MSM – Page 33 – Middle School Matters

April 2, 2016April 2, 2016advisory, MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

MSM 326: Just Your “Average” Podcast . . .

Jokes You Can Use:

What did Zero say to Eight? Nice belt. 0 – 8

I cut off part of my finger cutting cheese. But I think that I may have grater problems.

Today a girl said that she recognized me from the vegetarian club. But I’m pretty sure that I’ve never met herbivore.

I used to work in a calendar factory, but I got fired because I took a couple of days off.

Did you hear about the guy who invented LifeSavers? They say he made a mint.

Did you hear the FedEx and UPS are merging? They are going to go by Fed-Up.

Did you hear about the two peanuts on the street? One was assalted.

Eileen Award:

Google+: Christopher Kochinsky

Advisory:

When Bullies Called This Girl a Fat Whale, She Decided to Help Actual Whales

Long story short, bullies suck. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, they will sniff out your insecurities and find any way to exploit them.

You can cower and lick your wounds, or you can do what this teenager in Lampasas, Texas did, and use their venom in a way that actually does some good.

http://twentytwowords.com/when-bullies-called-this-girl-a-fat-whale-she-decided-to-help-actual-whales/

(The Booster project is now closed.)

The Most Terrifying Urban Legends From Every Single State

http://twentytwowords.com/the-most-terrifying-urban-legends-from-every-single-state/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Appropriate Chemicals

I was recently reading the February, 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 do I know whether a chemical is appropriate for my middle level science laboratory activity?”

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/3/28_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Appropriate_Chemicals.html

From the Twitterverse:

Glenn Robbins ‏@Glennr1809

Too often schools buy 3D printers because they are “bright/shining” items. We need designer first- DONT BUY TO BUY! #satchat

Storyboard That ‏@StoryboardThat

Are you familiar with the story of Romulus and Remus? If not, read through our lesson plan! http://ow.ly/10bRu5

ReadWriteThink.org ‏@RWTnow

Middle level students learn content area vocabulary using the Vocabulary, Language, Prediction (VLP) approach http://ow.ly/IobS6

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

Strategies:

ACTIVITY: FEEDBACK ACTION PLANNING TEMPLATE

I’ve been doing a ton of tinkering this year with the way that I give students feedback in my classroom. My goal is to steal Dylan Wiliam’s idea that our goal should be to turn feedback into detective work. That just feels right to me.

http://blog.williamferriter.com/2016/04/02/activity-feedback-action-planning-template/

Resources:

Differentiated Instruction in the Middle and High School, Strategies to Engage All Learners by Dr. Kristina Doubet

We did an interview with Dr. Doubet a while ago on Differentiated Instruction and it seems she has a book on the subject (differentiation, not our interview) which was published while we were in China last year.

http://www.amazon.com/Differentiation-Middle-High-School-Strategies/dp/1416620184/ref=pd_rhf_schuc_s_cp_7?ie=UTF8&dpID=51%2B9dQKqPOL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR104%2C135_&refRID=1D2G7CFG4WZQ8P3236JD

Alternatives to YouTube

Some excellent educational content can be found on YouTube. However, many teachers cannot access YouTube in their classrooms. Therefore, I compiled a list of other places to find educational videos that don’t rely on YouTube.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/09/47-alternatives-to-using-youtube-in.html#.Vv_YQRMrJdA

5 tips to improve your critical thinking – Samantha Agoos

Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us, and it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances — and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking. Samantha Agoos describes a 5-step process that may help you with any number of problems.

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/5-tips-to-improve-your-critical-thinking-samantha-agoos

Web Spotlight:

What Do We Lose By Measuring ‘Average’ In Education?

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/28/what-do-we-lose-by-measuring-average-in-education/

NOT JUST A GIRL

5 Ways to Help Girls Achieve Their Potential

by Vicki Davis

I dropped my end of the heavy battery. Daddy and I needed to “jump off” or start up the irrigation system. I was perhaps eight and my sister and Mom were somewhere else.

“It is too heavy for me Dad, I’m just a girl.” I whimpered as dust swirled around my end of the battery.

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/closing-the-gender-gap-one-girl-at-a-time/

Chronicle of the Revolution

http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle.html

SINGULAR EDUCATION FOCUS

http://sweattoinspire.com/2016/04/02/singular-education-focus/

Random Thoughts . . .

Personal Web Site

March 12, 2016MSM, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 324: A Day in the Life of The Mind of a Middle Schooler

Jokes You Can Use:

How do you find Will Smith in a snow storm? Follow the Fresh Prints.

It’s difficult to say what my wife does, She sells seashell by the sea shore.

How did the hipster burn his mouth? He ate pizza before it was cool.

A neutron walks into a coffee shop and orders a coffee. The barista says “No charge”.

Two goldfish are in a tank. One looks at the other and says “Do you know how to drive this thing?”

How does the NASA organize a party? They planet.

Advisory:

A Day in the Life

Use the pictures for the students to create stories of the times. Have students replicate the project in their neighborhood.

http://mashable.com/2016/03/05/london-ohio-great-depression/#gZr.u31ngkqb

Middle School Science Minute

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

NGSS: Where Do You Start?

