A video of Duncanville High School student Jeff Bliss has gone viral after a classmate recorded his rant in the classroom last week. Bliss is an 18-year-old sophomore who returned to 10th grade after dropping out. He says he realized the importance of an education for his future. He now takes his education and the learning of others very seriously.
Bliss had questioned why the teacher didn’t give the students more time to prepare for a test. She asked him to leave the classroom and he began sharing his opinions of why students were not reaching their true potential. He claimed the teacher only passed out worksheets and packets instead of creating lively and engaging discussions.
In Bliss’ opinion, the classroom time was a waste and challenged the teacher to get the students excited about learning. He also felt teachers must reach out and touch the hearts of their students to truly engage them.
“Just as much as the students need to give an effort, the teachers need to give an effort too.” said Jeff Bliss.
Do you ever wonder if your child is getting enough Science?
As an educator and parent I have observed over the years that with more and more time focused on Reading, Writing and Math our children are not getting enough time for deeper levels of understanding of in science at school. Children need more opportunities for hands on exploration and time to process the experiments and concepts at their own pace. Are you thinking this is something I can help with at home but where to start? Do you know what concepts your child is supposed to be learning in science at school? It’s easy you can just check the Standards for their Grade Level and support from home. Your local school board website will have a link.
Real scientists read the newest research to keep up with the latest trends. Real scientists write their hypotheses, observations, and ultimately their findings in research journals and articles. Real life scientists have real life, authentic reasons to read and write. And as teachers, we can also create authentic reasons for our students to read and write about science!
Just recently, my son (1st grade) and I spent a couple of weeks learning about rocks and minerals. We also spent a significant amount of time reading and writing.
Reading about Rocks & Minerals
We read several rocks and minerals books, not to mention online websites to learn more about them. I personally love experiment books, like Miguel’s Treasures and picture books like Let’s Go Rock Collecting. {These were definitely two of his favorites.} Reading nonfiction text spawns curiosity, which leads to more reading in an effort to satisfy the questions. It’s a very cool process. And a scientific one at that!
How hard would it be to inflate a balloon inside of a bottle? Would you believe it is impossible unless you know the science of air?
Place a deflated balloon inside of a plastic bottle and stretch the mouth of the balloon over the bottle top. Start blowing. Can you blow up the balloon?
Now, have an adult punch a small hole in the side of the bottle and try blowing up the balloon again.
The balloon will inflate inside of the bottle. Now plug up the hole with your finger. The balloon will stay inflated.
How does this work?
The balloon won’t inflate much the first time because the bottle is already filled with air. There’s no room for the balloon to expand inside the bottle. However, when you punch a hole in the
Summer is wrapping up and the scent of new school supplies is in the air. Time to start planning for the thunderous roar of children headed back to school. Here are ten activities, some from Steve Spangler Science, others from teacher bloggers to make the transition from the lazy days of summer back into the learning environment.
Steve Spangler Science has created the perfect welcome back to school science kit for teachers. Our First Days of School Kit contains several activities that are easy to present and have a great WOW! factor. The hands-on activities also illustrate science principles that can be used as metaphors for lessons in teamwork, goal setting, creativity, problem solving, effective communication and critical thinking. Some of the activities listed below are taken from that kit.
1. Using Polymers to Help the Invisible Child
I’ve wanted to write this for a long time but never seemed to have the right words. I am a “nobody.” Some people might think of me as an Invisible Kid. I have never thought of myself as a “leader.” I know who the leaders are in my school. I know all of
