Jokes You Can Use:  

An onion just told me a joke. 

• I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

---

What did the teutonic plate say when it bumped into another one?

• Sorry, my fault.

---

I saw a guy walking along carrying a Scrabble Board. He tripped and the box went flying everywhere. 

• I asked him, “What’s the word on the street”

---

What kind of dinosaur writes romance novels?

• A Brontësaurus.

---

I’m trying to convince my wife that I want a Segway for my birthday.

• But every time I bring it up, she changes the topic.

---

Where can you buy chicken broth in bulk?

• The Stock Market

---

When one pizza guy falls over, several others tend to also fall over. What’s this called?

•  The Domino’s Effect

---

Which weighs more, one gallon of water or 10 gallons of butane?

• Water, no matter how much you have, butane will always be a lighter fluid.

Advisory:

History of Population 

US Population of Each State 1790-2018

US City Populations 1790-2018

[OC] US City Populations 1790-2018
byu/rappzula indataisbeautiful

This Old Town

The Oldest Town in Every US State

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Computational Thinking

I was recently reading the July, 2019 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association. 

In this issue, I read an article entitled, “Computational Thinking,” written by Susan German. The author shares her thoughts on the difference between computational thinking and mathematical thinking and how to implement computational thinking into instruction.

---

From the Twitterverse:  

Phyllis Fagell, LCPC @Pfagell

Parents of middle schoolers have more sway over their kids’ decisions than they think–about 50%, to be exact. Popular kids aren’t the strongest influencers—kids’ attitudes fall between those of their parents & peers.”

@mitchprinstein@jpinsk@TheAtlantic

Chad Livengood  @ChadLivengood

17. Winner, Winner, Frankenmuth chicken dinner!

Alice Keeler@alicekeeler

Do math on paper but then take a picture into #googleSlides Allows the students to EXPLAIN their reasoning and for feedback conversations to happen! WIN! 

Stephanie Auditore@steph_auditore

Had a fun time with the @AMLE team promoting the #AMLE19 Innovation Challenge. Submit your pitch video by September 5th! (link: http://AMLE.org/innovation) AMLE.org/innovation #middlechat #middleschool #BackToSchool2019

AMLE@AMLE

The August issue of AMLE Magazine focuses on Exceptional Classroom Management. See this cover story by @VictoriaLentfer (link: http://www.amle.org/)

DoInk Tweets  @DoInkTweets

Looking for inexpensive Green Screens for the classroom? We love using painted pizza boxes. Fun for green screen storytelling. Added bonus is that you can store your green screen “props” in them! #doink #greenscreen #everyonecancreate

June Cheng 程君@JuneCheng_World

“Well-educated Hong Kong youths are learning lessons not taught in school: how to extinguish tear gas canisters, which helmets can best protect against projectiles, and how to administer first aid for tear gas exposure.” How did HK get here?

Jeff Crews@crewsertech

16 iPad Apps Ideal for Social Studies Classes (link: http://dlvr.it/R9zmZv) dlvr.it/R9zmZv

Jordan Shapiro@jordosh

How Parents Can Help Middle Schoolers Build Confidence and Character

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54064/how-parents-can-help-middle-schoolers-build-confidence-and-character

Don’t forget #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST.  Look for your host Todd Bloch to have a middle school topic all ready to go!  Make it a strategic part of your personal professional development.

Strategies:

Making Number Talks Matter Even More

Number Talks are 15 minute (suggested – length can vary) mental math exercises that help students verbalize their personal math strategies and allow them to hear and discuss math strategies from other students.

Used effectively, Number Talks can produce many desirable results: students build self-confidence, expand their appreciation for math studies, and gain working expertise with flexible strategies rather than just fixed rules.

https://www.middleweb.com/40885/making-number-talks-matter-even-more/

Let Students Read! Why Quantity Really Counts

We have to freely give them time for the kind of reading that is guided by curiosity, joy, and desire to fall deep into story. Pleasure reading. Real reading.

“We serve a wonderful community that includes an increasing number of students who live in poverty. Despite that fact, we consistently are marked as “Exceeding Expectations” on the state report card and have literacy scores that place us in the top 5% of schools in the state.”

My school is successful in large part because our students read. They read a lot. But that tends to drop off as kids enter middle and high school.

Let Students Read! Why Quantity Really Counts

Should We Give Attendance Awards?  

Edutopia Article

https://www.edutopia.org/article/extrinsic-motivation-it-might-be-even-worse-you-thought

Resources:

Build Empathy and Understanding by Pairing Comics With Novels

https://www.edutopia.org/article/build-empathy-and-understanding-pairing-comics-novels#annotations:JIwwfrePEemt-H9iRxr1SA

The Illusion of Life | Principle of Animation | 12 Basic Principle of Animation

Web Spotlight:

Treat Your Teacher

Nominate your favorite teacher to win Sun Basket meals for an entire school year! We wanted to honor the real heroes of back-to-school season: the teachers who make it all possible.

So with your help, we’re going to treat 10 exceptional teachers to free Sun Basket dinners for the whole school year! Know a phenomenal teacher? Nominate them now!

https://sunbasket.com/try/treat-your-teacher/

Easing Fears About Shift to Middle School Can Pay Off in Behavior, Grades

https://psychcentral.com/news/2019/08/01/easing-fears-about-shift-to-middle-school-can-pay-off-in-behavior-grades/149074.html

OER Commons

https://www.oercommons.org

Random Thoughts . . .  

