Ballin with Balling

Air Fryer Donuts on a Sunday morning

2022-03-20T08:43:00.003-04:00

I don’t know about you but Sundays are a tough day for teachers. It’s a day that we look back at Saturday and notice all of the things we meant to do but didn’t get to. Sunday is tough to enjoy because teachers realize that now they have a mountain of obligations and prep that must be done for the 5 days ahead.

To make the day a little better I usually try to get up and make a breakfast for my family because it’s one of the rare days we aren’t driving kids around to practices. Today I tried a new recipe and I have to share it with you.

I got the recipe from here: https://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com/air-fryer-donuts/

Let me know if you make them.

Why 5 Questions at a time will do

2021-05-02T18:46:00.002-04:00

In my high school classes I have found that when I go over too many practice questions with my students they easily lose interest. For the past couple years I have been giving my students only 5 questions at a time. We call these "Fast 5's." Over the years I have changed the way I use these.

I used to assign them as homework but I found it was too easy for the students to share the answers with one another. I would sometimes use them as an exit ticket out the door but then I had to remember to check them, hand them back, and then go over them the next day. This didn't always happen as much as I wanted. It's funny how sometimes in teaching we keep doing what we've always done even though we know it isn't as effective as it could be but we just don't know how to tweak it to make it better. Often the change that needs to be made is a tiny change but it makes a HUGE difference.

I've had a teaching revolution this year due to the pandemic. This school year I have two classes that are fully remote, and two classes that are hybrid; therefore at any one time I have no more than 12 students in my classroom. With fewer students in the classroom I have less pressure to motivate and monitor a bunch of teens at the same time and have more time to try new stuff out. I guess we can call that a silver lining to the pandemic.

This year I started reading the book Powerful Teaching and it has changed my teaching dramatically.

Link here to buy the book

The book addresses four teaching strategies that are based on and supported by research. These four strategies work very well with Fast 5's. Here's a quick summary of the 4 strategies and how Fast 5's incorporate these strategies:

1. Retrieval Practice boosts learning by pulling information out of students' heads rather than cramming information into students' heads. Retrieval practice is a no stakes learning opportunity that improves student performance. The Fast 5's are rarely graded and put into the grade book. They are usually used for a quick self assessment. they also give the teacher quick feedback about which questions the students struggle with.

2. Spaced Practice boosts learning by spreading lessons and retrieval opportunities out over time so that learning isn't crammed in all at once. By returning to content every so often, students' brains have had time to rest and be refreshed. I seldom use the Fast 5's on the day that the students learn that material. I give them time to absorb the information and practice the skills before using the knowledge in a Regents question.

3. Interleaving boosts learning by mixed up closely related topics and encouraging discrimination. For example learning increases when students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems all mixed up, rather than one type of problem at a time. The Fast 5's that have multiple units for example: 1.1 - 5.5 require the students to evaluate which part of the content knowledge is necessary to answer those questions. It adds a higher level of difficulty and makes them a bit more difficult.

4. Feedback boosts learning by giving the student the opportunity to know what they know, and know what they don't know. This enhances students' metacognition or understanding about their own learning progress. By doing only 5 questions a day the students care more about each question and are not overwhelmed by the task. Also 5 questions is very easy to score quickly for each student. I like to highlight the wrong ones and ask them to take a look at the choices again. It gives the student a low stakes review and gives them a sense of accomplishment when they struggle but can find the correct answer.

If you would like to see the Fast 5's that I have created you can find them here.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Funderstanding-Science

2020-11-23T12:18:00.003-05:00

Thank you for coming to my blog. I started this blog years ago as an online portfolio of my teaching and anything else in my life that uplifts and motivates me. I wish I had more time to blog but I hope what I have put on here is useful to you and helps generate some excellent ideas of your own. Please comment on my posts to let me know what stuck with you.

#teacherhack split screen

2020-09-27T09:21:00.006-04:00

Those who know me in real life know that I LOVE a good lifehack. I am obsessed with not only finding a great lifehack but I am also obsessed with telling everybody I know about something cool I just learned. I'm almost an evangelist.

Although this school year is very different than the way some have taught in the past I'm finding that it is full of #teacherhacks (lifehacks that apply to the teaching and learning world). I am going to try my best during this super crazy school year to focus on the positive and share some of these hacks I have found. Please follow me as I prepare to share a couple gems a week.

#teacherhack

2020-09-27T09:18:00.001-04:00

Here's one I didn't know until today:

Credit goes to Yinka Boudreaux on twitter https://twitter.com/LangIsLit

Warm Ups in the Science Classroom

2020-06-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Do you use bell-ringers or warm-ups in your high school science class?

Some teachers may call these “bell work” or “ticket out the door” I actually use them as both depending on the situation. I have found that students may understand a concept in class but when the concept is in a diagram, a graph, or a chart they get confused and have a tough time applying that knowledge.

I like to use them to review what the students have learned and have them apply it. We do this activity for no more than 1-2 minutes and because they are small they don't require a lot of paper.

