tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90117124935501928662024-02-06T19:35:55.108-08:00UtahRoots UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-63344444818755859022019-09-03T13:07:00.000-07:002019-09-03T13:07:54.585-07:00The Best Low-Prep Formative Assessment Ever<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
every class there are students who avoid participating because they are shy. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
every class there are students who fear to give a wrong answer. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
every class there are students who think they’re the only student who is
confused. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
every class there are students who are completely convinced that they
understand. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And
they don’t. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In
every class there are students who, if </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">allowed to do it,
will refuse to engage. So if you ask a question, do you really know what every student knows?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #222222; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnyf4KhpJD3ZAovWxW-XAZgclJKMyvLpAGsnyhk8KMDGWmaQn2uWvD-ZQAltwbBKO7ISsuzJmhcQwjWH184wIBoobqL9bALGQqYqhgimiRmk1GU217j8yfvt-dFmOfc-MS-3yiv_4zY4/s1600/bored-16811_1920+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1373" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnyf4KhpJD3ZAovWxW-XAZgclJKMyvLpAGsnyhk8KMDGWmaQn2uWvD-ZQAltwbBKO7ISsuzJmhcQwjWH184wIBoobqL9bALGQqYqhgimiRmk1GU217j8yfvt-dFmOfc-MS-3yiv_4zY4/s320/bored-16811_1920+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you ask the question as an invitation to the class, you'll find out what the volunteers know.<br /><br />If you ask a particular student a question, you'll find out what that student knows. <br /><br />But unless you ask every student every question you don't really know what every student knows, or thinks they know. But there's no time to do that, right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But what if there was a way to do it? What if you could do that without giving or grading a single quiz? What if you could know what every student knew in seconds, in the middle of a lesson, in time to correct misconceptions? You can. I'll show you how. And then I'll give you a free gift to try it out.<br /></span><br />
Suppose you want to quickly assess what students remember about the metric system. Each student gets a set of cards (usually between 10-12) like those pictured below (right).<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TlBQ_KYfKovOGTNtA4bkRHcjkJaVzEB2uyzf2ylkm6BEgu-k1yerMADr7v_LF8nFLKoPZ8jmYEjBjyGHwDdqCUCxg99n2UbGdj-I7WIrXQA4mW0c_SvbOWwPAzK_vg9vojdpzBiKvNQ/s1600/Metric+Response+Cards+Collage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1450" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TlBQ_KYfKovOGTNtA4bkRHcjkJaVzEB2uyzf2ylkm6BEgu-k1yerMADr7v_LF8nFLKoPZ8jmYEjBjyGHwDdqCUCxg99n2UbGdj-I7WIrXQA4mW0c_SvbOWwPAzK_vg9vojdpzBiKvNQ/s320/Metric+Response+Cards+Collage.png" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You ask a question like, "Which metric unit would you use to measure the volume of a liquid?" Each student has time to select the card they think shows the correct answer to the question. Give plenty of wait time especially the first few times you use the cards. Remind students to hold their cards like they would if using playing cards, and to not reveal their selection.</div>
<br />
<br />After asking the question and giving some wait time, you count down, "Three, two, one, UP!" And every student in unison raises their response card.<br /><br />It's important that students raise the card in unison. You'll need to practice that a couple of times. Holding up the cards in unison accomplishes several things. <br /><br />First, it prevents students from looking around the room to see what card other students held up. If they do that, if they hesitate for even a second or two, you'll see it. Secondly, you'll be able to see if a student raises a card and quickly substitutes it for another. And you'll also see if there are students who are stubbornly holding on to a misconception when they see the correct card being held up by other students but don't switch their own card.<br /><br />Any of those things gives you a chance to follow up with that student. If you have students who just refuse to raise a card, they quickly learn that it will guarantee your attention, which most students find a little uncomfortable. I've honestly never had a student who refused to participate more than once.<br /><br />When you use response cards, you keep kids engaged in the lesson. After students get used to using the cards, you'll notice they're paying more attention because they know they're going to have to demonstrate their level of understanding. And you will be a more responsive teacher in real-time if you use response cards. But don't overdo it. Don't use the cards every day. Have sets prepared ahead of time so that if you have any reason to doubt that students understand what you're teaching, you can quickly hand out the sets (I used zip-close bags for each set, but you could also put them on binder rings).<br /><br />To give you a chance to try response cards, click on the link for a free set of <span style="color: blue;"><b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Metric-System-Formative-Assessment-Response-Cards-2053657" target="_blank">Metrics Response Cards.</a> </b></span><br /><br />I'd really appreciate it if, after you've tried the Metrics set, you'd return to leave feedback on it.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br />UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-34756020376225461452019-08-14T13:24:00.000-07:002019-08-14T14:30:34.723-07:00Stop Teaching Vocabulary Words in Science. Seriously. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Stop teaching vocabulary words in science. It doesn't help students to achieve academic success or independent word attack skills. It doesn't prepare them for testing either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>There are 3 "Tiers" of words in the English language.</b> Most science vocabulary words are Tier Three words.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Tier One words are high-frequency and usually don't have multiple meanings</b>. "Kitten" is a Tier One Word. We don't have to teach Tier One words to most of our students (the exception might be ELL or ESOL students who have had no exposure to English).</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Tier Two words are high-frequency and also have multiple meanings.</b> Like the word "revolution". When you read the word revolution, did you picture an armed uprising, or did you picture the path of Earth in orbit around the sun? Revolution is a Tier Two word. They're very important in academic language settings. They're worth teaching, but not the way you might be teaching them.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Tier Three words are low-frequency (low use) and have domain-specific meaning</b>. "Exothermic" is a Tier Three word. And it's one of the words most science teachers would teach in the context of chemistry or zoology. But in and of itself it has virtually no academic function across subject areas. Students won't use it in conversation. They won't encounter it in their history class or their English class. Copying its definition from a textbook or dictionary is completely useless. <b><i>Stop teaching those Tier Three vocabulary words</i>.</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo76_TaqAmWdQ_RicTqp_ZzjRyVn6aQ_Y7_aAMrDYIpoafv2H2DA30gFFuMw0QTAUnFH_DJdGeXGkk2Ko0c1OLzNpOfBTmxP06RHsJl2WgNODAug651JdnTx4vcTmPC5t9a9R0ZjQvhI/s1600/Latin+and+Greek+Root+Words+in+Science.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo76_TaqAmWdQ_RicTqp_ZzjRyVn6aQ_Y7_aAMrDYIpoafv2H2DA30gFFuMw0QTAUnFH_DJdGeXGkk2Ko0c1OLzNpOfBTmxP06RHsJl2WgNODAug651JdnTx4vcTmPC5t9a9R0ZjQvhI/s400/Latin+and+Greek+Root+Words+in+Science.png" width="292" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead, teach the words that make our words. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Around 90% of science vocabulary is based on Latin and Greek.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Teaching the root words prepares your
students to understand new scientific vocabulary on their first exposure to it. It will help them in your class, but also in history, English, math, art, music, and every other class. It will make them better readers and better writers.</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Think about the word revolution again. "Re" is a prefix meaning "again". "Volv" is a Latin root word meaning roll, or turn around. Why is the word "revolution" meaningful in both history and science? Because it means to roll or turn. As in a complete turn in government, or a complete turn around the sun.<br /><br />Similarly, if you teach the root word "vert" which means "turn" (as in direction), you've prepared students to make a good guess at the meaning of words like invert, revert, and divert <i>on their first exposure to those words.</i> They will <i>know</i> the unfamiliar word has something to do with turning or changing direction. </span></span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>You'll change the academic futures of all of your students by teaching them Latin and Greek root words in your science class.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't wait until the end of the school year to have that OMG panic attack about how your students are going to do on the year-end testing that causes you to spend a couple of weeks cramming vocabulary review into your students.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Start as soon as the school year starts. Do it regularly. Practice often. Keep going through the entire year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's one way to do that. The Frayer Model is a well-researched tool for teaching vocabulary. And it's pretty easy to implement.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Typically,
Frayer Model cards are used by students to create personal dictionaries or word
study cards. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Often</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
students will add vocabulary words to the cards as they encounter new words in
authentic contexts. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJw1flwFR4f1xmE7ICwlxg0csGCxGyFKr2lQsqXxdHJm1S2tMQE88z6GM7ZHYdkUCFmSPjGny1qCxf-LLalMbJqVX9BWpnJBRa5jM3GkT4tWFa219AmvDbB3eEkn8GugiN0hey7OpSXGE/s1600/vert+vers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJw1flwFR4f1xmE7ICwlxg0csGCxGyFKr2lQsqXxdHJm1S2tMQE88z6GM7ZHYdkUCFmSPjGny1qCxf-LLalMbJqVX9BWpnJBRa5jM3GkT4tWFa219AmvDbB3eEkn8GugiN0hey7OpSXGE/s320/vert+vers.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(The card pictured is in a set of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Latin-And-Greek-Root-Word-Vocabulary-Cards-562959" target="_blank">Latin and Greek Root Words Every Student Should Know</a>.)<br /><br />The new word is written either in the center (as pictured) or in one of the top boxes. In the remaining boxes, students write a simplified meaning, some examples from different classes, etc.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgB1n8Lq4twHJxZbMgWbGJxVOijyurmT_FmOQtCkvkGBTNm3ph-Yu-oXaOSp27thuRYwm1pFcC30Xd67jxNiadwy0df9YRvIajSWoYyGJoPtflPRaJ6InBEBl3vq6nphz4PZooCSx050/s1600/Root+Word+Bulletin+Board+Card.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgB1n8Lq4twHJxZbMgWbGJxVOijyurmT_FmOQtCkvkGBTNm3ph-Yu-oXaOSp27thuRYwm1pFcC30Xd67jxNiadwy0df9YRvIajSWoYyGJoPtflPRaJ6InBEBl3vq6nphz4PZooCSx050/s320/Root+Word+Bulletin+Board+Card.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Students
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">are
usually asked to create a symbol or icon in one box to help them remember the meaning of
the root word. Research shows a powerful memory effect if words and images are linked during the process of learning. The drawing is usually done in the bottom left corner. (But it
doesn’t really matter where you ask students to draw them.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">) Here's an example from a set of <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Root-Word-Vocabulary-Cards-for-Word-Walls-and-Bulletin-Boards-899612" target="_blank">Root Words For Bulletin Boards</a>:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the improvement in your students' retention of scientific vocabulary if you start the year (and keep going) with this method. And you might even consider trying to recruit your colleagues in other subject areas to a joint effort with using the same cards in every class. Best wishes to you as you start another school year. I hope it's WONDERFUL!<br /></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> Qui docet discit</span><b> </b></i>(Who teaches, learns.) <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<br />UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-22197721188367531062019-01-07T10:20:00.001-08:002019-01-07T16:04:51.147-08:00How to Make Grading Student Work More Accurate and Less Time-Consuming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79f6_Ci-MOq1O6O9niXHfg3Itr_t9ps0E62Qr0sXUxuCvh_cpPiotWTVWXm5wWba74WARkwmh7qJvE6uhPpT28hNgCs7iyTPkYhtnFQtQ36YW_9j1zC57rLY_2adQrD_NlBWKlsXOtCw/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79f6_Ci-MOq1O6O9niXHfg3Itr_t9ps0E62Qr0sXUxuCvh_cpPiotWTVWXm5wWba74WARkwmh7qJvE6uhPpT28hNgCs7iyTPkYhtnFQtQ36YW_9j1zC57rLY_2adQrD_NlBWKlsXOtCw/s320/Slide1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Does it feel as if your holiday break never even happened because you're already getting overloaded with work to grade? Would you like to reduce the time you spend grading?<br />
