The reason for the seasons Do you teach seasons? It’s not normally part of my curriculum, but I always spend a day un-teaching equinox myths. There’s a lot of misunderstanding out there. Here are the things my students claim are true, until I straighten them out. Equinox Myths: You can balance an egg on theContinue reading “Equinox Myths”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Amazing Animal of the Week – Gila Monsters
This week’s amazing animal of the week is the Gila Monster. Gila Monsters are black and orange lizards which grow up to almost 2 feet in length and are one of the heaviest reptiles found in the Grand Canyon, weighing in at over 5 pounds. Their skin is covered in round, bead like scales andContinue reading “Amazing Animal of the Week – Gila Monsters”
How to Grade Papers Faster
If you knew how to grade papers faster, you’d be able to leave school on a Friday afternoon with an empty bag! I’m dreaming, right? Can anyone actually do that? I can. I haven’t graded one assignment outside of school hours in 5 years. Never. Not one. Look, during school hours, I work hard. ButContinue reading “How to Grade Papers Faster”
Women in Science – Rosalind Franklin
Since March is Women in History month, let’s celebrate some women in science. Rosalind Franklin was an English chemist who worked with x-ray crystallography to lay the foundation of Watson and Crick’s knowledge of the structure of DNA. In the early 1950s, Franklin worked with Maurice Wilkins on x-ray crystallography at King’s College. X-ray crystallographyContinue reading “Women in Science – Rosalind Franklin”
Amazing Animal of the Week – Lava Lizards!
This week’s Amazing Animal of the Week are the lava lizards of the Galapagos. Lava lizards range in size from 2-4 inches plus tail. Males are more colorful and have a crest of spined scales running down the length of the body. Females have a cheek patch of salmon to red when they reach reproductiveContinue reading “Amazing Animal of the Week – Lava Lizards!”
Space Rocks – A mini-unit about meteorites
Meteorites and impacts are fascinating. My students love them. Here are some lesson plans I use to engage my students in learning. Impact Lesson Plans Instead of calling this unit my “Geoscience” unit, I call it my Meteorite unit. Kids are instantly more engaged and curious. Here are some pieces I like to include: EngagingContinue reading “Space Rocks – A mini-unit about meteorites”
Tech Tuesday – Use Doctopus to Save Time!
Have you heard of Doctopus? It’s a great Google extension that can save you a ton of time grading papers. Here’s how to use Doctopus to save you grading time! Create an assignment in Google Classroom. Create a rubric in Google Sheets. The rubric can be as elaborate as you want but three rules mustContinue reading “Tech Tuesday – Use Doctopus to Save Time!”
Free Atomic Structure Interactive Notes
I’m offering my atomic structure interactive notes for free! It’s a 14 slide Google Slide resource with drag and drop features to help my students learn about atomic structure. The slide show includes: atomic structure protons, neutrons, electrons atomic number, atomic mass, mass number isotopes drawing an atom Why am I offering this for free?Continue reading “Free Atomic Structure Interactive Notes”
Why are glaciers blue?
Glaciers store almost 70% of the fresh water in the world and cover 10% of land area on Earth. If all of earth’s glaciers melted, the ocean level would increase 230 feet worldwide. 97% of the glaciers in the United States are in Alaska. Glaciers are beautiful, fragile environments, but do you know why glaciersContinue reading “Why are glaciers blue?”
Amazing Animal of the Week – Death Valley Pupfish
The Death Valley pupfish is a small species of fish found only in Death Valley. What makes the Death Valley pupfish this week’s amazing animal of the week is that they live in water that is 4 times more salty than even the ocean and can live in water that ranges in temperature from 32-116Continue reading “Amazing Animal of the Week – Death Valley Pupfish”