Middle School Matters

MSM 522: Spaced Practice!

Summary:

We take a deep dive into Spaced Practice and what that looks like. Dave brings up the Energy!

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Tricky Energy Terminology

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

The Most Popular Lullaby From Every Country

https://mornings.co.uk/popular-lullaby-by-country/

Teens Know They’re Addicted to Social Media. How to Help Them Cut Back

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-teens-know-theyre-addicted-to-social-media-research-shows-what-can-help-them-cut-back/2021/10?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=eml&utm_campaign=tu&M=64190457&U=1030907&UUID=5a9d0ec8f5882da5968bcc87c68b5a21

How to Use the Method of Loci – The 2500-Year-Old Memory Hack

https://www.missiontolearn.com/method-of-loci/

Resources:

AXIS The Culture Translator

UnGoogle Me

Ohio Middle Level Association

Picture Clean Up

https://cleanup.pictures/

Web Spotlight:

https://livingwage.mit.edu/

Random Thoughts . . .

Instructional Design:

MSM 521: Swivl Me Timbers, I’m a Textrovert!

Summary:

Performative Arts and evaluation. How do we evaluate teachers? Dave has 360 degree view.

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Three-Dimensional Teaching and Learning

http://k12science.net/three-dimensional-teaching-and-learning/

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Resources:

Authoring H5P Interactive Content and Releasing as OER by @sushumanaro

Video: https://youtu.be/qpNWiN5NAqA

Web Spotlight:

Axis - The Culture Translator

Teachers Are Barely Hanging On. Here’s What They Need.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/barely-hanging-on/

Learn to let go of sleep battles with your teen

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/15/health/teen-sleep-schedule-wellness/index.html#annotations:n7gofi7QEey8YZOPI3SGFg

Where is Vilnius? Here’s a video to help you.

https://youtu.be/1OYbDuM4Y3s

MSM 520: Friday at 3:00

Summary:

Shawn and Troy discuss getting tired. The kids are returning to “normal”. Dave has a spoiler alert.

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Spoiler Alert

http://k12science.net/spoiler-alert/

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Resources:

Practical Ed-Tech Guide

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2021/10/get-your-free-copy-of-practical-ed-tech.html

MiddleWeb - Do You Sometimes Miss The Mute Button?

https://www.middleweb.com/45926/do-you-sometimes-miss-the-mute-button/

Document Analysis Worksheets

https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets

Web Spotlight:

Walk the Great Wall

https://artsandculture.google.com/project/great-wall-of-china

School Surveillance

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/12/school-surveillance-dragnet-suicide-attempt-healing#annotations:3_Ks1ixEEeyEl8NFauiN3w

MSM 519: I’m Calling Lin Manuel Right Now!!

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about how the fall is going, substitutes, and culture. Dave gets scientifically creative.

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Creativity in the Science Classroom

http://k12science.net/creativity-in-the-science-classroom/

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Resources:

3D Resources

https://free3dicon.com/about-this-project/#annotations:H_1O6CIeEeyjna-GCWPpFg

Preteen with anxiety and ADHD takes frustrations out on family

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/angry-adhd-anxiety-tween/2021/09/28/10c04a12-1d72-11ec-bcb8-0cb135811007_story.html#annotations:kFUy6CIhEeyOuIvW7reDPA

AMERICAN INDIAN REMOVAL

What Does It Mean to Remove a People?

https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/removal#annotations:h1xJLCLSEeyKSut11q6S6g

Primary Sources Resource:

https://guides.loc.gov/indian-removal-act

Monster Month with Chad Frye, Illustration Guy

Enjoy. https://www.facebook.com/ChadFryeIllustrationGuy?__cft__[0]=AZV-jqdeFDvozhkjMvTcWsS_AUIN0IMXaZDJhTX_FERR1H6XBW9Hlcwgk0O-giYsS81qCvt6k_l6T0UU2u132C0x-XZC48obZ6mTtjxELeVLZbdp6G0xzAtWH3bZ2r1hS4Hn4M7rfONJkdxQpqEqQ2N-RYkcpnDPzmyQZnufiF_5eU3VFlrt1hPnzmQmWkmmAXU&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R

Web Spotlight:

AXIS: The Culture Translator

Slang of the Week:

MSM 518: And This is How I Find Out If They Read It or Not!