Books that we are reading

• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
• Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• Teach Kids to Thrive by Debbie Silver
• Make It Stick by Peter Brown
• PLC Learning by Doing
• The Man Who Could Be King by John Miller
• Ish 
• James Madison Biography
• A Woman of Importance
• Churchill, Into the Lions Mouth
• The Moscow Rules by Antonio Mendez

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

---

Jokes You Can Use:  

---

I was showing my friend my new house.

“So this is my house,” I said.

He said, “What’s upstairs?”

I said, “Stairs don’t talk.”

---

If you boil a funny bone it becomes a laughing stock.

• That’s pretty humerus.

---

People that practice for staring competitions…

Need to take a good long look at themselves in the mirror.

---

I took a video of my shoe yesterday.

It was some pretty good footage

---

My colleagues at work have given me the nickname “Mr. Compromise.”

It’s not my first choice, but I’m ok with it.

---

How did the pharaoh get so rich?

He was running a huge pyramid scheme.

---

Son: “Hey Dad, how does a sundial work?”

Dad hands son a phone…

Dad: “Ok, now just call someone.”

Son: “Why can’t you do it?”

Dad: “Because that would be a daddial.”

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Coteaching

I was recently reading the July, 2019 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association. 

In this issue, I read an article entitled, “Assess Your Coteaching Chemistry Through Experience,” written by Kaitlyn McGlynn and Janey Kelly. The authors share 4 methods of coteaching. They include:

1. One Teach, One Assist

2. Parallel Teaching

3. Station Teaching

4. Team Teaching

From the Twitterverse:  

Brandon Brown @branowar

Replying to @branowar@TheWeirdTeacher and @EduCelebrity

Edutwitter is like black metal. It was cool at first, but then everyone started churning out exact copies of each other in their basements, and it became a chore to sort through the garbage to find the good stuff.  

David Knuffke @DavidKnuffke @EduCelebrity

– “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”

Typical EduCelebrity @EduCelebrity

Do you think you could do my job? Go ahead and be my competition. But I fight dirty…I’ll tell all of your colleagues that you’re the one who asks questions and prolongs faculty meetings!

Quoted Tweet:

Nancy@nancycarnell

Replying to @EduCelebrity

Please stop telling NQTs the wrong information. They need five separate lesson plans- higher, middle, lower plus one for the visual & kinesthetic learners. Also, the CLP. Contingency Lesson Plan for when Jack decides to kick off or Lucy finally punches Abbie cos they have beef.  

Related:  Demotivational Posters  

  Eric Curts @ericcurts

26 YouTube shortcuts everyone should know (link: http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/04/youtube-shortcuts.html) controlaltachieve.com/2016/04/youtub… #edtech

9to5Mac.com @9to5mac  

Poll: Are you okay with Apple contractors listening to and grading Siri interactions? (link: https://9to5mac.com/2019/07/27/apple-siri-contractors-poll/) 9to5mac.com/2019/07/27/app… by

@ChanceHMiller

David Plotz@davidplotz

The oak tree in Massachusetts that is live-tweeting its response to climate change. #GreatTrees  https://t.co/DLW8ar2BRx    @awitnesstree  

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

Strategies:

Student Graphic Novels

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/student-graphic-novels/

Resources:

Common English Idioms

In this lesson series, we will introduce you to 102 common English idioms. Each is written with an idiom definition, 3 idiom examples, and audio recordings. That way, you will know what the idiom means and how to use it in a conversation.

https://basicenglishspeaking.com/102-common-english-idioms/

Open Up Resources

OER. Math and ELA.

Home

Open Middle

The name “Open Middle” might sound like a strange name for a website about math problems. However, it references a very specific type of problem we try to encourage here. Most of the problems on this site have:

• a “closed beginning” meaning that they all start with the same initial problem.
• a “closed end” meaning that they all end with the same answer.
• an “open middle” meaning that there are multiple ways to approach and ultimately solve the problem.

Home

FluentKey

https://fluentkey.com/

Mountain Moot

http://www.mountainmoot.com/

Web Spotlight:

Walter Wick

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

“At the annual general meeting of the professional photographers many high-resolutions were put forward!”

I dug up a worm for fishing. It’s the end of the line for him.

I wasn’t originally going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind.

Yesterday I accidentally swallowed some food coloring. The doctor says I’m OK, but I feel like I’ve dyed a little inside.

A friend of mine tried to annoy me with bird puns, but I soon realized that toucan play at that game.

Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink.

I recently took a pole and found out 100% of the occupants were angry with me when their tent collapsed.

A prisoner’s favorite punctuation mark is the period. It marks the end of his sentence.

Advisory:

Internet Live Stats

So, what’s the big picture going on with the Internet?  How many websites have been built today? How many YouTube videos have been viewed today?  

https://www.internetlivestats.com/

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Agriculture Literacy

I was recently reading the July, 2019 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 section “From the Editor’s Desk” written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “Developing ag Literacy.” Patty states that “Whether or not you live on a farm or in a farming community, agriculture is a topic that is integral to our lives.”

