Time Lapse Video

I am a fan of some amazing time-lapse/stop-action videos on vine (you should check out Pinot, YellDesigns and Ian Padgham).  Well now with the new updates on the iPads I can make cool videos.  I should also give my sister-in-law major credit here.  She did a time lapse video of my 4-year old at breakfast - I loved it!  Back to school stuff ...

In forensics I teach my classes how to draw a room to scale as part of their crime scene sketch lessons.




This year I tried my first time-lapse with an example of a sketch of the room.  I also let the freshmen biology play with food coloring and capillary tubes.

Just for laughs ...

Have you ever had a day like this?



I love Bored Shorts!  I love that he mouths the answer ... I have been known to ask a question and after a period of silence I say, "It starts with an M ..." another period of silence ... and it ends in "itosis."

Argumentative Students

Do your students like to try to argue with you?

I went through an alternative certification program to become a teacher.  I had taught at colleges, and therefore was a little better armed than some of my cohorts.  As part of my alt. cert. program I had to take a course on classroom management.  I had the luck of having an instructor who had worked in some very tough school and went off-script from the ESC's  PowerPoint.  And thanks to that I walked away with some very valuable advice.

The most important and most point was not to argue with students.  I think the saying goes "Arguing with a teenager is like wrestling in the mud with a pig.  Sooner or later you figure out they are enjoying it."

The more you argue the more they know how to push your buttons .. and the more it becomes a game.  When you teach high school, it is easy to get drawn into an argument.  You can feel it happening.  You are the adult.  You are the authority figure.  You don't have to argue.  Stop it.  

I recently read a parenting blog where the mom said she used the phrase "asked and answered."  It seems to me that phrase could apply to my classroom almost as often as to my home.

What are your best strategies for students who want to argue with you?

Kahoot Review Game

Do you Kahoot?  I have no idea how I missed the memo on this one ... I love it.  My sister and sister-in-law told me about Kahoot this weekend.  Monday after school I made my first game.  My freshmen played today and I love it!

 

I made a quiz with 22 questions.  The first class made it through all the questions twice, but were just as into the second round as they were the first.  

I checked out an iPad cart for my class.  I think next time I will have them use their cell phones or change my seating arrangement because some of my lovelies were just watching what other people were choosing ... that's right ... cheating during a review game ... welcome to high school ... 

There are a lot of already made Kahoots, that may already be perfect for your class.You can check out my Kahoot over Biology since the beginning of the year. 

Try Kahoot out and let me know what you think.

Mitosis & Meiosis

My AP Biology and Biology Babes (freshmen) have been studying mitosis and meiosis.  I have hand motions, foldables, summary sheet, slide lab, pop bead models and micrographs.  What do you think is most interesting/lasting for your students?  Do you let them choose?

Forensics: Hulk Print

As part of the chapter on Fingerprints I have my students do a "Hulk Print."  They make fingerprints on balloons and then blow the balloon up and mark ridge characteristics, then deflate the balloon and keep the balloon in their notebook.

This year I found a big pack (72, 12 inch) of light colored balloons for $8. The big balloons allow students to make multiple prints on one balloon (in case of smudges).