sutton007

As Hurricane Irene is making her way down the East Coast, many people are preparing for a serious storm.  While there are those excited by the prospect of high winds and torrential rain, others, like elementary students, may be nervous and confused about what to expect.  As always, providing information may alleviate their fears. NASA Science Files for Kids: An interactive site that describes Hurricane Structure, Formation and Movement.  Saffir-Simpson Scale: This NASA site explains the rating scale used for hurricanes.  Hurricanes are rated on a scale of 1-5.  A category 1 hurricane is less intense than a category 5. Hurricane Names: Learn how hurricanes are named and find a list of names that have been or will be used.   Is your name here? HURRICANE VIDEOS: Discovery Channel Video:   This video explains how hurricanes form and describes some of the damage caused by them. Hurricane Minute: A series of video clips from the Weather Channel Kids tha...

At the start of each new school year my students are introduced to a lesson in Citizenship.   This lesson will lay the groundwork as we work together to establish rules in our classroom.  made with Doodlebuddy Here are some definitions which help students understand this often-confusing term.  The highlighted definition will be the focus of instruction this year. "Citizenship" as defined by Dictionary.com :     noun :  1. the state of being vested with the rights, privileges, and duties of a citizen.             2. the character of an individual viewed as a member by society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen. Students will be introduced (via a Smartboard Notebook lesson) to the following 5 categories that help define citizenship; Respect, Fairness, Caring, Responsibility,  and Honesty (categories based on information provided by the Scott Foresman Soci...

There are all kinds of opinions out there about using Social Media with your students.  The Case for Social Media in Schools is one example by someone who has outlined very valid reasons to use sites like Facebook, Edmodo & Edublogs in the classroom.  Here is a post about the recent Missouri Facebook Law which "limits teacher-student interaction online".      My post really doesn't address the above thoughts except that it IS about teachers and students interacting online via Facebook! Back in the beginning of July I received a Facebook invite from one of my 6th grade teachers ...okay, well, one of my former sixth grade teachers.  He and another one of my former 6th grade teachers, decided to start a Facebook group for those who belonged to our little neighborhood school from the years between 1971 - 1981 (I'm sure I'm dating myself NOW!). Little by little the group started growing.   In just a short month over 180 now adult, former s...