decorating

Washi tape is like mini duct tape.  I started using it to focus on my things...

My students use the washi tape I give them to decorate their notebooks.  I do not mind.  They take pride in their work, can use them to organize and personalize.  The one who used all my tape to cover the front of her notebook bothers me.  "you could have used Duct tape...!"

I have some more I'm taking in to try to get my ...lazy...erhmm. challenging class working.

I also have some bought for my students as christmas presents.

old school

Why I practice writing now.

I have loved looking at people's journals.  I wondered why I could not do it.  Then I realized.  Try.

My handwriting has been bad, but the adult realized, practice, analyze.  Make it better.

planners

I am trying to get my students organized.  This means I have to be more so.

Here are some tools I use.  Many are from David Seah.

A Storyboard for films.  I use this to plan out any videos I make with ShowMe or Educreations.

Book outliner.  I use this when reading non fiction.  It really helped me to enjoy reading more and to make notes.  These I put into my personal journal for reference.

ATP, for Annoying Task Planner.  I have not used it much, but it is fun.  None of this "happy" thing it justs lists reasons for doing things.

Dream Maker.  I think I will lead my students through this.  It is a good planner
Part of doing a job is to make the plan.  Then follow through.

Emergent Task planner.  I realized I should use this for things I do.  Such as how much time I take making AIPs which takes no skill whatsoever.  There is a mini one too I put in my calendar.

RPg storage

I made the stencil from online and used craft paint with paper towels to make a griffin.  It is a book storage box. I used foam from work, that they donated along with the book/boxes my son gave me.  A kickstarter of gaming stuff inspired me.  this looks better than what photos show.  It has my dice, a journal, pens and minatures along with another slot under the journal.  The BSG journal is the smalled I have.  It took me time, gluing the leather cover, getting the foam in place (it involved a clamp) and lots of setting and covering.

paracord jig

From Instructable.

I plan on having an afternoon project for my students.

New map

Our maps have been wrong

Peters projection map

I love this graphic showing relative size of things.

I'm slow

Why did I not do this before?

Print the elements, laminate them, use the selection for differen assignments.  Our librari...erum...media specilist will be happy to laminate them.  And you can customize them.  I will only print the ones I normally use, not the synthetics.

element cards

I am looking around the web for ideas.  I came up with this for printing on business card stock to give to students.  Lets see what happens.

interesting idea from the web.

oooh only if we could...

I am having my chemistry students make a slide presentation of a chemical environmental hazard.  Possible subjects are "phossy jaw",  "radium girls", Bhopal India battery factory accident, etc.

I was helping a student get some ideas by suggesting Brownsville, Texas.  A town with a high rate of babies born without brain stems.  Students were asking questions while student was looking up the information.  I opined that the child of the singer Prince had that malady and the hard decision of letting the child die without heroic measures was done.

My beauty pagent, cheerleader, black barbie student was appalled.  "couldn't they do something?  Like a brain transplant."  I understand that she really meant she wanted a place where no children would die.

I have rarely held my tongue so hard....*no darling, if they could you'd be first in line.*

product review for those with old eyes

I have had to wear glasses since I was in first grade, a short break as my far sighted became nearsighted.  After my cataract surgery last year, there was a price.  I do not have to wear glasses but close up was sacrificed.  I have reading, which I use when I have to, and then when I think about it; and distance for driving.  One doctor says I'm okay the other says no.  Oh well, I bought the glasses and they are in my car and the reading in my carry bag.

But still since I teach science I have to look at small things.  And I want to excite my students

hence this...

Satech LED magnifier.  I bought it through Amazon.  I thought it was smaller, but it definitately does the job.  My husband wants one of his own when he is going through small print, so I have one in the Amazon cart.  I am thinking about putting a paracord knot around the outside.  Look at the difference in the magnification and the ease of seeing.

The LED light turns on when you push down.  push light on.  push light off.  and there is a control to turn it off so it does not turn on in a bag.

If  and when I show this to my students tomorrow, I will have to pry this out of their hands.

rural town

Student in the morning, "I hit a duck driving to school."

(relax according to student the duck just stumbled away.)

pens

In spite of my poor handwriting, which I'm trying to fix, I have a fascination with pens.  Normally I use the micron's but the 0.8 size I have to order online.  I found some at an office supply store.  Interesting green color, with mile ergonomics.  I'll see what they do this week.

The fountain pen is a faber which I use in class when I can.  Students are fascinated by it.  Then astounded by the price.

Organizing

I decided to organize my stuff.  I'm encouraged by the stuff of Adam Savage of Mythbusters on the Tested youtube.  A person must simply get some system.  I looked at several boxes and bought some at the local (2 hours away from my rural town) office supply store)

This is what I started with.  Books, modeling stuff, ink for our fountain pens, glue, shoe polish and pens.  And leave us not forget that you could not walk to the shelf

I bought different sized boxes, without a plan and simply started.
Markers and highlighters on top.  Pens on the second, and pencils below.  They can be seen and easily put back.  The other box has my small drone in it.

It is not perfect.  Many boxes are much too large for the objects.  But it is a start and working on.  I am taking the extra boxes to work, ordered some more and the floor is picked up.

May things are better.  In part this is not everything that is on the shelf.  Other parts were organized.  Many things here were not on the shelf but in other rooms.  After the new boxes come in, I will organize and label things. What is in the box and what shelve that box goes on.

who voted on this?

I got a flyer for Judge elections.  This candidate has been "regularly voted best lawyer," in county.

For environmental science and AP chemistry

This is from the blog We Teach High school.

It took me a long time to find this again.  The problem was although it was for AP, it was AP Biology, not AP Chemistry.

Also this site has a different way to make syllabi.  I may use this idea for my goals sheets for Standards Based Education class instead of a dull spreadsheet type thing

Things I'm adding

I love viewing peoples annotated notes for science, work and planning.

I have had my students keep notebooks with ideas and concepts.  They are beginning to look on this.  So far in my unit on periodic trends, there has not been a graded assignment.  Just notes.

Periodic trends.

A foldable from Bonding with James on periodic trends from his Teachers pay teacher page.  It is well worth it.  The students identify the parts of the periodic trends, then write the characteristics.

The next is a blank periodic table that has the parts labeled along with the ionization, radius, electronegativity trends.

So far so good.