I was recently reading the February, 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, “Planning NGSS Instruction – Where Do You Start?” It was written by Mary Colson and Russ Colson. If you are planning to implement NGSS, you should consider:

Authentic Questions
Engagement in Scientific Practices
Big Explanatory Ideas

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/3/10_Middle_School_Science_Minute-NGSS__Where_Do_You_Start.html

From the Twitterverse:

Glenn Robbins ‏@Glennr1809

A4: Too often schools buy 3D printers because they are “bright/shining” items. We need designer first- DON’T BUY TO BUY! #satchat

achievethecore.org ‏@achievethecore

Achieve the Core has done some early spring cleaning: check out our newly streamlined site

Dr. Justin Tarte ‏@justintarte

The best homework assignments EVER … make the world a better place: via @peterlynch11 #edchat #education

TeacherPolicy ‏@teacherpolicy

Southern Lawmakers Reconsidering Role of Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Fblog%2F62%2F%3Fuuid%3D57209 …

Sarah Allred ‏@RockStarTchr Archdale, NC

Explains a lot!

Bill Powers ‏@MrPowersCMS

As adults sometimes we are our worst enemy in allowing students to tinker. We must give up control #satchat

Daisy Dyer Duerr ‏@DaisyDyerDuerr 3m3 minutes ago

16 Apps and Websites Kids Are Heading to After Facebook | Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/16-apps-and-websites-kids-are-heading-to-after-facebook?utm_source=031116+Default&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly# … via @commonsense

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

Strategies:

Media Center

“You can’t have things that are in one spot,” Kitchen says. “If you put things in fours, they’re going to stay in fours. So everything we have there is movable, whether it’s the chairs, the interactive boards, or the flat panels.”

http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/school-library/

Resources:

Periodic Table Puns – Teachers Pay Teachers: FREE

A set of puns science teachers can use to help students learn about the periodic table of elements.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Periodic-Table-Puns-547062

The Science Of Getting Kids Organized

To help Lilli get stuff done, her parents hired Melissa Power-Greene, a former tutor and special-education teacher, to work with Lilli on something called executive function.

“I think having the routine of meeting once a week is helpful to know that I have a point where I stop what I’m doing and kind of figure out if I’m on the right track,” she says.

That’s something many educators and psychologists say can come from less expensive forms of help — or, in an ideal world, for free in the public schools.

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/02/463593878/the-science-of-getting-kids-organized

Experts Say Measuring Non-Cognitive Skills Won’t Work, But Districts Still Try

Federal education law now requires one non-academic measure of school progress, which has led some districts to consider including students’ social and emotional growth as a performance measure.

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/02/experts-say-measuring-non-cognitive-skills-wont-work-but-districts-still-try/

10+ Tips for Using Brain-Based Methods to Redesign Your Classroom

Creating a Brain-Friendly Enriched Classroom Environment

Layout and Use of Space:
Furniture Choices:
Color Selections:
Lighting:
Nature:
Environmental Print and Design:
Organization of Materials:

However, many indirect benefits also followed. We created a space that made it more natural to take our time, relax, and be reflective as we worked towards mastery and understanding. The physical landscape of our room took on a different emotional feel upon entering. Our space was inspiring. It was warm. And most of all, it was an invitation for learning where all felt welcomed and valued. After all, students knew their voice mattered—they helped created their space.

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-03-01-10-tips-for-using-brain-based-methods-to-redesign-your-classroom

Web Spotlight:

The Changing Role Of The Teacher

This does not mean that the teacher is to stand off and look on; the alternative to furnishing ready-made subject matter and listening to the accuracy with which it is reproduced is not quiescence, but participation, sharing, in an activity. In such shared activity, the teacher is a learner, and the learner is, without knowing it, a teacher—and upon the whole, the less consciousness there is, on either side, of either giving or receiving instruction, the better.

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/changing-role-of-the-teacher/

Comparing Textbooks to Wikipedia – A Student & Teacher Lesson

Last week during NCTIES I shared an activity that I have done with students and teachers to help them identify the similarities and differences between information presenting in their textbooks and information presented in Wikipedia articles on the same topics. An outline of the activity is available here.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/03/comparing-textbooks-to-wikipedia.html#.VuQfs5MrJdA

20 Strategies for Motivating Reluctant Learners

Perez says when students are engaged, predicting answers, talking with one another and sharing with the class in ways that follow safe routines and practices, they not only achieve more but they also act out less. And everyone, including the teacher, has more fun.

PEREZ’ BRAIN-BASED STRATEGIES

Don’t Be Boring
Vote
Set Goals
Form Groups
Quick Writes
Focus on the ABCs: Acceptance, Belonging and Community
Continually change the “state” of the classroom
Empathize
Do a BRAIN checklist
Simplify
Chunk Information
Props
Breaks
Post-Its
Make Snowballs
Guessing Games
Balanced Inquiry
Mind-streaming
Be Interactive
HOPE

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/03/20-strategies-for-motivating-reluctant-learners/

Random Thoughts . . .