These are a nice way to get my students engaged in their learning from the second they walk in the door. They pick it up at the door and get started right away. When completed we then go over the questions.

By creating a “folder” in their Interactive notebooks they do not need to waste time cutting or glueing them in; it simply goes into the folder in that unit and minimal class time is used.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Balling

Partner Games

2020-06-05T15:49:00.002-04:00

I want to start off by saying that Partner Games have changed my classroom for the better!

Partner games are perfect for practicing science skills. Because there are only two students working together, both students are working, and none are left out. There is also instant accountability as the partners (when chosen appropriately) hold each other accountable.

The partner games I use (and the ones I am sharing with you) are very consistent. This allows me to teach my students the directions and expectations for the five types of games at the beginning of the year. Then, I can use those same partner games all year long with different math content and skills, and my students immediately know what to do.

Let’s take a look at my partner games.

Roll and Calculate
To play this game the students take turns rolling the 3 dice and calculating the gradient. Since each pair of students has different numbers they cannot copy from their neighbors.
Each student double checks their partner's work and holds them accountable.

Click here for the Roll and Calculate Gradient Game

Bounce

To play the game, the students need two different colored counters (or the counters that have one color on each side) and two dice. This game is SO easy to play and so much fun.

Here are the directions:

Objective: To have the most squares covered by the end of the game

Directions:

1. Roll a pair of dice, and determine the sum of the numbers rolled.

2. Find the number that matches the sum of the numbers you rolled.

3. Answer or solve the task.

4. Find the answer or solution in one of the squares.

5. Place your marker on the square.

Other Important Information:

1. If another player rolls the same sum as you and gets the answer correct, he or she may “bump” your marker and place his or her marker on the square.

2. You can protect your square by rolling the same sum again and placing another marker on top of the existing one. Two markers on the same square by the same player will protect that player from being bumped.

If you notice, there are eleven questions but sixteen squares. Some of the questions (the sums rolled most often by the two dice) have more than one answer the students can choose to put their counter on. When I introduce this game, we spend a few minutes talking about this to make sure the students don’t get confused and to discuss how you have to use a little strategy to decide what to do (protect your square by putting your counter on the square where your counter already is, trying to get the other square but not having either one of them be safe, or even bumping another player instead of putting your counter on a empty square.)

Click here to access the Dewpoint Bounce Partner Game

Click here to access the Relative Humidity Bounce Partner Game

Click here to access the Metamorphic Rocks Bounce Partner Game

Click here to access the Sedimentary Rocks Bounce Partner Game

Click here to access the Igneous Rocks Bounce Partner Game

Noughts and Crosses

This game is the same as good old fashioned Tic Tac Toe is pretty self-explanatory; however, I do require both partners to solve the tasks. This keeps both students working and being held accountable. Here are the directions:

Directions:

1. Choose a game to begin.

2. Decide who will be X and who will be O.

3. Take turns selecting a box and solving the task inside the box.

4. Both partners solve the task. If the player who chose the task is correct, then he or she can mark it with his or her X or O.

5. Continue until a player covers three boxes (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) or until all of the boxes are solved.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 with a new game.

Click here to access the Barometric Pressure Noughts & Crosses Partner Game

Partner Sort

While this one is not necessarily a “game,” students still really enjoy it. For this partner activity, the students each have their own sort cards that they have to sort correctly. One thing that I did not include in the directions (for space reasons) is that I have my students initial their cards so I can use this to informally assess.

Click here to access the Barometric Pressure Partner Sort Game

Click here to access the Rock Type Partner Sort Game

Rock and Roll

This final partner math game that we play is “Rock and Roll.” Here are the directions as written on the game:

Directions: Take turns rolling one die and choosing a task in the row that matches the number on the die. The first player to complete all of the tasks in a row or column wins that row or column. Continue until all tasks have been completed. If you roll a number for a row that has been completed, then you lose a turn.

Sometimes, I have my students forgo the race part and just play the game, attempting to cover as many spaces as they can. It really depends on my students that I have that year, but sometimes playing it that way (or letting them choose how they want to play it) works better.

Click here to access the Meteorology Rock & Roll Partner Game

If you like any of these games and would like to have your students play them in class you see them all by clicking here.

Growth Mindset Posters

2020-06-02T15:53:00.000-04:00

To start the school year I like to have my students work as a team to color in a poster. Each student receives a piece of the puzzle and colors it as directed. Some pages have more areas to color than others and can be used to differentiate the activity for students with different abilities. Once colored, the students work together to assemble the poster to hang on the wall.

There are approximately 24-30 pages per poster and there are 6 different posters in this set.

This activity requires you to print the pages and supply crayons or markers in 6 different colors. That's it!

To purchase this activity click here

To see the rest of my creations click here

Virtual Glossary and Science Word Wall in the Digital Learning Classroom

2020-04-29T16:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes as a high school teacher I find myself looking for ideas to use in the classroom that are commonplace in an elementary classroom. One great idea I stole from the lower grades is a word wall.

