A Very Merry Milestone

Yes, that's right...
I reached a very big milestone on Teachers Pay Teachers this month.
Check out the blog post on TPT.

To celebrate, there will be some very cool FREEBIES, so make sure you are following the TPT Facebook page.  Click HERE to go to their Facebook page.

This really has been an incredible year and I am so thankful for the generous and loyal customers and followers.  I never thought over a year ago when I started this venture, what it could turn out to be.  After graduating from Texas Tech and receiving my Masters of Science, I thought, "well, now I've got some free time!"  NOT!!

I have filled most of my free time creating new products for the science classroom, blogging, pinning things on Pinterest, brainstorming new ideas of things I need to create, searching for clip art, etc...  This has become my 2nd job.  My classroom has always been my "creative outlet", but being able to actually have other people purchase and use the things I make just amazes me.  It's so nice to feel like other people and students are benefiting from my hard work and actually find it to be valuable.  Who woulda thunk it?!?!

I can't wait to see what the next year brings and I wish you all a prosperous 2014!  Thank you, thank you, thank you...I can't say it enough.

A Christmas Gift that Rocks!

With Christmas around the corner, I thought I'd share one of my recent crafty creations. On Black Friday, I came across a deal I just couldn't pass up.... A Silhouette Cameo with exclusive designer package for $249 (with tons of other goodies in the package)! I am still learning all that it can do, but I am having so much fun playing with it.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I discovered that my 9-year told nephew wanted to be a geologist when he grew up.  I commented that "if he was bad, I was going to give him a lump of coal or a bag of rocks for Christmas."  His mother told me that he might actually like that, since he wanted to be a geologist someday.  So with the new Cameo and my creative spark, I decided to put a gift together for him that would fuel this fire he had.

I dug through my rocks and minerals and put together two different boxes for him.  Here is the Rock Box:
And the Mineral Kit (which is my fave!), contains everything he needs to identify the 16 minerals.  I included a black light, hand lens, magnet, glass plate, black and white streak plate, and hand held microscope.
I also created a Geologist's Notebook for him to use to identify the minerals and keep careful notes about his observations (like good scientists do, of course).
Here you can see the clues I gave him.  I tried my best to simplify the clues for a 9-year old.



































Merry Christmas!  For all of my followers, stay tuned!  I have big news coming soon.  I reached a big milestone on Teachers Pay Teachers, so be watching out for some fun giveaways at the start of the new year.

STOP! Don't forget the reason...

We are all scrambling to finish buying and wrapping presents, putting the decorations around the house, putting the Elf on the Shelf in a new location each night for our children, passing out gifts to our students, should I continue??  The madness never seems to end!  It's easy to forget the real reason for this season, but take a moment to pause and listen to the true sounds and spirit of Christmas.  This video will give you chills (or in my case, happy tears).    

Share something meaningful with those you love - let the message be contagious.  Pause, be thankful and celebrate the Lord!  He is the reason for the season.

That's a Fact, Jack! Science Sorting Series

When students have to read a statement and determine whether it is fact or fiction, they are thinking deeply and critically.  My newest science series forces students to think about what they know about particular concepts and determine whether the given statement fits into that knowledge bank or not.  It is often more than just a simple true or false.  

For example, the statement "Oceanic crust is older than continental crust." requires students to think about the process of how and where crust is formed and then think about how this relates to the age of the crust.  After critically thinking about this statement, students should discover that the statement is false because oceanic crust is constantly being destroyed at subduction zones and reforming along divergent boundaries.  Continental crust is less dense and rises to form mountains, and is not destroyed by subduction.  For these reasons, continental crust is older. 

In each product I have provided several different versions of the activity.  One version allows the students to cut out and sort the cards themselves (and can either glue the sorted cards into their interactive science notebooks or have the teacher check answers.)  The second version can be printed, cut and laminated by the teacher ahead of time (allowing you to use it year after year).  For this version, I have also provided an answer sheet for students to record their answers.  If you need a time-saver method, just have the students shade the boxes that are false.    

To check out the first few products in the series, click HERE (or on any of the above images) to be taken directly to my store.

Building Strong, Young Scientists With A Year Of Observations and Inferences - Picture of the Week Activities

Try this!  Make at least 5 observations about the picture below.  Now, make at least 2 inferences based on those observations.  