Personal Web Site

March 5, 2016March 5, 2016MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

MSM 323: 6 Avoidable Mistakes and Hey! The Letters Keep Jumping Around!

Jokes You Can Use:

What did the left eye say to the right eye?

Between you and me, something smells.

What do you call a sleepwalking Nun?

A Roamin’ Catholic

Why was the teacher cross eyed?

The teacher couldn’t control her pupils

Why should you knock before opening the refrigerator door?

There might be salad dressing

Why did the cowboy get a weiner dog?

He wanted to get a long little doggie.

Advisory:

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

Middle School Science Minute

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

Epigenetics

I was recently reading the February, 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, “Epigenetics: A New Science for Middle School – And Why You Should Teach It.” It was written by Lisa Marriott, Alison Charbonneau, Berk Moss, Jackilen Shannon, Kent Thornburg, and Mitchell Turker. Epigenetics is the name of a powerful biological process by which gene switches can be regulated.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/3/3_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Epigenetics.html

From the Twitterverse:

Vox ‏@voxdotcom

This simulation helps show you what it’s like to have dyslexia http://www.vox.com/2016/3/5/11162158/dyslexia-simulation?utm_campaign=vox&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter …

Ms. Oxendine ‏@MsOxendine

“What is a fart, except a a lonely cry from a trapped turd.” #stuffmiddleschoolerssay #scamle2016

Rodney Hetherton ‏@RodneyHetherton

27 ways to be a better 21st Century educator via @MiaMacMeekin #COLchat #swcrkPLN

AJ Hartley, Ed.D., Michele Corbat, Dragonometry and 7 others

Sue Gorman ‏@sjgorman

The 8 Best Chrome Extensions As Chosen By Teachers https://www.thegooru.com/8-chrome-extensions-teachers-love/ … via @thegooglegooru #gafe

Marci Houseman ‏@marcihouseman Pinehurst, NC

Marci Houseman Retweeted Donald Gately Ed.D.

I love seeing how teachers and admin are using @periscopeco to give SS greater audience for their work! #satchat

Marci Houseman added,

Donald Gately Ed.D. @donald_gately

Teacher was using @periscopeco and Ss were responding to Qs in comments in 6 different languages #amazing #satchat

Wired Educator ‏@WiredEducator

Why every educator should apply to at least one conference or institute a year! http://wirededucator.com/the-importance-of-reflection-why-i-apply-to-conferences-and-institutes/ …

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

Resources:

Dyslexia Experience

Wonderful experience of reading while the letters are moving.

http://geon.github.io/programming/2016/03/03/dsxyliea

6 Avoidable Mistakes That Can Kill A New Teacher’s Career

http://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/6-avoidable-mistakes-that-can-kill-a-new-teachers-career/

Providing Extrinsic Reward for Test Performance Undermines Long-Term Memory Acquisition

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00079/full

Teens do better in science when they know Einstein and Curie also struggled

“In our culture we always say you don’t want to intimidate kids, you don’t want to tell them how hard the work is,” she noted. But the experiment showed the opposite strategy works better: Showing how great scientists had to muddle through lots of tough stuff made the subject matter real and allowed students to connect with them as people.

Lin-Siegler argues that teaching and science textbooks could be vastly improved, to help engage students and promote STEM—if they were transformed from overweight catalogues of formulas to explorations of the fascinating back stories that led to all that scientific knowledge.

http://qz.com/622749/teens-do-better-in-science-when-they-know-einstein-and-curie-also-struggled/

My First Job

From Linked IN:

President Obama

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-scoop-why-my-first-job-mattered-president-barack-obama

Ralph de la Vega

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dream-big-humble-lessons-led-me-from-factory-floor-ralph-de-la-vega

Meg Whitman

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-designing-shampoo-bottle-taught-me-business-meg-whitman

Suzie Orman

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-i-lacked-qualifications-learned-make-up-courage-suze-orman

Bernard Tyson

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/practice-makes-career-bernard-j-tyson

Katie Couric

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-first-job-lasted-one-summer-changed-way-i-see-world-katie-couric

Random Thoughts . . .

Moodle FlashCards

Yes, Moodle can do FlashCards.

http://troypatterson.me/2016/03/05/moodle-flashcards/

Personal Web Site

February 27, 2016February 27, 2016MSM, Podcast, StrategyBy Troy Patterson

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

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

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

Fundamental curricular & unit design
Complete all missing or incomplete assignments
Differentiate assessments on non-mastered standards
Isolate and prioritize standards for mastery
Choose new materials/resources that feature more transparent illustration of standard
Daily use of student exit chart
Student goal-setting & progress monitoring
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.

Each individual has their own experiences and acquired knowledge. (Past)
Each person creates their own connections to content based on the reason mentioned above. (Present)
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

February 20, 2016February 20, 2016MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

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:

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:

COMPARING CELL TYPES
BACTERIA VERSUS VIRUSES
CDC OUTBREAK
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

WeAreTeachers ‏@WeAreTeachers

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

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

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

#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

Students are more motivated academically when they have a positive relationship with their teacher.
Choice is a powerful motivator in most educational contexts.
For complex tasks that require creativity and persistence, extrinsic rewards and consequences actually hamper motivation.
To stay motivated to persist at any task, students must believe they can improve in that task.
Students are motivated to learn things that have relevance to their lives.

