Submit a myth to MythBusters! The the link below and follow directions.
http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/submit-a-myth.html#mkcpgn=fbdsc17
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Aug 27
Grab a wm-up sheet
Page 10
Topic: Lab Safety Scene
Question/Task: I'll show you the scene when the bell rings. Be ready to write down safe and unsafe items.
Page 10
Topic: Lab Safety Scene
Question/Task: I'll show you the scene when the bell rings. Be ready to write down safe and unsafe items.
Learn From Your Mistakes
I hate the word 'homework.' Students cringe when they hear it and the negativity attached is hard to combat. Instead, I refer to it as 'practice,' which is reflected in the way that I grade it.
My first year of teaching I had the basic homework policy. Complete 20-30 problems, grade in class and lose points for problems missed. The students were used to it, but I did not like that method. Thankfully I took a great math course the summer after my first year, since then, I've used the following policy.
Preparing for Practice
After notes, students use whiteboards to work 8-10 problems (one at a time) and show me answers by holding up the whiteboard. I give a thumbs up or thumbs down to tell whether they have the correct answer. We talk about the problems as we go and they are always similar examples that students are going to see with their practice problems.
Practice Work
Practice problems consist of 15-20 problems. I skip all around the book page, with 2-3 problems from each small section and some review problems. If it's a worksheet with more than 20, I have certain problems students have to do and the rest they can choose. It gives them choice in the matter, which they seem to enjoy.
90% of the time, students have enough time in class to complete problems. This has helped with confusion and questions since I'm there with them.
Side Note
The reason for my change in # of problems came from APL training. APL is training for instructional strategies (using timers, checking for understanding, pairing-and-sharing, etc.) and they had some great ideas on homework. This is what I took away from it: homework is PRACTICE, and during practice, you're allowed to work on your mistakes by reflecting. I tell my students it's like band or basketball practice...should you be penalized for your mistakes at practice or learn from them?
Checking Practice Problems
The next day, students have their practice problems in front of them, ready to check. They check their answers while we discuss them, but are required to do two things if they get an incorrect answer.
1. Fix their mistake
2. Explain their mistake (very specific)
It takes students a while to get used to analyzing their mistakes, but once they do, it works well for the students and for you. It's so much easier to check! Since there are 15-20 problems and students know that as long as they fix and explain, they'll get full credit, they are less likely to cheat by not marking wrong. I always check the papers myself and look at the fixed mistakes and put 'ok' if they were done correctly, but it is a breeze compared to the old way!
Here is the page I hand out for setting up book practice.
Picture of paper. Someone said the google drive link doesn't work.
I grade on a point scale and 'homework'/practice is worth 5 points each. For late work, my school says to take off 10%, so I give 4.5 for late work. Here are the posters I have in my room and what I use to check papers.
Here are pictures. The google drive link might not be working.
The visuals don't show, but I have a colorful and large 5 on the first page as background. There is a 4 on the second page, 3 on the third, 2 on the fourth page, 1 on the fifth and 0 on the last page.
Side Note #2
My school has a retake policy for quizzes and tests. With 2 quizzes and 1 test per chapter, sometimes it's hard to keep up, so two years ago, I changed my quiz retake policy.
Instead of retaking, students get a paper from a file folder to fix and explain their mistakes for half-credit. I explain that it's similar to retaking because if they retake quizzes, the two scores are averaged together to get the new score.
Here is the paper students must fill out and hand back in with their original quiz. They have one week from the time I hand the quiz back to complete this.
Picture of the worksheet. Someone said my link to google drive wasn't working.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Aug 22
Topic: Lab Safety
Question: What's one thing you need to remember when working in a science lab?
Question: What's one thing you need to remember when working in a science lab?
Closure for 8-20
Where should you look for worksheets if you are sick one day and return to school the next day?
HINT: Use your syllabus if you need help finding the answer!