I have also jazzed it up a bit for Distance Learning by adding a Virtual Glossary and Interactive Notes online.

If you have never heard of a word wall then let me explain this to you and show you how I made it interactive in the Digital Classroom.

According to Readingrockets.com: A word wall is a collection of words which are displayed in large visible letters on a wall, bulletin board, or other display surface in a classroom. The word wall is designed to be an interactive tool for students and contains an array of words that can be used during writing and reading.

Here are some pictures of word walls in classrooms:

I liked that the word wall is available for students to use at all times in the classroom and is a decorative addition to the classroom.

Over February Break I put together a list of 330 terms that are commonly used in Earth Science class and put them into a Google Slide document. I originally thought that it would be used in the physical classroom and started to print out and tape the terms onto my classroom windows. I started doing it for the units that we already covered as you can see here

Now that the school buildings are closed I realized that the physical word wall on my classroom windows isn't going to work so what I did was take the google slides and I tagged each slide to alphabet slides so students could search the terms without having the scroll through the entire document. This would allow them to have their own Virtual Word Wall at home.

Here's a short video to show you how easy the Virtual Glossary is to use.

I also took the handouts and made them so that they can be used in Google Classroom without having to print them out. As you can imagine, it took a considerable amount of time to create 330 vocabulary slides and handouts for 12 different units so I figured that I might as well make it available to you so you and your students can use it as well.

Click here to access the files and many more of my resources.

Distance Learning and Teaching Earth Science

2020-04-26T10:02:00.001-04:00

For the past ten years I have been teaching my students face to face in class and creating videos so they can access important material anywhere and anytime. This is commonly known as blended learning. Now that many school buildings are closed this has become even more important than it has ever been.

student watching a lesson video and taking notes on a paper handout

student notes on paper

online classroom that I used to use in an online learning platform known as Moodle

These notes, handouts, and videos have been created by me over the summer break. I know that a lot of people think that teachers have "summers off" but if you have a teacher in your family you know that couldn't be farther from the truth. Any teacher I know has a non-stop feeling that they have to always do more to help their students. I personally struggle with it daily and doubt it will ever go away.

I am much more productive early in the morning and over the summer I start off my day with a cup of coffee, a breakfast sandwich and I get to work right away. I honestly work around 6 hours a day over the summer because there is so much that I could be doing for my students before the school year starts.

For the past ten years one of the projects I have been working on is making more visually appealing. These kids are life-long consumers of visual knowledge and need info to be properly coded for them to find it interesting. I also create videos of me explaining the most important information and concepts. I live in a house with my husband, two teenage sons, a dog and a cat so when I record the videos I often do so in the quietest place I can find at home....I call it my "recording studio" some call it my car. I find that the acoustics are great in there and early on a summer morning it's a really comfortable temperature and there are almost no distractions.

In my opinion I believe that recording videos is worth my free summer time because it provides my students with a bunch of benefits...her are some.

they can be watched anywhere not just in the school building (even if they are absent they don't fall behind, and obviously during a pandemic and/or when school buildings are closed the learning can still continue)
students can control the volume (they jokingly have told me that at some times they like that they can control how loud I am 😆😆)
students can wear headphones and minimize distractions
The student can pause the video and write their notes then press play when they are ready. They no longer have to work at the same pace as the class. They can go back and re-listen to something that they found confusing. Essentially they are able to personalize their own learning.
my videos don't have an image of me in them so they aren't distracted by my hairstyle, clothes, expressions, etc. I have had students comment on this and tell me that because I don't include a video of me talking they were able to focus on what was most important.
The students can put their notes into Google classroom so they don't need a printer at home and won't be able to lose their notes.
The students have all of the materials that they need online and it's organized. They don't have a messy binder anymore.

If you would like to see what I have made you can download one of my lessons here and use it with your classes.

Link to my TPT page with a FREE lesson and many more resources

that I have created over the summer.

Gamification

2020-02-07T10:12:00.001-05:00

You may have figured out by now that I am a high school science teacher. In New York State students taking a Regents science course must complete a minimum of 1,200 minutes of hands on laboratory work. As a teacher it is very overwhelming to keep track of the student lab minutes and communicate back to the students about how many lab minutes each of them have earned. Some teachers hand the labs to the students and have them keep the labs in a folder in the classroom and fill out a chart to see where they are at and how close or far away they are from meeting that 1,200 minute minimum.

Several years ago I came across a blog about gamifying the classroom and I suddenly realized that it could be easily adapted to keep track of lab minutes.

Here is info about Gamification in education from tophat.com

Gamification is the use of game design and mechanics to enhance non-game contexts by increasing participation, engagement, loyalty and competition. These methods can include points, leaderboards, direct competitions and stickers or badges, and can be found in industries as varied as personal healthcare, retail—and, of course, education.

