I can't speak for everyone else but we had a great day today. My prayers are with all of the families that did not fare as well as we did but fortunately we were able to keep our power and had no flooding. This time. Phew. The high winds keep us inside Princess Leia foolishly wanting to go outside and we got some much needed chores done.      First project: tackle the front hall closet. I don't have a "before" picture but it really didn't look much different except now it is organized. front hall closet Or you could get an easier to fit version like this: This set of shelves was horizontal in the closet and I took it out (not easy to do) and tried to put it vertical behind the front door.  It didn't really fit, so I tipped it back horizontal and it still didn't fit, so back into the closet it went. This time I kept it vertical and put tags on each of the bins. each bin has a tag I used a tag punch like this  that ...

     Often in biology you need to show the students something and it's small and very difficult for them to see from their seats. One such situation is when you need to show them how to make a wet mount slide or how to use a dropper and a paper towel to change the water under the coverslip.       If you know me, you'll know that I love hardware stores. I love the way you yourself can use a little  elbow grease and fix something yourself. I even love just wandering the store for new ideas. Well, this is one of those ideas. I was at the hardware store and I had an ah-ha moment. I had the clerk cut me two pieces of plexi-glass....one approximately 9 inches by 20 inches (to make a large slide) and the other approximately 6 inches x 6 inches (to make the coverslip).  plexi-glass slide, coverslip and dropper Here's a baster for sale at Kohl's            I used a piece of sandpaper to smooth down the edges...

Have you ever played with PowToon? It's a really cool site where you can create short little advertisements very quickly. Some of it is free (the parts I used were) but if you want more advanced features you could pay for those. I made up a little intro for Open House for when the parents are walking in and waiting for others to arrive... PowToon : Welcome to Open House! Thank you Ben Higgins for sharing the website!  This was originally posted on Ballinwithballing.blogspot.com What new FREE webtools have you found and how do you use them? Comment below...

Charlotte Danielson's 2007 Framework for Teaching  and Index of posts from BallinwithBalling.blogspot.com Domain 1 - Planning and Preparation 1a: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy (Knowledge of content and the structure of the discipline, Knowledge of prerequisite relationship, Knowledge of content-related pedagogy) BallinwithBiology posts:      Oneonta Biology Listserve 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (Knowledge of child and adolescent development, Knowledge of the learning process, Knowledge of students’ skills, knowledge, and language proficiency, Knowledge of students’ interests and cultural heritage, Knowledge of students’ special needs) BallinwithBalling posts:       Blood Model       Protein Model made with a baby toy 1c: Setting Instructional Outcomes (Value, sequence, and alignment, Clarity, Balance, Suitability for diverse learners) BallinwithBalling posts:       Kinesthe...

This is the latest craze in review...THE BUCKY BALL! and perfect for all subjects. The student fills in Questions and Answers to those questions on the ball by using their notes. Click here to download a copy. For example: Student would write a question at Q1 and then write the corresponding answer on  A1. After all questions and answers are on the ball, the student would cut it out and tape it together.  (I recommend putting a small ball of paper inside to give it support) Completed Bucky Ball  How to review with the Bucky Ball:  Roll the ball and read the question on the TOP... Question #11: A Picture of the Data of an experiment is known as a... On the opposite side (BOTTOM) of the ball is the answer to that question.   Answer #11: Graph Play and trade with your friends! This post originally featured on ballinwithballing.blogspot.com   

     Like any other teacher I am constantly revising my curriculum based on student likes/dislikes, new motivation strategies, incorporating new labs, review games, etc. It is very overwhelming to keep it organized so here is the method I have devised.      I have a folder where I keep all ideas for future units. In that folder there is a separate sheet of paper for each unit. a separate sheet for each unit Any random ideas I generate throughout the year that would apply to that unit are jotted down on a post-it note and stuck onto the sheet of paper. post-it notes with ideas post-it notes with ideas      What did we ever do before paperclips and Post-it Notes? Any labs that I want to rewrite or handouts I have found are paper clipped to that sheet of paper. This way I am more likely to revise the units as I go through the year. labs, handouts for rewrites and modifications paper clipped to it.  This i...

Do you ever wonder what other teachers in your discipline are talking about? Do you ever wonder what is happening in their districts? How they are conducting their pre-assessments, APPR's, SLO's? Join a list serve and find out.  I have been a member of the BioForum Listserve hosted out of the State of New York College at Oneonta and I have found it very valuable for acquiring new ideas and new perspectives on teaching Biology. Warning...once you join you will receive a LOT more email but soon you will learn to filter out what is useful to you and what is not.  Click here to sign up to join a science listserve           “I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in     terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in.” Bill Gates [Founder of Microsoft Co.] This post originally featu...