Aug 21
Topic: Vocab
Question/Task:
Open to page 3, your L to J packet. Find 1 vocabulary word that you are not familiar with and write it down with it's definition in the response section.
Question/Task:
Open to page 3, your L to J packet. Find 1 vocabulary word that you are not familiar with and write it down with it's definition in the response section.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
10 Things about Ms. Milleson
1...Hometown
I am from North Platte, NE and graduated from NPHS (pictured above). I was the last graduating class from this high school, which was built in the 1930's. A new high school stands in the same place and is set up in pods similar to Waverly High School.
2...Family
My mom and dad live in NP and still live in the house that I grew up in. My older brother, Josh, lives in NP and work at my uncles company where he excavates land. I have a twin sister and her name is Kylie. She lives in Phillips (near GI) and teaches 5th grade at Seedling Mile Elementary School. On June 12, 2010, she married Dan and her new last name is Ilten.
3...Favorite subject
4...Music
DMB Concert, summer 2010
Most of the music I listen to is not on the radio. Some of my favorites are:
Mat Kearney
Mumford and Sons
The Black Keys
Of Monsters and Men
The Lumineers
Mumford and Sons
The Black Keys
Of Monsters and Men
The Lumineers
Ray LaMontagne
Dave Matthews Band
Coldplay
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Jason Aldean
The Beatles
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Jason Aldean
I enjoy most oldies (50's and 60's) and some country music
5...T.V. Show
MythBusters is one TV show that I watch. We will watch clips this year because many of the topics the MythBusters investigate are relate to physical science.
6...Comics
I try to find comics or cartoons for every topic in class, which I will post on the bulletin board near the main door. Many of the comics will come from BrainPOP.
7...Reading
In my free time, I enjoy reading. I have quite a few YA books in my classroom that you can checkout if the library doesn't have them. I'll explain how to check out books sometime this week.
8...Running
After high school, I wanted to stay active, but was no longer playing sports, so I started running. Last fall, a couple of teachers and I decided to run in the Mud Run in Lincoln, which was a 5k (3.1 miles). Since then, I've trained and ran in several 5k and 10k (6.2 miles) races and completed 2 half-marathons (13.1 miles) in Lincoln. As long as I stay healthy, I plan to keep running.
9...Sports
I started watching Pete Sampras when I was in 7th grade, which later influenced me to play tennis in high school. When tennis was on during the day, I would record Pete's matches using a VCR so I could watch them when I got home (I didn't have DVR when I was your age) :) Now that he's retired, I try to watch Roger Federer, Novac Djokovic, and Rafa Nadal.
My favorite college basketball team is Duke! I'm sure there are a lot students that are North Carolina fans, so I'm sure March Madness will be a fun time for all of us!
10...Pets
Cherry Mash
My cat, Cherry Mash, is almost 6 years old. Her name came from the fact that I had Cherry Mash candy in the Halloween candy bowl when I got her. She loves cheese popcorn, Colby Jack stick cheese and long naps on the bed (refer the the picture above). At night, she finds loose papers or plastic bags and makes as much noise as possible!
Calhoun was an alley cat that came through our doggy door one day. My mom made him leave at night until it started getting cold, then she let him sleep inside. We found out that he belonged to a family on the next block, but they said he was just a garage cat that they didn't take care for, so we could keep him. We named him Calhoun because that is the last name of the people that he left when he came to our house.
Lily
At my house in NP my family has two cats, Lily and Calhoun. Lily is a chubby cat with beautiful green eyes. My family adopted her from the animal shelter in NP.
Calhoun
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Polar Bears Around the Pond
1st Days of School Activity
Polar Bears Around the Pond also goes by the name Petals Around a Rose.
Materials:
5 or 6 dice
I use different colors to challenge students a little more. For example, I use 1 white, 2 blue, 1 green and 1 yellow. Throwing different colors in makes students look for patterns that involve the numbers rolled and possibly the colors.