     One of the most valuable skills young scientists need to develop is the ability to make careful observations based on what they see.  These are based on factual evidence and key details.  Often times, the brain automatically jumps to conclusions based on previous life-experiences, so you must teach young scientists to eliminate these biases and focus on the difference between an observation and an inference.  Observations must be factual and are collected using the five senses.  Inferences are conclusions based on those collected observations.  Teach your students that their inferences must be justified and explained using the collected observations.

     Over the past few weeks, I've been working on a product that will help you build better scientists.  It's called "Observe and Infer with Picture of the Week".  It is something that is simple to incorporate into your weekly schedule and if used consistently, you will begin to see better critical thinking, observing, inferring, writing, reading and speaking.  What teachers doesn't want that?

     Making detailed observations takes time.  Incorporate this activity into your weekly routine, so students come to expect it.  I would recommend that you begin the year, completing the Observe & Infer activity as a class, and gradually move to small groups, partners, or individuals as students become more comfortable and grasp the concept.  Even if you choose to have your students work individually, it is still important to continue giving your students the opportunity to share their observations and inferences with at least one other classmate.  I have included a student print-out that you may wish to use in the beginning to reinforce the expectations, but as the year progresses, you may wish to eliminate the print-outs and have students record their observations and inferences in their Interactive Science Notebooks.    

     This year-long activity will not only strengthen the observation and inferencing skills of your young scientists, but it will also make them better speakers, readers, and writers -  your language arts teachers will love you!  Teach your students to:

· speak and write in complete sentences

· justify your inferences with evidence from the picture (tell your inference/thinking followed by “because” and then your justification)

· Agree/disagree with your classmates (respectfully) and explain why you agree/disagree

· Use correct punctuation and grammar

     

What you get: 38 weeks of Observe and Infer pictures, student print-outs for all 38 weeks, 38 picture of the week slides for display in both PDF and PowerPoint formats.

TPT Huge CYBER Monday and Tuesday Sale

Teachers Pay Teachers is having a HUGE SALE for Cyber Monday and Tuesday.  To get 28% OFF all products in my store, head on over and fill up your virtual shopping cart.  Make sure you enter the promo code: CYBER to get the additional discount on top of the 20% sale I'm already having.

I have a new "Earth Science for Interactive Science Notebooks" product that you will want to add to your collection along with some new "Easy As Pie" activities and Exit Ticket ideas.

Don't Wrap Your Presents! Hide them!

Every year, I have several family members that ONLY want a gift card or in the case of this year, my mother wants a very specific, large gift that would be impossible to camouflage.  I feel so lame giving it to them....they know exactly what it is, so the mystery and surprise is lost.





Which lead me and my hubby to this idea....  Don't wrap the presents -- Hide them!  This year, we are going to make our loved ones go on a scavenger hunt to find their gifts.  Not all of the gifts...just the gift cards and over-sized gifts that would be impossible to hide.

So in the spirit of the season,  I thought I'd share the Christmas Scavenger Hunt Cards with my readers.  Click on THIS LINK to be taken directly to the download on Google Drive.  You can also download the freebie in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

I'd love to hear back on how the hunts went or ideas for cards to add.  I tried to include a little bit of everything for all ages.  (Note: Make sure you print to "fit" when your print menu pops up.)

Merry Christmas Y'All!

An Exit Ticket FREEBIE - Did You Get the Picture?

I just posted a new product freebie in my Teachers Pay Teachers store that I wanted to share with all of my blog readers.  It is an editable PDF form, which allows you to type into one text box and have the the text appear in all 4 text boxes on the page, saving you time and energy.  Simply decide on the main idea or concept that you were wanting your students to gain from your lesson and create a question to see if they got it....Get it?  "Did you get the picture?"

By the way... Have you heard about the big Cyber Monday and Tuesday sale on TPT?  It's gonna be a big one, so start scoping out all the items you want for your classroom and put them on your Wishlist.  Don't forget to visit the site on December 2 & 3 for the big sale!!  More info to come soon....and a friendly reminder.  (:

STEM Makes a Difference in Children's Lives

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides brand-new books to classrooms and community programs serving kids in need. They distribute over ten million books every year to children across the country, thanks in part to partners like Lockheed Martin.