How is your relationship with your students, really?
How much choice do your students actually have?
Are you relying heavily on carrots and sticks…or Jolly Ranchers?
Do your words contribute to a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
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

February 6, 2016February 6, 2016Lesson Plan, MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

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!

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:

Physical Models
Symbolic Models
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.”

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:

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

January 30, 2016MSM, Podcast, Strategy, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 319: Try this…Emoji(s) and more

Jokes You Can Use:

WARNING: You might not want to read this unless you are in a place where you are free to laugh out loud occasionally.

When deep cuts were made in the guillotine industry, heads rolled.
When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
The batteries were given out free of charge.
I heard the new auto body shop that opened comes highly wreck-a-mended.
The president of the Ennui Club was also chairman of the bored.
The tarantula found his partner online. He spider on the web.
I decided not to go to Pisa, though I was leaning towards it.
Broken puppets for sale. No strings attached.
The historian loves reading about bobcats. They are lynx to the past.

Two guys are walking down the street when a mugger approaches them and demands their money.

They both grudgingly pull out their wallets and begin taking out their cash. Just then one guy turns to the other and hands him a bill. “Here’s that $20 I owe you,” he says.

Advisory:

Psychological Tricks:

*Warning, there are a couple of “teacher tricks” here.

http://twentytwowords.com/clever-psychological-tricks-you-can-use-to-your-advantage/gallery/1/

10 Dining Etiquette Don’ts From Around The World

Navigating foreign countries can be tough, and that includes making it through a meal without inadvertently offending the natives. Here are 10 dining etiquette don’ts from around the world, courtesy of Langfords.com. Number

Britain. Talking with a mouth full of food is never recommended, but is something the people of this nation find to be particularly repellent.
Denmark. Never take the last danish – or any food item for that matter. The proper way to get one more bit of deliciousness is to keep cutting the remaining tidbit in half until nothing but crumbs remain.
Thailand. Placing chopsticks in an empty bowl can send a message sure to dampen dinner conversation. The arrangement is a symbol of death.
Mexico. Being punctual is usually a good thing, but not when it involves gathering for meals. In that situation, 30 minutes late is considered being perfectly on time.
Germany. A note to those who cut up their salad greens with a knife – Germans would rather you don’t. The preferred method is to fold them with a fork.
U.S.A. If your meal is too hot, either wait for it to cool or deal with the blistering consequences. Blowing on one’s food is considered bad table behavior.
Egypt. Desiring another person’s better-looking dish is natural, but, when experiencing such envy in Egypt, don’t stare at their plate. In fact, don’t look at anybody else’s food for any reason.
Spain. Using bread as an additional utensil for eating soup is popular in some places, but Spain is not among them. There, dunking is considered rude.
Russia. Vodka purists to be sure, the national belief is that nothing, not even ice, should be mixed or otherwise come into contact with the beloved beverage.
Zambia. In an age rife with food allergies and intolerances, it’s become common to question a dish’s ingredients. However, doing that in Zambia is akin to suggesting the cook is trying to serve you poison.

Which of the world’s dining etiquette gaffes most surprise you?

Taylor Swift Inspired This Mega Fan to Shake Off 425 Pounds

Two years ago, 28-year-old Ronnie Brower weighed almost 700 pounds.

His doctors had told him that if he didn’t make some serious lifestyle changes, there was no way he’d live to see 35.

Now, at the ripe old age of 30, Ronnie has lost an incredible 425 pounds and completely turned his life around — all thanks to a Facebook friend who put him in touch with a personal trainer, and the healing powers of Taylor Swift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0UeRh7huME

6 Photographers Shot the Same Person and the Results are Astonishing

http://www.worldvillage.com/6-photographers-shot-the-same-person-and-the-results-are-astonishing/

Using MyFitness Pal with Students

http://www.theedublogger.com/2016/01/29/myfitnesspal/

Middle School Science Minute

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

MYTHS ABOUT NGSS

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, “ADDRESSING THREE COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS.” IT WAS WRITTEN BY KENNETH L. HUFF. THE ARTICLE IDENTIFIES THREE COMMON MYTHS ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS. THEY ARE:

SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS ALREADY CONTAINED IN THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, ELA.
WE ARE ALREADY DOING THIS.
NGSS LIMITS WHAT SCIENCE CAN BE TAUGHT IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/1/27_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Myths_About_NGSS.html

From the Twitterverse:

Hadi Partovi ‏@hadip

Republicans and Democrats ALL agree on computer science. Today The White House joined the movement. #CSforAll https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5QGo_Yb_Pc&feature=youtu.be …
RE: Steve Cushing SteveC ‏@Montberte

President Obama Announces ‘Computer Science for All’ Initiative – Curriculum Matters – Education Week:… http://bit.ly/1KMWiir #SteveC

Wired Educator ‏@WiredEducator

. @iPadAgTeacher @DweaverRick awesome I also wrote this article on Edmodo for using it for formative assessment http://wirededucator.com/edmodo-great-for-exit-tickets-and-other-formative-assessment/ …

George Couros ‏@gcouros

What Makes a Master Teacher http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/267 …

Mark Barnes ‏@markbarnes19

Mike Fisher pulls no punches in his forthcoming Hacking the Common Core. #HackLearning

edutopia ‏@edutopia

Lesson didn’t go as planned? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered: http://edut.to/1Sp4gED .

