al-mofhariz

Ah...the dredded prep work....

What makes a science lesson run smoothly or go over like a lead balloon? Whether or not the teacher has her/his materials prepped and ready for the lesson. 

I know some teachers  complain about the time it takes to get materials ready.  I know we are all fried at the end of the day...But if you simply spend 15 minutes making sure you are good to go the next day, the lesson will run 100% smoother.  And if the lesson runs smoothly, the kids will learn more. 

So let me share a few of my tips and what works for me!

First, I make sure that I have a consistent materials spot.  I have two desks pushed together and covered with a vinyl tablecloth (to hide the crap   educational materials underneath.)  

Second, you need each group to have materials easily accessible. As you see with this unit, I put each groups materials on a tray.  Then when I ask the Getters to go get the materials, they simply get their trays and any additional materials.

Sometimes you need to p…

For your consideration---
A conference celebrating (physical geographer and other things) George Perkins Marsh: An American for all Seasons -- proposals due 15 March 2012


The College of Arts and Letters at the Stevens Institute of
Technology is pleased to announce a conference
celebrating the achievements and insights of George Perkins Marsh
(1801-1882), environmentalist, diplomat, philosopher, and scholar, to be
held on our campus 04 May 2012.  Our campus-wide commitment to the
development of innovative thinking in a culture of collaboration makes
Stevens an ideal venue for sharing ideas about Marsh – a luminary figure
whose life and works connect scholar-teachers across disciplines and
cultures.  Authors are invited to submit papers on any aspect of Marsh’s
many achievements or the impact of his work.  A selection of papers will
be published in a volume of conference proceedings.

Please submit inquiries and papers (maximum 4,000 words) or abstracts
(250-500 words) to Lisa Dolling <ldolling@ste…