<br />
Most of us assign work for two reasons:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1) assessing learning 2) collecting data for grading purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in theory, we want the work we give to help us measure mastery of important skills and knowledge, <i>and</i> help us give accurate grades.<br />
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The problem is that not every question on an assignment is equally valuable as an assessment of learning.<br />
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<br />
I’m going to share a strategy that will help improve the accuracy of your grades AND reduce the amount of grading you have to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Think about typical worksheets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kind you might give to go along with a reading assignment or while watching a film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They usually have two types of questions:<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lead Up Questions</b> – These are questions that help students go through a step-by-step thinking process that will help them answer other questions. Or they can be questions that are written for the purpose of making sure students complete a reading assignment or stay on task <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">during a film in order to be able to answer other questions. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They are questions that don't address </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">critical skills or content.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Target Questions</b> – the questions that require a student to demonstrate an understanding of critical content or the application of critical skills, often as a result of having completed the lead-up questions.</div>
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For purposes of grading, we should focus on the target questions. But usually, when we grade assignments, all of the questions on the assignment would be treated as if they were equally important. That can have bad effects on the accuracy of grades as a measurement of mastery.<br />
<br />
Here's why. Suppose a worksheet has 10 questions on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suppose that only two of the questions are target questions. One student might answer correctly eight of the questions on the worksheet but answer the two (most important) target questions incorrectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d enter 80% in your gradebook. But did that student demonstrate 80% mastery of content? Or just 80% accuracy of answering the lead-up questions?<br />
<br />
Another student might only complete five questions, but answer all of them correctly, including the two target questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d enter 50% in your gradebook. Does a student who correctly answers the two most important questions - the ones that really require a demonstration of mastery - really deserve an "F" for the assignment? And would that "F" be an accurate measure of their mastery of the most important content?<br />
<br />
Which of those students really understands more of the critical content? And will their grade reflect it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Not all questions are good assessments of mastery</i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you include all of them in a grade, you’re <i>diluting</i> the accuracy of the score as a measure of mastery.<br />
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So here’s something to try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a silver bullet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You shouldn’t use it with every assignment. And it won't suddenly make all of your students do all of their work. But used judiciously it will improve the accuracy of your grades and may also have the effect of improving turn-in rates for assignments. And it will definitely make grading less time-consuming and more efficient for you! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1J9rRz83UVpK1OX8Pu_PCvjdp3C8QPT5YZsrEgy6_xWHwp3NtzNaO0DbooQ273dP044nqerJYwqQPiqi99mKQOujlRmOT5wfPIvwx7vepkrclR2zv3-xxmFc5iLZ-wlPW2WCb39D2es/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="420" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1J9rRz83UVpK1OX8Pu_PCvjdp3C8QPT5YZsrEgy6_xWHwp3NtzNaO0DbooQ273dP044nqerJYwqQPiqi99mKQOujlRmOT5wfPIvwx7vepkrclR2zv3-xxmFc5iLZ-wlPW2WCb39D2es/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Create a half-sheet form like the one pictured. If you <b>subscribe to my email list before 01/11/2019, I'll send you the form.</b> The form should include the student’s name, class, and an area for writing answers. The half sheet form will be stapled to the front of a completed assignment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Prior to the beginning of class, identify <u>target questions</u> from the previous day's assignment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try to limit the number of questions to four or fewer. Give students a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very short</i> amount of time to copy their answers to those selected questions onto the half sheet form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You shouldn’t allow more than a minute or a minute and a half for students to do this. That’s enough time to copy answers but not enough time to hastily attempt to write the answers that aren’t already written down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since you’re watching them while they complete the half sheet, they’re unlikely to cheat right under your nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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When time is up, you can either have students turn in the half sheet, or have the students staple their half sheet onto the full assignment and turn it in (so you can make sure they were really copying work they’d already done, and that they really had completed the assignment.)<br />
<br />
You grade only the questions on the half sheet and enter that score into your grade book.<br />
If you feel strongly that a grade should reflect responsibility as well as mastery, you could give points for having completed the entire original assignment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just be thoughtful about doing that because it dilutes the accuracy of grades as a measure of content/skill mastery.<br />
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The reason you don’t use this strategy with every assignment is that if you do, some students will start trying to guess which questions you’re going to select and will only answer those. And you certainly wouldn’t use this strategy to score quizzes or tests. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when you know that not all of the questions on an assignment are equally important, and if you are buried by paperwork, this strategy will really save you time and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">improve</i> the accuracy of your grades as a measure of mastery.<br />
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If you use this strategy, you will probably find that a few students actually do more work for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I had a nickel for every student who didn’t turn in an assignment because it wasn’t complete and they know they’ll get a failing score whether or not they turn it in. It’s a shame that students feel that way, but they’re right if the teacher scores every question. With the strategy I’ve described, students have a chance of getting better than a failing score if they’ve answered even some of the questions you selected for scoring.<br />
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You’ll also find that some of your really bright but unmotivated students who refuse to do what they consider to be “busy work” will probably at least do some work if the odds are that doing some of it is going to pay off for them even if they don’t do all of it. Getting kids to do some of the work should always be a goal when the alternative is that they do none of it.<br />
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This process, used judiciously, gives you what you need for assessment, improves the accuracy of grades as a measure of mastery, and honors the work that students have completed while reducing the time you spend grading less meaningful work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You might even have an occasional weekend free from grading! </span></div>
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-45998001971363400102018-08-12T11:00:00.000-07:002018-08-12T13:45:01.672-07:00Giant Back To School Giveaway!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's SO much to do before the first day of school with kids! Things just keep being added to your To-Do list, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">don't </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">they? And it seems like nothing gets taken OFF of your plate. For every item checked off your list, three more seem to appear. And somehow, the last thing to get done is lesson planning for that first crazy week. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Rest easy. A group of secondary science teachers who have Teachers Pay Teachers stores are joining together to make things a little easier. Whether it's a first-day lesson plan idea or your first full unit of lesson plans, you can find it in the TpT stores of this group of teachers. And we're giving you the money to do it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are giving away <strong>FOUR $100 TeachersPayTeachers gift cards</strong> that you can use in any store on TpT!<br /><br />How to enter: You need to hop from blog to blog to collect secret words that form a sentence. When you have collected all the words for the sentence, click on the Rafflecopter box on any of the blogs and type in the secret sentence words in the correct order. We will pick four winners after it ends after midnight on Friday August the 17th. <strong>My Secret Word is #15 in the sentence. It is: "the". </strong><br /><br />In addition to the $100 gift cards, some of us are also giving away products or gift cards to our stores. Enter to win my giveaway of three guided graphic notes bundles with a value of over $30. See them here:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cycles-Guided-Graphic-Notes-BUNDLE-3966785" target="_blank">Cycles Guided Graphic Notes</a><br /><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Populations-Guided-Graphic-Notes-BUNDLE-3880521" target="_blank">Populations Guided Graphic Notes</a><br /><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Structure-of-DNA-Guided-Graphic-Notes-Bundle-3628369" target="_blank">Structure of DNA Guided Graphic Notes.</a> <br /><br />Enter the giveaway for these bundles here: <a class="rcptr" data-raflid="0ee963e82" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0ee963e82/" id="rcwidget_w29fxp40" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script> Giveaway ends August 17th, 2018 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Residents of the earth only. Winners will be selected at random and be notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to confirm their email addresses and respond before a new winner is selected. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner. </span></div>
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-19525861019518006232018-05-07T00:00:00.000-07:002018-05-07T08:07:13.553-07:00What To Do With "Fast Finishers"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is absolutely nothing worse than running out of lesson before you run out of time. And it's completely impossible to design lessons that every student will complete at the exact moment class ends. There will always be "ragged time" with some students having finished early. So how can you plan for fast finishers and keep them engaged? Here are some ideas.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Prevention</span></b><br />
Some students finish quickly because they equate finishing first with being smartest. Some finish quickly because they put little effort into accuracy or completeness. And of course, some finish quickly because the work didn't challenge them.<br />
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So the first thing to do is to establish an "evidence of excellence" rule. Ask the fast finishers to show you in their work some "evidence of excellence". If they can't show you where they have done excellent work, send them back to work until they can. But if they are really finished and can show you excellence, then it's up to you to give them work that is worth doing and that respects their abilities.<br />