From the Twitterverse:  

Michigan’s Past @MichiganHist

The 339th US Infantry Polar Bear unit arrived in Detroit from service in Russia on July 3rd 1919 [Detroit Free Press 7/4/1919] As they were heavily celebrated on July 4th 1919 in Detroit, I will post more images of the unit tomorrow

Monica Burns, Ed.D.@ClassTechTips

Yes! @AdobeSpark for Education Now Available for Schools #edtech #createEDU #GAFE

Alex Corbitt@Alex_Corbitt

Did you know that@Google Slides has closed captioning? The presenter’s speech is transcribed below the slides in real time! Incredible. Thank you for sharing,@PatriciaDunn1! #CTJ_PD #NCTE #EdChat@googledocs

Sammy Rebandt@MrsRebandt

Why do companies still sell teacher supplies in packs of 20? WHO HAS CLASS SIZES THAT SMALL?

Check this out on Wakelet with resources from ISTE19 curated by Cathy Hink (link: https://wke.lt/w/s/5NxAdh) wke.lt/w/s/5NxAdh via

@wakelet

Apple Education @AppleEDU

We’ve curated all our #ISTE19 resources including the free Apple Pop-Up Classroom Workbook in the #AppleTeacher Learning Center! Revisit the activities, recreate this experience in class, and explore project ideas that span subjects! (link: https://apple.co/2RDUzY5) apple.co/2RDUzY5 #EveryoneCanCreate

EDSITEment@EDSITEment

In our “Voices of the American Rev” lesson, students analyze primary documents that illustrate the diversity of religious, political, social, & economic motives behind independence & rebellion. #NEHeducator #inquiry #student #research (link: https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/voices-american-revolution) edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/v…

Kasey Bell@ShakeUpLearning

How to Package Your Digital Assignments (and save your sanity!) (link: https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/package-digital-assignments/) shakeuplearning.com/blog/package-d… #edtech

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

Strategies:

Teach the Techniques of Media Manipulators

…my aim is to call attention to some of those techniques in hopes you will consider helping your students become better critical thinkers about media messages and their makers.

Teach the Techniques of Media Manipulators

Resources:

Mountain Moot

A small moot with big ideas. July 17-19, 2019 – Helena, MT. With EIGHT half-day pre-moot trainings and over 40 excellent concurrent sessions, attendees of all skill levels and roles will find the training they need at the MountainMoot.

http://www.mountainmoot.com/

Glossary Lollapolooza

The Glossary Module is one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in Moodle. Come learn how to use the Glossary Module to create “Get to Know You” activities, Word Walls, Grammar Tips, Study for Quizzes and more. You’ll leave this session a Glossary Expert with practical assignments.

https://sched.co/Pa5I

Web Spotlight:

Common Sense Media

Reviewed videos online with age appropriate ratings.  

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Mary Holden: What Happened When a Veteran High School Teacher Switched to Middle School Teaching

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/08/mary-holden-what-happened-when-a-veteran-high-school-teacher-switched-to-middle-school-teaching/#annotations:–Rxipp1EemHD_MB1ux4PQ

Random Thoughts . . .  

America the Beautiful

Nice introduction and rendition of America the Beautiful for your July.  

https://worldandeverything.org/2019/07/america-the-beautiful/

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

Why is it impossible to play and hide and seek with Pokémon?

• They always Pikachu

A truck loaded with Vicks Vapor Rub overturned on the highway.

• Amazingly, there was no congestion for 8 hours.

How do billboards talk?

• Sign language

Why should you never iron a 4 leaf clover?

• Don’t want to press your luck.

Advisory:

Missing Maps

https://www.missingmaps.org/#annotations:tAuSJo47EemjwHtX8YTYPA

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Apollo 11 — 50th Anniversary

I was recently reading the July, 2019 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association. 

In this issue, I read an article entitled “The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11.” On Sunday July 20, 1969 at 4:17 pm EDT, the “Eagle” spacecraft landed on the lunar surface in an area known as the Sea of Tranquility.

From the Twitterverse:  

Eric Sheninger  @E_Sheninger

Storytelling and Brain Science: This Is Your Brain on Story (link: https://buff.ly/2Lq5m6X) buff.ly/2Lq5m6X #digilead #brandEDU

Apple Education  @AppleEDU

We’ve curated all our #ISTE19 resources including the free Apple Pop-Up Classroom Workbook in the #AppleTeacher Learning Center! Revisit the activities, recreate this experience in class, and explore project ideas that span subjects! (link: https://apple.co/2RDUzY5) apple.co/2RDUzY5 #EveryoneCanCreate

Tami Brass@brasst

Top Google Education News, Tips, and Resources from #ISTE19 | Tech & Learning  https://www.techlearning.com/news/top-google-education-news-tips-and-resources-from-iste19  

Tami Brass@brasst

Awesome resource! Google Slide Calendars: 2019/2020 Version – i heart edu

https://t.co/QUDpI1Hg34

Tom Murray @thomascmurray

After his best friend died, a 12-year-old Michigan boy raised $2,500 to pay for the headstone (link: https://cnn.it/2zQVNav) cnn.it/2zQVNav #KidsToday

Kathleen Corley @KathleenCorley

Check this out on Wakelet with resources from ISTE19 curated by Cathy Hink (link: https://wke.lt/w/s/5NxAdh) wke.lt/w/s/5NxAdh via

@wakelet

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

ISTE Thoughts

Big picture overview

AR/VR

Podcasts by students

Good Poster Sessions

Pedagogy over Technology

Importance of Critical Thinking

Resources:

