Wow…It’s Friday Nov. 9th and I’m struggling with eating and teaching. It is my friend Mrs. VanArsdale’s last day in school before she goes on maternity leave. I woke up extra early to grab food supplies from Wegman’s so I could help set up our delicious buffet. Because there was going to be so much food this morning, I didn’t eat breakfast so I was starving first block! I found a minute to get away and grab some Toffee Nut coffee. Some breakfast pizza also made its way into my hands.
My first block class did an excellent job identifying Sedimentary rocks. We investigated six rock samples and practiced using the reference tables. At the end of the lab, the students answered conclusion questions about sedimentary rocks and the processes which make them.
Second block we started learning about Igneous rocks. It can be challenging teaching more than one topic each day. Today, I am teaching three different 80min. lessons and somehow, so far, I have made a minimum of mistakes….I think I misspoke a few times but immediately corrected myself. Teaching has given me enormous mental flexibility.
Before my next block class, I need to pick up and organize the igneous rock lesson and pull out the sedimentary rock lab…again!
My weekend? Oh, it will be full of grading all the papers my students have handed in. Many well done, some not done with much thought. Good music and snacks should make grading a little more tolerable.
Miss C.
“Even if you don’t drink coffee, you must know how to make it for entertaining.” I let Max and Brandon in on the secret to making good coffee: follow the directions! The teachers I know can relate to this…heck, on an extra slow morning I’ll drink anyone’s burnt coffee, but on my quest to teach and inspire the future I felt this was wisdom that needed to be passed along.
I tossed and turned last night and had to just about throw myself out of bed this morning. When I got to work I b-lined it straight to VanArsdale’s room and made a big bad 12 cupper. Max and Brandon were given a quick coffee rant and a I even mixed in a few brewing tips. Once the coffee had dripped its last drop I enjoyed the sweet satisfaction of taking my full cup back to my classroom.
First block I graded papers, collected sedimentary rock samples from the earth science storage room, updated the grade book, stapled packets….yes, there are no staples in the copy machine again…then straightened and cleaned until I had to run out at 8:45. I had a one hour meeting at district office then I flew back to continue organizing, grading mineral tests and I set up media for 4th and 5th blocks.
Classes were extremely fun today. My students wanted to know about the technology conference I attended on Monday and they wanted to check out my blog…ok, I made them write the web address down so they were a bit more motivated to check out my first blog entry…hi everyone!
We checked out a fantastic site Spring Valley High School Earth Science. If you are reading this, check it out! There are animations, interactive final exams, labs, review and lesson resources. Parents can use the site to help their kids study and to learn a few things along with them. In high school, there are many parents that feel the content is getting to deep for them to be very involved…I say, dig in! I’m happy to help out any parent that wants help with our earth science content.
Its always a challenge to make learning about rocks exciting. I look forward to it because I think about the millions and BILLONS of years earth has existed…about 4 billion 600 million years…and to think that I’m holding a rock that is millions if not billions of years old is almost unbelievable. We will first be learning about sedimentary rocks. Today, we learned about some new vocab, completed four pages of notes and watched a 20min. movie. After the movie I showed them how to access the Spring Valley High School Earth Science website. Honestly, just type in Spring Valley High School Earth Science and it will be your first link.
Media is one of my favorite tools for getting kids involved. When students can use the laptops, interact with online tools, create and produce work they are excited about then we’re all having a great time and we’re learning.
After school I tutored for an hour then went home and made my first pot of chili. It came out GREAT! Here is my simple chili recipe:
1lb Ground Turkey
1pkg Chili Seasoning
2 Cans of Stew Tomatoes
1 Can Red Beans
1 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Green Pepper
1 Chopped Yellow Pepper
3 Cloves Garlic
4 Cups Vegi Juice…I bought the Wegmans brand
Shredded cheddar and sour cream to taste
I browned the turkey, drained the fat then literally threw everything in the pot. I diced the veggies, opened the cans and chucked it in. I turned the heat on medium and once it started boiling I covered the pot and turned it on low for about a half hour.
It’s time to iron my clothes and get some sleep.
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