Printing Tips for INBs

The most daunting part about starting Interactive Notebooks in the classroom is the prep work - what do you do with the resources you already have? How do you modify existing things easily? Do I have to remake or buy EVERYTHING?

Absolutely not!

I have a few helpful tricks that have been an absolute lifesaver while switching to interactive notebooks.

Many teachers choose to keep their existing activities separate from the interactive notebook. For me, personally, the goal of the interactive notebook is to keep students organized and to have consistency within the classroom routine. Keeping a notebook as well as a set of separate activities breaks up the continuous routine of the classroom. To keep a consistent procedure and routine, almost everything done in class is kept in their notebook.

Tip #1: Adobe Acrobat is your Best Friend 

There are several features unique to Adobe Acrobat that will make your notebooking life so much easier! I may create something in Microsoft Word, but always be sure to save a copy as a PDF in order to use the Adobe Acrobat printing features.

1. Print 80% - any normal 8.5 x 11 paper can be shrunk by 80% to fit perfectly on a traditionally sized composition notebook page. Many copiers have the ability to shrink the size of a copy, but in Acrobat there is an option to print in that size as well. This allows you to take any single sided paper and have it fit perfectly in their notebook - no editing needed!

2. Print as Booklet - This was a game changer for me! In science, we have lots of "packets" for labs and activities - usually 2-3 pages. I did not want to use 2-3 pages in their notebook for a single lab. I would modify any activity or lab in Microsoft Word so that it utilizes three pages - being sure not to use a font smaller than 11 pt and making fonts larger as needed to use three pages. Then, save as a PDF and open in acrobat. When printing, select the "Booklet" option and it automatically prints it into a three page booklet, on one sheet of paper, that is blank on the back for gluing.

Tip #2: Adjust your Word Documents

There are also plenty of ways to modify your word documents without converting to PDF. These are tricks I use when creating new activities. Sometimes, when making these adjustments to existing documents, it can get frustrating.

1. Margins - Change the margins to 6" Wide and 8" Long. This will automatically make your document notebook sized!

2. Add Page Borders - Add page borders around the text to provide easy cut lines for students. Add borders then click "Options." Under the "Measure From" drop down menu, select "Text."

3. Fun Fonts - This is totally optional, but definitely one of my favorite things. There are tons of free fonts available online. Using fun fonts can jazz up title pages for activities. I always try to keep the directions and information in a simple font (like Century Gothic) for accessibility reasons, but love using fun fonts for titles!

Tip #3: Learn to Use Google Drive

I find INBs run so much smoother when they are incorporated within a collaborative team. It can seem like a huge amount of work to do alone, but many hands makes light work! I strongly recommend having a notebook "buddy" to work with - especially the first year of implementation!

1. Share! - Make a shared folder or team drive to share resources among all the teachers using notebooks in your team. Having an open, collaborative environment means students are getting the absolute best from the school.

2. Google Drawing - This is the least known tool in Google Drive, I think, but is one of my most used! Google Drawing is a more friendly version of paint. You can make flow charts and concept maps look professional and clean. You can modify images easily. You can create simple foldables easily (such as flaps).

3. Google Slides - Interactive Notebooks are a huge part in my overall classroom management. Almost every day in class you can see a Google Slides presentation projected on the board. It allows me to insert videos and timers seemlessly (no window changing!). It allows me to share my presentations easily with my team mates. I can edit the presentation from any computer.

Check out my post about how I use Google Slides as a part of my Classroom Management!

The Basics of Interactive Notebooks for Secondary Science

I have read SO many blog posts about interactive notebooks. When I first started teaching, I tried to copy the recommendations from others, but I wasn't fully committed and wasn't able to implement it the way I envisioned within my classroom.

Five years later, and interactive notebooks are an essential part of our everyday routine. I have used them with Ecology, Biology, and Chemistry for 9th and 10th graders. I have used them with SPED students, ESOL students, and regular ed. students. In ALL of these classes, it worked for me and our classroom routine.

The Key: Make it a routine, and do what works for you and your students.

I want to outline a few tips and tricks that have made my journey with interactive notebooks easier, as well as answer a few burning questions I know you all have been wondering.

Printing Tips for INBs

Setup for INBs

Sample Unit for Biology INBs

Why interactive notebooks? Why not binders, or packets, or...? 

I used to use binders and packets and folders, and I have never had as much organizational success as I have with interactive notebooks. Their ability to keep a notebook organized was the biggest draw for me!

With the exception of homework and lab conclusions (paragraph writing), every assignment and quiz is glued into their notebook. I give them time in class to cut and glue - always with a timer, to keep both myself and my students on track. I may give them 3 minutes at the beginning of class to cut the papers and 2 minutes at the end to glue - which gives me time to take attendance and do any other housekeeping I need to before class starts.

Do you provide all the materials?

Yes - essentially. The list of required supplies for my class is two composition notebooks (one per semester) and pens/pencils. The first week of school, we set up our first semester notebook and I keep their second semester notebook in my cabinet until January.