Any educators serving students in need or working at a Title I school can sign up to get books for their kids – for free and at low cost – online: http://www.firstbook.org/receive-books

I am big supporter of STEM in the middle school classroom.  When Brian Minter of FirstBook offered this infographic to share with my readers, I jumped on the opportunity.  I know that the "STEM movement" is only on the cusp in some middle school classrooms, but I think FirstBook provides a great service to lower income schools in providing them with resources they may not otherwise have access to.

In working towards earning my Masters of Science in Multidisciplinary Science (STEM) from Texas Tech University, I became more and more aware of the many connections that exist between science and math.  It has dramatically impacted my teaching style and has made me a better science teacher.  Before, I would stick to my science standards that the state had laid out for me, without even being remotely aware of the standards being taught in the math classroom (right next door to me!).  I am embarrassed to say it now, but I know that there are others out there.

My expertise is science....I went to school and got a science degree... I wanted to be a science teacher, never a math teacher.    But how can you teach/do science without math?  And what real-life application does math have without some mention of science?  The answer is... you can't and it doesn't!

We, as science teachers need to do a better job of partnering up with our math teachers to find the common themes, use common vocabulary and find the connections that exist and make them clear and known to the students.  So many of my students for so many years have seen each content area as separate.  They ask "Why are we reading in science?", "Why do we have to use correct grammar in science", "Why are we doing math in science class?"  They truly think that subjects don't overlap or relate at all, which in my opinion is a huge travesty.  In the real world, there is no separation.  To do most jobs well, you need to be able to read, write, look at data, recognize when information being presented to you is not backed by substantial evidence and when it is.  In the real world, there are no distinct content areas.

Think this seems too overwhelming or don't know where to start?  Wait a minute...it truly is easy.

If you don't know where to start, simply look at the concepts you teach that involve math.  Make a list of these concepts and visit a math teacher.

What vocabulary do they use?  I was surprised to see that some of the vocabulary was exactly the same, while there were some terms that were similar, but without making the students aware of the similarity, they may have never made the connection.  

At what point in the year does the math teacher teach a similar concept or review this concept that was learned in previous years?  Will you (the science teacher) be the first one introducing the concept or will the math teacher?  If you come to the material first, what is the best way for you to teach the math portion?  Does the math teacher have any tricks?

What ideas in science are supported by the math concepts?  Calculating speed is a great example.  Recognizing that speed is a rate will reinforce what they are taught in math.  How does this rate look when graphically represented?  Force, mass, and acceleration calculations work as well.  Measurement is an obvious overlap and unless you live in the land of miracles, middle school kiddos still struggle with measurement.  Density, work, Newton's Laws, the list goes on and on.

Give kids a reason to use the math and I promise they will become more involved (even the most reluctant student.)

There are also a lot of math teachers who would benefit from this dialogue.  Students who struggle in seeing the value or application to the math they are learning might excel when shown what this math can be used for in the context of science.      

Give Thanks Middle School Giveaway!

Who doesn't love a giveaway? Well, Krystal from Lessons From The Middle and Kate from Kate's Classroom Cafe have teamed up to create giveaway just for middle school teachers, as a little thank you for all you do! I'm excited to be apart of this middle school giveaway and there are lots of fantastic prizes to be won! Let's get to it!

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Have a little free time? Try 94 Seconds.

I absolutely loathe having free time in my science class.  The way I figure it, if I have some "free" time, then there is probably something worthwhile my students could be learning.  This is also the time when they start acting up and/or annoying the heck out of me!  But there are always those occasions when MOST of my classes needed the entire class period to complete something, but 1 or 2 classes had an extra 5-10 minutes.  In these rare instances, I don't want to continue instruction, for fear that all of my classes will end up at different points by the end of the week and I won't be able to keep up with it all.  Can you say...nightmare!?!?

So enters in the best kid-friendly, time filler ever!  (ok...well, it's really good in my opinion.  I can be a bit dramatic at times.)

94 Seconds!  

It's one category, 1 letter, 1 word and 94 seconds to reach the highest score.

If you have an ipad in your classroom, just project that puppy on the screen, divide your class into 2-3 teams and game on.  And the best part in my opinion is that it's educational, yet the students don't even realize it.

