Middle School Science

Did you check out the Science Spot? What did you think? Good stuff, huh?

Here's another website loaded with goodies: MiddleSchoolScience.Com. In order to get to the good stuff, click on the links just below the banner: Chemistry, Earth Science, Life Science, Physics. In addition to the wealth of activities, you might enjoy the information Liz provides regarding her students' lab notebooks. She's also recently added new interactive/online labs and activities for each curriculum area.

Happy searching and printing!

The Science Spot

If you aren't already familiar with the Science Spot, you MUST spend some time perusing it this summer. Tracy Trimpe has created this amazing website (and has been kind enough to share some of her great ideas with us on this very site) and I can't get enough of it. I have used so many of Tracy's ideas in my classroom, that I can't even begin to list them here.

Start by checking out The Science Classroom. There you will find not only ideas to use in your classroom, but also the student handouts, teacher notes, and any other paperwork that goes with the lesson. Just be forewarned... you'll want to make sure you have a ream of paper and a fairly fresh ink cartridge on hand... and a few binders or folders to put your papers in wouldn't hurt. You'll be printing that much... it's that good! I promise! I'm also fond of the Survivor Science section and have used it with my classes during the last week or so of the school year with only a few minor adjustments. Fun stuff.

I hope you check it out! Let me know how it goes and what you find. And don't forget to add it to your saved bookmarks!

ikeepbookmarks - An Assignment

You've been giving assignments for the last 10 months - now it's your turn to be on the receiving end!

If you're like me, you perform an online search, eventually find exactly what you're looking for, but then go on to something else and can never find that perfect site again. So, you tell me I'm a moron, I just need to create a bookmark or a favorite. True enough, but even when I'm conscientious enough to do just that, it never fails that the next time I'm looking for said website, I'm at a different computer than I was initially and I can't access my bookmark/favorite.

I'm planning to share several excellent websites with you over the next couple of weeks and I want to make sure you're able to find those sites whenever and wherever you are. So, before we delve into science websites, I want to introduce you to www.ikeepbookmarks.com If you create an account on this website, you can save your list of favorite websites there and access that list while online on any computer simply by visiting this site. You can even create a public account, in which you create a list of links to websites that can be accessed using just the account name (no password needed to access the list, only to add to it). Can you see the possibilities for your classroom and students as well as your personal life?

So, your assignment is to check out: www.ikeepbookmarks.com and set up your own account (if you don't have one already). Then you'll be all set when I start sharing some other sites with you in a few days!

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Short History of Nearly Everything

This is one of my FAVORITE books, and I'm not much of a non-fiction reader! Bill Bryson attempts to explore every branch of science and puts his findings (gathered from a wide variety of experts in each area) into conversational English that can be understood by middle school students. There are great passages in this book to share with your students within every area of the curriculum.

When I started reading this book, I used a pencil to underline and mark things I found remarkable or things I wanted to be able to locate to share with my students. After underlining the majority of the first chapter, I put the pencil away and just read. I think I read about half the book aloud to my husband, because there were just so many interesting facts that I had to share with someone and he was the someone nearest to me.

Add A Short History of Nearly Everything to your summer reading list - I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check it out from your local library, or, if you want your own copy to underline and otherwise mark, click on the link above to be taken to Amazon where you can purchase your own copy.

Back At It

First off, my apologies for an unannounced and very long hiatus. I was away for the month of April and was also starting to lose focus and inspiration. But... I'm back.

Summer months mean a break from school for most of you, and I'm going to change format here on the blog for the summer too. I'm going to use the summer to share some of my favorite, science related things with you... books, websites, products, etc.

I hope that you'll contine to browse the previous postings and make note of the wonderful ideas shared... lots of good ideas for the start of a new school year, when you're ready to face that thought! Feel free to continue to add your own ideas too, now that you have a little more time on your hands - I hope!