I have enough glue bottles and scissors for each student. I keep them in scrap bins to allow for easy trash pickup and there is one per table (I have 18 tables of 2). I also have a colored pencil bin for each table. Thankfully, my school has purchased many of the supplies for me, but I also buy supplies during back to school sales, garage sales, and the dollar tree. I buy one set of glue bottles for the year and refill them using gallons of glue (so much cheaper!). I also use tap-and-glue caps on the glue bottles which will save your students from having over-glued notebooks and will save you money! They're pricey, but I've been using the same caps for 3 years with zero problems!

If students don't like the off-brand colored pencils, the tiny scissors I supply, or my glue caps, I remind them they are always welcome to bring their own!

How do you grade your interactive notebooks?

As teachers, its our responsibility to provide frequent and meaningful feedback to our students. In my classroom, this comes in several forms. 

1. Weekly homework (1 page, not included in the notebook, given Monday and due Friday)
2. Sticker Checks
3. Quizzes
4. Notebook Checks

Sticker checks occur when we are doing in-class activities. I am a huge advocate of setting timers to keep students mindful of staying on task. I might chunk a large activity into smaller portions, set a timer, and have them raise their hand when they finish portion one. I walk to each student as they finish, quickly check their answers, and give them a sticker if they are correct (allowing them to move to the next section) or I give them some guidance for how to revise their answers and have them call me back after correcting. 

I typically give quizzes after each big concept. They are always 10 questions and all multiple choice, with mostly DOK 1s and a few 2s and 3s. Students turn in a bubble sheet to me for me to grade, but keep a copy of their quiz for their notebook. After students finish, we go over each question and students have the questions as reference when they are studying for the quiz. An important thing to note is that these are not the same questions as their unit tests, but usually lower level questions to check for understanding. 

Notebook Checks are almost always on the day of the test. Students turn in their notebook at the beginning of the class period and I grade specific assignments in them. I usually give students a list of what assignments need to be completed and could possibly be graded, although I typically grade fewer than what is on the list. Each assignment is graded for accuracy and entered as an individual assignment in the grade book. I do not grade them on neatness, having page numbers, etc. These are skills enforced throughout class, but not something I assess. Every single grade in my gradebook reflects what students know about the content and not their ability to follow directions or stay organized. 

Is this a lot of work for the teacher? Yes - but the bulk of it comes on test day, with only homework or writing assignments to grade in between. I am not inundated with a mountain of grading every single weekend.

Can students bring their notebook home?

ABSOLUTELY! I want them to use their notebook as a one-stop-shop for studying. However, I realize that organization is not a priority for many 9th graders. My expectation is that they have it in class every day. If they can be responsible for carrying it back and forth, they can, but I also keep crates in the back where they are welcome to keep their notebook if they feel like they cannot keep track of it.

How does it help establish a routine and promote organization?

This is the biggest impact for me! I teach mostly 9th graders who need a great deal of support in terms of organization and study skills. Here is a general list of expectations that are set up in my classroom from day 1 to help ensure our class runs smoothly, regardless of the activity. 

• Students check the board for a list of supplies needed and collect supplies from the bookshelf if needed
• Bell rings and I start the timer for their first task. Directions and timer are posted simultaneously thanks to Google Slides (Check out my post on how to do this!)
• Notebook pages are numbered and dated 
• Pages and Dates are posted on my class website so students can easily determine if they are missing something
• Notebooks are turned in before taking the test on test days.
• I give them time to cut/glue - with a timer - so there is no excuse to not have it done unless time is not being used wisely. 

Once this routine is established, beginning and end of class time as well as transitions goes so much smoother. Even if you are not doing Notebooks - these are great habits to enforce from day one and will help so much with classroom management.

Google Slides Saved my Classroom Management

The months of April and May are always challenging for teachers - there are no more vacations in sight, the kids are hyped up with spring fever, and state testing makes meaningful teaching feel impossible.

Google Slides has seriously saved my sanity this year - and it's SO simple! I wish I would have thought about it sooner as it is a total game changer in my classroom.

With the dreaded "Spring Fever" comes the inability for students to control their chatter. In 9th grade, the struggle is OH so real. I have always given time limits for tasks, but I was the one watching the clock and announcing the time. I then started using timers, but I always had kids look at the timer with 2 minutes left and ask... "What are we supposed to be doing?" It was a total mood killer when I felt like I was being a rock-star.

Enter Google Slides and the Power of YouTube Timers.

Google Slides makes it incredibly easy to insert any YouTube video into a presentation. Click "Insert" at the top and choose "Video" it will give you the option to search for a YouTube video or you can copy/paste a YouTube link. You can even insert videos that are saved on your Google Drive (awesome for any personal videos or student presentations).

Did you know that YouTube has TONS of different timers available? Type in "Five Minute Timer" to the search and you will see so many different options - silent timers, timers with music, various different colors and backgrounds, and different alarm sounds. I also have yet to find a timer amount that isn't there - including weird numbers like 7 minutes.

Instead of having a separate browser tab displaying one huge timer, you can now have it embedded into your Google Slides presentation! But, we still need to solve the problem of the dreaded "What are we supposed to be doing?" question.