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Secondly, establish the motto that "Learning isn't a race. There's no finish line." But once you establish that nobody can be "finished" learning, it's your responsibility to give them something worth learning. It's important that your truly gifted students don't get "punished" with more of the same work other students are doing or they'll just make sure they don't finish early. What a waste of valuable learning time!<br />
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The ideas I'm suggesting below work for all kids because they have an element of fun that makes them engaging and attractive to students who finish early.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Anchor Activities</b></span><br />
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<span class="" style="font-weight: normal;">In</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> my classroom, I used what I called Anchor Activities. They are independent activities that were always available and required no equipment or special supplies. In my class, they were geared to take about ten to fifteen minutes to complete, required only paper and pencil or simple manipulatives that were laminated and stored for easy student access. Most were independent but some could be done with a partner. They were tied to what we were learning so they changed with every unit. And most importantly they are engaging. Here are a few of them. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPwPi4jrbbGse4gib1B-F53XPkVSoY3keR1S3spH7OfTtoLQEusnDueB1CUW7iy3YDLm-oDCaMFaf8E0xBEZydHOd6MR2bsnbU6hdddcMgMl1_w1HdhkSvYJ_fXIyQGK7n2x1znBRHag/s1600/Vocabulary+Dominoes+in+Action.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1589" height="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPwPi4jrbbGse4gib1B-F53XPkVSoY3keR1S3spH7OfTtoLQEusnDueB1CUW7iy3YDLm-oDCaMFaf8E0xBEZydHOd6MR2bsnbU6hdddcMgMl1_w1HdhkSvYJ_fXIyQGK7n2x1znBRHag/s640/Vocabulary+Dominoes+in+Action.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>Vocabulary Dominoes. </b>Basically, it's a matching game. Finished correctly the "dominoes" will line up with a vocabulary word on the end of one domino matching its definition on the end of another domino. Students may work alone or in pairs. The student doesn't turn in anything. You check their work at their desk when they're finished and record a score. I print sets on different colors of cardstock so it's easier to make sure you don't get sets mixed up. I store them in zip-close bags. To the right is a picture of my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ecology-Vocabulary-Domino-Game-2310543" target="_blank"><b>ecology vocabulary dominoes</b></a> in action. They are a bit time consuming to create but having a few sets on hand as anchor activities for different units is SO worth the time it takes to make them. </div>
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<b>Root word task cards. </b> 90% of scientific vocabulary is based on Latin and Greek. The more opportunities you give students to practice learning the root words the better. When they practice the root words they will eventually get to the point where they can work out a reasonable attempt at the meaning of science vocabulary word the first time they see it. Root word task cards are hard to beat as an anchor activity. Students can work in pairs or alone. They answer the question on the card and turn in their answer sheet. If you have a quick turn around time on grading, you could laminate a few copies of the answer sheet to reduce the amount of paper you use for anchor activities. To the right are some sample task cards from my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Science-Vocabulary-Task-Cards-2219673" target="_blank"><b>Earth Science Root Word Vocabulary</b></a> set. <b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPkOSckYGXViHEYxiGzUtRaGfuHzjxDalZY0RAdkWHmVnIDX2YFCSx7Ib1urQ4GiNUytNv1GzGweeEZL7njjpfQA8qBJw7qAaG2xM35hXZOumvwPqrANX27uxcT88_g_xpaTCthmg1Tc/s1600/One+Kind+Word+Teacher+Key.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="706" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPkOSckYGXViHEYxiGzUtRaGfuHzjxDalZY0RAdkWHmVnIDX2YFCSx7Ib1urQ4GiNUytNv1GzGweeEZL7njjpfQA8qBJw7qAaG2xM35hXZOumvwPqrANX27uxcT88_g_xpaTCthmg1Tc/s640/One+Kind+Word+Teacher+Key.jpg" width="480" /></a><b>Hidden Message Puzzles. </b>I find few things <i><b>less</b></i> valuable for learning than wordsearch puzzles. And for students who struggle with reading, wordsearch puzzles are just aggravating and difficult. But you can remove barriers for students with disabilities, and easily turn word search puzzles into something that has more educational value simply by making them into a hidden message. You create these. They're pretty easy to make. The completed puzzle is turned in to you. Don't require students with reading disabilities to find the words in the wordsearch. It's pointless and not fun for them. They fill in the blanks to get full credit. Other students will enjoy finding the hidden words in the word search. You don't have to announce that not everyone is required to find them. Just quietly tell the students with disabilities to fill in the blanks first and you'll give them credit without the puzzle. Pictured to the left is the teacher key for a <b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-Kind-Word-A-Free-Hidden-Message-Puzzle-for-Winter-Solstice-2252139" target="_blank">free hidden message puzzle</a></b> in my Teacher's Pay Teachers' Store. I made it for use on the day of Winter Solstice, during an Earth Science unit. The yellow boxes are letters that are "used up" by answering the questions. The remaining (white) unused letters spell a hidden message, "One kind word can warm three winter months".<br />
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If you want to try making a hidden message puzzle, create a table on a Word Document, PowerPoint or Keynote slide. Write the fill-in-the-blank questions first. Format the cells of the table so that the letters are centered both horizontally and vertically. Enter the letters for the vocabulary words. Then fill in the remaining squares with letters from a short quote you like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO16Sgrr9UEOJSJJmdedwsyjwOFMfqhq-gUsK9G6ljYapbwIQo8Lz7Mbg24knLkW7VXlONVVPCiq7DnHW6hjsyXciXVBUMRPLwWvAhJaiUIbvEoD0dX14r5hVxex8w9PGRHBqhPYw1bWE/s1600/Symbiosis+Color+By+Number+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="706" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO16Sgrr9UEOJSJJmdedwsyjwOFMfqhq-gUsK9G6ljYapbwIQo8Lz7Mbg24knLkW7VXlONVVPCiq7DnHW6hjsyXciXVBUMRPLwWvAhJaiUIbvEoD0dX14r5hVxex8w9PGRHBqhPYw1bWE/s320/Symbiosis+Color+By+Number+Cover.jpg" width="243" /></a><b>Non-fiction reading passages. </b> If your school requires that you support English/Language Arts standards for reading and writing in science, this is how you do it painlessly and still have time to teach your own science curriculum. Use non-fiction reading passages as anchor activities to give students practice with reading informational text. That's just as important in science as it is in Language Arts. You can make your own (with accompanying questions) from an article that matches your students' abilities and interests. I'll be sending a free reading passage about The Radium Girls to my email subscribers soon, so if you'd like it, be sure to sign up for the email list! Take a closer look at it by checking out the preview of the full resource <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nonfiction-Reading-Passages-and-Inference-Questions-About-The-Elements-1849979" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Color by number review.</b> Color-by-number review activities are among the most engaging ways to keep your early finishers happily working. Pictured is a color by number resource for reviewing <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Symbiosis-Reading-Analysis-and-Color-by-Number-1761416" target="_blank"><b>symbiosis</b></a>. If you can write a multiple choice quiz, you can make your own color by number review activity on ANY topic using these <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-SPRING-1784612" target="_blank"><b>free editable color by number pictures.</b></a> Instructions are included. And talk about easy to grade! Nothing is easier! See some more ready to use no-prep color by number resources for science <b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Color-By-Number-187878" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Accountability</span></b><br />
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By the time students hit middle school, they won't do extra work if it doesn't affect their grade. That's just reality. It's sad but I can't say I blame them. So in my classroom, I did require a certain number of points from anchor activities each term.<br />
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That put a little bit of pressure on students to stay on task regularly so that they could have ten minutes here or there for anchor activities. For my students with disabilities who sometimes struggled to complete their regular work and might not have time for anchor activities, I would just quietly adjust the requirement on a case by case basis.<br />
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The number of activities I required depended on how much time I anticipated that a typical student would have to work on them during the quarter. Usually, I required six or seven activities per quarter. But I <i>hate</i> grading papers. I would rather wash every toilet in the school by hand than grade every answer on 7 pages of anchor activities for 185 students! So I graded on a four-point scale: 1-4 which basically equates to a GPA scale but didn't require that I read every single answer on every single activity or give a direct point value to match the number of questions.<br />
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You can tell at a glance if something is barely an attempt (1 pt.), has some effort put into it (2pts), is nearly complete or near mastery (3 pts), or represents mastery (4pts). The important thing is that anchor activity points should not have an inordinate effect on a letter grade. I found four points each to be the sweet spot but, of course, that sweet spot will be different for you. I personally would allow students to do extra anchor activities at the end of a term (IF their required work was completed on time).<br />
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I hope that these ideas and freebies will give you a start on creating your own anchor activities. Don't forget to think about things like crossword puzzles, logic puzzles, and other kinds of valuable and mentally stimulating activities to keep your "fast finishers" on task!<br />
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-43635506960771779182018-04-22T12:44:00.001-07:002018-04-22T13:05:34.917-07:00Movement in the Middle School Science Classroom<br />
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Every time I spend seven hours in a professional development workshop it changes my teaching for at least a week. I guess I need frequent reminders that human beings are not meant to sit in a hard chair for seven hours with occasional restroom breaks and a 30-min. lunch break. It's interesting that when we are in the role of students, we call it a good day when there's lots of opportunity for movement, group work, and a little fun in our work, but we don't provide those things for our students as often as we should.<br />
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I love doing gallery strolls and using task cards to get students up and moving. I'll try just about anything to get kids out of those terrible hard seats for a while.<br />
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I'm super excited about the potential for learning with movement in the recent phenomenon of Escape Rooms. It's a perfect time to try one yourself! The basic idea is that student teams work together to compete against other teams to be first to finish a series of tasks, each of which gives them clues they need to complete the next task leading to a final opportunity to use every clue for the last task and the escape!<br />
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When kids have spent all day taking tests they will really appreciate and enjoy a chance to chat, laugh, and move around in a "gamified" activity. And if year-end testing is over, then an Escape Room is a perfect way to combat the "we can stop learning now" attitude we often see in middle school kids in the final few weeks of school.<br />
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I'm happy to introduce my first <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Biomes-Escape-Room-3760259" target="_blank"><b>Escape Room</b></a>, and hope that the topic - Biomes - will be a perfect theme for this time of year in your class!<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-14840513767427842152018-02-06T14:42:00.000-08:002018-02-06T15:27:37.953-08:00Incorporating Art Into Science Notes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've always been the most "right-brained" science teacher I know. I think science IS art and art IS science. ( In fact I even have a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/UtahRoots/science-is-art-and-art-is-science/" target="_blank"><b>Pinterest board</b></a> with that title. )<br />