What I did first was creating different levels that my students could obtain. They are listed below. I was teaching biology at the time and wanted to start with terms that my students would understand and were already organized from small to large. (Each level has a certain range of XP or experience points, and in my case also known as lab minutes)

I have signs posted in my classroom so my students can set their own goals. Obviously all of my students need to have a minimum goal of 1,200XP so they can meet the lab requirement and take the regents exam but many students also set their own personal goals beyond the 1,200XP. What I didn't anticipate was that by the end of the year some students would be asking for extra labs to do at home or after school to raise their XP level. What a great problem to have!

I also created stickers that I could hand out so they could stick them to their binders to show off their level or as the students say "flex" their knowledge.

How did I make the badges? Well, I googled glass buttons and looked for a set of buttons that were labeled for reuse.

I then used the ipad app called "Paper" by a company called 53. The app allows you to choose a white pen and create a .png image file that can be placed on top of the glass buttons.

I put the glass buttons into individual PowerPoint slides and then put the white image on top. these are the buttons I created.

Next I need to get to the technology. This is a link to the blog post I saw. He can explain it much better than I can. Essentially what he shows is how to set up a google form that the teacher fills out and it feeds right into a spreadsheet that organizes the students by highest XP in the class to the lowest in the class. In the Google form that only I see the student's actual names are on the form but when posted I do not post actual student names I post alias that the students have chosen.

This is how I post the leaderboard for my students. It could be posted on a Mooodle (as shown here) or on a website.

To make the stickers I print the images on paper, cut them out with a hexagon punch that I bought at Micheals...

I then flip each image upside down and stick them on to a roll of packaging tape and stick it onto parchment paper. Parchment paper will slightly stick to the tape but will not bond strong enough to stick permanently.

I organize the stickers to make it easy to keep them ready to hand out in this fancy little box.

I feel that by gamifying my classroom I am hitting on many of the ISTE standards for Educators such as:

Citizen

management of and and .

Analyst

Provide and using technology

7b Use technology to design and implement a variety of and assessments that , to students and .

7c Use to guide progress and communicate with students, parents and education stakeholders to build .