I like to choose the slide layout "Section Title and Description" that displays a perfectly halved, yet still colorful and cute, layout. I use one half to place my inserted timer, and the other half to list the directions for what students should be doing.

 If there are multiple tasks, I number them by priority.

This simple change in routine has been a life saver for me. While planning, I can set up multiple tasks with various timers in the order of the lesson. It helps keep class on track so we don't loose track of time, gives students a reminder on what to do, and gives students a visual cue for how much time is remaining. 

You can also use the video feature to enter other YouTube videos you may want to show to the class. For example, there's a great YouTube video about Keystone Species, but I know that through the course of a discussion I will likely completely forget to open it in another tab or window to show to students. Problem Solved! I simply inserted it into Google Slides so when we arrived at an appropriate part of the lesson, I could play it without opening anything new!

Such a simple change for much more effective classroom management and time management in my classroom! Hopefully you find it helpful too!

Incentive Scratch-off Cards!!

I am a huge advocate for rewarding positive behavior, but I don't want to spend the money on maintaining a "goodie box" of candy, pencils, erasers, etc. all year long! I would much rather reward students with something fun and class oriented. I have given out homework passes before, and those work well, but this year I'm trying something new -- Incentive Scratch-Off Cards!

First, I made each of my cards using Microsoft Word. I could have made them prettier, fancier, and more colorful, but I'm a fan of simplicity sometimes! I managed to fit 18 on a page and printed them on white cardstock. I chose incentives that I can use for any of my classes -- since I teach two different grades and courses. I chose +5 pts on a Quiz, Vocabulary Pass, Classwork Pass, and Lab Pass. The best part is you can totally customize the options for your classroom, regardless of grade level! You could make rewards for treats like computer/iPad time, choosing their seat or group, front of the line, etc. So many options!

I cut out each of the cards using my handy dandy little paper trimmer (what would I do without that thing, seriously...). I then covered the reward portion with scotch tape. I could only find the satin gift-wrapping type, but experiment and see if other types work! You could also use clear contact paper or packing tape. Notice I only covered the portion with the reward, not the top heading section.

Next I had to mix a very specific concoction (insert sarcasm) of dishsoap and acrylic paint - I tried to use about 1 part dishsoap to 2 parts paint. I'm not sure it matters, but I used Palmolive original green dishsoap. I used boring grey paint, but you could really use any color! Mix them together, but not too vigorously or it makes a lot of bubbles.

Paint over the taped section of the incentive cards. Only the paint on the tape will scratch off. Don't worry if it doesn't cover perfectly with one coat! I didn't want to spend the time making them into perfect little designs, but you certainly could! Give them a few minutes between coats and keep adding coats until you can no longer read the words. It took me three coats.

Let them dry completely and try one out! How awesome is this? I think my kids are totally going to love them -- and I didn't need to buy any special supplies!

I plan on giving them out as rewards for winning games, staying on task on those particularly difficult days, or doing something awesome in class. I really want to make sure these are rewards for ALL my kids, not just my "A" students!

Let me know if you are going to try this out too! Endless possibilities for all grade levels!

Teaching with QR Codes

My husband insists that one of the reasons he loves me is because when I find a good idea, I become a bit obsessed with it. I see it as a fault, but that's not the point...

My newest "obsession" is utilizing QR codes in class. QR Codes Look like this and can be scanned with an app on any smartphone. Each QR code is specific to a link and will automatically bring up the linked webpage. There are many websites that will generate a free QR code for a link you provide.

I love them because it makes it so much easier for a student to find the exact article/website/video I want them to find. They don't have to type in a long website (and inevitably misspell some of the nonsense words) and they don't have to go to Google, search for XYZ, click link 47 on page 112... You get the idea. I find them to be faster than having them go to my classroom website for a link. They are easy and instant -- perfect for using in class!

Tonight, I was working on a CER writing assignment for my Biology class on Interactions in Communities. Part of the process is gathering evidence, so I started searching for articles, websites, or videos they could use to gather the evidence. Then I started thinking about how slim my chances of booking a computer lab for class on short notice would be... Then I thought about how lame the articles are without the stunning photos... Then I thought about the whining and groaning when I give them the articles that don't have pictures...

There has to be a better way!

Dramatics aside, this is the situation I've been in often so far this year. With a school of 3,000 students, computer use for an entire class is at a premium. I sometimes come up with ideas last minute and don't have the ability to get a computer lab last minute. Why not use the technology students already have in their pockets?

For the CER writing assignment, I decided to provide students with both the written form of the articles and the links to the online versions. I even included a few codes to videos on the topic. Since they are sharing a set of articles as a group, every person will have something to do, regardless of whether they have a smartphone. Those that do have a phone can easily share with their partner.

Utilizing smart phone technology has opened up so many possibilities in my classroom without the hassle of having to book technology.

My favorite ways to use QR codes in class: 

1. Self-Paced Videos: 

Lots of teachers (myself included) like to use a variety of videos to supplement instruction, many times providing a list of questions to answer while watching the video. We all know that students work at different paces. Why not give them a QR code to the video, have them use their headphones, and work through the video at their own pace!