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Recently I've done some reading about studies done on the effect of incorporating art into science instruction. A group of Australian researchers did a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/education/2014/07/keep-calm-and-doodle-on/" target="_blank"><b>study</b></a> on the use of doodling in science classes and found a positive effect on both retention of information and on engagement.<br />
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In my own teaching I've seen the same thing. Whenever I incorporated an artistic element during learning or gave students a creative way to demonstrate understanding, not only did they clearly enjoy the artistic endeavor but they stayed far more engaged with the content. And that's why most of the resources in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots" target="_blank"><b>Teachers Pay Teachers store</b></a> incorporate art of some kind including color-by-number and paper models.<br />
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After reading about the research, I decided to create a new line of teaching resources. I'm calling them guided graphic notes.<br />
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The first bundle <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Structure-of-DNA-Guided-Graphic-Notes-Bundle-3628369" target="_blank"><b>The Structure of DNA</b> </a>includes guided graphic notes on James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins (the less famous "Third Man" who won the Nobel Prize with Watson and Crick for the discovery of the structure of DNA), along with guided graphic notes on the structure of DNA itself.<br />
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I'm pretty excited to share them with you. If you have subscribed to my email list, check your email this Friday (Feb. 9th) for a free sample! And if you're not a subscriber to my email list, sign up now so you don't miss the freebie!UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-91022262561071584232017-12-03T13:35:00.003-08:002017-12-03T13:37:15.672-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQTFyr6vas2beESkjrB3Uvc_NSA34Ibpv_MxK8H-HTd6t04hE7n1BX9QtyoPOdAo3teP4kTKvrrAty71RaJJhvVrMU-INXbsSSaIfgpF7gAzLmSKSoXYj3hG-01hCy_qkuLc3VASJ_xg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-12-03+at+1.34.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQTFyr6vas2beESkjrB3Uvc_NSA34Ibpv_MxK8H-HTd6t04hE7n1BX9QtyoPOdAo3teP4kTKvrrAty71RaJJhvVrMU-INXbsSSaIfgpF7gAzLmSKSoXYj3hG-01hCy_qkuLc3VASJ_xg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-12-03+at+1.34.35+PM.png" width="320" /></a>Happy to announce that for the third year in a row I'm joining a group of other Teachers Pay Teachers science sellers, for 5 Days Of Cheer!<br />
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I so appreciate all of the people who have put their trust in me and in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots" target="_blank">UtahRoots</a> teaching resources. I want to celebrate five years on TpT with you. Subscribers to my email list will be receiving an email each day Dec 4th - 8th announcing a giveaway, freebie, limited time BOGO offer, etc. for that day. The offer will only be good for that one day, so please make sure you sign up to get the email!<br />
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Watch for the first email tomorrow (Monday, Dec 4th) and celebrate the season with me!UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-35871520592225790902017-12-03T10:59:00.001-08:002017-12-03T10:59:30.654-08:00I promise not to bother you.There is nothing worse than going to a website and having access blocked or interrupted by pop-ups. And you're about to see one. Sigh.<br /><br />So many wonderful people have followed my UtahRoots store during the last five years, but I have no way of knowing who you are. I don't get to see the names or email addresses of anyone who follows my TpT store, and so there's no way for me to thank you or send you freebies as tokens of my gratitude.<br /><br />So that's why I've started an email subscription list here on my blog. If you sign up, I promise that I won't bother you frequently with emails and that when you <i>do</i> get an email from me it will be to let you know about a giveaway, a freebie, or some other benefit of being one of my email subscribers. And I hope that if you aren't already following my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots" target="_blank">UtahRoots store</a>, you'll choose to do that too!<br /><br />Thanks a bunch! <div>
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-74028415489499961442017-08-07T09:00:00.000-07:002017-08-07T09:00:12.498-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkKdgZE1KJVWIbT1XePJFKpvrTQm78Yy71FO6dx6MJjPuKHuB0j5TTjJ3tZ7T3Hr6Jch6REaX_oi83sWU4btn9qZ3P7ngrOJVnU6OsOqa3GH2GOqUn40v_zLSIhr6n6VgxEAknON2rTE/s1600/20597392_1727511334212071_2062597608451127814_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkKdgZE1KJVWIbT1XePJFKpvrTQm78Yy71FO6dx6MJjPuKHuB0j5TTjJ3tZ7T3Hr6Jch6REaX_oi83sWU4btn9qZ3P7ngrOJVnU6OsOqa3GH2GOqUn40v_zLSIhr6n6VgxEAknON2rTE/s400/20597392_1727511334212071_2062597608451127814_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>I'm thrilled to join 17 other secondary science teachers from Teachers Pay Teachers to celebrate the Back to School Season! <br />
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You have a chance to win one of five <b>$100 gift cards</b> to use in ANY store on Teachers Pay Teachers and you have an additional chance to win a <b>$25 gift card </b>to use in my TpT store!<br />
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Visit the other blogs for chances to win their individual giveaways and collect the secret phrases to enter the $100 gift card giveaway.<br />
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<b>Here's how to enter the $25 gift card giveaway for my store:</b> </h3>
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Choose ONE of these three options: <br />
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1. Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers<br />
2. Follow my blog<br />
3. Leave a comment on this blog post to finish the phrase:<br />
You could be a middle school teacher if...<br />
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Giveaway ends August 11th, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Open to Residents of Earth only. Winners will be selected at random and be notified by email. Winners have 48 hours to confirm their email addresses and respond before a new winner is selected. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form you are providing it to me and me alone. I do not share or sale information and will use information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.</div>
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Here's how to enter the $100 giveaway: </h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Each blog post has a secret code word or phrase and a number. The code words/phrases fit together in numerical order to make a secret sentence. </span></h3>
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My code phrase is: <b>is not</b><br />
Those two words fill positions #3 and #4 in the secret sentence.<br />
Collect the words from each blog by clicking on the blog pictures below. Write the collected words in numerical order, and copy the finished secret sentence into the joint Rafflecopter giveaway.<br />
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This Rafflecopter form is the same on every blog. So you only need to enter once from any one of our blogs.<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="f343ed2f6" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f343ed2f6/" id="rcwidget_psbednrz" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-75101296202976256132017-08-05T12:04:00.003-07:002017-08-07T12:49:22.723-07:00Don't Say This On The First Day Of School <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Mark Twain once said "Holding a cat by the tail teaches you things you can't learn any other way." I don't advocate holding cats by the tail. But you'd certainly learn a lesson if you tried. I learn a lot of things the hard way. One of those hard lessons was learning what NOT to say on the first day of school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">All good teachers spend time planning how to introduce themselves, their class, and their expectations. And we always hope that we'll inspire in our students a feeling of anticipation for the great things they'll be doing in our class this year. It took me years to figure out that spending the first day with my new students on things like disclosure letters, class rules and notebook requirements was the absolute worst way to get kids enthused about my class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">A few years ago I made a complete shift in the way I spent that first day. Of course I complied with anything the school required me to send home on that first day. But other than that, I spent no time on "administrivia".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here's what I did instead. I developed a sort of "archaeological dig". I emptied my purse onto a table at home and pulled out items that an archaeologist could use to learn about me. I took photographs of them. And then I took some photographs of other things around my house that also provided clues about who I am and what my interests are. The photographs were of things like a movie ticket stub, a grocery receipt, a dog leash, the copyright page from my favorite book, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">On the first day, I gave each small group of students copies of the photographs. Then I gave them this scenario: "It's several hundred years in the future. An archaeologist has discovered an ancient home and artifacts from that home have been carefully photographed. Your job is to use your powers of observation to examine the artifacts and make as many inferences as you can about the occupants of that ancient home."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">I was hopeful of course that students would be able to infer a great deal about me from the photographs. But I was astonished at what they actually did infer. From the movie stub alone my students were able to infer that I traveled to Europe (they figured that out from the way the date was written on the ticket stub and from the price in euros), that I was middle class (had the money to travel), that I probably had at least one teenage son (the movie was a genre than teenage boys would enjoy), and that my son(s) must have accompanied me on the trip. They were able to make similar inferences from every other item, including inferences I don't think I would have made myself. By the end of class, they'd pretty well established the approximate year of my birth (which was nowhere in the photographs) and a great deal of information about my life. We made a class list of the inferences by having each group report out one inference at a time until no group had more additions to make to the list. We discussed how each inference was made and from which artifacts. Students who had made fewer inferences learned by hearing how more successful groups made inferences. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">Kids were really engaged and a few even thanked me for not giving them <i>another</i> hour long lecture about class rules! </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;">This introductory activity launched my unit introducing the nature of science. Over the next couple of days I went over all of the class expectations and distributions of disclosure letters that we all do, but I just did them in smaller chunks of time. <br /><br />On the first day of school this year, don't say "Welcome to my class, I'd like to go over my rules and expectations with you." Instead, create your own archaeological dig!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>**COMING ON MONDAY 8/7/17 - A chance to WIN BIG with a Back To School Giveaway.** </b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Check back Monday afternoon for a chance to win a $100 TpT gift card or a $25 gift card to my TpT store! </b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "times";"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>The giveaway is live now! Scroll up on my blog or click on the maroon blog title "UtahRoots" at the top of this page to be taken to my main blog page to enter the contest. Every one of the 18 participating teacher/authors is giving away gift cards - no purchase necessary. </b></span></span><br />
