Imagination Foundation – Arlington Heights Paul Solarz Westgate Elementary | Arlington Heights, IL I’m a 5th grade teacher from Arlington Heights, Illinois who has been teaching for 15 years. I recently won the 2014 ICE Educator of the Year Award and will publish my first book in early 2015. Fun facts: 1) I love to travel so much (esp. internationally)! @PaulSolarz | psolarz@sd25.org | MaKey MaKey | A Creative, Unique Gift Idea for Everyone | Electronic Invention Kit - Buy Direct (Official Site) Bedtime Math Origami is creative math fun - Bedtime Math Origami, the ancient Japanese art of folding papers into shapes and artful forms, continues to evolve and attract new artists into the, ahem, fold. Origami requires spatial reasoning skills, thinking in three dimensions. It builds an understanding of geometric shapes and concepts. Origami is also creative and fun. I look forward to the Origami USA Conference each year so I can marvel from afar as my friend Debi Pfitzenmaier posts photos of her teen son’s amazing creations along with those of other talented folders. Move over soccer moms, Debi is one of a growing number of Origami Mommies. Origami is a hobby that can lead to lucrative careers that require math and modeling. Getting Started Debi advises parents to start children building relatively simple things like airplanes and other basic representations. Libraries and art centers may host origami classes or camps like Debi’s son once attended. Patience, Grasshopper Your child’s early pieces may not be much to look at. Intrigued?
eTextile Lounge — everything electronic and textiles Genius Hour Ideas On Friday my classes made their genius hour topic selections. At the beginning of the class I told them that I was changing the name of our time together from “Passion Projects” to “Genius Hour”. They seemed to appreciate the thought of me thinking they were all geniuses. I pulled up our brainstorming pages from last week and went through them again. I explained why some of the selections were great and others stunk. I them told them that we would be selecting our genius hour ideas. My classroom doesn’t have computers in it, so we all packed up and went down the hall to the computer lab. As the entries came flying in, I called them up one by one to either approve or deny the project. In the spirit of transparency I’m going to list all of the project selections that I received. We have not spent any time discussing the creation part of the genius hour projects. Genius Hour Ideas – 6th graders Once the students selected their topics they began their research. Until next week… That problem.
Classroom Warm-Up Routine: Math Class Warm-Up Register Now and join a community of a million educators. Take 30 seconds to register (it's free!) and: Access our downloadable Back To School Starter PacksComment on videosGet help - and help others - in our Q&A section Register Now Already registered? Learn about Teaching Channel Plus for Schools & Districts Sign In or Sign Up My Favorite No: Learning From Mistakes Grades 6-8 / Math / Warm-Up CCSS: Math.MP.6 Common Core State Standards Embed Video Great Lesson Ideas: My Favorite No with Leah Alcala [01:00:10;24] Leah: Hi. Error loading player: No playable sources found <div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div> Related Videos Approaches to Poetry: Pre-Reading Strategies Grades 6-12 / ELA / Tone & Theme ELA.RL.8.410424 > Lesson Objective Use mistakes to quickly clarify concepts Length 6 minutes Questions to Consider How does this strategy allow for immediate re-teaching? Teacher & School Info Leah Alcala Math / Teacher Follow School Details Martin Luther King Middle SchoolBerkeley, CA Feedback
The 10 Best STEM Resources By Phil Nast, retired middle school teacher and freelance writer Found In: mathematics, science, preK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 Curriculum Resources Exploratorium Provides interactives, web features, activities, programs, and events for K-12. Saturday and Summer professional development workshops are available through the Teacher Institute. Professional Development STEM Education Resource Center Provides nearly 4,000 science, technology, engineering and math resources for PreK-5, 6-12 as well as free, self-paced modules for teachers teaching global climate change to middle school and high school students.
Agile Learning Center | Manhattan Free School The structure of an Agile Learning Center is designed to nourish a productive, vibrant, and healthy culture – allowing participants to engage authentically in a learning process that cultivates confidence, dynamic skill sets, mental agility, self-awareness, and group skills. Morning Intentions The day kicks off with a Morning Intentions meeting, which operates much like a scrum stand-up meeting would in an Agile Management environment. Each person takes a turn announcing their intentions -- making declarations for how they will spend the day, and making requests for any support they may need. This simple process only takes about ten to fifteen minutes, but serves an extremely important purpose of starting each day with intention and accountability. Afternoon Accomplishments The feedback loop that begins with Morning Intentions comes full circle at the end of the day with another standup meeting called Afternoon Accomplishments. Kanban Boards Weekly Sprints Coaches
Some Videos to Inspire at Back to School I wrote my post asking administrators to inspire us back to school simply because of my own hopes and dreams. I wrote it in the hopes that it would make someone think while they prepared their own meetings and activities, and it seems to have done just that. One question I have then gotten is which videos to show at back to school? Brave by Sara Bareilles – I will be showing this video to my students as well, but the message in it applies to everybody; I would love to see how big your brave is! The Fairy Scientist – to remind us how kids wonder and we should cultivate that. Suli Breaks – Why I Hate School but Love Education. Suli Breaks – I Will Not Let an Exam Result Decide My Fate. Rita Pierson – Every Kid Needs a Champion. Diana Laufenberg – How to Learn? Introduction to Genius Hour. Kid President – A Pep Talk. Jimmy Casas shared the videos he shows, there are some great ones here too I haven’t shared. And then why not create your own school vision video like we did a few years back.
Stocking up School Makerspaces Lots of teachers have been asking us how to set up a Makerspace at their school. As part of our Back to School series, we’re sharing an excerpt from the Makerspace Playbook: Schools Edition. Once you have a space where you and your students can work, you’ll want to outfit it with the tools, equipment, and materials your Makerspace needs in order for your students to accomplish their projects. But before you go on a shopping spree and max out your credit card, assess what your Makerspace will actually require. You don’t necessarily need a fully equipped shop. Sometimes an empty countertop might be more valuable than a fancy new machine. The Perfect List Ha ha! Of course, we have suggestions, but it’s up to you to find the right combination of tools and materials for your students. Makerspace Playbook: Schools Edition guides those who are hoping to start a Makerspace at their school or in their community. Budgeting for Tools and Their Care In addition there is maintenance.
Twenty Tips for Managing Project-Based Learning In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, we're producing a series of Top 20 lists, from the practical to the sublime. 20 Tips for Managing Project-Based Learning 1. Use Social Media One of the best ways to document collaboration and engage students with technology is use social media platforms like Edmodo. Students can use it to share ideas, you as the teacher can use it to formatively assess where students are in terms of products and content knowledge, and it is a great way to have real evidence of collaboration. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Bonus! A quick note on these tips: There is no real silver bullet to get every single kid under the sun engaged in your classroom, but good teachers use all the strategies they can muster.
Christine Moynihan: The Look, Sound, and Feel of Effective Math Instruction Maker Ed's Resource Library » Become a Sponsor Disclaimer: Maker Ed’s online Resource Library contains links to third-party organizations, companies, and commercial products. By including these resources, Maker Ed intends to highlight their potential value to the maker education community, rather than to provide an endorsement.