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!