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-47151870709541644682017-03-16T15:15:00.000-07:002018-04-09T14:13:13.786-07:00How to Get and Keep 100% Engagement When Spring Has Sprung.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Spring will eventually arive and when it does, student engagement threatens to go out the window. Every class has "that kid". The one whose hand seems spring-loaded to shoot up whenever you ask a question. And in every class "that kid" is out-numbered by those who have mastered the art of never getting called on and never volunteering. And then there's that moment when someone you least expected to answer a question raises their hand. Engagement! You call on them! And they ask if they can go to the restroom. Sigh. Take all of those possibilities, add spring weather and student engagement threatens to go out the nearest window. Is resistance futile? The good news is, it's not. You can still keep students engaged after spring break and I'm going to share an easy way to do it.<br />
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The key is demanding engagement. Easier said than done, you think. But really, it's all about the questions you ask and the responses you expect. Questions are not created equal. There are three basic kinds and they each get a different result.</div>
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The first kind of question is the "Assessment Question" It's the one you're using when you say "Andrea, what are four ...". The second the word Andrea comes out of your mouth, all other students are free to mentally check out. You will find out what Andrea knows (or doesn't know). But you won't learn a thing about anybody else and you're allowing disengagement. It won't help to say "What are the four..." with Andrea's name tacked on to the end. The issue is that you're not demanding engagement and you won't get it. From anybody except possibly Andrea.</div>
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The second kind of question is the "Open Question". It's a fishing expedition. It starts with "Who can tell me..." Before you finish asking the whole question the spring-loaded kid has her hand up waving wildly. You wait. You remind yourself about wait time. You count to ten, waiting. Another hand tentatively goes up. You keep waiting. Another hand or two go up. You call on someone. And they ask to go the bathroom. Or they give a perfectly cogent and correct answer. Or they are so wrong that you have to think at the speed of light for a way to respond that is respectful but leads to someone else who might answer correctly. You'll find out what the few volunteers know (or don't know). But you won't know what anybody else knows. And since you phrased the question as a request for volunteers, the kids who would sooner die than answer a question out loud in class won't volunteer. Don't make the mistake of thinking they don't want to participate or don't know the answer. Any number of things can keep a kid from responding.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWAqtTycfHuABUPbznj5fSYRhLZTDOaGM6YfxKlvUi272Q8X5EOkdO5Ky7VMzhTueI15NJMyQNKT0FI-p-aPobQa-HN8BctIr9AInlHuFDfUoS5Ry7cCv_oTr4Jdop8A0cqmO2GLWq-4/s1600/child-830988_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWAqtTycfHuABUPbznj5fSYRhLZTDOaGM6YfxKlvUi272Q8X5EOkdO5Ky7VMzhTueI15NJMyQNKT0FI-p-aPobQa-HN8BctIr9AInlHuFDfUoS5Ry7cCv_oTr4Jdop8A0cqmO2GLWq-4/s320/child-830988_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Most ELL (English Language Learner) students have a period of months in the stage of language acquisition where they are receptive to and understanding English but are silent because they lack confidence. Even native English speakers may hesitate to speak up. They might fear being ridiculed, especially if they have a history of being bullied. They might not want to appear to be "nerdy". Or they might be anxious about not having the right answer. You'll never get voluntary oral participation from those kids, even if what they have to say is spot on. </div>
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It's the third kind of question that will get those kids - and everyone else - to stay engaged and give you an answer. Not surprisingly, this kind of question is called an "Engagement Question". It requires a response. There are many versions of engagement questions. They usually start with the expected response. "Raise your hand if..." "Stand up if...." "Turn to a partner..." Often, engagement questions will result in an action like turning to the partner but what happens next may or may not give you any good information. You can't hear what they say to their partner. They might very well be raising their hand simply because the majority of other students are raising their hands. What makes a GOOD engagement question is a required answer, not just an action. </div>
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I've created a set of what I call "response cards". Response cards are like the answers to a multiple choice question. You ask the question, the students pick a response card. On your command, they hold up their response in unison. You see what EVERY student is thinking. A critically important reason to use response cards is that students who might be reluctant to speak up will have a safe way to participate. You will see responses from every single student and be able to make a judgment about whether to proceed with your lesson or stop and clarify or review concepts. And you know what else? You'll see which kids are slow to raise their card, waiting to see what others have held up. Your eye will go to that late rising card like an eagle's eye goes to a moving rabbit. You'll have a chance to ask follow-up questions with that student to draw out the possible reasons for their uncertainty.</div>
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Response cards don't have to be used for questions that have only right or wrong answers. They can be used to indicate agreement or disagreement. They can be used in situations that require conditional answers (True, if.. Yes, except.. and so on). </div>
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And you can even use them with multiple choice questions that you project on a screen by giving students response cards A, B, C, and D. </div>
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If you like the idea but don't have the time to create all the possible cards, I've got a very complete set (that even includes number answers for calculation questions) you can see <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Response-Cards-for-Easy-Formative-Assessment-In-Any-Subject-846173" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a></div>
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-17967301069448618642017-01-19T18:52:00.000-08:002017-09-06T11:52:26.135-07:00Science, Fake News, and Bias <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhw-_WcxFOK0blbsOff54olACSQHwG-fQENBGZX6hPNNw9ysx0Yy1tkZcW6ZsDVC28vWuPJAZ3oUiqftR8ueb9yTogkwimUxWR7Lno4-lCjLekf3-5kjjn1omhWiHBlRR6-O9sFGh4LJ8/s1600/How+To+Spot+Bad+Science+-+picture+for+FB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="696" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhw-_WcxFOK0blbsOff54olACSQHwG-fQENBGZX6hPNNw9ysx0Yy1tkZcW6ZsDVC28vWuPJAZ3oUiqftR8ueb9yTogkwimUxWR7Lno4-lCjLekf3-5kjjn1omhWiHBlRR6-O9sFGh4LJ8/s640/How+To+Spot+Bad+Science+-+picture+for+FB.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
We science teachers have not done our job. Yes, we teach about dependent and independent variables, we lead students through some version of the scientific method. We teach them about sample sizes and control groups. We teach the difference between observation and inference, and the definitions of hypothesis and theory.<br />
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But the fact that there are adults in this country who can't differentiate between bad science and good science and are not capable of recognizing faked or biased science on social media or when reading a newspaper article or watching TV is an indictment of us. We haven't made the connections between what scientists do in a laboratory and what the average citizen must do every day. We need to change that.<br />
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When you and I watch an ad on T.V. for a weight loss product that promises "up to" ten pounds of weight loss in eight weeks, we scoff. Millions of Americans click. When you and I see a Facebook post claiming that "SHOCKING!!" new evidence has been uncovered that climate change is a "HOAX!!" we roll our eyes. Millions of Americans "share". We have a responsibility to change that.<br />
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We need to TEACH students how to recognize bad science, fake science, and biased science. We need to give them practice recognizing bad science on social media. We need to give them opportunities to discuss the nuanced spectrum of bias in science. I'm retired now, but I feel a personal responsibility to help teachers who are still in the classroom to make a difference. I've created a free resource <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/How-To-Spot-Bad-Science-Online-and-on-Social-Media-2970433" target="_blank">How To Spot Bad Science Online and on Social Media</a> to help any teacher who wants to be part of creating a generation of American citizens who recognize and dismiss bad science in their daily lives. Please download and use <span style="text-align: center;">it. Make change happen.</span><br />
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I'm joining with many other TpT teachers to offer resources for making positive social change, and for creating a kinder and more informed citizenry. Join us please. Download the "forever free" resources you can find on Teachers Pay Teachers, using the hashtags #kindnessnation and #weholdthesetruths in your search.<br />
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And I'm happy to also join in with a Secondary Smorgasbord Blog Hop Jan. 20 - 23rd<br />
Hosted by: <span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.24px;"> </span><a class="" dir="ltr" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elabuffet.com%2F&h=ATOhlORWGQn-qALqxizFTZMIXaWgu6LTAMv2bOngvm2TPtpDGFUUsJptetQLSXGNj7aEBjpnpHer1zyjk07pfHWySb9iZZ3CGTfq1DqorDw1v7hyrReCmZuxNG4Li1ZjmaApCgBsIfzE" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.24px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.elabuffet.com</a><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.24px;"> & </span><a class="" dir="ltr" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdesktoplearningadventures.blogspot.com%2F&h=ATOYndxds1nlIgWZAK9cH6JXTFZJl7Mzc1K_yzM1NcCcV0YA7dkj3WDSjFuzuBIgCSZV5i5hoHJsW_dTu_D-5m96gE9tX4J7efF_yZWvJKO4x3hDH8mGVmM5_5P2f19HXmFxyA-Cstg0" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.24px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://desktoplearningadventures.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6DIZ6r-Y7VUnLFDN82aLaAX3JewfO7xWAPluzoRUrxTX5vMwacELNFl9Qc3fBxwEkDQE9V1Zlt0VqY1NahPxAEuK_n7ik5sREt3AqIEkakHVzaa4skh-nUfYJ62HgJmsRFc2jFNxuJU/s1600/16002901_10202945989486049_5741985766664530184_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6DIZ6r-Y7VUnLFDN82aLaAX3JewfO7xWAPluzoRUrxTX5vMwacELNFl9Qc3fBxwEkDQE9V1Zlt0VqY1NahPxAEuK_n7ik5sREt3AqIEkakHVzaa4skh-nUfYJ62HgJmsRFc2jFNxuJU/s320/16002901_10202945989486049_5741985766664530184_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Links to other fabulous resources will rotate below<br />
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<a href="http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=689115" rel="nofollow" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up</a></div>
<script src="https://static.inlinkz.com/cs2.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <!-- end InLinkz script -->UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-5278943396716399042017-01-01T10:32:00.000-08:002017-01-01T10:32:14.249-08:00A New Year really IS a New Year! Boy THAT was the world's shortest holiday break! And now it's time to go back. Can I share a tip? Going back to school after a long holiday break really is like starting a new school year and you should treat it like one.<br />
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In my work as an instructional coach with struggling teachers I've seen what happens if you don't take some time to review with kids your expectations for behavior. Things go downhill in a hurry. It might sound ridiculous, but you really do need to re-teach your basic classroom routines, especially those that kids have been too relaxed with. Try framing it with kids as a chance to "start over". <br />
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Not only can they use that chance, but so can you. If there are changes in your organizational structure that you've been contemplating, such as introducing interactive notebooks, or getting serious about exit activities or warm-ups or making changes to your homework requirements, this is a PERFECT time to do that. You don't have to wait until next school year. Treat this coming week as if it IS a new school year. <br />
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If you're really not going to start new routines or new procedures, that's fine too. But you still need to revisit your existing management routines. If you take the time to do that, it will be worth it!<br />
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And about those lesson plans. I know. You just want ONE more day of holiday. You are SO not up for spending the day planning lessons. You might be desperately trying to figure out if you can make a curriculum connection to a popular movie. Or maybe you just want to haul out that giant review packet of worksheets... But no. That would not be the best idea you ever had.<br />
