It is turning out to be a stressful school year. Our school levy failed and now they are wanting to RIF a handful of teachers and enforce a 10% pay reduction for all staff, effective in January. It breaks my heart that the levy failed and now the district seems to be falling apart. I am working harder this year than ever. On top of my usual duties as biology teacher, department chair, and building tech coordinator, I have volunteered to be part of our OLWEUS bully prevention team. It is our first year implementing this program and it has been a lot more work than I expected. I put in about 3 hours per week in extra meetings for it, and additional time planning and typing documents. I think it will be great for our school and the students, it is just a lot of extra stress. Anyways, that is my explanation for why I have not been updating my blog here. Hopefully after the holidays when we have a better picture of the future of our jobs, I will have more time and motivation to update here. I've been trying a lot of new ideas in my classroom and they are working out great. My students scored extremely well on last year's end of course exams (my biology students helped me get the highest teacher ranking in our whole school!) and I hope my students this year will follow suit. I feel really great about what I do, I just wish I had more time and support for it all, and time to share it with you all. I have posted a few lessons in my TeachersPayTeachers store, and hopefully we will get a few snow days so I have time to post some more :)
Hope everyone is having a great year! Take care.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
2012 is off to a quick start
Wow, the school year has been so hectic and is flying by! I can't believe it has been 7 weeks already and we have Parent-Teacher conferences this week!
So far my year is off to a good start, I have 4 sections of regular bio, 1 section of AP Bio, and 1 study hall. I'm still serving as department chair and HS technology coordinator. I also am part of the committee starting the OLWEUS bully prevention program this school year- it has been a way bigger commitment than I anticipated and is eating up a lot of my afterschool time each week.
The most stressful part of school has been our upcoming levy. Our school is in financial trouble and is looking to cut many jobs. It is a scary time! Here is info on our upcoming levy and what will happen if it fails, http://demo15.schoolspan.com/5J598N34
I hope once the election is over and our OLWEUS program is in full swing I will have more time to post lessons on TpT. I feel like there is so much more I want to share with everyone! Plus it is nice getting a little extra cash, especially since I buy so much supplies out of my own pocket for my classroom and students.
Well, til then I leave you with a snapshot of my chalkboard. I draw a new design each day, last week was spirit day for homecoming so I made the board school spirit themed (the Falcon is our mascot).
Take care!
So far my year is off to a good start, I have 4 sections of regular bio, 1 section of AP Bio, and 1 study hall. I'm still serving as department chair and HS technology coordinator. I also am part of the committee starting the OLWEUS bully prevention program this school year- it has been a way bigger commitment than I anticipated and is eating up a lot of my afterschool time each week.
The most stressful part of school has been our upcoming levy. Our school is in financial trouble and is looking to cut many jobs. It is a scary time! Here is info on our upcoming levy and what will happen if it fails, http://demo15.schoolspan.com/5J598N34
I hope once the election is over and our OLWEUS program is in full swing I will have more time to post lessons on TpT. I feel like there is so much more I want to share with everyone! Plus it is nice getting a little extra cash, especially since I buy so much supplies out of my own pocket for my classroom and students.
Well, til then I leave you with a snapshot of my chalkboard. I draw a new design each day, last week was spirit day for homecoming so I made the board school spirit themed (the Falcon is our mascot).
Take care!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
End of Summer Update
Wow, I can't believe summer is just about over. I say it every year, but summer just flies by! I am going to Toledo and Detroit this weekend to fit in my last bit of summer fun. I'm going to visit the Detroit Zoo with a friend, should be a good time. I have a goal to visit a zoo in every state, so now I will be able to check Michigan off my list. I've already visited zoos in Ohio, Pennsylvania, DC, Maryland, Georgia, West Virginia, and Indiana.
Today I have a meeting at school about our new OLWEUS bullying prevention program. I am on the core team with 3 other teachers, the principal, and guidance counselor; it has been much more of a time commitment than I expected! Hopefully it will work once we implement it though so it is worth it. I don't think bullying is a huge problem in our school, but it still exists and needs to be stopped.
I'm hoping to get there a little bit before the meeting so I can run off copies. That is definitely one of the most tedious jobs as a teacher, I waste so much time standing by the copier! We used to be allowed to have students do it for us which was great, but my principal won't let us any more. So annoying!
