Did you say sale?

Back to school is right around the corner so it is the perfect time for a TPT Sale! If there is a product you've been eying, now is the time! Check out my store Biology, Zoology, and Forensic Science!

Vocabulary!

 Vocabulary is important in all subjects, but especially Biology! With the phasing out of textbooks, online dictionaries for vocabulary are great options. Here is a free online Biology Dictionary I definitely plan to share with my students, Biology Dictionary Online | BiologyOnline.com. It goes beyond just definitions and also includes videos, graphics, explanations and even quiz questions.

August is approaching...

School supplies have been in stores for weeks now and August is quickly approaching, which means it is time to get my head back in the game and start thinking about BACK TO SCHOOL!

Today I went through my new teacher planner (I found it on sale on Amazon) and wrote down important dates. I also created my class schedule signs to hang on my door and in my classroom. Since I'm teaching Forensics again this year (I rotate it yearly with Zoology), I decided to make a forensics-themed sign too.

I've also been wanting to update my Commonly Misspelled Science Words Poster to a digital version with more words that I could print and hang in my classroom. Here's the original I made a long time ago.

Here is the digital version I came up with, feel free to access my free version here or the fancier, paid, editable version on TPT.

Lastly, I've been going through some old links I saved and I wanted to share a few with you.

1. Turner's Graph of the Week https://www.turnersgraphoftheweek.com/ - Many students struggle with graphing and the more practice the better. However, I find it challenging to find real data sets that graph nicely for student practice. This teacher posts graphs weekly, and the archives go back years with old examples to use too, of relevant graphical data for students to interpret. This is a huge time saver and would also make for great, last minute sub plans!
2. Mammoth Science on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@mammothscience6518 - There are so many great YouTube channels out there. I added this one to my growing list that has quick explanations of Vocab and tough topics to post as quick reviews for students who need extra help.
3. Cryptic Killers Store on TPT https://www.amazon.com/stores/CrypticKillers/ - I found these Unsolved Murders Mystery Games that come with an evidence case file to help solve the case. The reviews were all fantastic so I purchased the Murder of a Millionaire case. I haven't tried it yet but I hope to soon then hopefully also try it out with my Forensic Science class sometime this year. If all goes well, there are many more sitting in an amazon list just waiting to be purchased. 

Well, it just hit 3am! I become a total night owl over the summer because these are just the hours my brain is most creative and I'm most productive. Soon I need to start making the switch back to getting up early which I am NOT looking forward to. During the school year, I don't define myself as an early bird (despite getting up at 4:25 daily), instead I definitely become a permanently exhausted pigeon! Which are you?

Time flies when you're having fun...

Wow, I've really neglected this blog over the years. However today I had a little motivation to make a post so why not!

A few updates to explain what I've been up to...

• Steve and I got married last summer at the Cleveland MetroParks Zoo in the rainforest building.
• We went on a dream honeymoon to Australia and spent three weeks seeing Sydney, Cairns, and Brisbane. We visited many zoos, the Blue Mountains, Daintree Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and many other bucket list locations in Australia! I got to feed, hold, and pet so many unique marsupials and other animals in zoos as well as observe them in the wild. It was absolutely amazing and a dream come true that I will never forget!
• I just finished up my 21st year teaching in our brand new school building. It was a big change and definitely hard to adjust at first but we love our new facilities!
• We're in the process of building a house in a nearby city that should be finished in late September. I'm not excited to move again but after 20+ years of living in apartments, I can't wait to actually paint the walls and decorate in our own space!

So as you can see, I've got a few good excuses for why I've been absent from blogging and why I'm going to continue with my busy schedule for a few more months at least.

Here are some pics from the above mentioned adventures:

   

          

Stay tuned for more teaching updates soon as I start switching out of summer mode back into school mode! Take care!

Year 19!

Today was the first day of school for my 19th year teaching! When did I become one of the old teachers on staff??? I'm mentoring two new teachers this year so it is always fun to see their fresh look at things.

 

Masks aren't required at my school (yet?) this year but as you can see I opted to wear one. I'm vaccinated, and because of the meds I'm on for my rheumatoid arthritis, I actually have already gotten the 3rd "booster" shot too. I'd still rather be extra cautious though, especially with cases in the county now rating as Extreme. Delta is scary. School just started today and our COVID dashboard already shows 14 active cases and more quarantines. :( I just hope my students can stay healthy and we can stay in person for learning this year.

Other exciting news is that this is the first year my students are 1:1, each having their own Chromebook! I think this will make life so much easier. We're also using GoGuardian this year so today was my first time trying that out. It will definitely keep students on their best behavior this year.

My first day of school seating tip. I always make seating charts in advance and do everything I can to help me learn names faster, for example if I have a Britney in 1st and another in 3rd period, I put them in the same seat each period. It becomes the 'Britney seat' and I learn their names much faster. If I had a Britney last year I may even put them in that same seat! Also, if I have the same student in study hall and biology, I give them the same assigned seat for both. I also print student names on colored paper. Pink paper for 1st period, Orange for 2nd, Yellow for 3rd... following the rainbow through the day, then I take the papers on the desks so students can quickly enter and find their seats. I keep them there a few days as I'm learning names too and ask students to make any corrections to the labels if they prefer to be called something else. Anyways, it works for me so maybe it will work for you too.

Well, there is no tired like first day of school teacher tired so I'm going to go rest up for another busy day tomorrow! Have a great school year and stay healthy!

2020-2021 Wrap Up

Year 18 of my teaching career is all wrapped up. You know it was a busy school year when I didn't find time to post even once. Eek! It was that kind of year.