How the game works:  Once you start the game, it will give you a category and a letter of the alphabet.  The students must come up with a word that could be classified into that category that also begins with that letter.  For example, if it said "fruits" & "S", some possible answers would be strawberry, starfruit, or star apple.  In fact, the more creative the answer, the greater the chances you have of earning more than 1 point for your answer.  Otherwise, a correct answer earns you 1 point.  The goal is to earn the most points within the 94 seconds.  I have seen different categories, such as chemical elements, fruits, vegetables, countries, state capitals, musical instruments, trees or shrubs, types of music, body parts, fish, and many more!  If you get "stumped", you can always "skip" the problem, but doing so takes away 3 seconds from your 94 seconds.

It tests your knowledge, activates your gray matter and is most of all - fun!  My students get so competitive and I love watching them run through the categories in their brain, looking for an answer that meets the criteria.

The learning continues....

Do you have any educational games that can be used as whole-class time fillers?

Walking Dead Lab

This past week we started our unit on force and motion.  One of the first introductory labs we did was a walking lab and to stay with the theme of Halloween and all things creepy, I decided to call it the Walking Dead Lab.  I am really NOT into the latest Zombie craze at all, but I thought it would be fun for the kids.

The kids had a blast.  I took them outside on the cool, fall Halloween Day (and many of them were already in costume because we were having a school spirit day and a pep rally later in the afternoon), so the mood was set.

In this lab, they were given different walking tasks, collected data on time and distance, then we went back to the classroom to graph the data.  It was a 1 1/2 day process, but totally worth it.  The students were able to see how their classmates motions were represented graphically.  I really feel like my students have a better grasp on the concepts of speed, velocity and acceleration now more than ever before.  They knew what a straight line on a distance vs. time graph meant because they had just participated in /performed it.  They saw what acceleration looked like on a graph as the line began taking shape as they plotted the data points.  What a powerful activity!

 If you're interested in purchasing this product from me and to see more, please visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store, by clicking on my pic below.

GRAPHICS by JW Illustrations © JESSICAWEIBLE.COM

Tracking Individual Successes in Middle School Science

For years, I've been trying to find a way to efficiently track data in the 8th grade classroom so that it would be not only meaningful to me, but most importantly meaningful to my students.  It needed to be student friendly so that they could take ownership in their own learning and know what their strengths and weaknesses were.

I HAVE FINALLY FOUND SOMETHING THAT WORKS!!

I've had these incentive charts (horizontal layout) for years, along with a ton of tiny circle stickers.  I never could figure out what to do with them...I used them a few times to let the students track the assignments they had completed when we were preparing for the STAAR test.  But I think I've finally found the perfect use for them!

I wrote the student names along the left side (by class) and the TEKS along the top (with a short, student friendly title of what the TEKS entailed).  For example: 8.7B  Moon Phases

Every 6 weeks, our district gives the students a Curriculum Based Assessment (or Benchmark test).  The test is broken down by the TEKS.  I use the data from this test to decide if a student has "mastered" a particular TEKS or not.  We have Eduphoria, which aggregates the data for us, so I am pretty fortunate, but this could be done by hand.  I only give a student a sticker for the TEKS if they showed 100% mastery.  For example, if there were 4 questions on the test that tested TEKS 8.7B and the student only got 3 of those questions correct, he/she would not earn that particular sticker.

As we begin to prepare for the STAAR test, this is a great visual for the students to see which TEKS are their stronger ones and which ones need some work.  I would rather tailor my STAAR prep to the individual student rather than the masses.

I find my students studying the boards in their "free time" to see how they compare to their classmates.  I have made it a motivational strategy and not a personal embarrassment for the kids.  Before posting them, we talked about the fact that EVERYONE has strengths and weaknesses and instead of pretending like they don't exist, the best way to get better and grow as a learner, is to acknowledge and address your weaknesses.  Don't live in denial...face your truth!  I also explained how the sticker only means 100% mastery and that an individual may have gotten 4 out of 5 questions right (which is nothing to be ashamed of at all), but it just wasn't deserving of a mastery sticker.  The students will never know exactly where their classmates fall in that percentage range (only if they had 100%).  

How do you track student data throughout the year?  I'd love to hear/see what other people do.  What works?  How do you get the students involved in the process so they take ownership?