2. Tutorials: 

For math-heavy chemistry units, I make tutorials on my SmartBoard for explanations on how to solve some of the trickier problems. Put a QR code next to tricky concepts on a study guide to provide easy access to remediation and help -- whether its linked to your own tutorial or another you find online.

3. Stations Labs: 

It can be tricky to incorporate variety in labs during the macrobiology units like Ecology. Try creating stations where students gather information from a variety of sources -- articles, websites, videos, text books -- and have them answer questions, create an illustration or graphic organizer at the end. You can use the QR code to provide links to any (or all) of the resources. I usually have some of them printed out, and others only online.

4. Provide Visuals: 

There are so many articles online that include stunning photography. I typically cut these out of my copies for class to save paper and because the pictures don't look that great being photo copied! At the bottom of the articles, I provide a QR code to the online version with a blurb saying "For the full article and awesome pictures, follow the link!"

These are my very basic ways of incorporating QR codes into my classroom. There are lots of teachers out there who go way above and beyond what I have just started to discover. I do not use them on everything -- although I probably could! -- but I think they provide a great way to bring technology into the classroom, give students some control over their learning and pacing, and to differentiate and "spice up" what would typically be less engaging.

Do you use QR codes? I would love to get some more ideas!

Tips and Tricks for Your Class Website!

If your school is anything like mine, then each teacher has a webpage for each of their courses. Perhaps you have your own, or share one between subjects, but regardless of how its set up, its important that your website is functional for both you and your students.

Determining the best method for providing information to students can be cumbersome, especially if you are still learning the basics of how the technology works. Because each school has their own website design and system, I can't give much specific help there. I can, however, give you a list of things to consider for your website and examples of what I use on my websites.

Our school uses D2L (Desire 2 Learn) as our website platform. In the past, I have used Moodle. It took me a while to transition from one to the other, but some of the basic design elements exist in all of them. I have two sites that I share with students -- one for Biology and one for Chemistry. These pages are only visible to me and my students. I also have a page that is shared among all the Chemistry teachers and another with the Biology teachers. It allows us to easily share resources with each other. I also have several other sites I share with other faculty groups. I spend the bulk of my time creating resources on my course pages for my students.

The landing page for my courses looks like this:

Each year I pick a new banner and color scheme (for my own personal excitement, in all truthfulness). I have the same color scheme on both pages, but the top banners are different. It helps me remember which page I'm working on, while still allowing me to share resources between them without them "clashing." 

So, here we go. 

Top 5 Tips for Class Websites

#1: Stick to a Theme

Much like your classroom, it's much more pleasant to look at a page that has a clear theme and color scheme. Use the same theme throughout -- including colors, fonts, and styling. Of course, some things cannot be changed (such as the colors on the Google calendar in the above picture), but if you can change it to match, do it. This will make your website clean and inviting. Students have a higher chance of looking through your website if its neatly laid out and organized than if it looks like a page of random things you found online and thought were cute. 

I tend to like things a bit more muted and calm, but if you like them bright and colorful then go for it, just make sure its still easy on the eyes and organized. 

#2: Stick to a Layout

Once you find a layout you like, stick to it. Changing things up to much will make it confusing for students to find what they need. After all, the website is for the student to use. If its confusing or changes weekly, its going to be frustrating for them -- especially students who are not so good with website navigation (those students still exist these days!). 

My website is built using widgets that can be moved around and reorganized. I play with the placement at the beginning of the year, before students are using it regularly, and look for a layout that neatly fits all necessary things -- calendar, content browser, and news box. Most other things I would want to add can be adjusted once those are in place. 

#3: Organize Your Files

Like #2, if a student cannot find what they need, it will be confusing for them. I organize my files by unit. 

Why is there only one unit folder so far? It's only the second week of school so we are still in unit 1. Although I have files on my page that are for later units, I don't make them visible or accessible to students until we are in that unit. Again, my goal is to minimize frustration. If a student sees ten folders of units they haven't heard of, they will get frustrated and not know where to look. If I limit it to only folders they have heard of, it makes it easier for them to recognize where to go and what to do. 

Typically, I keep past unit folders still visible for students after we are finished with the unit. When it comes to midterms or finals, students have access to go back and look at the previous units and I don't have to worry about hiding them and un-hiding them. 

Within each unit folder, I organize the information based on topic. I used to create a list of every single resource for that unit, but the list was huge and even though I could find that one video we watched last Tuesday in class, I knew students would not have as easy of a time. This year, I am making topic pages. When you open up the unit folder, you now see a list of topics instead of a list of resources. 

The top page says "From Class..." and is where I post a weekly synopsis with links to PowerPoints and Videos from class. I wanted this to be the go-to spot for students when they miss class or needed to review something specific from class. 

The topic pages typically have a short video on the top that highlights the topic. Some of them are videos we have watched in class, some of them are funny songs. The page needed something engaging for students, but still educational. 

Below the video is a short summary of the content. Sometimes it will have key vocabulary or an important equation. It's not a wall of text, but more like a short blurb. You don't want to overwhelm a student who is struggling with huge paragraphs of text. 