Rule (that I tell students):
There is only one rule. Everyone must find the solution for themselves.
If you want to challenge students even more:
I also add in a temperature reading just to throw students off. I tell students, the polar bears are the opposite of what you know. These polar bears like warm weather and hate cold weather. Then, I just make up temperature readings after I roll the dice.
Example roll:
The roll produces 4, 6, 1, 2, 3. I say, right now it's about...15 degrees out. How many polar bears are there? Once someone guesses correctly, just move on and roll right away without explanation.
Solution:
On a die, the 1, 3 and 5 all have a dot in the center. The center dot is the pond. The 3 has 2 dots surrounding the center dot, and the 5 has 4 dots surrounding the center dot, while the 1 doesn't have any dots surrounding it. The polar bears are the dots around the center dot. For example, a roll of a 3 has 2 polar bears around 1 pond, while a roll of a 5 has 4 polar bears around 1 pond.
Once students start to catch on, I start to ask how many ponds there are because if a 1 is rolled, it is a pond that doesn't have any polar bears around it. Some students don't realize what makes a pond, but catch on to the polar bear part.
Example roll #2:
The roll produces 3, 3, 4, 5, 1. I say, it's getting hotter, right now it's about...89 degrees out. How many polar bears are there?
Solution:
Total polar bears: 8 (the 3s have 2 polar bears each, the 5 has 4 polar bears and the 1 is empty)
Total ponds: 4 (1 empty pond)
I throw in temperature readings like 87 and 3/4 or other fractions or decimals to make it fun and get a reaction out of students.
This usually takes me several days. I use it at the end of class (10 min or so) and then at the end of class the next day if needed. I've had to go on for a week or more, but once students start to catch on, the secret gets out pretty fast :)
If one student catches on quickly, you can have that student go off with a group to make the groups smaller.
Polar Bears Around the Pond also goes by the name Petals Around a Rose.
Materials:
5 or 6 dice
I use different colors to challenge students a little more. For example, I use 1 white, 2 blue, 1 green and 1 yellow. Throwing different colors in makes students look for patterns that involve the numbers rolled and possibly the colors.
Rule (that I tell students):
There is only one rule. Everyone must find the solution for themselves.
If you want to challenge students even more:
I also add in a temperature reading just to throw students off. I tell students, the polar bears are the opposite of what you know. These polar bears like warm weather and hate cold weather. Then, I just make up temperature readings after I roll the dice.
Example roll:
The roll produces 4, 6, 1, 2, 3. I say, right now it's about...15 degrees out. How many polar bears are there? Once someone guesses correctly, just move on and roll right away without explanation.
Solution:
On a die, the 1, 3 and 5 all have a dot in the center. The center dot is the pond. The 3 has 2 dots surrounding the center dot, and the 5 has 4 dots surrounding the center dot, while the 1 doesn't have any dots surrounding it. The polar bears are the dots around the center dot. For example, a roll of a 3 has 2 polar bears around 1 pond, while a roll of a 5 has 4 polar bears around 1 pond.
Once students start to catch on, I start to ask how many ponds there are because if a 1 is rolled, it is a pond that doesn't have any polar bears around it. Some students don't realize what makes a pond, but catch on to the polar bear part.
Example roll #2:
The roll produces 3, 3, 4, 5, 1. I say, it's getting hotter, right now it's about...89 degrees out. How many polar bears are there?
Solution:
Total polar bears: 8 (the 3s have 2 polar bears each, the 5 has 4 polar bears and the 1 is empty)
Total ponds: 4 (1 empty pond)
I throw in temperature readings like 87 and 3/4 or other fractions or decimals to make it fun and get a reaction out of students.
This usually takes me several days. I use it at the end of class (10 min or so) and then at the end of class the next day if needed. I've had to go on for a week or more, but once students start to catch on, the secret gets out pretty fast :)
If one student catches on quickly, you can have that student go off with a group to make the groups smaller.
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