First Day Handouts

Have you checked out our TPT store?  We have uploaded many handouts and forms for the first days of school today!!!   All files are completely editable!  Here are a few:


The Student/Parent Information Sheet.  This form has several questions for the parents about what motivates their children (be ready for the answers of food and money) ... sometimes you will learn thing you need to know that would not have been offered had you not asked.

The Potty Pass.  I gift my students to two trips to the restroom per six weeks.  I use these Potty Passes to keep track.  I copy the passes onto brightly colored cardstock and write the student's name in.  Any time they have to leave during the lesson they bring me their pass and I sign my initials over the box that says "Potty Pass."  When they are are they are out.  I often change a font or add a bioharzard symbol or microscope to be able to differentiate each six weeks at a glance.

High School Syllabus:  I use this same syllabus for all of my classes (Biology, AP Biology and Forensics).  It is easy to customize for your class and it sets your class apart from all the others!!

Copy Me Form:  I tend to be absent minded, so I have come up with a form for copies.  When I print/find something that needs to be copied, I paperclip this form to it, and put it under my to-do list, and write the copy on my to do list (in a perfect world).  This way when it is time to run copies, I don't have to spend time trying to figure out what I did with those copies ... 

Many of you have already bought our US History Syllabus,  Things to do Student Handout, First Day Information,  All about me, Grade sheet & Attendance Forms  and we thank you!! 

Stacy is hoping to be able to buy Tieks :)

Thank You!!!

We would like to say thank your for taking your time to read out ramblings. 

What Do Teachers Want?

I know ...another survey ...

I want to know what you want or need in your classroom and where you turn when you need something.  I feel we have shared a lot with you and now it's your turn!

Survey About Room Decor

If you have a minute or two we would love to hear from you!! We want to know what your room looks like and why!  There is another survey coming soon!  We really appreciate you reading and taking the time to complete to survey.

Forensics: Owl Pellets

I use owl pellets as a lab in my Forensic Anthropology unit!  I think this is a great analogy of how careful you would have to be in an excavation.  You may or may not find a complete skeleton.  You may have multiple skeletons.  You have to be very careful to not damage any of your "evidence."  And if you don't do your job thoroughly, you can leave a lot of evidence behind.

This is the owl pellet before it is broken up too much.  Most students are very timid and don't want to touch the owl pellet at the beginning.  After finding a few bones, most of them will get over it, and dig in.  I give the students a couple of pieces of white paper and a brown paper bag.  One pieces of paper is to work on.  One piece of paper is for the bones they find.  And the paper bag is for their "Trash"  which we do not throw away until the very end.  Often students need to go back through their trash before they turn in their final product.

Then students try to assemble the most complete skeleton they can.  

Some students pay attention to the details and make impressive looking reconstructions ....

Others see it all as "the blob of useless bones ..."  (This was actually the first time I had this after doing this lab for 4 years.)

Most of my kids said they did this in junior high, but were never asked to reconstruct, and most found this to be a very challenging task.  

I would love to find a great video about owl pellets, but haven't been able to find one that I love yet.

The Biggest Lie I Tell Myself ...

"This is the year ..."

This is the year that I remake everything ... and I keep everything ... and I won't have as much prep next year ... 

Have you said things like this?  The endless optimism is my everyday.  I do not think most people would characterize me as optimistic, but this blind hopefulness permeates most of my year and definitely the entire summer. 

I am currently re-working my forensics calendar, made a new interactive notebook set-up PowerPoint, and checked my AP scores!! 

This was the summer I was going to accomplish so much.  I did good today, but that is one day out of half the summer ... but, of course, I am still hopeful that I will get it all done!

Quote of the Week

So my big chalkboard I threw together at the end of last summer was a big hit.  I did not change it weekly, but I was close.  I forgot to take pictures every week, but maybe I will be better next year. (I am always so hopeful about being better next year!)  But here are a few that I put together in a video so you don't have to scroll forever :)