Justin Baeder ‏@eduleadership

Why Everyone Believes In Formative Assessment, But Nobody Does It http://www.principalcenter.com/x/a5

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

Strategies:

Exit Ticket Emoji

http://www.uked.directory/product/wsr00034/

A Google Drive link that you can use:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B47VAie_5f7YeVR5LUV1a0E1MmM/view

Songs To Get Students Thinking ….

BY DDEUBEL · JANUARY 25, 2016

“Most often, I used songs to either introduce a topic but most often to introduce a “sensitive” topic or one about a personal, social or global issue. They are great at getting students thinking about things we usually don’t and for prompting discussion.”

http://ddeubel.edublogs.org/2016/01/25/songs-to-get-students-thinking/

Resources:

BEGINNING AND ENDING CLASS LIKE A PRO WITH BRIAN SZTABNIK

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/brian-sztabnik-beginning-ending-class/

Real Vocabulary

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/learn/real-vocabulary/

Choosito

Free Leveled Web search.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSYAoLOoFqk

Cherrypal:

http://www.cherrypal.com/home.htm

Cheap computer company is back online making tablets.

Web Spotlight:

30 of The Creepiest Valentine’s Day

http://twentytwowords.com/the-creepiest-vintage-valentines-youll-ever-see/gallery/1/

Random Thoughts . . .

Reading the Test.

Personal Web Site

January 23, 2016January 23, 2016advisory, MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

MSM 318: Making coffee while you drive, History and more!

Jokes You Can Use:

Original German:

“Aber Herr Ober, der Kaffee ist ja kalt!” “Gut, dass Sie mir das sagen, mein Herr! Eiskaffee kostet nämlich einen Euro mehr …”

English translation:

— “But Waiter, the coffee is cold!”

— “Thanks for telling me, sir! Ice coffee is one Euro more….”

Original German:

“Chef, darf ich heute zwei Stunden früher Schluss machen? Meine Frau will mit mir einkaufen gehen.” “Kommt gar nicht in Frage.” “Vielen Dank Chef, ich wusste, sie würden mich nicht im Stich lassen.”

English translation:

— “Boss, can I leave work two hours early today? My wife wants me to go shopping with her.”

— “That’s out of the question.”

— “Thanks, boss! I knew you wouldn’t let me down.

Original German:

Eine alte Dame trinkt zum ersten Mal Whisky. Sie überlegt eine Weile und meint dann: “Merkwürdig, das Zeug schmeckt genau so wie die Medizin, die mein seliger Mann zwanzig Jahre einnehmen musste.”

English translation:

An old woman drinks whisky for the first time. She thinks for a while, and then says: “Strange, the stuff tastes exactly like the medicine my late husband had to take for twenty years!”

Original German:

Herr Doktor, Herr Doktor, ich hab jeden Morgen um 7 Uhr Stuhlgang!” – “Ja, das ist doch sehr gut!” – “Aber ich steh erst um halb acht auf!”

English translation:

Patient: Doctor, Doctor, I have a bowel movement every morning at 7!

Doctor: But that’s great!

Patient: But I wake up at 7:30!

A good looking girl waved at me today…

But there was no way I was swimming out that far to save her.

What kind of car does a Jedi drive?

A Toy-YODA!

Last week our police station was broken into and the commode was stolen from the rest room. Yesterday police reported that the investigation is ongoing but the still have nothing to go on.

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Hunting flies,” He responded.

“Oh, killing any?” She asked.

“Yep, three males, two females,” he replied.

Intrigued by this she asked, “How can you tell?”

He responded, “Three were on a beer can, two were on the phone.”

Eileen Award:

Twitter: Aaron Grossman

Advisory:

When Do You Become an Adult

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/when-are-you-really-an-adult/422487/

30 Vintage Inventions That Will Make You Shake Your Head

http://twentytwowords.com/vintage-inventions-that-are-borderline-genius-and-crazy/

Why Creativity Is a Numbers Game

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/why-creativity-is-a-numbers-game/

Paper Airplane

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Simple-Paper-Airplane

Middle School Science Minute

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

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-CLASSROOM COMMUNITIES

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, “Cultivating a Next-Generation Classroom Culture.” It was written by Christina Krist, Lisa Brody, Michael Novak, and Keetra Tipton. The article identifies four key challenges that classroom communities will encounter when trying to engage students in NGSS-aligned instruction and presents some strategies for addressing those challenges.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/1/20_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Classroom_Communities.html

From the Twitterverse:

ReadWriteThink.org ‏@RWTnow

Middle level students choose books for independent reading in BOOKMATCH: Scaffolding Independent Book Selection http://ow.ly/Wx1eE

Lindsay Foster ‏@BSGSCSFoster

#waukegangoogle Greatest job is to teach my students HOW to be learners @Catlin_Tucker Have u: asked some1; watched a video; Googled it?