In other news, I sold my first 2 lessons on TeachersPayTeachers, yay! I think their back to school sale really helped me out. I only made 66 cents on each purchase after TpT fees, sale discounts, etc. but hey, it is a start :)
Tonight I have to run to Lakeshore Learning Teacher store to buy a grade book and plan book, my school used to provide them but no longer does because of budget cuts, meaning more money out of my pocket. I've already spent $150 on back to school supplies... being a teacher is not cheap!
Well, hope you all have a great back to school week. We have meetings Monday/Tuesday and kids start Wednesday. I will try to update on how it all goes next week sometime. Good luck!!
Today I have a meeting at school about our new OLWEUS bullying prevention program. I am on the core team with 3 other teachers, the principal, and guidance counselor; it has been much more of a time commitment than I expected! Hopefully it will work once we implement it though so it is worth it. I don't think bullying is a huge problem in our school, but it still exists and needs to be stopped.
I'm hoping to get there a little bit before the meeting so I can run off copies. That is definitely one of the most tedious jobs as a teacher, I waste so much time standing by the copier! We used to be allowed to have students do it for us which was great, but my principal won't let us any more. So annoying!
In other news, I sold my first 2 lessons on TeachersPayTeachers, yay! I think their back to school sale really helped me out. I only made 66 cents on each purchase after TpT fees, sale discounts, etc. but hey, it is a start :)
Tonight I have to run to Lakeshore Learning Teacher store to buy a grade book and plan book, my school used to provide them but no longer does because of budget cuts, meaning more money out of my pocket. I've already spent $150 on back to school supplies... being a teacher is not cheap!
Well, hope you all have a great back to school week. We have meetings Monday/Tuesday and kids start Wednesday. I will try to update on how it all goes next week sometime. Good luck!!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Back to School & TpT
I hate when teachers pass around a blank notecard and have students write just the basics... don't they want to get to know their students better? Well, I decided to post my favorite back to school activity on TeachersPayTeachers, find it here. It includes the survey I give my students to get to know them and collect the basic info, as well as my review of graphing lesson and activity- it all ties together. Here are the previews:
There is also a big sale coming up on the website and I'm participating! So, if you've been wanting to purchase anything, now is your chance to get it for 28% off!! :)
There is also a big sale coming up on the website and I'm participating! So, if you've been wanting to purchase anything, now is your chance to get it for 28% off!! :)
Sunday, August 5, 2012
TpT Lab & eye dominance...
Looking up ideas for school and just found a lesson about eye dominance, I'm going to add this to my genetics lab, I think the kids will like it!
One inherited trait is eye dominance – the tendency to use one eye more than the other.
Here’s how you can test yourself for this trait. Try this:
1. Hold your hand out in front of you at arm’s length. Point your finger at an object across the room.
2. Close your right eye. With only your left eye open, observe how far your finger appears to move.
3. Repeat Step 2 with the right eye open.
4. With which eye did your finger seem to remain closer to the object? That eye is dominant.
... My right eye is dominant, which is dominant for you??
One inherited trait is eye dominance – the tendency to use one eye more than the other.
Here’s how you can test yourself for this trait. Try this:
1. Hold your hand out in front of you at arm’s length. Point your finger at an object across the room.
2. Close your right eye. With only your left eye open, observe how far your finger appears to move.
3. Repeat Step 2 with the right eye open.
4. With which eye did your finger seem to remain closer to the object? That eye is dominant.
... My right eye is dominant, which is dominant for you??
- Here is where I found the lesson, http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mini-Lab-The-Eyes-Have-It.
- I also found an article about it here http://www.springerlink.com/content/p1k2r20125426603/
- Here is my updated genetics phenotype survey lab on Teachers Pay Teachers. It includes this eye dominance trait, as well as 11 other genetic traits. PowerPoint, Student worksheet and graph, answer key, etc are all included. My students LOVE doing this lab! Here's a few previews:
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Olympics & Science
With the 2012 Olympics approaching it is neat to show students how science is being used, read about it here http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2012/06/chemistry-olympics
Monday, June 25, 2012
Landfill
Summer has been so busy I haven't had time to post lately!