I then listed several helpful websites. Usually, these are websites that have interactive help that we don't use in class. Sometimes they are tutorial videos, other times they are educational online games. I like to link things they haven't seen before and could be both fun and helpful. 

Keep in mind that students could access the webpage from home or school, so be sure that the websites are accessible from school. YouTube videos are blocked at our school, so I provide a safeshare link for them to be able to watch them at school. 

For each topic, my goal was to create a one-stop-shop for everything that will help them learn, practice, and master it. 

#4: Multiple Links to Helpful Pages

If you notice, I have a unit 1 folder and also a "References" folder in my content browser. The references folder is full of reference pages for reoccuring topics in class such as metric conversions, graphing, CER Writing, and lab equipment. I even made a Homework Tips page. 

Of course, I hope that students will look at these pages whenever they are struggling, but I know that isn't the case. In order for them to get to the resource, I need to link to it from where I think it would be helpful for them. In my topic pages, I add links that go back to references pages and back to my "From Class..." page. 

If a student is struggling with graphing, they can click the graphing page and watch a helpful video. If they need more help, they can click the reference page. If they want to see the practice from class, they can click the classroom page. As long as a struggling student can remember which unit we are in and identify which topic they are struggling with, I try to make all the applicable resources available from that point. 

#5: Discuss it In Class

Although most students are wizards at navigating iPhone apps, text messages, and video games, not all students are wizards at navigating websites. The best way around this is to discuss the website in class. Show them what it looks like. Give them a tour at the end of class. Before a test, show them where resources are to study from. Show them the website often so they are familiar with it and learn the layout. 

The first week of school, I give my students a tour of the website. I let them know what's available online and I ask them to login and look at it for their homework (world's easiest homework?). Before a test, I remind them of what the website looks like and where to find the resources. 

Periodically I will put an online quiz or project on my website that students are required to submit for a grade. I typically give them a window of opportunity to turn it in, and at the end of class each day during the window, we review where to go to turn it in and how to do it. 

If you want students to use the website, you need to teach them how to do it. 

Class websites can be a great resource for students to supplement their classroom learning. Remember your goal is to make it easy for students to use. 

What do your class websites look like? What tips and tricks do you have?

First Week of School Recap, Tips, and Tricks

First week of school is officially over! I feel like I'm starting to get my teaching groove back. It usually takes a couple of weeks for me to feel the rhythm again. I'm feeling awesome about the first week right now though!

First, I will say that my students have been absolutely stellar so far! I know, it's a honeymoon phase, it will pass... but the amount of thought and participation and effort they put in this week really makes me excited for the rest of the year!

I wanted to give you all a quick recap of what I did this week and some tips and tricks for the first week back!

The first day is always the most challenging for me. You want to get started with content right away, but you also want them to learn the procedures and expectations for your class. You want to keep them engaged, but you have information from administration/department that you have to share.

My plan is to think of our 55 minute classes in a few chunks. 15 minutes for business, 35 minutes for science, 5 minutes for review.

15 minutes of business: On the first day, the students get a syllabus (school required) and I briefly highlight a few key things (late work, class website, required supplies). I also introduce myself and give a few interesting facts about myself and give the students a chance to ask questions about me. I absolutely hated icebreakers when I was in school, so I don't do any of those, but I do give them a chance to learn a little about me. I feel like it really helps them create a connection quickly. During the first 15 minutes, I also have them fill out their homework log information (I'll post about this later!).

35 minutes of science: For all subjects, I start with a bell ringer each day. At the beginning of this portion I explain how the bell ringers will work, what they papers will look like, and what they are expected to do. The first day bell ringer is really simple -- "What are you most nervous for in _____?" Sharing the answers really creates some great discussion and helps calm some nerves. On day two I usually ask what they are most excited for to keep them excited for the year.

The rest of this portion of the class period looks different depending on the subject. For biology, I start with any activity that gets them thinking like scientists -- making observations, asking questions, creating hypotheses. You can learn so much from them by having an open discussion and brainstorming. I love using the Amazon Fly story on the first day. Students can take the discussion in so many directions!

For chemistry, I do a fun demo. My favorites are the traffic light demo and dehydration of sugar by sulfuric acid. Both of them have results that are baffling to them at first and help to get them excited about the impending doom of chemistry. This year, I used the demo to set up and start talking about CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) writing. We did a quick example together, then they did one on their own related to the demo. I helped facilitate some ideas and get them on the right track.

5 minutes for review: The last five minutes, I review some basic procedures like what to do when they get into the classroom, what supplies they need, and the procedure for late work. I repeat this throughout the week as a call-and-response.

After the first day, things get easier since you have more time for content and less "business" to talk about. Sometime during the week I am sure to cover my classroom expectations. I made this fun presentation of classroom expectations using memes! It got at least a few giggles (high schoolers are a tough crowd...). I also start every class period reminding them of procedures. After the bell rings I will ask "What should you be doing right now?" to which they will hopefully respond "Answering the question on my yellow sheet!" (in other words, their bell ringer...).

Tips for a Smooth Transition Back to School

#1: Don't ignore your content! 