Privacy Grade

Grades are assigned using a privacy model that we built. This privacy model measures the gap between people’s expectations of an app’s behavior and the app’s actual behavior. For example, according to studies we have conducted, most people don’t expect games like Cut the Rope to use location data, but many of them actually do. This kind of surprise is represented in our privacy model as a penalty to an app’s overall privacy grade. In contrast, most people do expect apps like Google Maps to use location data. This lack of surprise is represented in our privacy model as a small or no penalty.

http://privacygrade.org/home#annotations:XTkEApaMEemvJA-YuO44Og

Web Spotlight:

Synth

https://gosynth.com/m/education/

Podcasting.  You’d like to do it with your students.  You’d like them to have an authentic voice that is heard by the outside world . . . but your students are right on the edge of 13.  Synth podcasting is for you. Not into podcasting? Synth is also for you. You can do a 4 minute-ish vidcast or podcast and run a transcription in a matter of minutes.  External link this from your Moodle or another source and use it with students and parents. Brought to you buy the guys who make Swivl. Funded by Swivl sales. From Jeff Bradbury’s Session at #ISTE19.  

Why Tech Isn’t Transforming Teaching: 10 Key Stories From Education Week

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2019/06/why_tech_isnt_transforming_teaching_10_stories.html#annotations:sE63oJmcEemS3A_SHx4Ysw

How to Teach Critical Thinking

Daniel T. Willingham

chrome-extension://bjfhmglciegochdpefhhlphglcehbmek/content/web/viewer.html?file=https%3A%2F%2Feducation.nsw.gov.au%2Four-priorities%2Finnovate-for-the-future%2Feducation-for-a-changing-world%2Fmedia%2Fdocuments%2Fexar%2FHow-to-teach-critical-thinking-Willingham.pdf#annotations:KfTerJkYEemWUe_OEbx3xA 

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

Two windmills are in a field. One asks, “What kind of music do you like?”

• The other one says, “Well, I’m a big metal fan.”

My wife asked why I spoke so softly in the house.

I said I was afraid Mark Zuckerberg was listening!

• She laughed.

• I laughed.

• Alexa laughed.

• Siri laughed.
  

Eileen Award:  

• Twitter:  

John Meehan‏ @MeehanEDU

Thank you! Loved the podcast. Tremendously appreciated – and can’t wait to hear how it goes with your listeners!

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Covey Denton

I was recently reading the April/May, 2019 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 “Member Spotlight” section where NSTA highlights a middle school science teacher, from across the United States. This month, Covey Denton is featured. She is a PreK-Sixth Grade Science teacher in North Caroline. Her advice for a new science teacher is:

“Don’t be afraid to fail!”

From the Twitterverse:  

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

New stickers! Will be bringing these to #ISTE19 and all my other summer conferences! #edtech #ControlAltAchieve #ISTE2019

Mrs. Rogers‏ @mrsrogers304

Our third graders did a fantastic job at our Famous Michigander celebration! What a fun way to celebrate all of the wonderful things we’ve learned about Michigan this year. @DublinWL @WalledLkSchools   

Diane Ravitch‏ @DianeRavitch

Mary Holden: What Happened When a Veteran High School Teacher Switched to Middle School Teaching http://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/08/mary-holden-what-happened-when-a-veteran-high-school-teacher-switched-to-middle-school-teaching/ …

Matt Miller‏ @jmattmiller

The newest DITCH book is out! DON’T Ditch That Tech: Differentiated Instruction in a Digital World TONS of practical ideas and solutions for using tech to do great differentiated instruction! https://amzn.to/2MNCc4j  #DitchBook #tlap #gttribe

Billy Krakower‏ @wkrakower

Study questions relevance of learning styles https://buff.ly/2Z7hNrW  #K12 #NJed #NYedchat

Carla Arena‏ @carlaarena

HOW TO START YOUR OWN MICRONATION microbation, projectbasedlearning

Larry Ferlazzo‏Verified account @Larryferlazzo

Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week  https://t.co/aJUnXv56zB  

Diane Ravitch‏ @DianeRavitch

Michigan: The New State Superintendent Brings Hope for Real Change http://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/08/michigan-the-new-state-superintendent-brings-hope-for-real-change/ …

Miro‏ @MiroHQ

Our new Mind Mapping tool maintains a good balance of simplicity and function and helps you bring your ideas to life. Give it a try and don’t hesitate to share your feedback with us!

Bored Teachers‏ @Bored_Teachers

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

Resources:

Comic Master

No registration is necessary. There are limited characters and assets. This could be used to create some printable masters.

http://comicmaster.org.uk/comicmaker/js/main.html

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1938

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves.  These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) of the Works Progress Administration, later renamed Work Projects Administration (WPA).

Federal field workers were given instructions on what kinds of questions to ask their informants and how to capture their dialects, the result of which may sometimes be offensive to today’s readers (see A Note on the Language of the Narratives).

https://www.loc.gov/collections/slave-narratives-from-the-federal-writers-project-1936-to-1938/about-this-collection/

Web Spotlight:

Memorization

I saw John Medina, author of “Brain Rules,” speak years ago and he said something to the extent of “Creation without consumption is the equivalent of playing the air guitar; you might know the motions, but you won’t actually know how to play.”  Yes, you can Google anything you want today, but that doesn’t mean you understand the concept with any depth.

https://connectedprincipals.com/archives/23396

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

My son told me he didn’t understand cloning.