Last week I took a class through Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District. The class was all about recycling and was very interesting! Part of the day we went on a field trip and saw a landfill. It was really neat to see and very surprising to me. It was as huge as I expected, but didn't smell nearly as bad. In fact, it didn't really smell at all! The areas of the landfill that are full are covered with tarps, which is what kept the bad smell to a minimum I think. I learned that at any given time they only expose about an acre of the landfill. Each day they compact the trash that is dropped off and cover it with dirt. In fact, our bus was driving on top of 80 feet of compacted trash and dirt. The landfill owns 921 acres but are only allowed to use 170 of it for trash, the surrounding area is a buffer and is actually gorgeous land full of trees, green grass, and lots of activites like hiking, fishing, etc. Here are a few pics from the day.
Anyways, that was my last class for this summer. I am going to spend the rest of my summer volunteering at the Akron Zoo, hanging out with friends, going camping, and who knows what else.
Expect a lot more updates in the fall, but for now, I will post neat things as I discover them.
Here is a neat link I found, called Science in the Kitchen. Enjoy! http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/science-in-the-kitchen/ I especially like the mini-lab called 'eating nails for breakfast' in which magnets are used to extract iron from cereal. Cool :)
Last week I took a class through Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District. The class was all about recycling and was very interesting! Part of the day we went on a field trip and saw a landfill. It was really neat to see and very surprising to me. It was as huge as I expected, but didn't smell nearly as bad. In fact, it didn't really smell at all! The areas of the landfill that are full are covered with tarps, which is what kept the bad smell to a minimum I think. I learned that at any given time they only expose about an acre of the landfill. Each day they compact the trash that is dropped off and cover it with dirt. In fact, our bus was driving on top of 80 feet of compacted trash and dirt. The landfill owns 921 acres but are only allowed to use 170 of it for trash, the surrounding area is a buffer and is actually gorgeous land full of trees, green grass, and lots of activites like hiking, fishing, etc. Here are a few pics from the day.
Anyways, that was my last class for this summer. I am going to spend the rest of my summer volunteering at the Akron Zoo, hanging out with friends, going camping, and who knows what else.
Expect a lot more updates in the fall, but for now, I will post neat things as I discover them.
Here is a neat link I found, called Science in the Kitchen. Enjoy! http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/science-in-the-kitchen/ I especially like the mini-lab called 'eating nails for breakfast' in which magnets are used to extract iron from cereal. Cool :)
Friday, June 15, 2012
Podcasting
A fellow teacher pointed out to me, our students are part of the 'ear-bud generation'. What better way to connect with them when they are not in school than by podcasting!
The whole idea used to intimidate me, but I took a short class on it and now I feel like I may want to try it. If you are like me and want to make a Pod cast for your students but have no idea where to begin... try http://www.spreaker.com/
This is a super easy, user-friendly, FREE website. All you need is a microphone (smart phones work too, just download their app). The website has everything you need to record yourself, and it posts it to a webpage that you students can access without having to sign up for anything. I can't tell you how easy it really is!!
I have always wanted to try podcasting for when I am absent from school. I hate taking sick days when I have lecture planned but this would be a great alternative if I could record it all in advance, and the substitute just hits play and flips through my PowerPoint slides for me.
This also sounds like a great option for absent students getting caught up, posting review sessions, or even a 'letter' to communicate with parents.
Also, when I give a BIG project with lots of oral directions, absent students have a tendency to feel overwhelmed and behind... this would be great for posting assignment directions for projects, webquests, etc.
I can also see uses for students on IEPS! Get a student volunteer (National Honor Society member, or even just someone wanting extra credit) to read handouts out loud and record them. Fabulous for struggling readers when our intervention specialist is not available! My school also has a problem finding readers for test days. Knowing this, I could record the test ahead of time myself (but not post it publicly of course) and let the students listen during the test.
I also want to point out, students don't need an i-pod to access your podcast. They could also use a computer with internet, smart phone, iPad, eBook, etc. All of my students have at least one of these items.
Anyways, I am very excited to try this, and I hope you are too! When I get around to making my first podcast, I will be sure to post the link for those wanting to see an example.