Hybrid instruction was something I will never forget, it really forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and create a lot of new materials. Our school set up hybrid with half of the students at home M-W and in person Th/F, the other half in person M/T, and at home W-F. Teachers came in-person every day. It was difficult teaching while wearing a mask behind big sheets of plexiglass (especially on warm days when my classroom was 86 degrees and I had 5 fans going), but I did it! Never have my teacher tees been more accurate!

I kicked off this school year by receiving several awards from last school year, including Teacher of the Year again. Gosh, my coworkers are so kind to vote for me to win this several times during my career! I was also recognized for funding many Donors Choose projects and for that I have to thank my supportive friends and family, as well as many kind strangers, for supporting my students! 

Outside of all COVID-related challenges, this year was also eye-opening for me as I had a student in class with severe visual impairments. I am such a visual learner myself and I teach in so many visual and hands-on ways. It really made me think outside of the box on how I could teach Biology to someone who could not see. I spent a long time thinking about my lessons and modifying things, but in the end it made me a much better teacher! Eventually we learned that Zoom and Google Meet could solve a lot of our challenges; as I displayed things on my smart tv for other students to see, it allowed her to see it on her own technology and zoom in on it to make it a size she could see. My student was so appreciative too and really excelled in class! For our microscope unit, I wrote a DonorsChoose project that allowed me to purchase a microscope with a screen in place of the normal eyepiece. While the screen was even too small for her to see well, we could hook it up to her laptop and again she was able to zoom in. Imagine never being able to see normal-sized things, to now being able to see some of the tiniest creatures that exist and watch their heartbeat! It was pretty cool to witness. :)  

The last bit of excitement from this school year is that they broke ground on our new building. I cannot wait to finally teach in a building with air conditioning and other luxuries! It will take two more years to finish though... but it definitely something I'm looking forward to! Here is my best teacher-friend Jen and I on a tour of the construction site on teacher check-out day last week.

So far my summer is off to a PD-filled start. I learned how to make Boom Cards and posted my first set. I'm excited to create more this summer as I have so many ideas!

I also have been posting more materials to TeachersPayTeachers and I finally created a bundle to include my entire curriculum for Forensic Science and Zoology!

 

Well, I think that is all of my updates for now. To my teacher friends, CONGRATS ON SURVIVING ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT YEARS OF TEACHING! Rest, relax, and recharge this summer because back-to-school will be here again before we know it. Take care <3 

COVID Summer

Normally June and July are pretty relaxing months for teachers. School is out and we can unwind. I try to take a vacation and not think about anything school related for at least a month before I start back to planning again. This year is very different.

We ended the school year online due to COVID-19 closing Ohio schools for much of March through the remainder of the year. Our students missed out on spring sports, prom, awards assemblies, etc. Our seniors ended up having a socially distanced graduation that I decided to watch online instead of attending due to the risks of COVID.

Because I have decided not to travel due to the risks of COVID and I'm keeping my distance from friends and family, I've used my free time in June for a lot of online classes. It has been neat taking classes online through ZOOM. I've finished 17 hours so far and earned one graduate credit. I have at least 7 more hours of classes coming up so I'm making a dent in the hours for my IPDP. The classes have also helped give me some new ideas for if and when we do go online again.

Meetings! This is the big difference this summer. Instead of teachers and administrators relaxing and resting up we are now having to hold meetings and plan what the upcoming year may look like. Our Governor still has not put out guidelines for schools so we're just waiting to see what gets announced. In the meantime we have to develop several plans. Plan A is how to return to school safely if we're allowed. There are so many things to consider... wearing masks, hot classrooms with no windows, how to limit class sizes, how to keep students apart, what to do for students who need to stay at home, etc. The logistics of it seem impossible! Plan B is for 100% online instruction. In March we found out on a Friday that starting Monday everything would be online. It was a challenge but we did it. We knew our students though and they knew us and how our class operated. While we have some time to prepare now, we don't know our students yet, we don't have any relationships or routines established with them. We also don't know when or if an outbreak will happen in our community. It is hard to plan without knowing the details. And finally, there is also a Plan C needing developed for hybrid instruction. There are so many possibilities of what that could look like it that I have no idea where to begin. We're all looking for guidance in coming up with plans, but no one has the answers. It is going to be an interesting year!

Are you a teacher? I'd love to know what your school district is planning for fall or what you are doing to prepare for your classes.

In thinking about how I can start to get ready for the year, I realized labs will be challenging this year. Is it safe for students to share lab supplies, microscopes, etc.? I haven't found that answer yet so I've looked to Donors Choose and created a project to get some additional online learning tools.

My last challenge I should mention that I'm dealing with this summer is the escape of one of my classroom pets. As schools closed for COVID, I had a parent volunteer to take home my crayfish, hissing cockroaches, and millipedes. I brought home my fish and turtles. My classroom turtle tank at school was too heavy to easily transport home, so my two little turtles have been in a much smaller temporary tank. Well, this weekend when I went to visit my dad for Father's day, one escaped! My boyfriend and I have looked everywhere and cannot find it! This happened with my former turtles several years ago, one escaped while I was on a vacation. I couldn't find it and thought for sure it must have somehow escaped my apartment. After 10 days it decided to come out of hiding! So, knowing this happened once before I'm trying not to panic yet. While I have looked everywhere, like I did back then, I realize it could just be hiding really well. Last night I decided to build a ramp to try to lure it out of hiding while we slept. No luck. Anyways, I hope my turtle decides to come out of hiding soon and does not die!

Well, that is it for this update. Stay healthy this summer! Don't forget to wear your masks and sunscreen :)