Derek McCoy ‏@mccoyderek

The 10 Practices of the Coaching-Leader http://buff.ly/1lAB0Ov

Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo

Via @NPR: A Cooking Class Where New Immigrants Learn The Recipe For English http://n.pr/20j0MpU

ReadWriteThink.org ‏@RWTnow

Boys Read! Students get to know courageous male characters through writing, Internet activities, & discussion: http://ow.ly/Wx1eC

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

Dru Tomlin ‏@DruTomlin_AMLE

Dru Tomlin Retweeted Michael Taylor

#mschat is always highlight 4 me & my learning, 2! Relish every time I can join. Thx 4 bringing the edu-fire 2nite!

Strategies:

This graphic by Thomas Guskey Thomas Guskey is a fantastic challenge to whether we should be averaging grades — or honestly, if we shouldn’t just drop some BEFORE we average.

Chart showing the effect of a zero on a gradebook. — The effect of 0 on the Gradebook.

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/photos/11157/

Resources:

Timelines

http://timelines.tv/

Tom Richey

Interesting History Materials

http://www.tomrichey.net/

HipHughes History

HipHughes History is an arsenal of over 300 Instructional Videos for students of the Social Studies, teachers looking to flip their class and life long learners. So whether you’re looking for a pedagogical ally, a non-biased explanation of that new Supreme Court case or you’re a kid who needs to study some good ole’ history, HHH has your brain’s back!

http://hiphugheshistory.weebly.com/

US National Archives

https://www.youtube.com/user/usnationalarchives

Web Spotlight:

Rick Wormeli

A new web site for the wonderful Mr. Rick Wormeli. Check it out. If you haven’t seen the videos, these are an amazing resource for talking about education.

http://www.rickwormeli.com/

100,000 NYC School Children Face Airport-Style Security Screening Every Day

On the coldest morning New York City has seen this winter, a stream of teenage students hit a bottleneck at the front of a Brooklyn school building. They shed their jackets, gloves and belts, shivering as they wait to pass through a metal detector and send their backpacks through an x-ray machine. School safety agents stand nearby, poised to step in if the alarm bleats.

It’s an everyday occurrence for more than 100,000 middle and high school students across the city.

Almost as many New York City students run the gauntlet of x-ray machines each day as pass through the scanners at busy Miami International Airport. And the procedure is numbingly similar. Students must remove belts, shoes, and sometimes bobby pins as the wait stretches as long as an hour.

https://www.propublica.org/article/nyc-school-children-face-airport-style-security-screening-every-day

Random Thoughts . . .

Personal Web Site

January 2, 2016January 2, 2016advisory, MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

MSM 317: Advisory & Resources!

Jokes You Can Use:

A company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall and idly picking his teeth. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy,

“How much money do you make a week?”

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, “I make a little over $400 dollars a week, why?

The CEO said,”Wait right here.”

He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, “Here’s four weeks’ pay. Now GET OUT and don’t come back.”

Feeling pretty good about himself the CEO looked around the room and asked,

“Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?”

From across the room a voice said,

“Sure – he was the Pizza delivery guy from Domino’s and was just waiting to collect the money!”

*******************************

A man went to a pet shop looking to buy a parrot. The shop had several parrots but one was priced much lower than the others. When the man asked why one was so much cheaper than the others, the pet shop owner assured the man that he did not want the cheaper one because it had a very foul mouth.

“I’ve tried everything, but I can’t get him to stop cussing”, he explained.

Eager to save some money, the man bought the parrot, sure he could teach the bird not to cuss. He too tried everything to stop the parrot’s foul mouth.

Finally, in frustration, he put the bird in the freezer to cool off. After a few minutes, he opened the freezer to find the parrot with a totally changed attitude.

“Please, I’ll NEVER cuss again! Please let me out! By the way, what did the chicken do?”

*******************************

KID: Why is some of your hair white dad?

DAD – Every time you make me unhappy , one of my hairs turns white.

KID: Now I understand why grandpa’s hair is all white!

*******************************

After a talking sheepdog gets all the sheep in the pen, he reports back to the farmer: “All 40 accounted for.”

“But I only have 36 sheep,” says the farmer.

“I know,” says the sheepdog. “But I rounded them up.”

*******************************

A young guy from North Dakota moves to Florida and goes to a big “everything under one roof’ department store looking for a job.

The Manager says, “Do you have any sales experience?”

The kid says “Yeah. I was a vacuum salesman back in North Dakota.”

Well, the boss was unsure, but he liked the kid and figured he’d give him a shot, so he gave him the job. “You start tomorrow. I’ll come down after we close and see how you did.”

His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down to the sales floor. “How many customers bought something from you today?”

The kid frowns and looks at the floor and mutters, “One”.

The boss says “Just one?!!? Our sales people average sales to 20 to 30 customers a day. That will have to change, and soon, if you’d like to continue your employment here. We have very strict standards for our sales force here in Florida. One sale a day might have been acceptable in North Dakota, but you’re not on the farm anymore, son.”