Summary:

Shawn and Troy discuss how the kids are doing coming back to school. Are there gaps (learning, social, behavioral)? Dave tells us which came first the Chicken or the Egg?

Jokes:

Advisory:

Ernie Johnson: 'Make somebody's life Better' 'There's value in everybody'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIAEkVlWs2M#annotations:5sDVthcXEeypUz_dMDhejw

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

“Which Came First – the Chicken or the Egg?”

http://k12science.net/the-chicken-or-the-egg/

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/#annotations:D4N_PBlGEeyqLZ8PY3dDNQ

Resources:

The Festival Near You

https://www.loc.gov/events/2021-national-book-festival/festival-information/festival-near-you/?loclr=blognbf#annotations:-lLlMBzTEeyte9u7fcTg5A

The Critical Thinking Quiz

https://www.schoolofthought.org/critical-thinking-quiz#annotations:BJBhMBlGEey3LeutpHRnDQ

Web Spotlight:

AXIS: The Culture Translator

MSM 517: Part of a Greater Strategy for Taking Over The World

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about Remembering 9-11.Passwords and schema. Second week of school. More interactive assignments. Building culture and routine. Twitterverse. YouTube strategies. Dave grows some Sunflowers.

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

The Great Sunflower Project

https://www.greatsunflower.org

http://k12science.net/the-great-sunflower-project/

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

4 Reading Strategies To Retire This Year

https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-reading-strategies-retire-year-plus-6-try-out#annotations:VOkBQg3TEeyTqCvLQ7bkuw

A Close Reading of the Best Opening Paragraph of All Time

https://lithub.com/a-close-reading-of-the-best-opening-paragraph-of-all-time/#annotations:DmiIMhAIEeyTFF-puLc9tQ

Resources:

TOSDR

https://tosdr.org/en/frontpage

Educator Kati Bakradze Talks Teaching

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAamyJzoyealoH3dsugrwSw (Turn on translation.)

Slang of the Week

Web Spotlight:

A Decade of Expensive Video Lessons for K-16 Math Entrepreneurs

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-12-23-a-decade-of-expensive-video-lessons-for-k-16-math-entrepreneurs#annotations:3NUdXBGnEeyr0UtF8PDlmw

MSM 516: Hot Pot, Quail Eggs, And Going To The Can

Summary:

Welcome back to school. ClearMask as a potential retirement plan. Dave talks about the importance of Lesson Closure.

Jokes:

Advisory

Eating Lunch To Go Around The World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPfXegudHdw

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Lesson Closures

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Resources:

#46 – Do bigger animals take longer to pee? 3 more CER examples based on FUN science

https://www.realsciencechallenge.com/46-more-cer-examples/#annotations:zeC_DgmbEeyjuQeEVnQ0fg

AXIS - The Culture Translator

The D'Amelios Are Here

What it is: TikTok’s biggest star, Charli D’Amelio, will take on a (slightly) bigger screen with a reality show based on her family, debuting on Hulu today.

Why it could be the new Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Charli, her sister Dixie, and their parents started out living an ordinary suburban life in Connecticut just a couple of years ago. That was until Charli’s dance videos on TikTok turned her into a breakout star with countless brand deals and promotional contracts. The D’Amelios aims to explore how the family navigates the dynamics of TikTok fame. It’s a very similar premise to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which touted the concept of “family above all” as it followed the daily doings of the California-based clan. But while KUWTK turned one family into stars, Charli and Dixie don’t necessarily need a television show to become more famous. It’s unclear why, exactly, the D’Amelios feel the need to even do a show like this, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a significant amount of young fans tuning in and comparing their own family to what they see on TV.

MSM 515: Here we go all caught in 4K!

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about COVID restrictions reopening school. What can you do? How do you handle group work? Dave colors our world with sunshine.