• I told him, “That makes two of us”.

Where did Captain Hook buy his hook?

• At the second hand store.

All the comic books I bought from the store are missing the last page.

• I have to draw my own conclusions.

I hate it when people say age is only a number.

• Age is clearly a word.

I often wonder if the guy who came up with the term, “One Hit Wonder”…

• Came up with any other phrases.

I spent hours trying to remember what the opposite of “night” was.

• But, in the end, I just had to call it a day.

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Using Critical Thinking to Counter Misinformation

I was recently reading the April/May, 2019 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 section “Commentary” written by Andrew Zucker. He wrote an article entitled, “Using Critical Thinking to Counter Misinformation.” Andrew wrote that “as scientific misinformation proliferates, due largely to growing use of social media, our profession has learned the hard way that it is not enough to teach students accurate science. Science teachers need to help students use critical thinking to examine claims they see, hear, or read that are not based on science.”

From the Twitterverse:  

John Meehan‏ @MeehanEDU

STICKERS! #EDrenaline Rush arrives in just a few weeks. Will be happy to send a freebie sticker or two your way. Just reply to this message and I’ll follow up with a DM to get it your way!

MiddleWeb‏ @middleweb

MiddleWeb Retweeted MiddleWeb

We mailed 26 books out for review today. That may be a record! #mschat #edchat #educoach

MiddleWeb added,

MiddleWeb @middleweb

REVIEW FOR US! Choose a free professional book for review this summer from our lengthy list of choices. Set your own deadline. Keep the book! Details: https://t.co/RJ39wpwDS7

Jacqui Cheng‏Verified account @ejacqui

This trove of previously unpublished photos from the Tiananmen Square protests & massacre is truly amazing, and inspired by the photographer’s own daughter never having learned about it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/world/asia/tiananmen-square-protest-photos.html

John Faig‏ @johnfaig

Lots of words that were not around when I was a kid. We are either more enlightened or more sensitive or both. (via @DavidRozado)  https://twitter.com/DavidRozado/status/1134041329292460032  

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

Strategies:

Interleaving

The concept of mixing closely related concepts when learning.

• Also free guides (free as in FREE, not even an email address needed).

https://www.retrievalpractice.org/interleaving

Resources:

Nonoseconds

Did a quick search on nanoseconds and how it fits into NGSS.  Here is some information from Educational Innovations:

1-PS4-1

MS-PS4-1

HS-PS4-1

Students can use the Nanosecond Bar in an investigation to illustrate the Speed of Light. The Nanosecond Bar is a great way to demonstrate how fast light travels. This durable, three-dimensional bar is exactly 30 centimeters long – the distance light travels in a nanosecond.

MapMaker Interactive

Wicked Awesome! Cool maps with different overlays.

https://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org/#/

Word Wanderer

http://wordwanderer.org/#annotations:Al6RlnvAEemyWav_V0y7Mg

Vocabulary Word Options

https://cascadingbytes.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/main-qimg-b4bf1406649dcff04c80de713977f00a.jpg#annotations:gPShFnsDEemhdjeNv5TzBA

https://verbaliststravel.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-language-and-vocabulary-wheel-for-feelings-verbalists.jpg#annotations:cJJ7wnsDEem8cXctTHGKnQ

Web Spotlight:

Teenagers Are Skeptical of Praise for Good Effort, Study Finds

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/04/11/teenagers-are-skeptical-of-praise-for-good.html#annotations:3BYcKIFmEemSAUeHsYyAEQ

Finland is winning the war on fake news. What it’s learned may be crucial to Western democracy

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/05/europe/finland-fake-news-intl/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

Where do you learn to make ice cream?

• Sunday school

Did you see the new pencil with an eraser on each end?

• I just don’t see the point

I have a friend who was afraid of elevators.

• He’s taking steps to avoid them.

He’s also afraid of speed bumps.

• He’s slowly getting over it.

You know what really makes my day?

• A full revolution of the earth.

Want to hear a joke about construction?

• I’m still working on it.

I really like sidewalks.

• They keep me off the streets.

What kind of dog doesn’t bark?

• A Hush puppy

When does a Dad joke become a Dad joke?

• When it becomes “apparent”  

Advisory:

Facts that Sound Fake but are True

https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/facts-that-sound-fake-but-are-true

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Brandy Hill

I was recently reading the March, 2019 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 “Member Spotlight” section where NSTA highlights a middle school science teacher, from across the United States. This month, Brandy Hill is featured. She is a Sixth Grade Science teacher in Oregon. Her advice for a new science teacher is:

“Get looped in, ask questions, and ask for support.”

From the Twitterverse:  

Rodney Robinson‏ @RodRobinsonRVA

Imagine what the world would be if all the educators (state teachers of the year) sitting in the seats of the education committee today actually got to make education policy.