Find a way to include something content related into every day. Make sure its something engaging and interactive so they are able to use their social skills and brains a little!

#2: Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. 

If you want students to follow your procedures, repeat them over the first several days, weeks, and months of school! They need reminders and it will hold you accountable to sticking to your plan! I find simple call and response works great for this and you can easily fit it in at the beginning or end of class.

#3: Have a plan for everything. 

Before school starts, have a plan for everything -- late work, make-up tests, group work, bell-ringers. Remind students of what they need to do in these situations. It will help you keep your sanity later.

#4: Introduce Year-Long Themes

Are you going to be doing notebooking throughout the year? Introduce it the first week. Plan on utilizing CER writing? Introduce it the first week. Have an organizational system you want them to follow? Introduce it the first week. Have a specific note taking method? Introduce it the first week. 

Students need time to learn and adjust to the rhythm and procedures of not only your classroom, but in all of their classrooms! Be patient with them, keep class exciting, and you will be sure to have a great start to the year!

... Using Technology to Spice up Boring Topics

Most chemistry classes begin with talking about lab safety and lab equipment. These are necessary, but mundane and boring. In our high school, students are required to pass a safety and equipment quiz as well as return a safety contract before they can do the lab. For teachers, this means at least a week before we can do any labs involving heat, chemicals, or glassware. So how exactly can you keep students engaged and excited to come to class every day when you are going over boring safety rules and equipment?

I find that anything that allows students to talk to each other, create something, and use technology does a pretty good job of keeping their attention. For lab safety and equipment, I decided to assign them a video project. The groups of 2 were assigned three pieces of lab equipment and two safety rules. Their task was to explain what the equipment is used for and describe the safety rules and why its important. I gave them [almost] two full class periods to work on it -- day one for planning and day two for filming. Since this was during our first week of school, many students don't know each other yet so I didn't want them to have to worry about finding time outside of school to work together.

The videos were short -- some less than 30 seconds! -- but I told them that as long as they included all the information and were thorough, the length wouldn't matter. Some students decided to put their shining faces on camera, while others chose to use paper to create signs with pictures and descriptions. They had options about how they would like to create the video, so each student could cater to their strengths and feel comfortable. This was during the first week of school, so some anxieties were already high! Some groups were more artistic and theatrical, and others were more informative.

Students recorded the videos with their phones and uploaded them to our class page. I looked through them and compiled some of them to watch on Friday after they take their safety and equipment quiz. Here's an example of one of the videos:

And yes, I do tell them the rule is "no shenanigans." It seems to help them remember, and it gave me a cool catchphrase to use during labs. 

I think overall the students did really well with this assignment! They were working hard both days (at least most of them) and became familiar with some of the common equipment we will be using. It was a great break from the typical back to school stuff. 

What do you guys think? Do you have any tricks to spicing up boring topics?

... I Discovered Piktochart!

I love going to PD sessions, especially in the summer. This summer, I was part of a resource development team. Luckily, all of the team members got along extremely well. When the time came for our last meeting of the summer, we really did have so much fun. The best part of the team is that we all had extremely different talents and perspectives which allowed us to come up with some very creative lessons and activities.

The best part about that last PD session was the technology focus. For me, I was the technology guru in the group. I love finding new websites to play with, new online project ideas for students, and new ways to make existing lessons more engaging. During the PD, we were shown a resource to A MILLION (okay, not a million... but a lot!) of online resources targeted at different teaching strategies, such as assessment, classroom management, or vocabulary. We had time in the meeting to play around with a few. I was able to go through the lists pretty quickly, since many of them I had used before or at least heard of and had an idea of what they did. I took my time to explore new ones that I had never seen. There were a couple of really good ones that I have added to our class Symbaloo for future projects and assignments. And then there was one that I became obsessed with and spent the night playing with...

Piktochart. 

It is advertised as being a website to create your own infographics. That was cool enough for me to at least check it out. I find infographics eye catching and interesting, even if they are about something as mundane as the composition of dust, or the statisitics of doing laundry. They are just pretty, and have cool layouts, and all these fun facts... 

If I could somehow combine that engagement I feel when looking at them with something in class, it must be a win... but I'm not a graphic designer. I was not born with that artistic gene, so perhaps I was getting into something that I really didn't know anything about... oh well, worth a shot.. 

I sign up for free, and see that there are templates I can try out either as an infographic (which is a long continuous page, not ideal for printing out), a report (which prints well on A4, which I found out is printer paper... DING DING!), a banner, or a presentation. Honestly I ignored the last two when I looked at report. I picked a pretty template... then realized I'd likely want to print them out in black and white, so a colored background was not condusive... and chose a different template with a light background instead. 

The editing layout online is pretty straight forward. You can delete or edit everything from the template. I chose a few details, but deleted almost everything else. You can delete the extra pages too if you don't need them. There is a toolbar on the side with options for graphics, text, background, tools... Seems like everything you need is there. 

It was surprisingly easy to work with. They provide lots of guide-lines to help you line everything up in a pretty way. There is a shockingly nice array of fonts to pick from. There are photoframes and textframes you can customize to really personalize things. I had so much fun playing around with the layout, font combinations, and paging through the icons (there is actually a huge variety here -- many of which you can change the colors of, which is a plus). 

