Snow Day!

It isn't even Thanksgiving Break yet and we're already got our first snow day, this is sure to be another crazy winter!

I do love winter though, just look at how pretty the trees look today!

My dog is enjoying the snow day today as well.

Also wanted to share some photos from class. My students have had a great year so far! Here is a forensic student practicing how to dust for fingerprints.

Once students mastered fingerprinting, they had a crime scene lab which including both latent and visible prints. It was set up like a Halloween party gone wrong. They had to figure out who was at the party, who the victims are, and who is the suspect... all based on fingerprint evidence!

Our last crime scene lab was about documenting the crime scene and looking for trace evidence.

I also started using Learning Targets with my Forensic Science classes this year. It is something I have done for many years with my Biology classes and they seem to really help students so I decided to design forensic ones as well. So far I have posted the first five chapters of them to TPT. Here are the fingerprint learning targets if you are interested, others are posted in my TPT store too. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Forensic-Science-Fingerprints-Learning-Targets-and-Review-Questions-1559712

Well, I have some more files that need typed and a driveway to shovel before my appointment later so I better get back to work! Happy Teaching!

Hello again

It has been several weeks since I last posted, which was not my intention. Shortly after my last post, we had two students get into a car accident very close to the school. One of the students died at the scene, another held on and fought but eventually passed away as well. It was a rough start to the school year and we had crisis counselors present on the first day of school. I had both of these girls in class in previous years, and they had just graduated as seniors. They both have siblings that still attend our school and one is in my class this year. The families have been so strong through all of this. While the entire community was devastated by their loss it was also amazing to see everyone come together and support the families.

Anyways, for some reason dealing with that, on top of the stresses of a new school year, just took away any desire I had to blog, but today I figured I would try to post something and thought I should start out by remembering our two students and explaining my absence. I still think of these girls often and I know from losing other students in the past it is not something you ever forget. In this particular case, I drive past the site of the accident daily on my way to work and see these crosses to represent them. I hope that students also see their crosses and not just remember their friends, but remember that life is precious and they need to drive safe.

So my last post also promised photos of my classroom pet, we have a handful this year!

At the end of summer I purchased 3 baby turtles- 2 red-ear sliders and 1 yellow belly slider. They are so adorable and my students just love them!

We also have bess beetles (left over from our zoology lab last year), a crayfish, a fish tank with guppies, and another fish tank with a betta fish and snails.

My classes have been going well overall, I have pretty good students this year! I will try to post more about some of our fun labs soon. I hope all of my teacher friends are also having a great school year!

Classroom Photos

So I went to school yesterday to start putting my classroom back together. It isn't 100% ready yet, nor am I, but it is coming along ;)

Here are some pics I took  before I left...

I tend to keep a cluttered desk. I just love school supplies and can't resist buying more every year. I especially love my snail tape dispenser and alligator stapler (I found both at Big Lots).

This is the bookshelf I keep much of my art supplies on. I HATE the color of it and wish I could paint it, but it is school property. I may try to put a border or something on it though if I can find the time.

The next two pics are the view from my desk. I have really large class sizes this year and will have students all the way to the back row! I feel terrible they have to be so far away! I may have to try a new table set-up, but I'm limited with these desks.

I have lots of fans in my classroom. We have no air-conditioning and my classroom doesn't have any windows! It was a pretty mild day yesterday and my classroom was 77 just with me working in there! For the first few weeks of school as well as end of the year, when the students are there, it always jumps to above 80 degrees and is pretty miserable.

This is my FAVORITE new addition to my classroom- a holder for all of my calculators! Last year I used magnetic bins and the students would always knock them down on accident. I'm hoping this will be more sturdy and I already love how cute it looks! Anyone know where I can get a super strong magnetic hook though so I don't have to use up all of my magnetic clips?

Here is the view from the back of the room. Like I said, I have larger class sizes this year and I feel terrible for whoever ends up having to sit way back here! :(

Here is just the end of my counter by the door. There isn't anything in the fish tank yet, but I wanted to set it up to let the water meet room temperature. I'll post again when I take my classroom pets into school :)

I also got my final teaching schedule yesterday, here it is:

I am not excited to have a first period study hall. They assigned me about 50 students, way too many to fit in my classroom, so I have to hold study hall in the cafeteria. This means I don't be able to get work done to set up for the day = huge bummer! Also, I will have to take daily attendance and lunch counts for A LOT of students = also not fun and likely time-consuming. Last reason I don't like 1st period study hall is that it encourages kids to procrastinate and not do their homework at home. I would have hated 1st  period study hall if I were a student! I'm hoping a few will get their schedules changed for that reason.

Well, today I need to finish my Forensic Science Syllabus and work on some other things for school. I can't believe we start on Monday already! Summer flew by!

TeachersPayTeachers (SALE) and Medina County Fair

So I finally finished two more PowerPoint Presentations for my Forensic Science class and posted them on TeachersPayTeachers. I have two more to finish and the series of 12 will be complete! You can find them all in my TPT Store here. Just in time too since I hear there will be a SALE Monday and Tuesday! :) Use the promo code "BTS14" at checkout to receive an additional 10% off all purchases.

I took a break from school work this weekend to go camping. My mom was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease so my family is going to sell our camper. We decided to make the most of these last few times we'll be there. It was a lot of fun. We went kayaking, had a campfire, and set off a sky lantern for the first time. I was terrified we'd set a wildfire but luckily did not!

We also took some time to go to the Medina County Fair. There was a great little animal show and I was able to interact with  a lot of the critters. I LOVE animals so this was a dream come true.

This is going to be another busy week. Tomorrow I need to buckle back down and get some school work done! Tuesday I have meeting at the zoo, Wednesday I am headed to Cleveland to see friends and family, Thursday I am going paddle boarding on Lake Erie, and Friday I leave for a family reunion in PA.

The following week is my last week of summer so I'm going to be VERY BUSY with schoolwork and setting up my classroom. Crazy how fast summer always flies by!

Summer is winding down

As summer is coming to a close, I can reflect on all of the awesome things I got to do this summer. Here are a few...

My trip to San Diego was great! The Teacher Workshop in Conservation was awesome! I was able to sleep in a tent at the San Diego Safari Park, feed a rhino and giraffes, do some super fun labs, and meet some great people!

While in San Diego, I also went kayaking and snorkeling in La Jolla, visited the San Diego Zoo and Birch Aquarium, and got to see sea lions in the wild! It was an amazing trip!

A week after returning home from San Diego, I went on a family trip to Chicago. I visited Shedd Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo! We also stopped at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on the drive there.

With all of these places I visit I look for ideas and buy items for my classroom. I am so excited to start off the new school year and implement everything!

One last exciting thing to share... I recently applied for the show Let's Ask America and made it through all of the rounds of auditions. This is me with one of the cards from my audition game. I filmed in my classroom but this pic I just took in my apartment as an afterthought to share. Now I am just waiting to hear back from producers if I have been picked to be on the show. Wish me luck!

Well, I probably should stop working on my blog and get back to work on my syllabi for school! Take care.

Codecadmey and TeacherLists

Females in high school who learn computer code with these online tutorials get to donate $100 to the classroom/teacher of their choice. Great opportunity! If you know female high school students please share this link: http://www.codecademy.com/donors-choose

Also, another website I found for teachers:

Check out TeacherLists. If you post your supply or teacher wish lists, there are tons of free supplies for teachers. http://www.teacherlists.com/schools/?tt!pID=2162&tt!bD=3540928_1