Earth Science Topics

2019-07-02T07:53:00.003-04:00

Earth Science Rocks! App

logo

1.1 Observations and Inferences

Observations

Inferences

Classification

1.2 Scientific Notation

1.3 Scientific Measurement

Length

Temperature

Time

Volume

Mass

1.4 Density

Formula

Temperature and Density

Pressure and Density

Buoyancy

1.5 Graphing

X-axis

Y-axis

Direct relationship

Indirect Relationship

Cyclic Relationship

Dynamic Equilibrium

1.6 Rate of Change

Formula

1.7 Earth’s Layers

Hydrosphere

Atmosphere

Lithosphere

Biosphere

Crust

Plastic Mantle

Stiffer Mantle

Outer Core

Inner Core

2.0 Earth’s Shape and Gravity

Oblate spheroid

Gravity

Distance and gravity relationship

Mass and Gravity Relationship

2.1 Maps

Compass Points

Legend

Scale

2.2 Latitude & Longitude

Latitude

Longitude

Degrees, minutes, seconds

2.3 Polaris

North Star

Polaris altitude = Latitude

Big Dipper

2.4 Time Change

Local Time

Time Zones

Prime Meridian

3.0 Altitude

Topography

Topographic Maps

Altitude

3.1 Interpreting Topographic Maps

Isolines

Contour Lines

Isotherms

Isobars

Index Contour Line

Contour Interval

Estimating Elevation

Gradient

Steep Slope

Gradual Slope

Hachure Marks

Rivers and Streams

3.2 Calculating Gradient

Gradient Formula

3.3 Contour Lines

Rules for Contour Lines

3.4 Constructing a Profile

4.1 What is Astronomy?

Astronomy

Geocentric

Heliocentric

Retrograde Motion

Elliptical Orbits

Eccentricity

Orbital speed and Distance

Gravitational Force and Distance

4.2 Earth’s Motions

Rotation > Day and Night

Foucault’s Pendulum

Mean Solar Day

Sidereal Day

Revolution

Tilt of Axis > Seasons

Precession

4.3 Seasons

Tilt of Earth

Point of View from Outer Space

4.4 Celestial Objects

Apparent Motion

Real Motion

Zenith

Horizon

Constellations move

Stars rotate around Polaris

Noon Sun

Shadows

4.5 Path of the Sun

Zenith

Horizon

Solar Noon

4.6 Insolation

5.1 Solar System

Nebular Theory

Terrestrial Planets

Jovial Planets

5.2 Stars

Constellations

Light Year

Apparent Magnitude

Absolute Magnitude

H-R Diagram

5.3 Moon

Orbit

Tides

Neap Tide

Spring Tide

5.4 Moon Phases

Waxing

Waining

Solar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse

5.5 The Universe

Our Sun

Universe

Galaxy

The Milky Way

The Doppler effect

Red Shifts

Blue Shifts

Hubble’s law

The Big Bang Theory

6.1 Layers of the Atmosphere

Pressure Changes

Temperature Changes

Northern Lights

6.2 Atmospheric Characteristics

Composition of the Atmosphere

Ozone

Human Impacts

6.3 Heating of the Atmosphere

Heat

Temperature

Heat Transfer

Conduction

Convection

Radiation

Electromagnetic Spectrum

6.4 Change of State

Phase change graph

6.5 Air Pressure

Altitude

Temperature

Humidity

Station Model Conversions

6.6 Relative Humidity & Dewpoint

Absolute Humidity

Relative Humidity

Saturation

Dewpoint

6.7 Relative Humidity & Dewpoint Related

Sling Psychrometer

Reference Tables

6.8 Precipitation & Clouds

Orographic Lifting

Cloud Types

6.9 Pressure and Wind

Low Pressure System

High Pressure System

Wind Direction and Speed

6.10 Local Winds

Specific Heat

Sea Breeze

Land Breeze

6.11 Global Winds

Doldrums

Trade Winds

Prevailing Westerlies

Polar Easterlies

Coriolis Effect

6.12 Ocean Currents

Reference Tables

6.13 El Nino

7.1 Daily Weather

Weather vs Climate

Daily Temperature Patterns

Yearly Temperature Patterns

Dewpoint Temperature

7.2 Air Masses

Maritime or Continental

Polar or Tropical

7.3 Fronts

Cold

Warm

Stationary

Occluded

Cyclone

Anticyclone

7.4 Station Models

7.5 Interpreting Weather Maps

Isolines

Pressure Gradient

7.6 Factors that Affect Climate

Latitude

Altitude

Topography

Land vs Water

Atmospheric Circulation

Geographic Position

Vegetation

Clouds

7.7 Severe Storms

Thunderstorms

Nor’Easters

Hurricanes

Tornados

7.8 Greenhouse Effect

8.1 Weathering

Mechanical

Frost Wedging

Root Action

Unloading

Chemical

Hydrolysis

Oxidation

Carbonic Acid

8.2 Factors that affect Weathering

Time Exposed

Surface Area

Mineral Composition

Climatic Conditions

8.3 Dirt

Soil Texture

Soil Composition

Soil Profile

8.4 Erosional Depositional System - Gravity

Mass Movement

Slumps

Flows

Creep

8.5 Erosional Depositional System - Wind

Erosion

Deposition

Landforms

8.6 Erosional Depositional System - Waves

8.7 Erosional Depositional System -Glaciers

8.8 Characteristics of a Stream

Stream Flow

Discharge

Meanders

8.9 Streams - Erosion and Deposition

Reference Tables - Particle Size

Stream Profiles

Stream Landforms

9.1 Landscape Regions

Topography

Relief

Mountains

Plateaus

Plains

Drainage Patterns

9.2 Water Cycle

9.3 Permeability

Porosity

Permeability

Capillarity

9.4 Infiltration and Runoff

Infiltration

Runoff

Factors that Affect Groundwater

Gradient

Soil Composition

Large vs Small Particles

Sorted vs Unsorted

More Rain vs. Less Rain

Amt of Vegetation

9.5 Groundwater

Water Table

Groundwater Aquifer

Springs

Geysers

Well

10.1 Earth’s Interior

Layers of the Earth

10.2 Continental Drift

Pangaea

The Continental Puzzle

Fossils

Rock types and Landforms

Ancient Climates

10.3 Evidence for Plate Tectonics

Paleomagnetism

Ocean Drilling

Earthquake Patterns

Hot Spots

10.4 Plate Boundaries

Divergent Boundaries

Transform Fault Boundaries

Convergent Boundaries

10.5 Ocean Floor

Continental Margin

Abyssal Plain

Mid Ocean Ridge

Rift Valley

Trench

Seamount/Island

10.6 What is an Earthquake?

Focus

Faults

Seismograph

Primary Waves (P waves)

Secondary Waves (S waves)

Surface Waves (L waves)

10.7 Epicenter

10.8 Natural Disasters

11.1 Minerals

Inorganic

Crystalline Structures

Identifying Characteristics

11.2 Rock Cycle

11.3 Sedimentary Rocks

11.4 Igneous Rocks

11.5 Metamorphic Rocks

12.1 Relative Dating

Uniformitarianism

Bedrock

Out Crop

Law of Superposition

Law of Horizontality

Cross-Cutting Relationships

Unconformity

12.2 Absolute Dating

Absolute Age

Relative Age

Atomic Structure

Isotopes

Radioactive Decay

Half - Life

Radiometric Dating

Carbon - 14

12.3 Evolution of Life

Life on Earth

12.4 How to Correlate Rocks

Fossil evidence

Index Fossils

Key Beds

Earth Science Reference Tables

2019-06-27T20:06:00.001-04:00

I know I haven’t posted in a LONG time but it’s the beginning of my summer vacation/seasonal unemployment and just like every other summer I tell myself that I’m going to post more on my blog. It might actually happen this year as I am preparing to teach Earth Science next year. In the past 22 years I have mostly taught biology (aka The Living Environment in New York State) but I have also taught a bit of Earth Science here and there. 22 years ago I started teaching an an Earth Science teacher. I was the only Earth Science teacher in the district and because the internet was so new I did not have many resources or fresh ideas. Today I have an overwhelming number of options and I cannot wait to share these whether they are successful or not.
Here are a couple pictures of me organizing some of my new found ideas. Hold tight. I cannot wait to share.
It’s going to be an interesting year.

