During the last week of school~ I decided to try an experiment. Inspired by a documentary about John Hunter~ the fourth grade teacher who created the World Peace Game~ I began playing a simulation with my gifted fifth graders.
I called it Crisis~ the game.
The reason I called it Crisis was because I wanted my students to become problem solvers~ and what better place to solve problems but in the world.
The rules were simple:
Off the coast of Queensland~ Australia is the world's largest coral reef in the world~ Scientists say the reef that extends for 1600 miles in the Coral Sea is in big trouble. Nearly 1/2 of the reefs coral has been lost in the past 27 years. Scientists say there are many factors that have caused the coral destruction: rising ocean temperatures~ increased storms in the area~agricultural fertilizer washing into the reef area and lots of starfish(especially the crown-of-thorns) are eating the...
Sometimes~ it feels like a no-win situation.
You position the students desks facing each other~ in cooperative learning style~ and their eyes are on each other~ instead of you.
You face the desks toward you~ and it may discourage discussion and create the feeling of being an institution.
I think teachers~ in general~ struggle with the best way to arrange the desks in their classroom.
That is~ until you learn about Desk Olympics.
The concept involves training...
Your traditional paperback and hardcover books aren't going anywhere anytime soon, but you might be seeing a lot less of them in the hands of average readers. E-reader sales are on a consistent incline and are proving to be one of the few modern technologies that don't have big age barriers. While it's unlikely that the e-reader will replace physical books altogether, their low cost, light weight and broad selection of content have made them immensely popular. This infographic provided to us...
Want to dip your toe into the "flipped classroom" water without a big investment or learning curve? A free online tool that records actions on one's computer is winning fans among educators. Screencast-O-Matic, which allows users to create narrated videos of the actions that appear on their computer screens, is being hailed by some as the next level of digital learning.
...I am back with yet another Common Core teacher resource book. I have spent the past few days reading through the first grade section of Common Core Curriculum Maps. Again~ l...
The Common Core Lesson Book K-5 by Gretchen Owocki arrived on my doorstep late yesterday evening. Luckily for me, we had early release today at school. I was able to spend some time reading through the first section of the book. Let me quickly note, I have no relationship to the publisher or authors of this book. My opinions, are just that, mine. I am only sharing what I think about this as a resource for planning...
Not sure how I did it, but one school year, I convinced my principal to let me fill up over 500 water balloons, bring the kiddies out to the P.E. field, and let them reenact the Battle of the Alamo.
The project took on a life of its own.
The next year, we filled up 1,000 balloons. The students made bandannas to mark their teams and donned goggles and other protective gear. We used PE equipment, garbage cans and other items to create an Alamo structure.
Parent served...
Leadership matters. Principals set the tone of a school and can inspire students and teachers alike to reach new heights. They are second only to teachers among the in-school influences on student success.
Yet we dont hear much about how to measure a principals performance. And the little research that exists on principal evaluation suggests that current systems do not accurately judge performance, do not provide information that is useful for professional growth, and often...