school update

As most of you know, I was given quite the workload this year at school.  In addition to my 5th and 6th grade science classes, I am also teaching high school Biology and Earth Science.  Giving you an accurate portrayal of my weekly schedule would make you stressed by simply reading it.  I'm not going to lie, it's intense.  More so than I even thought it would be. 

I have nearly 130 students and four preps daily.  The planning that is involved is extensive and ongoing ( I literally never stop planning - there is always something to grab at Kroger or set up in the lab).  But it's not the planning that is getting to me, it's the learning.

Biology is toughhhhh.  The textbook the kids use is surely at college level, so I find myself pulling out the content that I can grasp well enough to teach and leaving the rest to the professors in their college years.  I am spending hours reading over the material.  Just to give you an idea, right now we're getting into Photosynthesis.  Sounds easy, right?  Plants use CO2 and give off oxygen?  Think again.

Anyways, it's nuts-o.  I love, love, love teaching the high schoolers though.  They are hilarious, and super smart.  We've got some seriously top-notch kids at our school.  The cream of the crop in old Sandtown, if you ask me.

So here is what we've been up to:

Like I said, my Biology students are working on Photosynthesis.  This mini lab we did involved infiltrating leaf disks with a bicarbonate solution, using light to create energy and therefore giving off oxygen.  The oxygen fills the air spaces of the disks and they end up floating.  It's basically a simple demonstration of how photosynthesis works.  (And it actually worked, which makes my job much easier...)

My Earth Science students are learning about the atomic model.  They chose an element from the Periodic Table and designed the atom based on its number of protons, neutrons and electrons. 

 

 

The 5th grade is smack dab in the middle of their Space unit.  They created constellations based on their zodiac sign, as well as made brochures persuading travelers to visit one of the eight planets (if it were possible, of course).  ::nerd alert::

Pictured above:  Taurus the Bull, Pisces the Fish, and Virgo the Virgin.

My 6th graders are working on a Mount Everest mini unit.  There's an amazing interactive game on Discovery Channel's website where the object is to reach the summit of the mountain.  The kids have to choose the appropriate tools and gear, as well as a guide and map out their route, etc.  They love it.

So despite the year being the most busy I've ever had, it's going well and I can still say I look forward to going into work every day!