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You need to go back with something that is engaging for kids and delivers serious content in an effective way. That's not a description of your textbook, right? So here's an idea. I've put everything in my store on sale for one day only - today Jan. 1, 2017. Everything is 20% off - which really matters after blowing the budget for the holidays! Come take a look at engaging well-designed resources that will ease you back into the routine with NO PREP!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7iX_8gUYh3Fz4rh9ADnMgMBpSUE4Ap-4qOdLlfDDsnLCdMB0Ea8spK3OVOA3sGgj0ui1qM0jHJr0zR27V3Fm7xD0V7ZN_SomPK-b_IAYVo5IkEwKhbvpW3FrMftwsjWb0glW4CqgyLQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-01-01+at+10.10.12+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-6181755063835734792016-12-16T08:27:00.000-08:002016-12-16T08:27:17.477-08:00Day 5 of Holiday Cheer! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqRZv0hM0J2YzfwdrtjMTx9FmwgE66h8aGYn0CNq-cZ3P5efu16qA6TXCV54xkjSjwDh-u5CjR8TovzYRLDsLvYan8RxfZjFU2nI0cc8b8lVphsFmeDpziHRpRlwdn3RSADibeCC7Gg4/s1600/Slide6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqRZv0hM0J2YzfwdrtjMTx9FmwgE66h8aGYn0CNq-cZ3P5efu16qA6TXCV54xkjSjwDh-u5CjR8TovzYRLDsLvYan8RxfZjFU2nI0cc8b8lVphsFmeDpziHRpRlwdn3RSADibeCC7Gg4/s320/Slide6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you've been checking back every day this week to see what the new day of cheer has brought you, you're about to be rewarded!<br />
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Just click on the link below and you'll be taken to a ENORMOUS bundle of science teaching resources from many top science sellers on Teacher's Pay Teachers. <b>AND IT'S ALL FREE.</b><br />
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<b>Happy Holidays! </b><br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/w1mqc806cgqcf30/Holiday%20Cheer%202016%20-%20Secondary%20Science%20Resources.zip?dl=0" target="_blank">Click Here!</a><br />
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The file will be available until Dec. 19th. Thanks for all you do every day!UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-11957949235298051452016-12-15T10:51:00.001-08:002016-12-15T11:32:53.373-08:00Day 4 of Holiday Cheer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUI7p2XQrDH0vVJK_Hv0MhPVz0QTFloLSzIJvWvAF1VoIwMygJQjKYhZblD1fq9Av5E1rJUGpFjijXxB2B5TqCctuWFuiON_VkYDrPu30vQ7dtGuCUOCFmkcky4RQmXgDEpanqzO3BASs/s1600/Slide5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUI7p2XQrDH0vVJK_Hv0MhPVz0QTFloLSzIJvWvAF1VoIwMygJQjKYhZblD1fq9Av5E1rJUGpFjijXxB2B5TqCctuWFuiON_VkYDrPu30vQ7dtGuCUOCFmkcky4RQmXgDEpanqzO3BASs/s320/Slide5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We're almost to the finish line!<br />
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During the holiday, I hope you'll take time to relax. But when you start thinking about lesson planning consider this: Students of all ages are engaged by novel activities they haven't done often. And even secondary students enjoy coloring.<br />
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I'm going to make it easy for you to create a color-by-number activity for your next unit. It really doesn't matter what the unit is. If you can create multiple choices quiz questions for the unit, then you can create a color-by-number activity instead!<br />
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I've done the hard part for you. I've created the images and inserted editable text boxes into the sections of the picture. You will need the PowerPoint application. All you have to do is write questions and link the correct answer to the correct color. Complete instructions are included with each of my editable color-by-number templates.<br />
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<b>Today only: </b>Purchase one of my color-by-number editable templates from this list. Then, email me a copy of your TpT receipt to utahrootstpt@gmail.com - along with your request for a free template. <b>This offer is good ONLY on marked editable color-by-number templates from the list below. </b>It does not apply to non-editable products in which I have used my own color-by-number images. It does not apply to any bundle of color-by-number products.<br />
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<b>CHOOSE FROM THIS LIST! </b><br />
<b><br /></b> <b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-By-Number-Bat-Editable-2839947" target="_blank">Bat</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Wolf-Biomes-Series-4-2622777" target="_blank">Wolf</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Bear-Biomes-Series-3-2461116" target="_blank">Bear</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Camel-at-the-Oasis-Biomes-Series-2-2411064" target="_blank">Camel</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Giraffe-Biomes-Series-1-2299638" target="_blank">Giraffe</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-by-Number-Red-Fox-2235923" target="_blank">Red Fox</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Cats-Editable-1640654" target="_blank">Cats</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Animals-Editable-Template-1563492" target="_blank">Misc Animals</a></b>UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-51629528244651220862016-12-14T10:37:00.002-08:002016-12-14T10:37:28.773-08:00Day 3 of Holiday Cheer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RJfCTIaViUWG92fXU2b4iq1H6stuoPuslsdAzIMG1xfW32g-JZv30N_dBn9krLHk0ZwTqMbw-vUgWLWggXvXwHQHki9b2Y3fwkziC4wcteD-DynnvDIQ5cupIdRfcHpr_SNKi06Pbjw/s1600/Slide4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RJfCTIaViUWG92fXU2b4iq1H6stuoPuslsdAzIMG1xfW32g-JZv30N_dBn9krLHk0ZwTqMbw-vUgWLWggXvXwHQHki9b2Y3fwkziC4wcteD-DynnvDIQ5cupIdRfcHpr_SNKi06Pbjw/s320/Slide4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's hump day! (And for some, the last day before the holiday break!) I have to admit that being retired is especially sweet this week! <br />
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The last day or two before the holiday feels like hanging on by your fingernails. In the back of your mind, though, is the idea that somehow before you come back to school you'll have everything reorganized and come back rested and ready with a couple of weeks of lesson plans ready to go. Yeah, right. Chances are decent that you'll start thinking about coming back to school around Jan. 1st - maybe.<br />
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Why not REALLY be prepared this year? Take advantage of 25% off to get a bundle of resources that will give you a truly restful holiday, knowing you're all ready for coming back at the end of the holiday?<br />
Check out one of these bundles:<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chemistry-Unit-Bundle-2744497" target="_blank">Chemistry Unit </a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ecology-Unit-Resources-Bundle-2319330" target="_blank">Ecology Unit</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Heredity-and-Genetics-Unit-Resources-Bundle-1492983" target="_blank">Heredity/Genetics</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cell-Organelles-Bundle-Reading-Task-Cards-Playing-Cards-and-Bingo-1128020" target="_blank">Cell Organelles</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nonfiction-Reading-Passages-Bundle-2172485" target="_blank">Nonfiction Reading for Science</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nonfiction-Reading-Passages-Bundle-2172485" target="_blank">Pre-assessments and Reflections</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-by-Number-Mammals-Bundle-2709624" target="_blank">Make-Your-Own</a><br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-by-Number-Mammals-Bundle-2709624" target="_blank">Color-by-Number</a>UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-75342813399363141012016-12-13T06:13:00.000-08:002016-12-13T06:13:36.070-08:00Day 2 of Holiday Cheer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Tuesday! For Day 2 of the 5 Days of Cheer, I'm offering 50% off my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Genotypes-and-Punnett-Square-Practice-A-Holiday-Activity-2251899" target="_blank">Gingerbread Genetics activity! </a><br />
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The holiday party is over and it's time for the Gingerbread kids and parents to go home. But which kids go home with which parents?<br />
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Students use Punnett Squares to help them determine which kids and parents go home together. It's a great activity just before or just AFTER the holidays because of the storyline that the holiday party is over.<br />
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At 50% off, you'll pay only $1.75! UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-56406604557972495342016-12-11T19:30:00.001-08:002016-12-13T06:00:53.359-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Monday! <b>It's Day 1 of the 5 Days of Holiday Cheer promotion! </b></span><br />
If your lesson planning mojo is waning, (or if this morning's shower did not result in inspiration) come take a look around and <b>get 20% off anything in my store! </b> Check out these custom categories!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Earth-Space-204419" target="_blank">Earth Science</a> (and be sure to pick up my FREE Winter Solstice puzzle!)<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Chemistry-181032" target="_blank">Chemistry</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Environment-Ecology-200539" target="_blank">Environment/Ecology</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Heredity-Genetics-39914" target="_blank">Genetics</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Human-Body-72376" target="_blank">Human Body</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Classification-39919" target="_blank">Classification</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Nonfiction-Reading-Resources-237583" target="_blank">Nonfiction Reading for Science</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Cells-39915" target="_blank">Cells</a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Color-By-Number-187878" target="_blank">Color-by-Number</a><br />
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<br />UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0Utah, USA39.3209801 -111.0937311000000133.0518081 -121.4208796 45.5901521 -100.76658260000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-63446667055124222822016-11-12T15:14:00.002-08:002016-12-12T08:45:08.167-08:00HAPPY HOLIDAYS! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Cones-and-Needles-Realistic-Clip-Art-Illustrations-1730406" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsU0zh66ZOWXWTnDjwGIMW5bFPG50gE1hH-HJZGqyIFmnl7CKrbQsPG2AYvv5EBEaFpKjyVg3-tD5sD4lbXMax2yk0Cn0D2mZBMmH4JVqNZoD2Sx9mKyTB7uBbR4BuSZB_D79iRHZHT08/s320/Bristlecone+Pine+Cone+and+Needles+by+UtahRoots.png" width="207" /></a></span></td></tr>
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I'm so grateful for all of the support you've given me this year! Since we're all counting down for the last day of school before our winter break, I'd like to make the week a little bit brighter by offering some gifts, deals, and a big surprise on Friday! </div>
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<b>Every day from Dec. 12 - 15 I'll announce right here a holiday give-away or discount. </b>Each deal will only be good for one day, so you won't want to miss visiting my blog beginning tomorrow morning (Monday Dec. 12)! </div>
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-11248863684685097202016-11-12T15:14:00.000-08:002016-11-12T15:18:21.808-08:00A Safe ClassroomThis week many of my teacher friends have shared heart-breaking stories about the acts and expressions of hate they have witnessed in their schools and neighborhoods. All teachers want their students to feel safe, because we know that no child can learn when his or her basic need for physical and emotional safety is threatened. <br />
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I wanted to do something to help teachers help their students. I wanted them to have something they could use to reassure their students that they are safe in the classroom. And so I created two Safe Classroom door signs. One is in English and one is in Spanish. They're free. Just click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Safe-Classroom-Door-Sign-2873546" target="_blank">HERE</a> to be taken to the page where you can download them. (They're both in the same PDF file.)<br />
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I hope they'll help you and your students to re-establish or maintain a safe classroom community environment. Best wishes and virtual hugs to all of you. Now, more than ever, you have the most important job in the world. <br />
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<br />UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-75877312967046181632016-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:002016-08-08T10:17:43.664-07:00Secondary Science Sellers' Back To School Blog Hop 2016<br />