Interactive Notebook in the high school biology classroom

2018-08-07T08:55:00.001-04:00

I know it's summer "vacation" but teachers never stop working or thinking about their classrooms. Every school year is a fresh start and a chance to revamp the way you have done things in the past. I love that I have that opportunity every year.

For the past couple years we have used some "Brain Breaks" interactive notebook activities that I had created. They worked really well to help the students review what they were learning in class and I've wanted to expand on that this year.

Back in the spring I came across Lee Ferguson and I was inspired by the Interactive notebooks that her AP Bio students create. I highly recommend that at some point this summer you go to her website and check it out. There are some amazing resources and ideas on her site.

Lee Ferguson interactive notebooks in AP Bio

Before you go to her site, let me show you what I have been doing.

I have a belief that as a teacher if I am going to expect my students to do something then I also need to do it. It not only helps me work out the kinks it also helps me realize what it feels like to do it, and if the students will like it or find it tedious and annoying.

Here is my current interactive notebook called "BILL" (Biology Interactive Learning Log). I got that name from Lee...how cute is that?

Here are some pictures from inside of mine:

Each unit has a tab and a graph where students can "Track your Progress" by graphing their grades on quizzes and tests in that unit.

There are Brain Breaks that we have been using over the past couple years.

You can find them here

Interactive Notebook Biology Set #1

Interactive Notebook Biology Set #2

Because Biology has a LOT of new vocabulary I have always had the students do flashcards but this summer I redesigned them to make them visually more appealing. You can find them here

"Buzzword" Flashcard Template EDITABLE!

ALL Buzzwords for 9th or 10th grade Biology

And my latest addition...on Pinterest I saw where some really creative math teachers have been using Spiral homework that reviews old concepts and brings in new material so I've been working on those...I'm working on making one page for each week. I have several ideas for using those as homework, bellwork, and/or group work...I'm sure that a post will be coming soon about those.

Spiral Biology Practice, students glue at the top and flip up to put answers underneath.

To give you more information about what is in it...

I plan to send this in an email to all parents and students BEFORE school starts...yep, I look up all of their email addresses and contact them before the first day.

On the first couple days of school we will tape 2 composition notebooks together with packaging tape and we will set it up by numbering the pages (only put a number on the right hand page...then refer to the pages as the number Left or Right...for example: 17R, 17L) glueing the table of contents in (you'll see that these also have page numbers in the top right of each page: 2L 2R, etc)

Here are the Table of Content pages for the whole year:

I hope this post gives you ideas... let me know if you have questions and let me know if you have any ideas or if you have used interactive notebooks in your classes.

Growth Mindset Activity

2018-08-06T11:56:00.001-04:00

This year instead of the typical "rules roundup" I plan to do something a little different on the first day of school. We will be making some growth mindset posters for our classroom.

I often find that my students at some point in the year encounter a setback and have a tough time getting past it. Sooo...this year each class will work together to create a poster for our classroom wall showing a celebrity that has encountered setbacks and through hard work has overcome these obstacles.

I created this poster set so that all students in the class receive a part of the poster and have a part in creating the large poster.

Poster of Michael Jordan

student coloring a page

Famous Faces Poster Set Details:
• There are 6 different posters and all can be combined into one large poster.
• There are 5 rows and 5 columns for each poster. (some are blank…check the key)
• Each poster is approx. 35” x 50” when complete. Combined as one large banner poster it is approximately 35” x 300”
• This growth mindset poster is ideal for a large bulletin board or a hallway.
• Each growth mindset poster piece fits on a normal 8.5” x 11” piece of paper.
• Use markers, colored pencils or crayons.

• The colors you will need are: red, green, brown, purple, black, and blue.

Famous Failures Growth Mindset Poster Set. This fun, collaborative activity features portraits and the struggles of 6 famous persons: Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Stephen King, Marilyn Monroe, Oprah Winfrey, Colonel Sanders
(each poster contains approx. 20 pages for students to color and approx 5 blank boxes)

The final posters are a striking visual inspiration to your students and school community that everybody can overcome setbacks.

Display the final posters in your classroom, in a hallway or some other place around school.

All posters are easy for teachers and fun for kids and make a lasting impression--on students, parents and your entire school community! Large and visually striking, this poster is the perfect accompaniment to your growth mindset lessons and makes for a great display in the front office, the auditorium, a hallway, or your classroom. No matter where it ends up hanging, it will engender unending compliments while proving a source of inspiration!

The collaboration of this growth mindset poster makes such an impact without really having to say anything - every single piece of the poster matters - just as every child in the class matters. Your students will walk by and say "I did that piece" each time they see the poster. They take great pride in being part of this art project.