The kid took his beating, but continued to look at his shoes, so the boss felt kinda bad for chewing him out on his first day. He asked (semi-sarcastically), “So, how much was your one sale for?”

The kid looks up at his boss and says “$101,237.65”.

The boss, astonished, says “$101,237.65?!? What the heck did you sell?”

The kid says, “Well, first, I sold him some new fish hooks. Then I sold him a new fishing rod to go with his new hooks. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine Chris Craft. Then he said he didn’t think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4×4 Expedition.”

The boss said “A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and a TRUCK!?”

The kid said “No, the guy came in here to buy tampons for his wife, and I said, ‘Dude, your weekend’s shot, you should go fishing.’

*******************************

A tour bus driver is driving with a bus load of seniors down a highway when he is tapped on his shoulder by a little old lady. She offers him a handful of peanuts, which he gratefully munches up.

After about 15 minutes, she taps him on his shoulder again and she hands him another handful of peanuts.

She repeats this gesture about five more times. When she is about to hand him another batch again he asks the little old lady, ‘Why don’t you eat the peanuts yourself?’

‘We can’t chew them because we’ve no teeth’, she replied.

The puzzled driver asks, ‘Why do you buy them then?’

The old lady replied, ‘We just love the chocolate around them.”

Advisory:

15 Jobs that just don’t exist

Human Alarm Clock
Lector
Pre-Radar Listener for Enemy Aircraft
Rat Catcher
Bowling Pin Setter
Computer
Chimney Sweep
Ice Cutter
Switchboard Operator
Resurrectionist
Daguerreotypist
Lamplighter
Gandy Dancer
Milkman
Log Driver

http://twentytwowords.com/jobs-we-just-dont-have-anymore/

A Day in the Life of Americans

This is how America runs.

Each dot represents a person, color represents the activity, and time of day is shown in the top left. As someone changes an activity, say from sleep to a morning commute, the dot moves accordingly.

http://flowingdata.com/2015/12/15/a-day-in-the-life-of-americans/

Why your brain is so bad at planning for the future

Lately, scientists have come up with an intriguing hypothesis for why some people keep failing at long-term planning — they view their future selves as strangers. In fact, the more you view your future self as a distinct entity from your current self, the more likely you are to put off tasks (like saving for retirement) that will benefit you in the long term.

http://www.vox.com/2014/12/18/7414105/procrastination-future-planning

10 Etiquette Rules You’re Probably Breaking

You leave your elbows off the dinner table and understand the importance of a nice, firm handshake. Congrats! You’re a generally well-mannered person. But do you know which hand you should wave with? Or which seat to offer your boss in the back of a town car? There are tons of little-known etiquette rules that most people break every single day. Etiquette expertJoy Weaver, author of How to Be Socially Savvy in All Situations, lets us in on the 10 most common blunders—and provides a crash course on being proper.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/64370/10-etiquette-rules-youre-probably-breaking

2016 Goals Calendar: A Printable Planner for Tweens With Executive Functioning Issues

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/2016-goals-calendar-a-printable-planner-for-tweens-with-executive-functioning-issues

Middle School Science Minute

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

Humidity in the Classroom

I was recently reading the April/May, 2015 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 column, “Scope on Safety” written by Ken Roy, director of health and safety for Glastonbury Public Schools in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Within the column is the popular “Question of the Month.” This month’s question is:

“The air in my science lab is very dry in winter months. Is there a recommended guide for the humidity level?”

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2015/9/3_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Humidity_in_the_Classroom.html

From the Twitterverse:

Mark Dunk ‏@unklar

politically correct physical education Via @GoComics http://buff.ly/1YWQhpW

Mary Wade ‏@mary_teaching

Can we find deeper learning on Pinterest? An open letter from a teacher. http://honorsgradu.com/an-open-letter-to-pinterest-from-a-teacher/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=mary_teaching&utm_content=An%20Open%20Letter%3A%20To%20Pinterest%2C%20from%20a%20Teacher … #5thchat #plpnetwork #pypchat

✜ Stephen Ransom ‏@ransomtech

Do you impede learning with redundancy? “Why Your Students Forgot Everything On Your PowerPoint Slides” https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/why-your-students-forgot-everything-on-your-powerpoint-slides-mary-jo-madda-2/ …

Paul McGuire ‏@mcguirp

Google Expedition Brings The World Into The Classroom http://sco.lt/9JgfhZ #satchat #ocsb #google

Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo

My NEW @educationweek post:Teaching Science to English Language Learners http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2016/01/response_teaching_science_to_english_language_learners.html … w/ @donnascience

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

Strategies:

How to Make a Quiz Work Harder for You

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Jennifer Gonzalez

Assessments should give us loads of information about what our students understand, what they don’t understand, and how well we’ve taught them.

