate troops.” Instead of “Union,” we should say “United States.” By employing “Union” instead of “United States,” we are indirectly supporting the Confederate view of secession wherein the nation of the United States collapsed, having been built on a “sandy foundation” (according to rebel Vice President Alexander Stephens).

 The dichotomy of “Union v. Confederacy” is no longer acceptable language; its usage lends credibility to the Confederate experiment and undermines the legitimacy of the United States as a political entity. The United States of America fought a brutal war against a highly organized and fiercely determined rebellion – it did not stop functioning or morph into something different. We can continue to debate the nature and existence of Confederate “nationalism,” but that discussion should not affect how we label the United States during the war.

http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/160266

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site   

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download