Welcome back! It's always a bit sad to see summer coming to and end, but I hope that it's balanced with that flutter of excitement about the new year with a fresh start and eagerness to try all the new ideas and resources you've been storing up for the new school year.<br />
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It's funny how we always think that no matter how well a unit or lesson went last year, there's gotta be a way to make it even better! We just can't pass up a new idea that we recognize as something our students will love and will learn from. I've been busy this summer creating and uploading some new resources for you, that I hope will give you that moment of recognition that "this is good". Here are a few of them:<br />
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<a href="http://temperate%20forest%20biome%20reading%2C%20mapping%2C%20and%20color-by-number/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2-_xphSDFOVf0f025n8yCZ_9Y41C6-tkq4LemyX5Vv0I2qQ6WNk95v6wCkSD0ihb7o6T24Botb47WVXkpbdhKvIqvTqE7ucVpt5gaW3U5RCX1ZZilgTjSvPdecQVGYB6xq4WD1_jnZg/s320/Temperate+Forest+Square+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is the latest in my biomes series. Like the others, it contains reading passages about the biome itself and about an iconic animal of the biome. In this case -the timber wolf. It also includes questions with a unique twist - the "answer sheet" is a color-by-number picture of a timber wolf! Students LOVE and stay engaged with learning when you give them a fun way to demonstrate their understanding!<br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline;">Temperate Forest Biome Reading, Mapping, and Color-By-Number</span><br />
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Would you like to create your own color-by-number worksheet for a different unit? Maybe you have a great idea for using the wolf for an endangered species unit. Or perhaps you have an idea for using it with a populations lesson. You can get an editable wolf to create your own color by number activity. Just click <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Color-By-Number-Wolf-Biomes-Series-4-2622777">HERE</a> to see the editable color by number wolf product. Or see <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Utahroots/Category/Color-By-Number-187878">my entire collection of color-by-number products HERE</a><br />
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another recent addition to my store is this <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Atomic-Structure-Tabbed-Flip-Book-for-Interactive-Notebooks-2670930">Atomic Structure Flip Book</a>. Each page provides a short explanation of one of these topics:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> 1. Parts of an atom</span><br />
<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> 2. Atomic Number</span><br />
<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> 3. Atomic Mass</span><br />
<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> 4. Electron Shells</span><br />
<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> 5. Ions and Isotopes</span><br />
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Each page also has a question or two for students to answer. It can be stapled as a flip book, or each tabbed page can be used </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;">for bell work or a quick end of lesson assessment. And it goes really well with the companion product <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Atomic-Structure-Task-Cards-2690330" target="_blank">Atomic Structure Task Cards</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;">You could get ALL of these new products (or any others you prefer) FREE by winning my </span><b style="color: #343434; font-family: times; font-size: 14pt;">$25 Rafflecopter Giveaway.</b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;"> Look below for details.</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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Entering is easy! <span style="font-weight: normal;">To enter my giveaway, just choose one of these options: </span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">1. Leave a comment on my blog about what you think is the toughest concept for your students to understand, or for you to teach. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">2. Follow me on Pinterest </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">3. Follow my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.</span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="0ee963e80" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0ee963e80/" id="rcwidget_ntj03g0n" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;">You could also get a chance to win <b>$100 worth of science teaching resources. </b> </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14pt;">To kick off this new school year, I've joined with some other Teachers Pay Teachers science teacher/sellers to hold Rafflecopter contests. After you enter my Rafflecopter giveaway, go to each blog pictured at the bottom of this post and enter their individual Rafflecopter giveaways. That makes <b>13 MORE chances to win </b>individual TpT gift cards. </span><br />
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-28976855544392264812016-08-02T11:25:00.001-07:002018-08-28T14:14:58.831-07:00When Wrong Answers Are More Important Than Right Ones<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">True or False? When water boils, the bubbles are air being released from the water. </span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYtOB_GdTRWQ4HTlvtcdG81yHWkMjW1e7FH24og3Hisc9IxZ8DQmoGB8XX4PYK9sofuaGy-wU_wxpGXAUySu-ipSON4wA9gFnD834wBqFArsyVpRjhHe3RtI1NlY0uXBinyXKyBMqVJQ/s1600/boiling+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1209" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYtOB_GdTRWQ4HTlvtcdG81yHWkMjW1e7FH24og3Hisc9IxZ8DQmoGB8XX4PYK9sofuaGy-wU_wxpGXAUySu-ipSON4wA9gFnD834wBqFArsyVpRjhHe3RtI1NlY0uXBinyXKyBMqVJQ/s400/boiling+water.jpg" width="301" /></a>In an American Association for the Advancement of Science survey, 29% of middle school students selected "true" on a similar question.<br />
<b><br /></b> In a class of 30 students, that means about <b>9 of your students would not really understand phase changes </b>well enough to know that the bubbles are water vapor, not "air".<br />
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But they've "learned" about phases of matter every year since kindergarten haven't they?<br />
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In theory, they have. But obviously, their <b>misconceptions are stronger </b>than accurate conceptions.<br />
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Just for fun, I asked a few non-science teacher adults that same question. All of them said the bubbles were air being released from the water. ALL of them. A couple of them, on reflection, corrected themselves. Still, it made me really think about the persistence and pervasiveness of misconceptions.<br />
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It made me realize that wrong answers can be more important to a good teacher than right answers. Wrong answers can actually make you a better teacher.</h3>
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A few years of teaching will definitely teach you a few common misconceptions. We probably all go out of our way to address those we know of when we are teaching.<br />
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But here's the problem with that. You might know that some students hold a specific misconception. But you don't know WHICH students hold that misconception.<br />
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Maybe none of them do. Maybe all of them do. <b>Unless you pre-assess, you'll never know. </b>And, because you're a science teacher, you probably don't hold many of the common misconceptions yourself. That fact, paradoxically, handicaps you by making it difficult to write a pre-assessment.<br />
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If you don't hold the common misconceptions yourself, how do you know what they are?<br />
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You can write a pre-assessment based on your own post-tests, or unit activities, but they will only assess whether students <i>know what you know. </i><b>They might not tell you what students believe <i>instead</i> of what you want them to know.</b> <br />
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Students don't come to you as empty vessels. They already have conceptions about things like the phases of matter, some of which are <i><b>misconceptions</b></i>. Pre-assessment shouldn't be just finding out that they have misconceptions. It should tell you what those misconceptions <i>are</i>.<br />
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To make pre-assessment a little easier for teachers, I did research on common scientific misconceptions held by different age groups of students and created several pre-assessments that you can use.<br />
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Here's an example from my<br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Matter-Unit-Pre-Assessment-Anticipation-Guide-1594574" target="_blank">Uncovering Student Misconceptions About Matter</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigakerTHn-MqFCpzifw85qdrDTpqrh8n7eSr7ajLOTQg1R0htRsF7aHDX7VKDSekHc7yLjBXOlVrzWCHtpfNrKXTRKfjRSVSTgHT2tbzeM0ZgNn5wlGu0hJv9tJFyf8YLL4S07GRwU9eY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.03.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigakerTHn-MqFCpzifw85qdrDTpqrh8n7eSr7ajLOTQg1R0htRsF7aHDX7VKDSekHc7yLjBXOlVrzWCHtpfNrKXTRKfjRSVSTgHT2tbzeM0ZgNn5wlGu0hJv9tJFyf8YLL4S07GRwU9eY/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.03.38+AM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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Students are also asked to self-identify how sure they are of their answer. That gives you a chance to identify the students who hold a misconception most firmly. On the back side, they are given an opportunity to further explain their answer to you, or to clarify why they selected their answer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcvclDrIQQzlANjNzwJob02I8C64i3xoxLZcfvXjUi4rgmGujTF_3cBw_7LfC8PvB3TMc-Ba5xOULneXuMzIf36sxM_7OqjEHUz6KPk58nrds8_3f5N9lsv5qyDOQViqFjoYKQO7Nq4A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.04.00+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcvclDrIQQzlANjNzwJob02I8C64i3xoxLZcfvXjUi4rgmGujTF_3cBw_7LfC8PvB3TMc-Ba5xOULneXuMzIf36sxM_7OqjEHUz6KPk58nrds8_3f5N9lsv5qyDOQViqFjoYKQO7Nq4A/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.04.00+AM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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To help you identify students who still hold a misconception at the end of your unit, before the unit test, you can return the pre-assessment to your students and have them reflection on the changes in their understanding. That will help you to see if they get the "right" answer but for the "wrong" reason. Then you can address lingering misconceptions before the unit exam.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eEs_QPIUan-1aBzBAjT1WpiKEByHPdZIwLghGZRpMY13kJZHIavv5iEbjKlEODPYHLqpxYI-fDeyWtvaWYohV1VwhPED_qR_xUohHKtaPEQkdUINmkrZTUl21IEnA1cT59hCu2WphNI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.04.46+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eEs_QPIUan-1aBzBAjT1WpiKEByHPdZIwLghGZRpMY13kJZHIavv5iEbjKlEODPYHLqpxYI-fDeyWtvaWYohV1VwhPED_qR_xUohHKtaPEQkdUINmkrZTUl21IEnA1cT59hCu2WphNI/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.04.46+AM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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A teacher guide is also included with an explanation of the misconceptions commonly held:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_W6Tl-KFDfiPUTIfcdulP4sC9pT6aN2SsdgECOFTEE29GZ_3jxGBzFcPUvjYXEyujQJI-nB7oc6uXW_32xux7wP7wA-krWA6mbGnxYkRxGCjp3iSsxgoA3_Cf0wVIFCVN4eH6G-7HbeE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.04.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_W6Tl-KFDfiPUTIfcdulP4sC9pT6aN2SsdgECOFTEE29GZ_3jxGBzFcPUvjYXEyujQJI-nB7oc6uXW_32xux7wP7wA-krWA6mbGnxYkRxGCjp3iSsxgoA3_Cf0wVIFCVN4eH6G-7HbeE/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.04.31+AM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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Check out my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Uncovering-Student-Misconceptions-in-Science-BUNDLE-1773007" target="_blank">Bundle of Pre-Assessments</a> for these units: Cells, Energy and Living Things, Matter, and Heredity.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w8mZYDRCHYI2RQ4kDbo233dYdY7-_HGAjYDlrH-ywnkiYR91o0Bm1sI1RbgNq8R6CpCIEArxnlWoD8i23Q6hsIX9bPVU-P1wKSj8YA145IqGPdTMJnvZqRCjj6dgXkHSEPlW3PscZLA/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-02+at+11.46.38+AM.png" width="305" /><br />