It took me years of teaching before I realized I was using my tests and quizzes to sort out, reward and punish my students, rather than measure and inform my teaching. I needed to make my assessments work harder for me.

http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/aggregate-test-scores/

15 Good Tools for Quickly Gathering Feedback from Students

Polls, chat tools, and interactive quizzes provide good ways to hear from all of the students in a classroom. These kind of tools allow shy students to ask questions and share comments. For your more outspoken students who want to comment on everything, a feedback mechanism provides a good outlet for them too. Here’s a run-down of some of the best tools for gathering feedback from students in real-time.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/12/15-good-tools-for-quickly-gathering.html#.VofX-pMrJdA

60 Non-Threatening Formative Assessment Techniques

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/assessment/60-non-threatening-formative-assessment-techniques/

Resources:

Rare Historical Photos

Includes the story behind each photo. Powerful photos of a variety of events. Check out “The List” page.

http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/

The Living Room Candidate

Lessons have been designed for use by high school teachers and students. Each lesson meets national common core standards in English Language Arts and New York State standards in Social Studies, which are specified at the end of each lesson.

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

10 Websites You Need To Visit If You Want To Become Smarter

Good resources for teachers to use in a variety of ways.

http://www.lifehack.org/344727/10-websites-you-need-visit-you-want-become-smarter

Web Spotlight:

Things You Should Say to Raise Smart Kids Who Think for Themselves

By Dr. Dana Suskind

The most important thing any parent can do for their children is to have conversations with them, starting the day they’re born. While genetics supply the blueprints, how much children achieve is largely determined by how and how much parents talk and interact with them.

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/things-you-should-say-to-1322175432245302.html

Random Thoughts . . .

Personal Web Site

November 28, 2015November 28, 2015advisory, MSM, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

MSM 316: Pilgrims, Pictures, Privacy, all for a Nickel!

Jokes You Can Use:

Waitress: “Do you want a box for that?”

Dad: “Not really. But I’ll wrestle you for it”.

What do you call a man with no body and no nose?

Nobody nose (Nobody knows).

What did the termite say when he walked into the bar?

Is the bar tender here?

Did you hear that FedEx and UPS are merging?

They are going to be called Fed UP.

Did you hear about the two peanuts walking down the street?

One was a salted.

Did you hear about Bob? He had a dream that he was a muffler.

He woke up exhausted.

Did you hear about Fred? He has a fear of elevators.

He’s taking steps to avoid it.

Eileen Award:

iTunes: Nickbal (who will never know)
Twitter: David Knox

Advisory:

The Pilgrims: Mayflower Compact

Discover why most of the Mayflower’s male passengers signed an historic agreement, in this video adapted from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Pilgrims. In September 1620, religious dissenters, called “Separatists” by their detractors, were joined aboard the Mayflower by other English colonists recruited by the project’s financial backers. Many of these newcomers did not share the Separatists’ religious zeal. The ship set sail for America at a time of year when Atlantic storms were perilous. The Mayflower made landfall 66 days later. With tensions threatening to divide the passengers, a social compact was drafted and signed before going ashore. All signers would submit to the government created, officers elected, and laws drafted.

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/americanexperience27p-soc-compact/wgbh-americanexperience-the-pilgrims-mayflower-compact/en/

Middle School Science Minute

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

STEAM: Atmospheric Science

I was recently reading the April/May, 2015 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, “Using Authentic Data to Enhance Middle School Science: Atmospheric Instruction.” It was written by Rachel Goldberg, Nathan Magee, and Lauren Madden. The article provides a lesson that is sequenced in a way that allows a teacher to scaffold information about tornadoes. In incorporates the “Tornado in a Bottle” activity and the NOAA Weather and Climate Toolkit.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2015/8/26_Middle_School_Science_Minute-STEAM_-_Atmospheric_Science.html

From the Twitterverse:

David Prindle ‏@dprindle 1

#MichEd the #MIFlip Con Request for Speakers is Open. This year includes Blended Lrning. Feb20 @SteelcaseEDU LC http://goo.gl/forms/dJFv2fTcMr …

edutopia ‏@edutopia

7 videos that will make you want to immediately adopt a #growthmindset: http://edut.io/wUYkom .

ReadWriteThink.org ‏@RWTnow

Poet William Blake was born on this day. Read his poems and try a classroom activity that features his work http://ow.ly/UaItT

Storyboard That ‏@StoryboardThat

Follow along the history of Imperialism with our improved History Teacher Guide. http://ow.ly/UZeiG

edWeb.net ‏@edwebnet

Making Interactive Educational Videos with Zaption @newteacherhelp #edtechchat #edwebchat http://ow.ly/UO4iS https://www.zaption.com/

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

Strategies:

Students Self Assessing

Tacyana will be asked to determine how her own work stacks up to a model.

Gust is one of a growing number of schools across the country where student self-assessment is one type of formative assessment that is woven into the school day.

‘Hey, wait a minute, kids have to be involved, too.'”

Learning is much deeper if the student is thinking, ‘I am doing this because it will help me learn this.’

actively judging their work and progress toward a goal, and determining what steps to take to reach it.

“The expectation is that not only are teachers using data, students are owning data,”

Padilla said it takes time to teach students how to read rubrics or use systems to track their progress. But, she said, the shift is worth it. “I think students tracking their own data is key to getting students invested in their education,” she said. “If they don’t see the direct results in that moment, it’s hard for them to know where to go.”

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/11/11/students-self-assess-their-way-to-learning.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1