Differentiation is built into the design of this growth mindset activity. Some pages have more to color than others so some kids will easily be able to color two pages. There are large sections behind the quotes that get left white. Other pages have a lot of little details to color. You can use this to differentiate and provide the appropriate experience for each child to achieve success and be part of the group. This poster makes a great lesson all in of itself or can be used for early finishers and morning work.

This poster set is available at this link.

BuzzWords Vocabulary "Flashcards"

2018-07-29T10:36:00.002-04:00

In my biology classes I have been using vocabulary cards with my students for many years. This summer I redesigned the template and I'll show you how I am using them and how I'm incorporating them into their Interactive Notebooks.

Our Interactive Notebooks are actually 2 composition notebooks taped together and have many different components in them. One of which is Buzzwords flashcards.

Interactive Notebook

I give the students all of the handouts for an entire unit. This is an example from one page from the Biotechnology unit.

They cut out the "BuzzWords" cards on the dotted lines and put a small piece of tape at the top of each card and tape them into a file folder or on a specific page in their interactive notebooks. The cards are made to stack on top of one another and if the student makes sure that the "bees are lined up" then they will all be visible and will be able to be flipped easily.

The student then adds a definition, any keywords, and a drawing to help them remember the definition.

Because they are taped in they are less likely to be lost, and are very easy to grade.

I hope you enjoy this idea and if you would like to see BuzzWords they can be found at the following link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Balling

Improving Student Motivation with Post-it notes

2016-08-30T08:16:00.001-04:00

Last year several advertising companies in New York City realized that they could put Post-it notes on their window and communicate from one building to another and the idea exploded.

I saw a Twitter post about this and was very excited to use this in my classroom. I first tweeted to the Post-it company and begged them for supplies. My current classroom faces a courtyard with over 30 classrooms.

My students and I came up with a saying and a design with a positive message.

The Post-it company eventually sent us a really cool briefcase filled with Post-its.

I can't wait to get into school and get started...

Ugly Sweaters and Vocabulary Review

2015-12-08T13:36:00.004-05:00

So I was reading this blog yesterday

http://www.meandmyinklings.com/index.php/2014/11/24/ugly-sweater-garland-with-free-printable/

and saw this cute holiday decoration where you cut out and color paper decorations of ugly sweaters (like the ugly Christmas sweaters that my mom used to wear in the 1980's) and thought it would be fun to do with my students..with a twist.

So each student gets a handout that asks them to design and color an ugly sweater that is based on a vocabulary term that we have used in class this year. Can you guess the Vocabulary word I used for the example?

yep...photosynthesis.

You can get the FREE handout at my Teachers Pay Teachers page...

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Balling/Order:Most-Recently-Posted#seller_details_tabs

Enjoy! and Happy Holidays!

Ask and you shall receive...

2015-08-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

On the website Teacherspayteachers a teacher can put in an idea or a request for something that they are looking for. This morning I checked the website and somebody requested a timeline that they can print and then post on their classroom wall to show the evolution of life on Earth.

All I could think was "what a great idea" and I wanted one too...so I got to work.

Sure, it took me several hours but I'm excited to hang it on the big empty space in my new classroom. Yeah, teachers really know how to relax over our seasonal unemployment, right?

I'll be sure to post pictures when it's up but there is some asbestos abatement going on now so that won't be for a while.

Here is what the file looks like:

and here is where you can buy it: Evolutionary Timeline of Life on Earth

For a limited time I have marked it down and given you a $3 discount for being my loyal blog reader.

Enjoy those last days of summer.

Interactive Notebooks in Biology

2015-08-17T14:42:00.001-04:00

Do you use interactive notebooks in your classes? I've used my summer to create new interactive notebook pages called "Brain Breaks" of concepts that my students have struggled with in the past. I cannot wait to use these with my classes this year!

Here are some examples:

Because you are one of my loyal blog followers I'm giving you a $5 discount...for a limited time only. You can buy them here: 24 Interactive Notebook Pages for only $10.00

You can see the rest of my products here: My TeachersPayTeachers Store

Do you use interactive notebooks in your classes? If so...post them on Teachers Pay Teachers and I will most likely buy yours too!

New Classroom?!?!

2015-08-10T12:41:00.000-04:00

     I am moving into a new classroom. I have been in my current room for a good chunk of time (11 wonderful years) and I love the light and storage it has. When I think back it blows me away that I moved into this room before my two sons were born. I have changed from a newish teacher into a mom in this room. I am welcoming the change as a new rebirth in a way. I've loved the current room but I am looking forward to a new change.

     Eleven years ago Pinterest didn't exist and over the years I have found inspiration in other teacher's classrooms and eventually from blogs and slowly changed my classroom into everything I wanted it to be. A place for me and my students to find comfort and fun and I wanted a room that embodies that.

     Moving into a new room allows me to rethink my decorating scheme and what I want the room to project to my students. My new room is an older room, and it has some serious strengths (amazing long bookcases and office area) and some weaknesses (small old sinks, leaky windows, how to organize those bookcases, small teacher lab table, etc) but I think that this will be a great challenge and will make me a better teacher. With the addition of Pinterest, this time, I'm able to study different philosophies about classroom design. Did you know that most blog posts about classroom design are about elementary classrooms? Why is that? Do secondary teachers not need to create an enjoyable space for themselves and their students? I don't get it and that's the main reason why I am posting this now.