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<br />UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-68223100831351254302015-12-28T11:04:00.000-08:002015-12-29T09:50:30.088-08:00A Do-Over for the New Year.We've all been there. It's the end of the Christmas holidays and you're heading back to work, dreading the next few months with "that" class. The class full of kids who challenge you every day, and not in a good way. The class who, despite your best efforts, will not engage with your lessons. The class that can utterly destroy the best laid plans - and do it at light speed. You can have a do-over with that class. And January is the perfect time for it. <br />
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Here are some suggestions. They won't all work for you. None is a magic bullet. But your thoughtful consideration of them can give you a combination of ways to start over.</div>
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My suggestion is to choose from these ideas the ones that 'ring' with you and prepare to implement them before school starts again.</div>
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1. <b> Implement class meetings</b>. I know you're overwhelmed with the pressure to "get through" your curriculum. But just stop and think about how effective you are being right now, and the likelihood that things are going to improve between now and May if you don't make changes. <br />
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They won't get better. They'll get worse. So give up five minutes at the end of class once a week (or on those terrible days when the behavior in the classroom is intolerable to you), just to talk with kids. Let them know the good things you noticed. Let them know the things that happened that bothered you. And then be willing to listen to their critique. Kids are not diplomatic, but they are genuine. It's hard to take public critique of your teaching. But if you can swallow your pride and really listen, without letting it get under your skin and lashing out, you'll learn things that will make you a better teacher. With periodic class meetings you can communicate to students the things that bother you, and that they may not be aware they're doing. And you can learn from them things that you can change to improve their attitudes and behaviors.<br />
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2. <b> Change the setup</b>. Civil engineers watch how people utilize spaces. You should too. Think about the physical layout of your classroom, especially those places where traffic jams happen. Consider how you can improve the flow to get students to their seats more quickly and minimize the congestion. Congested areas are often the source of behavior problems. And anything that slows kids down as they enter the room means you can't start class on time. Moving furniture might be a solution, but perhaps finding a strategy to avoid having students delayed in that area of the room would be more effective. For example, perhaps the routine is for students to pick up handouts from a counter near the door. If kids pile up there, it delays a smooth entry to class and probably keeps you from starting class on time. Maybe it would be better to have collated stacks of handouts ready to distribute after everyone is seated. Think about the things that delay the start of your class and make a change for better efficiency and less congestion.<br />
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3. <b>Restructure the beginning of class</b>. In my job as an instructional coach with teachers who were really struggling, one thing was noticeable and nearly always present: a lack of structured routine. The first ten minutes of class are critical. While you are taking care of "administrivia" like attendance every student should be in their seat and quietly working. If they aren't working on something productive, they'll keep themselves entertained in less desirable ways, leaving you to repair the damage. Don't let that happen.<br />
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The challenge, of course, is finding the warm-up activities. I'll get you started with some that can be adapted for quite a few subject areas. It's a set of questions that I originally developed to give to parents. But I've had feedback from teachers telling me that they have used the questions successfully as writing prompts. Writing is important in every subject. So here's a <b>free</b> start for your warm up activities: <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Science-Car-Talk-Conversation-Starters-for-Parents-and-Kids-694861" target="_blank">Conversation Starters</a>. The picture below is a sample from the set.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl06hVFRoDoN3MVjXzN_q5AobaJCTjMdjftfNGILXcfPCxJeqvmkUo5CSUYK2z7UL2sQapYuIaHn6ye4vUKc1Xwrj3QqcKHNIQNDY-HI2cTBE_Z1e3JYNBC7zScGp6ODGYjSmvsD3wgC0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-12-28+at+11.41.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl06hVFRoDoN3MVjXzN_q5AobaJCTjMdjftfNGILXcfPCxJeqvmkUo5CSUYK2z7UL2sQapYuIaHn6ye4vUKc1Xwrj3QqcKHNIQNDY-HI2cTBE_Z1e3JYNBC7zScGp6ODGYjSmvsD3wgC0/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-12-28+at+11.41.41+AM.png" width="368" /></a></div>
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4. <b>Restructure the end of class.</b> We all have pressure to "get through" or "cover" our assigned curriculum. And we all have a tendency to feel more and more urgency to do that as the year progresses. We rush through the last few minutes of class in order to "teach" everything we have planned for the day. By doing that we might meet the goal of "covering" the material, but we're not effectively teaching it. <br />
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There's a memory effect called "primacy/recency". Basically it boils down to the fact that students remember best what they heard first and remember second best what they hear last. What they <i style="font-weight: bold;">hear</i> is not always what you said. Hearing requires attention. "Remember the quiz tomorrow!" shouted as students rush out the door will be neither attended to nor heard. <br />
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The solution is to stop "covering" the curriculum. Discipline yourself to leave ten minutes at the end of class for a summarization activity, such as an <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Exit-Cards-Exit-Tickets-for-Higher-Order-Thinking-1313430" target="_blank">exit card</a>, to hold students accountable for learning something every single day. If you hold them accountable - even with the briefest of summarization activities - their behavior during class will gradually improve. You don't have to spend a great deal of time correcting or grading those summarizing activities. Just sort them into three piles: Gets It, Kinda Gets It, and Doesn't Get It. Use the piles to help you decide what might need reteaching, and what seems to have been mastered. Give a minimal number of points for credit. I used three points, two points, and one point respectively, because it's not enough to hurt a student who was absent, but in my class, if accumulated over the course of a semester, it was enough to impact a grade. Because it was based on mastery of material, I felt comfortable using those points as part of a final grade, and by having points attached to it, students felt more inclined to complete the work - especially as they saw points accumulating.<br />
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5. <b>Require engagement.</b> Sounds easier said than done, right? Wanting it and requiring it are two different things. One great zero-prep method of requiring engagement was taught to me by a fabulous high school ESL teacher named Ali. <br />
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It is a strategy Ali called Ask Answer Add. She didn't use the strategy every day. Usually at the end of a class, but sometimes when she felt engagement waning during class, Ali would require every student in the room to ASK a question, ANSWER a question, or ADD to an answer given by another student. She just kept a roster and checked names during the activity. She'd start with a question about something she'd just taught. She'd ask for someone to answer. Then the other students could ADD to the answer, or ASK a follow-up question or a new question. Students quickly learn that it's a lot easier to ask, answer, or add at the beginning of the activity than it is at the end. Ali simply would not allow students the choice to disengage. She wouldn't let them leave class until they'd all responded in some way. I'm sure it took some practice. But students in her class learned to be ready to Ask, Answer, or Add whenever Ali decided it was time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2A9r8nPWn3iisnzWAhs7G0eBJm5mzXK3uuPqtrTSTg5vcr4OMBPn0f9vzv_3VFXJZrTQYSKvg3mm6TcAV4Crhc2aSPojrfJIly_L-HS6wtq8p5po4XxCBUFcs1FVLJ5Wef918raQdig/s1600/Slide01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2A9r8nPWn3iisnzWAhs7G0eBJm5mzXK3uuPqtrTSTg5vcr4OMBPn0f9vzv_3VFXJZrTQYSKvg3mm6TcAV4Crhc2aSPojrfJIly_L-HS6wtq8p5po4XxCBUFcs1FVLJ5Wef918raQdig/s400/Slide01.jpg" width="400" /></a>Another great way to require engagement takes a little more explanation. Check out the resource pictured to the right. They're called <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Response-Cards-for-Easy-Formative-Assessment-In-Any-Subject-846173" target="_blank">Response Cards</a>. Click on the link to see more about them.<br />
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The preview of the resource will give you the general idea of how it works. You can save yourself some time by purchasing the set of cards, but if you don't want to do that, or want to make your own, please feel free to just look at the preview and get the general gist.<br />
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6. <b>Review. </b>You probably went over your class rules and expectations during the first week of school. But it's important to do that again after every extended break. Take part of the first day back to school to greet your students and to have a simple conversation with them. Then review your expectations, introduce anything new that you've decided to implement, and enjoy your "new year" with your students!<br />
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9011712493550192866.post-26253890818252268192015-12-10T17:53:00.000-08:002015-12-10T17:53:34.366-08:00Winter SolsticeWe're getting close to the winter solstice (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere) and I'd happily trade places with someone in Australia right now! It's tooo dark and cold for me! To keep our spirits up in the darkest days of winter, my family celebrates Solstice with some close friends with an annual feast in which the foods are close to what might have been available to the ancient northern Europeans during the midwinter festivals to bring back the sun. My husband's Danish ancestry and my northern England ancestry give us a connection to those ancient peoples.<br />
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We cook either poultry or pork and serve it with barley, dark bread, and some kind of root vegetable which is served on plates (no trenchers) but without silverware (just our hands) and with only candles to light the house. This has been going on every winter solstice for 30 years, except when family obligations have kept us apart. One year, one of the couples brought mead to keep things authentic to northern Europe. Can't say any of us developed a real appreciation for fermented honey, but it was fun to try it!<br />
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Most years, my school is on holiday break by Dec. 21st or 22nd. But I always tried - no matter what unit I happened to be teaching - to bring in a little solstice fun before our break. So here's a FREE solstice related <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/One-Kind-Word-A-Free-Hidden-Message-Puzzle-for-Winter-Solstice-2252139" target="_blank">Hidden Message Puzzle</a> for you to download and share with your students. Just click on the link. <br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1WLbcZoa8FIah7y9suBvpwdXaZAEQBDkzMaffIXbzTDjmYjPZx2gRnHjTkDlzmhUedtL6uuxPKWk5qLxhz2HNC9gXcN38ktOHxoyCA653lKrWlCHKgHnB3e0XEUdR34HTQu6VmqZ4ko/s320/Slide1.png" width="320" /></div>
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And if you happen to be teaching genetics right now, you might enjoy this holiday activity that uses gingerbread kids and parents to practice using genotypes, phenotypes, and Punnett Squares.<br />
<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Genotypes-and-Punnett-Square-Practice-A-Holiday-Activity-2251899" target="_blank">Gingerbread Genotypes And Punnett Square Practice</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW881WKfBlaZzhKtYeJowwmwB7SGseK1HVnTTZ3k1ZWrUaUuhNKpJcioFCEOvRqNA8r53TZ56LXMnSRyt0v9pVa-BDybkNPi-Vncjr5iT97TRYgQ1Dha-1w3Krp1HJxVBvB-a-Gw-OLUI/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW881WKfBlaZzhKtYeJowwmwB7SGseK1HVnTTZ3k1ZWrUaUuhNKpJcioFCEOvRqNA8r53TZ56LXMnSRyt0v9pVa-BDybkNPi-Vncjr5iT97TRYgQ1Dha-1w3Krp1HJxVBvB-a-Gw-OLUI/s320/Slide1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Have a happy solstice and do whatever you need to do to make sure the sun comes back, won't you?<br />
Maybe host a solstice party of your own! :)<br />
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UtahRootshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485270059612142018noreply@blogger.com0