Sticky Notes!!!

Sticky notes have many uses, but the newest use is for helping students learn.  They can be used in textbooks to cover definitions or words for studying.  They can be used as place holders.  They can be used for students to write questions on as they read the text.  Sticky notes can hold example math problems to guide students in their work.  They are used as reminders, summarizing reading materials, self-monitoring comprehension, record their thoughts during readings, and make predictions.  Not surprisingly, many students find that writing the notes helps them become more engaged in the story. Struggling readers often choose to write Post-it notes on almost every page of the book.  The ideas are endless.  

Glazer, S., & Bedard, B. (2003). Sticky Situations. Teaching Pre K-8, 34(3), 90-91.

Sacks, A. (2012). Reading Fiction Whole. Education Week, 17-20.

Stormont, M. A. (2008). Increase Academic Success for Children With ADHD Using Sticky Notes and    Highlighters. Intervention In School & Clinic, 43(5), 305-308.

Free E-Textbooks!!!

Free Online Textbook Title: Human Anatomy Online: Laboratory Dissections
Free Online Textbook Description:
This free online textbook is a dissection manual that provides a means to facilitate the learning of human anatomy. The focus is on concise descriptions of steps in the dissection process and provides key illustrations. Additionally, students can access a large videodisc image gallery which serves as a guide to the various steps of dissection.
Author: SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Subjects: Health Sciences & Medical
Download URL: http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/index.htm

Free Online Textbook Title: DNA Replication: Current Advances
Free Online Textbook Description:
This free online etextbook offers to its readers 30 chapters on current trends in the field of DNA replication. As several contributions in this textbook show, the study of DNA will continue for a while to be a leading front of scientific activities.
Author: Herve Seligmann
Subjects: Biology
Download URL: http://www.intechopen.com/books/show/title/dna-replication-current-advances

Free Online Textbook Title: Essays on Wildlife Conservation
Free Online Textbook Description:
This is a free online textbook is suitable for an introductory course on wildlife conservation. The essays within the textbook were written for college students who are not only biology majors. The textbook chapters provide an introduction to the history of wildlife in North America, biodiversity, natural selection, conservation biology, ecology, conservation legislation, alien species, wildlife and pollution, and things we can all do to save wildlife.
Author: Peter Moyle
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Download URL: http://marinebio.org/Oceans/Conservation/Moyle/
 
Free Online Textbook Title: Introduction to Photosynthesis
Free Online Textbook Description:
This free online etextbook covers the following topics: Overall Chemistry of Photosynthesis, Energetics of Photosynthesis, Solar Energy and its Utilization, Structure and Composition of the Photosynthetic Apparatus, Action Spectrum and Quantum Yield of Photosynthesis, Fluorescence and The Two Pigment Systems.
Author: E. Rabinowitch, Govindjee
Subjects: Biology
Download URL: http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/photosynBook.html

Free Online Textbook Title: The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection
Free Online Textbook Description:
This free online etextbook provides a synthesis of Darwinian selection and Mendelian genetics and marking a turning point in the development of evolutionary thought, this work is one of the most frequently cited references in modern evolutionary biology.
Author: R. A. Fisher
Subjects: Biology
Download URL: http://www.archive.org/details/geneticaltheoryo031631mbp

E-Book Experience

I used the Books App on my Android Smartphone to read a few chapters of Pride and Prejudice.  This book was already in the app.  The font was a nice size and the background light could be varied.  Turning pages just takes a swipe of my finger!  It has a read-aloud option, but it is a robotic female voice--very monotone.  I would probably never use this feature unless it was a textbook and I was multitasking.  One of the nice features is that it returns to the page you were last on once you leave and come back.  This solves the bookmark issue.

I like that I can read books on my phone.  I can read anywhere without having to remember to bring a book.  Time is valuable to me, so multitasking is my way of life.  I usually read textbooks, grade papers, do lesson plans, etc while waiting on my daughter's taekwondo lessons to end or sitting in waiting rooms.  Also, the light feature makes it possible to read in bed without disturbing my husband.