     During the school year (September through June) I spend the majority of my hours in that room and so do my students. I want it to be a place that they and I want to be.

     Over the years I have been following different movements in classroom design. Most of the classroom design you find on the web involves bright colors and visual stimulation everywhere. I have followed the "BRIGHTS!" design philosophy in the past by thinking that I needed to make my room more exciting. After studying what has been done with 3rd Teacher and the Reggio classroom movements I am starting to rethink my philosophy. I'm looking to streamline the visual stimulation in my classroom so it is minimalized and is more meaningful.

Here's a sneak peek:
My Classroom design board on Pinterest
The Reggio-ish classroom posts I have found on Pinterest.
The Third Teacher's book can be purchased on amazon at this link.
Make Space can be purchased at this link.
Blueprint for Tomorrow can be purchased at this link.

     I have studied these books ad nauseum and wish that I had an unlimited budget. I am unfortunately restrained to a budget that most teachers need to follow: "How much of my own money can I use before my spouse gets mad?"

     I'm not in the room yet but wait for more blog posts to see what I have planned and what I am working on. Some of it might be useful to you and your classroom too. Feel free to send me ideas that you have for your classroom or designs you have found useful.

Plickers!

2015-08-03T12:27:00.000-04:00

Teachers! I need your attention... If you haven't seen Plickers then you need to go to www.plickers.com right now! (OK, after you read this blog post)

What is a Plicker?
A free and easy way to evaluate what your students know like you would with a "clicker" but with a card that you print out and the students can keep in their binders. No more handing out clickers, recollecting clickers, dead batteries etc.

When you go to the Plickers website you can set up your classes and print out Plicker cards for each student.

Each card has a black box with a pattern on it, the student's number in your class, and the letters A, B, C, and D.

When going over multiple choice questions you can ask the students to hold up the card to represent their answer. The students rotate the card and the letter that they hold up at the top of their card is what they are choosing as their answer.

You scan the cards with the plicker app on your smart phone or iPad and you can see who answered the question correctly or not and get instant feedback.

You can get feedback to see who gave what answer, and if it was correct or not. You can even project the screens up on to your Interactive white board. I often don't let the kids know immediately if they got it right or wrong and I then call on certain kids and ask them to explain why they picked the answer that they did.

After I print out the cards I laminate them on my Scotch Scanner (which I have raved about in past posts)

You can purchase laminated cards on Amazon.com

but it's MUCH cheaper to print and laminate your own. It's recommended that you laminate them with special matte plastic but I couldn't find that...I just used regular glossy and it works fine. Sometimes (very seldom) there will be a glare on one of the cards and I just ask that student to slightly tip their top edge down.

I'm telling you...check out Plickers.com You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for Being Awesome Postcards

2015-08-03T08:16:00.002-04:00

Because I teach my class in a Blended style (my students learn a lot of the material by watching videos on the computer) it allows them to learn at their own pace and review the material as many times as they want without distractions but also it makes it a little bit difficult to build personal connections with my students. So I am constantly trying to find new ways to connect with my kids. I always make it a point to meet them at the door and talk to each and every student, I have individual meetings with each of them, etc. but I am always looking for more.

Here's a way to show your appreciation for every student.

Download this free file, print them out on cardstock...address one for each student. During the school year when you find a student doing something great or going out of their way to help someone else, write them a little note and drop it in the mail.

I plan to fill out the addresses at the end of the summer so they are ready to go.

You can download the file from here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Balling/Order:Most-Recently-Posted#seller_details_tabs

IKEA school supply storage.

2015-08-02T15:00:00.001-04:00

Next year I will be in my new classroom and the space for desks is a little tighter than my previous classroom so I had to come up with some creative ways to organize classroom supplies. Where do I love to find organizing stuff? IKEA! The closest IKEA to my house is an hour and a half away in Burlington Ontario but I love that store so much that I do not mind the drive.

This was my latest project from IKEA. I installed the Bygel rails ($2.99 each Canadian) and white Bygel containers (99 cents each Canadian).

You can see them on the website at these addresses

Rails: http://m.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/art/50072645/

Containers:

http://m.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/art/10271091/

You can get the containers in different colors but I personally like a more uncluttered and less distracting look in the classroom.

I also installed the "focus" letters on the wall. I bought these at Hobby Lobby for $3 each and used command strips to adhere them to the wall.

What do you do to decorate your classroom?

Teachers Pay Teachers Sale!

2015-08-02T09:10:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you but I am obsessed with the website Teachers Pay Teachers. There are SO many great looking awesome and easy to use resources on the site. From lesson plan templates to handouts and full labs Teachers pay teachers is a great resource that all teachers should check out. I started selling some of my own resources on the site and everything of mine will be 20% off August 3 and August 4th so head to the site and check it out!

My page and resources are available at the following link...

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Balling