So why even bother playing with all this? What in the world could that be useful for? 

My original thought was to use them as handouts or reference pages. There are a lot of topics that come up at the beginning of the year that students need to remember all year long. I started with those topics -- CER Writing, Metric Conversions, Graphing, Significant Figures... 

I started working on my class period websites today, and realized that they would be perfect for making a reference section on the website. After creating them, you can download them as .png or .jpeg files, which make them super easy to embed online. This also meant that future pages could be done with more color if I'm going to post them only online. I'm thinking of making a class rules/procedures one to post online. I could even email it to parents then too, which would be great I think. 

All of the ones I have made so far can be found on my TpT store as FREE items! What teacher doesn't love freebies?

I need fuel for my current obsession. What other topics would this be great for? 

... I Do Homework Too!

I don't know about you, but I don't give tons of homework! Perhaps I'm crazy, perhaps this is brilliant -- I have no idea.

I've posted about homework before, but in case you haven't read that past post (though you should!) if I assign homework, I typically portion out part of the following day to go over the homework together especially if it is a math intensive homework like many of the chemistry ones are. 

When this is the case, I get to do homework too! Hooray! 

Practicing Stoichiometry

I'm not sure if this is because I'm a newbie teacher still, but when I assign several problems, I work through them, showing my work, just like I would expect my students to do. Why?

1. Easy Reference

I can easily see how to work through the problem so when I go to write it on the board, I can make sure its easy-to-read and organized. 

2. Pinpoint Trouble Problems

There always seems to be a tricky problem hidden within an otherwise straight forward assignment. The only way to remember and spot them is to do them yourself. If I'm spot checking homework, or looking for practice problems, I choose these problems first to see if students were able to handle them. 

3. Answer Keys for Students

During certain units, I will give students multiple sheets of practice problems to work on in class at their own pace, with a partner, or in groups. Since they can start and work on whichever problems they wish, I like to have an answer key available for them to check their work. I always show my work the way I expect students to show their work. When they check their answer and have the incorrect answer, they know to go back and find what they did wrong. I feel like this is silently reinforcing the reason for why they have to show their work (even though I mention it continuously). 

4. Extra Practice!

Some concepts get rusty when you wait an entire year between teaching them (gas laws anyone?). Doing the homework helps to remind my brain of how to work out the problems. I will be the first to admit that I have  made many mistakes while working through practice problems in front of class, but doing the homework ahead of time at least minimizes some of them. It's always good to brush up on skills! 

Do my other fellow teachers also do homework? How to you brush up on your skills and target tricky problems?

... Lab Day Today!

My chemistry students did a lab today that is one of the most intense labs they have done all year. The first semester of chemistry is mostly just the basics of matter and mixtures, but we don't talk too much about chemical reactions until second semester. This is the first lab we have done that involved a chemical reaction.

The lab we did involved a single displacement reaction of iron with copper (II) sulfate to produce copper and iron (II) sulfate. Students really seemed to like it since the copper (II) sulfate is a bright blue solution. Bright colors seem to catch their attention :) 

Typically, in order to do the lab students have to complete a pre-lab assignment that has questions about key prior knowledge and specific lab procedures. Instead of students doing the pre-lab on their own, we did it together in class. I also walked through the lab with them and explained techniques like decanting that were foreign to them. I do not normally take class time to go into that much detail, but this lab required it. It is a stoichiometry lab, so precision is absolutely necessary. I emphasized this to them as much as possible. 

Students walked in for lab day, I gave them a few last minute pointers and instructions, and they began working on the lab. It was quickly evident who was paying attention and who was not -- but we made it work. 

For the lab, students had to carefully measure out copper (II) sulfate, add distilled water, and heat it on a hot plate until it was fully dissolved. The reaction works best when the solid is completely dissolved and the solution doesn't boil. 

  

While the solution was still warm, they added iron filings and let the reaction sit for five minutes. Pretty quickly it was evident there was a chemical change -- strong odor, color change, solid forming. The originally bright blue solution turned a more brown-green color as the reaction occurred and copper solid formed. The solution is decanted into a waste container and the copper solid is washed and dried. 

The analysis portion of the lab asks students to compare the theoretical mole ratio (we did this together in class yesterday) with their experimental mole ratio. They have to perform several stoichiometry problems, calculate their percent yield and their percent error. 

To assess the chemistry labs, I give them an online quiz on our eClass platform and will also collect their lab to grade. The quiz is an easy way for students to see how well they understood the lab, since they are graded automatically and because it usually takes me a while to grade labs. I used this lab after we had spent several days practicing stoichiometry problems. This was their first chance at seeing why and how those calculations are actually used. 

This was my first year doing this lab, and I must say that I am impressed! For groups that followed directions correctly, their percent yield was pretty high -- although many of them lost some due to the decanting. This lab is available on my Teachers Pay Teachers website and includes teacher notes with supplies, safety precautions, and recommendations. 