Cameron Wei‏ @CameronWei3

The Beginners Guide to Google Classroom https://www.brightclassroomideas.com/the-beginners-guide-to-google-classroom/ …

Ditch That Textbook‏ @DitchThatTxtbk

20 tools for a more accessible classroom Incredible resources curated from last night’s #DitchBook chat! https://wp.me/p3bT67-2yJ  via @jmattmiller

Phyllis Fagell, LCPC‏ @Pfagell

“Always compliment a kid when they take a responsible risk & don’t get the best result, like answering a Q wrong. Volunteering to go 1st for a class presentation is also a responsible risk. Seize opportunities to build optimism, confidence & risk-taking.”

https://t.co/i1o6gQ6w6C

Screencastify 🎬‏ @Screencastify

Have you tried the new real-time closed captioning feature for #googleslides? If not, try it with @Screencastify Closed captions for the students in the room and a video for the students who are absent to watch later It’s @GoogleForEdu

NJAMLE‏ @NJAMLE

Summer Skills Sharpening Spectacular 2019 (via http://www.smore.com ) https://www.smore.com/tvnx6  Pick one or present and attend all three. Call for Presenters is on and Registration is Open. Point Pleasant, Marlton and Somerville. Three Great PD opps to share and learn.

Ara Brown‏ @ara_brown

Excited to be one of the social media volunteers for today’s @DCculture #PassportDC2019 There are over 50 embassies open today. First stop for me is @EmbPanama_US This is their 1st year participating & are excited to show the world everything about this wonderful country

Nola-rae Cronan‏ @NolaraeCronan

Looking for great books for grades 6-8 this summer? Check out @girlsschools Books of Interest list, curated by the amazing @ColsSchForGirls.

https://t.co/bogsVsToNm

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

Resources:

MiTechKids Index

https://awesome-table.com/-LK73yvuGrh3kKQghO-8/view#annotations:61aVeG3ZEemzLesUx3A5QQ

The Teaching of Listening Comprehension

Rinvolucri begins with reflections and practical ideas related to getting listeners to give full attention. Several contributions look at the nature of listening materials, and a key theme is authenticity (in the chapters by Besse, Nakić, Dirven, Rixon, and Fish, for example). Other chapters (for example, those by Dudley-Evans and Johns, and Vandermaelen) focus on teaching methodology. Finally, Urbain focuses on needs to teach pronunciation in the context of development of listening comprehension, while Riley concludes with a chapter on using video.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/pub_F044%20ELT-46%20The%20Teaching%20of%20Listening%20Comprehension_v3.pdf

This book is free to download below as a pdf file.  

From the “You Need This” Files:  Gemini

https://novodealshop.com/products/gemini?utm_source=kickstarter

• Boost productivity: can work with any brand of laptops. No matter it is HDMI, Mini DP/DP or Type C, you just need plug and play.
• Play games on a big screen: allows you to transform any space into your own personal gaming environment. No matter where you are, all you have to do is plug it in and play (supporting Xbox, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Smartphone!)
• Turn Android phones into a computer: Scale up your smartphone apps, view images and enjoy HD videos by connecting your phone to. It can unleash your smartphone’s power and turn it into a laptop.
• More usages: is versatile and you can easily find many ways to use it, such as sharing the screen in conversations or displaying more lines for coding.
• Patented kickstand design: It gives rock-solid stability and allows you to use it in both portrait mode and landscape mode.
• Built-in battery: is powered by its own onboard battery that provides power for more than 5 hours. Also, the large battery works as a convenient power bank to charge your other devices anytime.

Web Spotlight:

Venice

Eva Stories

https://www.instagram.com/eva.stories/

Silicon Valley Came to Kansas Schools. That Started a Rebellion.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/technology/silicon-valley-kansas-schools.html#annotations:0SHYvmj-EemrnMMm6SB-qw

Girl Born Without Hands Won National Handwriting Competition Because Nothing Can Stop Her

http://time.com/5577252/girl-without-hands-wins-handwriting-contest/#annotations:rMoqaGnOEemhhxNAxkouVQ

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

I met a guy from Australia who works in IT.

I asked him, “Do you come from a LAN down under?”

Have you heard of the blind cyclops brothers?

• Neither have eye.

Where do naughty rainbows go?

• Prism.

Advisory:

Smart Home

The film opens in a smart home, where the slightly smug owner can do everything from making a smoothie to unlocking the front door simply by voice command. Everything runs smooth (sic) until a trip to the dentist and a numbing Novocaine injection…  [Run time: 1:10]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwPtcqcqz00#annotations:qz3WxmOKEem0aZewj9dYsQ

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Outstanding STEM Books for 2019 Part 2

This is the second of a two-part podcast series initiated by reading the March, 2019 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 on the “Outstanding STEM Trade Books for Students K-12: 2019. In this podcast, I feature four STEM books:

1. Cyrus Field’s Big Dream: The Daring Effort to Lay the First Transatlantic Cable
2. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World From the Periodic Table of the Elements
3. How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
4. Inga’s Amazing Ideas

From the Twitterverse:  

Jessica Golz‏ @teachergolz

“Mrs Golz, do you have any good books?” …currently working on making our library shelves come alive with these *genre exploration stations* book summaries read to our kids by my amazing staff #empower203 #edtech #librarylife #millstreetmustangs

Kathi Kersznowski‏ @kerszi

WHOA! You’ve just GOT to see this! There is magic in this cube, I swear! Check out this quick video I made to see some of the new awesomeness brought to us by @MergeVR #edtech #MIEExpert #MicrosoftEdu #MergeCube #merge #ARVRinEDU #FlipgridFever  

Global Problem Solvers: The Series‏ @gpstheseries

While Millennials spend an average of 35 hours every week on digital media, nearly six out of 10 can’t do basic tasks such as sorting and searching for and emailing data from a spreadsheet.