Jokes:

Eileen Award:

Facebook: Jack Berckemeyer

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Reports from the Front Lines

“Open House”

DaVinci Resolve

COVID Policies in the Classroom, Who takes the blame if the kid gets sick?

Lunch Room

Group Work

Lockers

Hall Passes

Water fountains

Building Relationships & Dealing with COVID

Project Adventure

Growth String

Question to Leave

And now for the “Maine Idea!”

Advisory:

Amazing Designs

https://dailytimewaste.com/movies/fb/161878301/the-most-amazing-design-ideas-people-have-come-across/

The Twitterverse

Shabana Basij-Rasikh @sbasijrasikh

In March 2002, after the fall of Taliban, thousands of Afghan girls were invited to go to the nearest public school to participate in a placement test because the Taliban had burned all female students’ records to erase their existence. I was one of those girls. Nearly 20 years later, as the founder of the only all-girls boarding school in Afghanistan, I’m burning my students’ records not to erase them, but to protect them and their families. https://twitter.com/i/status/1428776691820908548

MiddleWeb @middleweb

NEW TEACHERS! 25 Best Posts for New Teacher Mentors #mschat #middleschool

@AMLE #ntchat #newteachers #mentoring #educoach #profdev #teachingtips https://middleweb.com/23435/25-of-mi

Matt Miller @jmattmiller

Why your students need a podcast: How to do it fast and free http://ditchthattextbook.com/2018/02/28/why-your-students-need-a-podcast-how-to-do-it-fast-and-free/

Cheryl Morris @guster4lovers

Teacher friends, I wrote a MS/HS unit that can be taught in person, remote, or hybrid that covers #growthmindset, neuroplasticity, emotions, #sel and the science of happiness. Please use/share freely: https://bit.ly/gmselunit It would be a great way to start the year

@jcorippo https://t.co/HWWlxIvFGg?amp=1

From a Facebook post:

Write a scary story using *exactly* four words. There was this response:

Shawn McGirr Elliott wrote a story one time when she was probably in second grade. The title was "The Teacher Without Coffee"

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

Manual Water Pump for 5 Gallon Water Bottle

Need to get around the water fountain/hall pass issue? Put a 5 gallon water jug on the table and insert the pump. Water bottle filler and your students don’t have to ask for a hallway pass. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B087PCMSVV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Clean/Dirty Dishwasher Sign

Use the Clean/Dirty dishwasher sign on your door to tell custodial if you’ve been in the room today.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B078MMXJPC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mask Extenders - Save your ears!

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08K3RDC6H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Resources:

3D Periodic Table

https://artsexperiments.withgoogle.com/periodic-table/#annotations:tQtVJACCEeyyWFfoKUYuiA

Welcoming Staff Back to the Building

Be mindful as you plan for return to school team-building activities. Consider your staff’s comfort level.

You can survey staff prior to the start of the school year.

In this post, you will learn some suggestions on how to build school culture at the beginning of the year.

https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/welcoming-staff-back-into-the-building/

10 Secrets to Raising Good Listeners

So my principal changed my schedule yesterday and I now have to take a project and interactive simulation based class and turn it into a lecture based class. They’re going to have to learn differently.

https://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/03/10-secrets-to-raising-good-listeners/

Web Spotlight:

Can you fix middle school by getting rid of it?

Proponents of K-8 schools, or “elemiddles” as they’re sometimes called, say they promote strong relationships between not only teachers and students but also teachers and parents and offer stability to young teens during a tumultuous time in their lives.

The research comparing outcomes of students at K-8 and middle schools remains inconclusive.

...many of the new middle schools had been built for pragmatic reasons, rather than ideological ones, they tended to resemble the junior highs they’d replaced. They were “middle schools in name only,” said Mary Beth Schaefer,

https://hechingerreport.org/can-you-fix-middle-school-by-getting-rid-of-it/

LMS Showcase

https://michiganvirtual.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LsMWNUV4SoKcsv05uqBSMQ

Axis - The Culture Translator

No Emoji is Safe

What it is: Digital natives tend to use emoji less sincerely than their older counterparts, which makes for some confusion when it comes to the family group text.

