Middle School Matters

Jokes You Can Use:

What did the teacher say after breaking up a fight by two invisible students.

“Move along, folks. There’s nothing to see here!”

Advisory:

Middle School Science Minute  

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

3D Design Class

I was recently reading the Summer, 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 the article, “The New Standard in Technology Education: 3D Design Class.” It was written by Andrew Gillen.  The article explains how to get started in 3D design and provides an introductory 3D modeling course outline.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/9/8_Middle_School_Science_Minute-3D_Design_Class.html

From the Twitterverse:  

Robyn McCarthy ‏@moocargirl

@DruTomlin_AMLE Link to #trustmapping journal article by Peter Cavanagh http://www.adolescentsuccess.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/AdolescentSuccess_November_Volume14-2.pdf …

Will Richardson ‏@willrich45 New Jersey, USA

Always interesting to me how we seem to ignore the very nature of learning when we talk about “learning.” It’s joy, not work.

7 retweets 13 likes

Promethean ‏@Promethean

Free Teacher Tools for #BacktoSchool – Interest Inventories ready for your class! http://bit.ly/CFBTS2016N  @ClassFlow

Gary G. Abud, Jr. ‏@MR_ABUD

How do you add skills for only 1 student? Considering Using @ClassDojo to Support PBIS, IEPs & Special Education:

WeAreTeachers ‏@WeAreTeachers

9 creative ideas to help your students go device-free. #teaching #unplug http://bit.ly/2ca4OQ7

pammoran ‏@pammoran

.@WMSWildcatNews 6th grdrs learn 2 open lockers – handy QR code linked 2 video lesson if needed #BYOD #1stday #acps

#TeacherGoals ‏@teachergoals

Is a student not a good test-taker?

Tony Vincent ‏@tonyvincent

iPad Apps for International Dot Day from @erintegration http://tonyv.me/erindot

MindShift ‏@MindShiftKQED

Have you thought about why you are using #edtech before you jump in? #sketchnote via @sylviaduckworth #edchat

Dan McCabe ‏@danieldmccabe Aug 22

Why I Tweet (As a Teacher) #edchat

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

Strategies:

World’s Largest Lesson

http://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/

<iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/178464378″ width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/178464378″>The World&#039;s Largest Lesson 2016 –  with thanks to Sir Ken Robinson and Emma Watson</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/worldslargestlesson”>World&#039;s Largest Lesson</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Resources:

Fun with English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfRSvTSY0d4

Chemistry Books to Curl Up with

I have a set of books that Shawn might enjoy reading about Chemistry.  I know he said that no one ever curls up with a good Chemistry book, but then again, maybe they do.  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Oliver Sacks – “Uncle Tungsten”: Oliver Sacks recently wrote a wonderful and poignant editorial in the NYT about his imminent fate, but the good doctor should rest supremely assured. All his writings are memorable and will live on forever, and none so much in my opinion as his delightful romp through the wonders of chemistry as a child narrated in “Uncle Tungsten”. I myself grew up experimenting with hazardous chemicals, and so this book resonated with me like few others. The book is a paean not just to the magical world of chemistry as explored by a young and receptive mind but also to a nostalgic and charming time when one could buy a pound of each alkali metal from a hardware store and drop it in a lake to see what happens (as Sacks did).

2. Deborah Blum – “The Poisoner’s Handbook”: This volume is a riveting account of the sinister side of chemistry, and of human nature in general, as it manifested itself in the heyday of New York City during the Jazz Age. Blum is exceedingly accomplished at bringing out the devious motives of poisoners as they exploited the unique chemistry of each poisoning, and she is also very adept at chronicling the rise of forensic science as it pitted science against murder. Thankfully science has largely won that fight – Blum tells us how. If there’s any doubt about how chemistry can come alive and impact society in the most consequential and personal ways, this book should dispel that doubt.

3. Natalie Angier – “Natural Obsessions”: Angier’s book is a rare example of an underexploited and revealing science genre; what one might call “fly on the wall science”. In this case the particular wall belongs to the laboratory of Robert Weinberg at MIT. Weinberg is one of the most important cancer researchers of the past fifty years and his lab has discovered many of the most important genes and biochemical pathways involved in the spread of this diabolical disease. Angier does a really great job of documenting the everyday struggles, passions, pitfalls, blind alleys and triumphs of basic research. Science done by human beings, with all its warts and glories.

4. Barry Werth – “The Billion Dollar Molecule”: Another true fly on the wall account, Barry Werth’s book would get anyone interested in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of drug discovery and biotech research. It is quite definitely the best and only book I know in which a probing, highly articulate writer was allowed virtually untrammeled access to the secret world of cutting-edge research carried out by a major, upcoming company (Vertex Pharmaceuticals). Werth’s prose is breathless, vivid and Promethean and makes the scientists at Vertex alternatively look like Gods descended from Olympus and rock stars at Woodstock. While he takes some poetic license, nowhere else have I seen the real world of highly risky and lucrative drug research and the sheer passion of industrial scientists described with such loving care and attention to detail. A must read, along with its less stratospheric but still readable sequel.

5. Philip Ball – “H2O: A Biography of Water”: If I had to single out one writer who consistently produces highly readable books on popular chemistry it would be Phil Ball. Phil has written many excellent books on the world of molecules and his writing covers a remarkable range of topics – from Paracelsus to Chartres Cathedral – but in my opinion none bridges the mundane and the profound as well as his book on that most beguiling, commonplace and enigmatic of substances – water. Phil explores an astounding range of phenomena in which water plays a key role, from the water cycle in glaciers to water in outer space to water at the molecular level in the human body. There is also a great chapter on what Irving Langmuir called “pathological science” which describes in gory detail the polywater controversy. This book is a must have on the shelf of anyone interested in popular chemistry.

http://wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2015/04/top-10-popular-chemistry-books-for.html

Keep up the great work,

Dave

Web Spotlight:

Edmodo – Connect with your Facebook or Google accounts.