Michigan History Day‏ @mihistoryday

Who’s in the auditorium, ready for the opening ceremony? #MHD2019

Will Richardson-Moving schools to Modern Learning‏ @willrich45

“If we don’t assess what we value, we will end up valuing what we assess.” Truth is, most of what we assess for has little or nothing to do with learning. It’s the “immeasurables” that will determine whether or not kids thrive. #satchat

Ms.Lavery‏ @fssdPGMSLavery

Teacher Tip Print out premade late passes and include your @Bitmoji for a personal touch! Check out these below These are great when you are busy teaching and need to quickly fill in the information. @WeAreTeachers @teacher2teacher

Jacie Maslyk‏ @DrJacieMaslyk

Great Ways to Make Learning Visible #satchat

Screencastify 🎬‏ @Screencastify

Have you applied to be our April Teacher of the month yet? If not, what are you waiting on? You could win $300 in @DonorsChoose , a free #Screencastify premium account, and a lot of bragging rights TODAY IS THE LAST DAY. Apply now!

Ditch That Textbook‏ @DitchThatTxtbk

30 activities for any Depth of Knowledge level Fabulous ideas curated from last night’s #DitchBook chat https://wp.me/p3bT67-2y3  via @jmattmiller #DOK

Chad Frye‏ @ModestlyChad

Bears do love their honey. I love doing drawings in my toned tan paper sketchbook. Have a happy weekend everybody! #animation #illustration #cartoon #animals #bears #bear #InkSketch #inked #sketchbook #sketch #drawing #honey #bees

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

Strategies:

Benchmark Assessments: Weighing the Pig More Often?

Benchmark Assessments: Weighing the Pig More Often?

Brain Breaks and Focused Strategies – Edutopia  

Quick breaks that help students refocus so they can return to work feeling centered and ready to learn.  But do be aware that half of them are the old “Brain Gym” strategies that Britain spent millions of dollars researching to discover that they don’t work.  

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/brain-breaks-focused-attention-practices-lori-desautels

For information on the British view of “Brain Gym” see:  

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/apr/07/education

The Daily Mail quotes Education Secretary Ed Balls on “Brain Gym”:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1237042/Brain-gym-pupils-pointless-admits-Balls.html  

Resources:

Evidence for ESSA

Our goal is to provide clear and authoritative information on programs that meet the ESSA evidence standards and enable educators and communities to select effective educational tools to improve student success.

https://www.evidenceforessa.org/#annotations:oM5xOmN9EemkzoOlpFbHZw

Principles of Instruction

This booklet is about the most effective methods of teaching and presents ten research-based principles of instruction. These principles come from three sources:

(a) research on how the brain acquires and uses new information;

(b) research on the classroom practices of those teachers whose students show the highest gains; and

(c) findings from studies related to students’ learning strategies.

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/document/principles-instruction-educational-practices-21#annotations:IPgQ4mN9Eem71ut24oSETw

Creative Law Center – Open Access

Nicely done information about Open Access. Great list of museums which have resources available.

https://creativelawcenter.com/museums-open-access-images/

Open GLAM

Welcome to OpenGLAM Open Collections. We have brought together collections from around the world that provide digital scans or photos that can be freely used without any restrictions. This is an ever expanding list so if you know of collections that are not listed here please add them through our contribute an item page and we will get them online!

https://openglam.org/open-collections/

Open Access at the Cleveland Museum of Art

http://www.clevelandart.org/open-access

Web Spotlight:

Cheery Thoughts

https://www.middleweb.com/40050/why-i-keep-a-supply-of-cheery-thoughts-nearby/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Jokes You Can Use:  

How do you make a water bed more bouncy?

• Add spring water

What do you call a polite man who builds bridges?

• A civil engineer

I just Googled the phrase “missing medieval servant”.

• It came back with “Page not found”.

I’ve written a book about falling down a staircase.

• It’s a step by step guide.

A friend asked me if I knew anything about 1’s and 0’s.

• I told him I knew a bit.

If you aren’t impressed with the picture of the first black hole…

• You clearly don’t understand the gravity of the situation.

I totally understand why people work at fragrance factories.

• Makes scents

A cop pulled me over and asked me, “Where were you between 5 and 6?”

• I replied, “Kindergarten.”

Advisory:

Teach Girls to be Brave, not Perfect

We’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program — two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says. “I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection.”

May be best to be shared with Staff.

How risk-taking changes a teenager’s brain

Why do teenagers sometimes make outrageous, risky choices? Do they suddenly become reckless, or are they just going through a natural phase? To find out, Kashfia Rahman — winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (and a Harvard freshman) — designed and conducted an experiment to test how high school students respond to and get used to risk, and how it changes their still-developing brains. What she discovered about risk and decision-making could change how we think about why teens do what they do.

Optical illusions show how we see

Beau Lotto’s color games puzzle your vision, but they also spotlight what you can’t normally see: how your brain works. This fun, first-hand look at your own versatile sense of sight reveals how evolution tints your perception of what’s really out there.