The whole idea used to intimidate me, but I took a short class on it and now I feel like I may want to try it. If you are like me and want to make a Pod cast for your students but have no idea where to begin... try http://www.spreaker.com/
This is a super easy, user-friendly, FREE website. All you need is a microphone (smart phones work too, just download their app). The website has everything you need to record yourself, and it posts it to a webpage that you students can access without having to sign up for anything. I can't tell you how easy it really is!!
I have always wanted to try podcasting for when I am absent from school. I hate taking sick days when I have lecture planned but this would be a great alternative if I could record it all in advance, and the substitute just hits play and flips through my PowerPoint slides for me.
This also sounds like a great option for absent students getting caught up, posting review sessions, or even a 'letter' to communicate with parents.
Also, when I give a BIG project with lots of oral directions, absent students have a tendency to feel overwhelmed and behind... this would be great for posting assignment directions for projects, webquests, etc.
I can also see uses for students on IEPS! Get a student volunteer (National Honor Society member, or even just someone wanting extra credit) to read handouts out loud and record them. Fabulous for struggling readers when our intervention specialist is not available! My school also has a problem finding readers for test days. Knowing this, I could record the test ahead of time myself (but not post it publicly of course) and let the students listen during the test.
I also want to point out, students don't need an i-pod to access your podcast. They could also use a computer with internet, smart phone, iPad, eBook, etc. All of my students have at least one of these items.
Anyways, I am very excited to try this, and I hope you are too! When I get around to making my first podcast, I will be sure to post the link for those wanting to see an example.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Texting
As a high school teacher I often hear the excuse, "I forgot we had a test/homework/etc" from my students... but no more excuses with this program!
Remind101 allows teachers to safely text students and parents reminders of due dates, class news, corrections, etc. Teachers create an account and are given instructions to give parents and students. If they choose, students and/or parents can go to the website and sign up for alerts. Teachers then can log in and send a text from the website, not a phone, so teachers aren't giving out their number or using up text messages on their phone plans. There is also no 'reply' feature so parents/students can't send any messages back. It is simply a quick reminder system that students are way more likely to check.
I'm going to run it by my principal first of course, but I think this sounds like a fabulous idea and I can't wait to try it this upcoming school year!!
And I almost forgot to mention... it is FREE :) I found a lot of other great free resources for teachers today also. Stay tuned, I will post about them in the upcoming days!
Remind101 allows teachers to safely text students and parents reminders of due dates, class news, corrections, etc. Teachers create an account and are given instructions to give parents and students. If they choose, students and/or parents can go to the website and sign up for alerts. Teachers then can log in and send a text from the website, not a phone, so teachers aren't giving out their number or using up text messages on their phone plans. There is also no 'reply' feature so parents/students can't send any messages back. It is simply a quick reminder system that students are way more likely to check.
I'm going to run it by my principal first of course, but I think this sounds like a fabulous idea and I can't wait to try it this upcoming school year!!
And I almost forgot to mention... it is FREE :) I found a lot of other great free resources for teachers today also. Stay tuned, I will post about them in the upcoming days!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Volcano in a cup
Found this neat little experiment here. If anyone tries it, please let me know how it goes...
Neat :)
| This is a model of how volcanoes work. |
|
Neat :)
Sweepstakes
What science teacher doesn't want to win a trip to the Galapagos Islands or Alaska?!?! Sounds like an amazing trip to me. Click here to enter.
I've been entering the contest daily. One of my facebook friends left me this message about it "I used to work for a travel company that was a tour operator for National Geographic Expeditions and I know this tour well. Lindblad does a great job. These contests are legit; I had a couple of sweepstakes winners on a tour I was on for Tanzania last year." So... hoping that one in a million chance I win :)
And while you are at the website, you might as well check out their free resources for teachers, including maps, activities, videos, and illustrations.
I've been entering the contest daily. One of my facebook friends left me this message about it "I used to work for a travel company that was a tour operator for National Geographic Expeditions and I know this tour well. Lindblad does a great job. These contests are legit; I had a couple of sweepstakes winners on a tour I was on for Tanzania last year." So... hoping that one in a million chance I win :)
And while you are at the website, you might as well check out their free resources for teachers, including maps, activities, videos, and illustrations.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Happy World Oceans Day!
Happy World Oceans Day!