Gradecam – New interface rollout.  

20 practical ways to use Google Forms in class, school

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2016/09/08/20-practical-ways-to-use-google-forms-in-class-school/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Happy National Teachers Day to all of our Chinese Teachers!  

Personal Web Site

Jokes You Can Use:

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.

So far today, I have finished 2 bags of chips and a chocolate cake.

I feel better already.

A buddy of mine has two tickets for the 2017 Super Bowl. Box seats, plus airfares, accommodations, etc. But he didn’t realize when he bought them that this is going to be on the same day as his wedding, so he can’t go.

If you’re interested and want to go instead of him, it’s at St Peter’s Church in New York City at 5pm. Her name’s Louise. She will be the one in the white dress.

Thanks for your help!

I used to be in a band called Missing Cat… you probably saw our posters.

An anesthesiologist has a stock answer to the usual question asked by pre-surgical patients:

“How much will the anesthesia cost?”

“Oh, about $100.00. $1.00 to go to sleep and $99.00 for waking up. Most patients buy the whole package.”

Advisory:

Advisory Tips:

“An advisory is an organized group of one adult and a dozen or so kids that serves as the students’ first line of affiliation in their school,” said Stevenson in Teaching Ten to Fourteen Year Olds. “The group meets at least once daily, usually for the first 20 minutes or so of the day.”

Among the purposes of the advisory, Stevenson writes, are to

• ensure that each student is known well at school by at least one adult who is that youngster’s advocate (advisor);
• guarantee that every student belongs to a peer group;
• help every student find ways of being successful within the academic and social options the school provides;
• promote communication and coordination between home and school.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr127.shtml

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Dissection Preservatives

I was recently reading the April/May, 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: “Is there an alternative to the preservatives found in commercial dissecting specimens?”

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2016/9/1_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Dissection_Preservatives.html

From the Twitterverse:  

Donny Sikora ‏@WWMSPPal

Can’t wait to see you on Tuesday!   Mr. Sikora #CHAMPIONS

Beth Houf ‏@BethHouf

Beth Houf Retweeted Shelley Burgess

I do the same when people come to me and say “everyone” thinks this or “parents” complained. Which ones? #satchatwc

Beth Houf added,

Shelley Burgess @burgess_shelley

A5: May sound silly, but whenever someone blamed “The District”, I would say…”Who exactly do you mean?” Causes a pause… #satchatwc

Daisy Dyer Duerr ‏@DaisyDyerDuerr

@BethHouf Exactly! “Who is Everyone?” Hand them paper and ask them to write down names. ;0) #satchatwc

Cherra-Lynne Olthof ‏@cherraolthof

Dear teachers…..we got this! Welcome back!! #abed

REMC Association ‏@REMCAssociation

MeL is the place for Michigan Teachers to find classroom resources #BackToSchool http://ow.ly/RXfG303Gk5b  #MichEd

Daisy Dyer Duerr ‏@DaisyDyerDuerr

Learning Foreign Languages Sharpens Our Minds http://ow.ly/n9U1303RAS6  #edchat

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

Resources:

Writing Prompts

http://theoryofknowledge.edublogs.org/2016/09/01/tok-essay-prompts-for-may-2017/

Crossword Puzzles

Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the keys to success in learning a language. Many learners spend hours learning long lists of words or trying to memorize flashcards, which can be rather boring — and not always very effective. When doing a crossword, on the other hand, you are actively thinking about the language and using your brain to literally solve a puzzle.Research has shown that this engagement with the language helps the learning process, and it’s certainly a more fun way to learn. But that’s not all, it seems that crosswords may also be beneficial to your social, emotional, mental, and physical health!

http://crosswordenglish.com/

The Great Fire of London

This website was created by the Museum of London in partnership with London Metropolitan Archives, Guildhall Art Gallery and the Monument to mark the 350th anniversary of the fire. It also contains material from seven other contributors and is a one-stop shop for trustworthy, child-friendly content for key stage 1 teaching.

http://www.fireoflondon.org.uk/

Timelines

Easily create timelines. Download as a PDF. Can include pictures and descriptions.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline_2/

Web Spotlight:

25 Words That Are Their Own Opposites

Left can mean either remaining or departed. If the gentlemen have withdrawn to the drawing room for after-dinner cigars, who’s left? (The gentlemen have left and the ladies are left.)

*

Trim as a verb predates the noun, but it can also mean either adding or taking away. Arising from an Old English word meaning ‘to make firm or strong; to settle, arrange,’ “trim” came to mean ‘to prepare, make ready.’ Depending on who or what was being readied, it could mean either of two contradictory things: ‘to decorate something with ribbons, laces, or the like to give it a finished appearance’ or ‘to cut off the outgrowths or irregularities of.’ And the context doesn’t always make it clear. If you’re trimming the tree are you using tinsel or a chain saw?

*

http://mentalfloss.com/article/57032/25-words-are-their-own-opposites

Smarthistory

Smarthistory is a leading resource for the study of art and cultural heritage. Our growing collection of videos and essays are designed to be engaging and conversational and cover art that ranges from the paleolithic to the present. Everything on Smarthistory is completely free and our content is offered with no advertising. We are a tiny non-profit organization based in New York, but we reach millions of learners around the world.

Smarthistory is a collaboration of more than 200 art historians, archaeologists, curators and other specialists who want to make the highest-quality art history learning content freely available to a global audience. Contributing editors oversee specific content areas.

http://smarthistory.org/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site