I am participating in the wonderful #MTBoS World this fall as a way to learn more about teaching and assessing math as well as to connect with math educators and grow my PLN. As a new math teacher (teaching Grades 8, 9, & 10 math) I am interested in learning as much as I can and am so thankful to all of the wonderful educators who are willing to share their experiences online! First off, if you haven’t heard about #MTBoS (or the MathTwitterBlogosphere), it is an 8-week series of missions designed to connect dedicated math teachers who are willing and… Read More
Edible Cell Models
My Grade 8 Science class has been learning all about Cells & Body Systems (you can check out their blog here) and lately we’ve been discussing the difference between Plant Cells & Animal Cells. After working with the appropriate vocabulary and completing labeled illustrations, we decided to create 3D models of the different types of cells… using edible materials!! As a class my students brainstormed an ingredient list, set a budget, and put themselves into groups of 4. We even went shopping for the ingredients as a class during our math period! Today was the physical creation of the… Read More
Welcoming My Grade 8's to the Blogging World!
Today my Grade 8 Science class joined the blogging world with the official launch of Mrs. T’s Classroom! They will be using their blog to:– Share their learning with an authentic audience– Catch up on lessons that were missed due to absences– Review lessons to get a better understanding– Connect with other classrooms around the world– Integrate multimedia of all descriptions (text, images, videos, podcasts)– Practice responsible digital citizenship– Receive feedback on their thoughts To celebrate we had a full-out Launch Party complete with whole-school announcements, a count-down to our first post, a visit from our… Read More
Scientific Method Bulletin Board
My classroom isn’t ready for a full reveal quite yet, but I have finished up all of my bulletin boards (you know, the ones that were hiding behind the monster bookcase). My favourite one, by far, is my Scientific Method bulletin board that is going to remain permanent through the school year. I modeled it after the amazing one that Emily created over at The Science Life! *BEFORE*The bulletin board I’m showing is the one on the North wall beneath the black star. *AFTER*The Scientific Method!Starting from the red rectangle: “Ask a Question”, “Form A Hypothesis”, “Create and Conduct an Experiment”,… Read More
Water Systems Resources
Here is the LAST resources post for my series of resources for the Grade 8 Science curriculum. With school starting right around the corner, I hope you can find these resources useful! If you missed my posts for the first three units of study, visit the following posts: – Cells & Systems – Optics – Fluids Water Cycle Song. (2011). Uploaded to YouTube by Mr. Parr. Available online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3BVa7PH_JE I really enjoyed planning out this unit for two reasons: I have a Geography minor and our province has experienced drastic flooding over the past few years.… Read More
Interactive "Connect With Us" Display
I am now spending almost every day in my classroom getting organized and prepared for the upcoming school year. As you know, I’ve created quite a strong online presence for my classroom and I want to make sure that my students utilize these resources and have easy access to them. To address this, I’ve created an interactive Connect With Us display at the entrance of my classroom! This display includes 3 laptops featuring the information for our: – Classroom Website – Classroom Blog – Classroom YouTube Channel In addition to the written URL for each site, I… Read More
Fluids Resources
This post is the third in my series of resources that align with the Grade 8 Science curriculum. (Previously in the summer, I posted a similar series for the Grade 7 Science curriculum.) Each post shares the resources I compiled for a particular unit that I will be covering throughout the year. If you missed my first two posts in the Grade 8 Science series, you can find them at:– Cells & Systems Resources– Optics Resources Easy Hydraulic Machines Screenshot. (2012). Uploaded to Instructables by Lance from Workshop for Young Engineers. Available online at: http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Hydraulic-Machines/ My… Read More
Optics Resources
Last week I shared with you the resources that I had compiled for my Grade 8 Science Unit: Cells & Systems. In similar fashion to my Grade 7 Science class, Grade 8 Science is composed for four units that are covered throughout the school year. The second of these units is Optics. The video below is one of my favourite videos I found to use in this unit, it is created by Mr. Parr who has some amazing science songs. Electromagnetic Spectrum Song. (2011). Uploaded to YouTube by Mr.Parr. Available online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_PVz8HrrCI I specifically planned out… Read More
Cells & Systems Resources
My last two posts were both “blog-hop” types of posts that, while fun and good networking options, don’t actually provide a lot of content. As I sit down today and stare at my calendar in front of me the reality of August is actually hitting me; I will be back in my classroom in 24 days so I really need to focus in on my planning and get organized. I have previously shared the resources that I have found through my planning for my Grade 7 Science class but have not yet shared any of my… Read More
When Science & Music Collide
As you might know, I am teaching two different science classes this upcoming year: Grade 7 & Grade 8. I had a really fun time planning out these two classes because my class sizes are SO small and I could easily build in A LOT of labs and various other hands-on activities. My primary focus when developing my lessons is to provide a relevant and meaningful learning experience for my students. (Obviously, this means that I will continue to modify things as the school year progress and I learn more about my students.) One resource that… Read More