Why it’s best to stick with words: As we’ve written about before, the “cry-laughing face” emoji has long been banned from the Gen Z-approved emoji lexicon. Now, as the Wall Street Journal reports, your emoji keyboard is practically a buffet of faux pas potential. That pained-looking frowny-face guy? He’s what Gen Z uses to express desire, not frustration. And that smiley face emoji, once the most straightforward of fellows, is mostly interpreted by Gen Z as a passive-aggressive dig. (After all, nobody looks that happy in real life.) You might want to ask your teen if your emoji-vocabulary needs some brushing up.

Slang of the Week

Caught in 4K: Capturing someone’s reaction on camera or catching someone “red-handed.”

For Example:

“You tried to pretend you were over that girl, but your face says it all! Caught in 4k!”

Random Thoughts . . .

Personal Web Site

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

MSM 514: Project Laissez-Faire

Summary:

Teachers will need to project. Mask mandates. What will the school year look like? Groupwork?

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Digital Literacy

http://k12science.net/digital-literacy/

Reports from the Front Lines

Advisory:

50 Little Etiquette Rules You Should Always Practice - Reader’s Digest

https://www.rd.com/list/etiquette-rules/?fbclid=IwAR3RNR3Ik3Fc7iwFXVPmF3S1A5n1Etj-7BK6JfIpaNswkSw1GmnGA4_ibC0

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

Picking Up Words On A Walk

https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2021/01/08/picking-words-walk/?fbclid=IwAR1opWHLNmZRwof4FDG2I78TQ0gCQCAtyaDUSJzV7vQtpwXiB7sKsgVZovA

Resources:

12 Principles of Modern Learning

AXIS - The Culture Translator

ClearMask

https://www.theclearmask.com/

Clear Fog-free face shields - Blany.co

https://blany.co/product/transparent-face-shield/

Free eBooks

http://www.cattocreations.com/ePub3.html

Web Spotlight:

Blended Learning: What It Is and What It Is Not

https://catlintucker.com/2021/07/blended-learning-what-it-is-and-is-not/#annotations:THuAdOybEeuGI0ccjUR8hQ

Hitting the Books: How our lying eyes trick the brain into seeing motion during movies

https://www.engadget.com/hitting-the-books-biography-of-the-pixel-alvy-ray-smith-mit-press-153048574.html

5 Tips for Making Digital Learning Accessible to All Students

https://www.iste.org/explore/tools-devices-and-apps/5-tips-making-digital-learning-accessible-all-students

Random Thoughts . . .

Dr. Edward Panosian

https://livestream.com/bju/panosian?t=1628886549&fbclid=IwAR2sJFm6N2EPoDnkLX8Sz96kOhcF_wV4eSfqMQg_zfQKsISqan92fg4ocWM

MSM 513: Don’t Fall For the House Flipper

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about taking a break, resetting, and more. Dave talks about weather predictions and NOAA.

Jokes:

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

NOAA Satellites Predict and Protect

http://k12science.net/noaa-satellites-predict-and-protect/

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

Strategies:

Cognitive Learning Review

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/evidence-reviews/cognitive-science-approaches-in-the-classroom/

Three Ideas for Encouraging Students to do Research in Digital Archives

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2021/07/three-ideas-for-encouraging-research-in.html

And the Follow UP:

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2021/07/what-car-did-harry-lyon-drive-answer-to.html

Resources:

Three Strategies for Productive Teacher Mentoring - Edutopia

https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-strategies-productive-teacher-mentoring?fbclid=IwAR1QI5P99J12VyiOWRAHGaKaGbNVvt5U1Tn4RWtnNMVe7mT9N_a4SF23Cpk

The Three Most Effective Instructional Strategies for Science—According to Teachers

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-the-three-most-effective-instructional-strategies-for-science-according-to-teachers/2021/07

House Flipper: How Not To Fall For A Sower of Dissatisfaction - World

https://wng.org/articles/house-flipper-1625880652?fbclid=IwAR2J3x6Ti_QFD3hOON3NoMyUWnC86AKOFHMdJxFhPIW6QVJTip_y61d-eyc

Slang of the Week:

Axis - The Culture Translator