I am hoping all the teachers out their had a great end to their week. I know I am personally ready for a weekend! What great things happened in your classes this week?

... Literacy Needs to Have a Place in Science

At my first teaching job, I not only taught science, but I also taught a reading intervention course. It was aimed at the very lowest readers in the school and the results were remarkable. It was a class completely disconnected from my other courses, but I enjoyed teaching it just as much. We worked with very simple books, very simple sentences, and broke them down word for word to get to their meaning. What they learned was astonishing.

My current position is only for science courses, but after having the experience teaching a reading intervention course I realized how extremely important literacy skills are, both reading and writing, even to high school students. This is an idea that is brought up in education courses but seems to get pushed aside when teachers are expected to teach a certain set of standards and have their students reach a certain benchmark. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day.

I am by no means an expert in this area, but it is an area that I am actively trying to improve in my teaching. I am trying to incorporate both reading and writing skills into each unit.

For me, the easiest way to incorporate reading is when we are discussing famous scientists. Each unit seems to have at least one -- Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, James Watson and Francis Crick, and the list goes on. Many textbooks have special sections to highlight these scientists and there are a lot of books and articles available that may highlight key points of their research. I try to find an excerpt that is relatable and has some  personality. Students who dislike reading or are not very strong readers it is especially important to give them a piece of reading that is approachable. If the introduction uses too many large, unknown words or if the language is too technical, they will lose interest and will either completely give up or will struggle through it and not gain any knowledge.

The key is finding a middle ground between what my students call a "baby book" -- that being a picture book usually, or a very simple piece of writing -- and a dense, dry technical piece from a research journal. It is trial and error at first. Your classes may not all be at the same point, but eventually you will be able to determine what types of readings work for each class.

As students read, I give them a simple method to organizing and remembering what they read. All they need is two colors -- either pens or highlighters. One color they use to underline or highlight things that were confusing, such as vocabulary words, difficult sentences, or overly technical language. The other color they use to underline or highlight main ideas -- important points, interesting facts, information that is new to the student, or summarizing sentences. I love this method because students do not need any extra papers or special writing utensils. When we discuss the reading, we start with the questions and confusing passages to help students piece together what it was talking about. As a class, we identify some key passages that helped them understand the article better. It's a great way to get students to read activity and provides clear places for discussions to start.

I like to follow reading assignments with written responses. I don't always like assigning them questions that have precise answers because students tend to just skim for the information; instead, I like to ask them to give their opinion or to summarize the main points. Often times I have them post these responses on our online class page (eClass for our school) so they can respond to each other and continue the discussion out of class. It's a great way to provide content enrichment without losing valuable class time that is needed for reviewing key concepts.

As we know, literacy involves not only reading, but also writing. I already have another post on one strategy I use to incorporate writing into each unit, called Let's Talk About DBQs

What are your literacy strategies? I would love to have more ideas in my arsenal!

... We are About to Start Stoichiometry!

All year in Chemistry I use the term stoichiometry to warn my students of things to come, so much so that it has almost become a joke between my students and I.

"I bet all these hard chemical equations make you really excited for stoichiometry!"

"If you think this is a lot of math, wait til stoichiometry!" 

Well, that day has come. We are beginning stoichiometry on Friday. To those who are not familiar with chemistry terminology, stoichiometry refers to the math involved with determining the quantities of compounds or elements in a reaction that are needed for the reaction to actually take place. It sounds more complicated than it is... sort of... It's one of those things that takes some practice but eventually student's get the hang of it. 

Today, we reviewed how to balance chemical equations, since that is what all of this math business is focused on. Tomorrow, it's on to mole-to-mole ratios. 

Before we jump into mole-to-mole ratios, I am going to take some time to discuss how to organize the work for their math problems. Many high school students -- especially those that are not great at math -- have their work written out so that it is messy, hard to follow, and not labeled correctly. They often complain about having to show their work -- "Why do I have to show my work if I just plug it in my calculator?" -- but my policy is No Work, No Credit, No Kidding!  I need to see not only that they got the write answer, but that they know how they got the right answer. 

I feel like this is important time to discuss with students a neater, easier to read way to show their work. Stoichiometry problems can be long and complicated, and this is the only way that I can decipher where they are making mistakes. Each teacher may have their own method of showing work. Some like the fraction version, other's it's boxes... for me I like creating a sort of table to organize my numerators and denominators and provide easy unit cancellation. An example problem is located below, to give you an idea of how I show my students to organize their work. 

When starting a unit that has been built up to be difficult and worrisome (let's face it, the name alone is terrifying), I think its important to give students some structure and go back to review the basics. It's a routine that they need to get used to quickly. My plan is to use this method of showing their work to do some review problems -- mole conversions -- so they see how it works and get into the routine. Hopefully by the time we begin the more difficult problems, they have already seen the merit in showing their work this way and can stay organized! It's so much nicer to have a cohesive method to be able to more effectively spot mistakes and provide help. 

I will let you all know how well my plan works! 

A copy of a mole ratio stoichiometry lab is posted on my Teachers Pay Teachers site. Check it out! Hopefully a post will be up soon about the lab specifically!