Rube Goldberg Machine

135 Facts

http://mentalfloss.com/article/508255/amazing-facts-people-who-amazing-facts

Easter in European Languages

https://jakubmarian.com/easter-in-european-languages-map/

Middle School Science Minute  

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

OUTSTANDING STEM TRADE BOOKS 2019 – PART ONE

This is the first of a two-part podcast series fostered by reading the March, 2019 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 on the “Outstanding STEM Trade Books for Students K-12: 2019.  In this podcast, I feature three STEM books:

1.  Astronaut-Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact

2.  Champion: The Comeback Tale of the American Chestnut Tree

3.  Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon

From the Twitterverse:  

MiddleWeb‏ @middleweb

REVIEW: Strategies for Building on Students’ Strengths. @Dr_Armstrong #mschat #educoach #edchat @ASCD In the 4th edition of his Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, Thomas Armstrong offers a practical, balanced approach. #tlap #elachat #ellchat https://www.middleweb.com/40131/strategies-for-building-on-student-strengths/ …

John Meehan‏ @MeehanEDU

A4. Every Thursday our admin team sends a weekly enewsletter with faculty Shout Outs! Once a year for teacher appreciation week, we even ask students to submit their own shout outs to teachers who are making an impact in the classroom. Great way to spotlight great work! #satchat

George Couros‏Verified account @gcouros

It’s Friday GIF Day 🙂 You get an email from your admin that just says, “Come see me at the end of the day.”. In GIF form, share how you are feeling. Go!

Secondary Principals‏ @massp

Would your students benefit from an hour lunch break with built in time to make up assignments & get extra help? Learn about one school’s “half time” program: http://sbne.ws/r/BXYa

John Meehan‏ @MeehanEDU

A3. We’ve rolled out the @oconnellhs “igKnight Academy” – a radical self-guided approach to PD where teachers pursue their passion projects and earn “course” credit for asynchronous learning. Now sleepy PD meetings become collaboration days! Details: https://edrenalinerush.com/resources/igknight-academy/ …

Ditch That Textbook‏ @DitchThatTxtbk

50+ awesome end-of-year ideas, activities and projects Brilliant ideas curated from last night’s #Ditchbook chat https://wp.me/p3bT67-2wo  via @jmattmiller

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

Google Tools for English Language Learners https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/08/google-ell.html … #GSuiteEDU #edtech

Kayla Weidert‏ @MrsWeidert

Alright twitter, do your magic… our 7th grade geo class needs your help. We are collecting data from around the US about words that are prounced [sic]  differently by region. Please consider filling out this survey! Our goal is 1000 responses! RETWEET away! https://t.co/uy6kTcyrO5  

Karalee Nakatsuka 🐸‏ @historyfrog

John Brown is getting a lot of support for his Raid on Harper’s Ferry. My Ss did a great job creating historical Go Fund Me campaigns. @historysandoval @lantonha @FirstAveMS Happy #FrogtasticFriday

Lee Araoz‏ @LeeAraoz

Genius Hour projects are an awesome way to end the school year with passion-based, student-directed learning!! #satchat My updated collection of Genius Hour resources is here:

https://www.smore.com/8u0qp

Edgar Allan Foe‏ @blacksmoke1033 Apr 18

This cretin has been dropping sticks down our chimney for weeks and today he finally accidentally dropped himself, this is the face of someone who knows they’ve been HAD

Let’s jump right in! How can we build a culture of readers in our classrooms and/or at home? #pd4uandme

Teresa Gross 📝📚‏ @teresagross625

Our librarian does flipgrid videos and then puts them in the stacks as QR codes. The Ss fill out a form, record and submit to her. @PMMSLibrary #pd4uandme

John Faig‏ @johnfaig

John Faig Retweeted Simon Kuestenmacher

Thanks. Where were you when I needed this in the 6th grade (40 years ago).

John Faig added,

Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600

The Mercator projection distorts size of countries on a map. This animation compares the real area of countries with the distorted view in Mercator projections. Source: https://buff.ly/2Gx4ydJ

0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes

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

Strategies:

Is Your School Schedule Flexible?  AMLE and Elliot Merenbloom

Early leaders of the middle school concept established the goal of flexible organizational structures. But what is flexibility? The answer might include

• The utilization of opportunities to make change
• The absence of rigidity
• An openness to various ways of implementing decisions, programs, or policies
• Recognition of the unique needs of individuals

http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/1018/Is-Your-School-Schedule-Flexible.aspx

Resources:

GREAT – & I MEAN GREAT! – COLLECTION OF SCIENCE EXPERIMENT YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Great – & I Mean Great! – Collection Of Science Experiment YouTube Channels

TEACHING OUR KIDS ABOUT THE NECESSARY WORK TO HAVE AN OPINION

“I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that

I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do.”

— Charlie Munger

http://ajjuliani.com/teaching-our-kids-the-necessary-work-to-have-an-opinion/#annotations:uZhXkloBEemSYDdmz1NuLg

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pomological Watercolor Collection

The USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection documents fruit and nut varieties developed by growers or introduced by USDA plant explorers around the turn of the 20th century. Technically accurate paintings were used to create lithographs illustrating USDA bulletins, yearbooks, and other series distributed to growers and gardeners across America.

https://usdawatercolors.nal.usda.gov/pom/home.xhtml#annotations:yIc1xFu_Eemvhns7HcPOOg

Museum of Endangered Sounds

http://savethesounds.info/

Web Spotlight:

Crowd

Be a virtual volunteer!

Anyone can contribute. Improve access to history by transcribing, reviewing, and tagging Library of Congress documents.

https://crowd.loc.gov/

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!