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Technology
This week we began our huge Iditarod Math Unit! From now until Spring Break in mid-March we will be focusing on the Iditarod as a way to get some much needed math skills taught in a fun and interesting way! For obvious reasons, it’s my favorite math unit of the year! My favorite student comment …
Last year, 2013 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail ™, Linda Fenton issued a challenge to see how many students she could get to read Stone Fox (http://itcteacheronthetrail.com/2012/12/28/stone-fox/). The timing was perfect for me. The fourth grade had recently dropped the novel from their repertoire, so I was able to pick it up and tie it …
“How cold is it going to be in Alaska when you are there?” is the question I seem to be asked most often these days. I decided to get my students started on the task of tracking the weather in Alaska and comparing it to what is going on here in Baltimore. We are creating …
The story goes that a group of five to seven kids started the Junior Iditarod because they were less then eighteen years old and therefore couldn’t compete in the main race. The first race was held in 1978 and there were actually two divisions that year; a junior division for ages 11-14 and a senior …
Just a quick comparison: Baltimore time: 1:30pm Squid Acre time: 9:30am Baltimore temperature: 51⁰F Squid Acre temperature: 0⁰ It’s a distance of 4, 152 miles away from us and would take us 2 days and 23 hours to drive there. But with Skype, we could connect in a matter of minutes! Using Skype in the …
Your students can write nonfiction or fiction using technology. Their stories let you assess their mastery of skills such as sequencing, descriptive language, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and at higher levels, assessment of synthesis and application skills. Digital story writing works for elementary through secondary levels, with the products reflecting the skill levels of students. This …
“Did you hear from Monica?” “Did you tell Monica about our plan yet?” “Did she see our video yet?” “Does Monica have snow yet?” It seems like a day doesn’t go by without someone in my class asking about Monica. (The Brady Bunch episode where the other two sisters complain about “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” goes …
As the Iditarod Race quickly approaches (27 Days 6 Hours 26 Minutes 48 Seconds and counting so the clock at iditarod.com tells me) it is time to choose a musher. There are a few different ways to do this. The classrooms at my school – including the kitchen staff, office staff, custodian, and aides – …
Temperature in Wasilla, late morning, 20°F, little wind Teachers want to know what works in the classroom to facilitate student learning and to achieve growth in their learning. The research-based document,What Works in Classroom Instruction by Robert Marzano, Barbara Gaddy, and Ceri Dean (http://www.leigh.cuhsd.org/teachers/pdf/Marzano_Strategies.pdf), is a good resource which explains the research behind classroom strategies and …
(Keep on reading to find some ideas of activities for your students to do.) Mushers carry the following mandatory items in their sleds during the race. I bet you can make this list relevant to what students need to be prepared for their job of school. Proper cold weather sleeping bag weighing a minimum of …