Ebooks would be very useful for today's youth because they always have their phones with them everywhere they go.  I feel the odds that they will use them are greater than the odds they would use their heavy text.  Plus it has the added benefit of not having to remember to bring it home.  It's always there already.

E-Library: The Digestive System

Digestive System E-Reading

• http://sciencepoems.net/sciencepoems/digestion.aspx  Poetry
• http://vttlitblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/digestion-poem-from-grade-5.html Poetry
• http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/body_basics/digestive_system.html Teen Health Article
• http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter26/animation__organs_of_digestion.html Animation and quiz
• http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/ information website
• http://www.biguniverse.com/readkidsbooks/read/784/the-digestive-system ebook
• http://www.slideshare.net/federicoblanco2009/digestive-system-teacher Slide show
• http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/HumanBody/Digestion/Digestive-System.php Body map
• http://www.edupics.com/image-digestive-system-i7892.html images
• http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/digestive/lactose_intolerance.html article w audio
• http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/digestive/ulcers.html ulcer article w audio
• http://www.digestionblog.com/ blog

New Generation Sunshine State Standards:

• SC.912.L.14.7 Relate the structure of each of the major plant organs and tissues to physiological processes.
• SC.912.L.14.46 Describe the physiology of the digestive system, including mechanical digestion, chemical digestion, absorption and the neural and hormonal mechanisms of control.

Field Trip # 2: Green Cove Springs Public Libary

Rosetta Stone is an online language learning program that is offered free of charge at the Green Cove Springs Public Library.  English learners learn at their own pace in the language learning lab in private.  Participants have opportunities to explore literacy, career/job skills, American culture and language, and pathways to citizenship.  Patti Robbins is the ESOL Administrative Support Assistant for the School District of Clay County.  She helps community members register for a free Rosetta Stone account.

Though nobody was working on the program during my visit, I learned what learners do while there.  Learners log in to the program on the library computers and can focus on reading, writing, or listening and speaking, depending on their personal goals.  The programs keeps track of the progress the learners make.   The Rosetta Stone software uses a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation. They call this the "Dynamic Immersion method." According to the company, the software is designed to teach languages the way first languages are learned (Wikipedia).

Click to see how Rosetta Stone works

Works Cited

1992., & CD-ROM. (n.d.). Rosetta Stone (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_St

SAVE ME

SAVE ME

This is a book tease for the book I am currently reading by Lisa Scottoline called Save Me. It was created with Animoto.

Literacy Circle at MHS

Middleburg High School has 25 minutes per day dedicated to sustained reading.  We call this the enrichment period, and it is included in 5th period of every class.  Teachers have the flexibility to plan this time however they choose.  Some teachers check out class sets of the same novel for students to use.  Some teachers allow students to choose their own reading materials.  Right now my students are all reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I often play the audio version while students follow along in their books.  I have noticed about half the students are just pretending to listen or read this book.  It is very frustrating.  I have tried to hold them accountable by offering fun book related activities as motivation, but I have not been successful in reaching every student.

After learning about the different options of having Literacy Circles, I think it would be a great way to hold my students accountable for actually reading.  I like how each circle has different roles while all are reading the same book.  I plan to try using Literacy Circles with the next books.  I want to have students pair up in groups of 4.  Each group will be responsible for reading the book of their choice from the school library or from their personal collection.  Each week I will assign each member a different job they will work on while reading.  On Friday's the groups will meet and share their findings with the group.  They will turn in their written or computer generated job sheets for me to assign points to.  Roles will rotate each week so each person is responsible for a different job every week.  The collection of job sheets can be put into a group portfolio that covers book reviews and assignments from their readings.

I think this will be a motivating factor for my students.  They will be able to mix learning, reading, and socializing.  In addition, creating a portfolio for others to view will encourage them to do their best.