I'm up early this morning to go volunteer at the Akron Zoo to celebrate! What are your plans? Don't have any? ... then check out http://worldoceansday.org/ to find an event in your area.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Good news!
I'm at it again, see I told you I just can't get my brain off school stuff, even in the summer!
Anyways, I have some good news. My principal was able to revise his PD budget for next year and buy the science department some high tech Vernier lab equipment! We ordered 6 of the labquest 2 interfaces and a handful of probes to go with it, as well as lab books. It will be a challenge learning how to use it all (that is where the PD money comes in!) and then teaching the kids, but this is real world science equipment- it will be so great for them to use it and be better prepared for college and the real world!
Anyways, I have some good news. My principal was able to revise his PD budget for next year and buy the science department some high tech Vernier lab equipment! We ordered 6 of the labquest 2 interfaces and a handful of probes to go with it, as well as lab books. It will be a challenge learning how to use it all (that is where the PD money comes in!) and then teaching the kids, but this is real world science equipment- it will be so great for them to use it and be better prepared for college and the real world!
The principal wants us to follow up and apply for some grants on our own, to get some additional training and equipment we want. I have never written a grant before and am a little intimidated by it, so we will see how that goes. I emailed the chemistry teacher this morning with some ideas so I will just await her response.
Lastly, I leave you with a link. This is a cool website called Scale of the Universe that gives a great glimpse of different sizes of things. It has really relaxing music too and it just pretty inspiring. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Day 2
Well, I got really motivated today and accomplished a few things...
1) I set up my teachers pay teachers account and uploaded 2 of my favorite activities. One of them is free so if you teach life science please go and download it :) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Miss-Abrams
2) I figured out how the coding works on this website and designed and installed my top logo and button. Now the site looks functional, yay! I had added the zebra print all over the background of the page too, but I thought it looked a little busy, so I opted to keep the simple blue instead.
Not sure how often I will update over the summer... I'm trying to take a break from all school related things. But I am signed up for a few classes so I will definitely blog about those. And if by chance I get motivated and work on more lessons or updates, I'll be sure to let you know (This is very likely, taking a break isn't really in my vocabulary).
In terms of preparing for next school year, I'm kind of paniced about all of the Advanced Placement Biology changes they just released. I feel like I finally got the hang of things, have students getting 5's on the AP test... and now the AP Board went and changed everything! Gosh, it seems like the education world is always doing that! I need to try to stay positive though, and look at it as inspiration for growth and improvement. But if there are any AP teachers out there who want to share in the struggle, feel free to contact me!
Well, til my next post... take care and stay cool!
1) I set up my teachers pay teachers account and uploaded 2 of my favorite activities. One of them is free so if you teach life science please go and download it :) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Miss-Abrams
2) I figured out how the coding works on this website and designed and installed my top logo and button. Now the site looks functional, yay! I had added the zebra print all over the background of the page too, but I thought it looked a little busy, so I opted to keep the simple blue instead.
Not sure how often I will update over the summer... I'm trying to take a break from all school related things. But I am signed up for a few classes so I will definitely blog about those. And if by chance I get motivated and work on more lessons or updates, I'll be sure to let you know (This is very likely, taking a break isn't really in my vocabulary).
In terms of preparing for next school year, I'm kind of paniced about all of the Advanced Placement Biology changes they just released. I feel like I finally got the hang of things, have students getting 5's on the AP test... and now the AP Board went and changed everything! Gosh, it seems like the education world is always doing that! I need to try to stay positive though, and look at it as inspiration for growth and improvement. But if there are any AP teachers out there who want to share in the struggle, feel free to contact me!
Well, til my next post... take care and stay cool!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Introduction
Hi, I'm Melissa, a high school biology teacher in rural Ohio. I just finished up my 9th year teaching Biology & Advanced Placement Biology. I also serve as department chair and building technology coordinator so during the school year I stay very busy!
Now that it is summer I am taking a class about blogging and teachers pay teachers, and have started this blog as part of the class.
The class is being instructed by Christina Decarbo from http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/. She's got a lot of great ideas, lessons, etc. so check out her blog!
Now that it is summer I am taking a class about blogging and teachers pay teachers, and have started this blog as part of the class.
The class is being instructed by Christina Decarbo from http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/. She's got a lot of great ideas, lessons, etc. so check out her blog!
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