Cheek Cells and Clinical Simulations

It has been quite a busy season! Can you believe November is next week!? WOO! I get a week off for Thanksgiving and I just can't wait!

School has been kickin' my tail. Everything is good...real good, but I will admit I had that "what am I doing here-this is overwhelming" moment last week. Phew. I survived.

My Pre-AP Biology classes just went through a PBL (project based learning) where they diagnosed a patient of a "cell organelle" related disease. Yeah, I went all science on you! ;)

My students have looked at cheek cells and onion cells...

 Actual Cheek cells from lab 

Ice Ice Breakers: A freebie for teachers!

Sing it with me: "Vanilla ice, ice, breakers!" Ok, TOTALLY LAME!! haha

Goodness, this is my last official free week of summer until I have to be at school!

I've also realized that I've only eaten 1...ONE...sno-cone all season long! I've got to fix that!

Next week is new teacher orientation.

The following week is district-wide staff development.

The week after that is school!

EEK...do you see why I've been a little panicked with my prep time?! I'll lose daytime next week to prep. But deep breath, things are going to be ok.

My hubby gave me a pep-talk last night. He's so supportive emotionally and with my work. Not only did he make this poster (and plans to make some more lab safety posters)...

He's also made me this...

Han Solo Bucks! He rocks. This is my punch card for Pre-AP Bio. And it's a play on my last name "Hahn." I married a Star Wars fan who converted me into being one myself.

Notice how the coding "CCCT..." on the left matches the right coding "GGGA..." according to DNA base pairing? (C always matches with G and A matches with T). Yeah, totally cool! :)

How will they earn punches in their Han Solo buck? acts of kindness, giving answers that go above and beyond the book knowledge, being prepared for class, being on task, etc... sometimes they will be told it's a Han Solo Bucks day, sometimes they won't.

Prizes? Some sort of point system-  

5 punches minimum get the student school supplies, candy, etc.

10 punches gets them bonus points toward a homework assignment, 1 bonus point on a test, etc.

20 punches gets them a free homework pass (they still have to do the assignment, but they get a 100% on it).

Still working on the logistics of it all, but I think this will be a fun ongoing thing throughout the semester!

Anyways, on to some Vanilla Ice Ice Breakers!

I took my chicken scratch brainstorm list... 

Into this...

Ice Breakers

Please download the ice breakers if you find them helpful! These ideas aren't completely mine, but I went around the internet world and looked for what I thought would be appropriate for high schoolers (especially ones that weren't completely boring) and modified them a bit to fit my needs.

I plan to use the first one for Pre-AP Biology, the last one for my IB Biology seniors, and the Birthday line up for both (that way I can write down their birthdays on a calendar).

Do you have any good ice breakers you do with your kiddos? Please share :)

h  a  p  p  y    m  o  n  d  a  y !!

What I Could not Teach Without- my essentials to survive the day

What are your staples?  You know, the things you absolutely need in life...things that will always be in your purse, in your pocket?

Over the past year, I have taken 3 long-term substitute positions and learned quickly that there are some things that you just need to help you get through the day.  More than just a laptop people...I mean little things that really make your day!  :)

These are my top 10 essentials that I feel help me get through a day...whether it is teaching, or the weekend.  Enjoy!

1. Chapstick: You need a good one so your lips don't get chapped!  I finally found the best one ever!!

Gap "Favorite Lip Balm." Appropriately named.  I've only tried Apple Cider so far (love it).  Why is it so good?  It has coconut oil in it.  Any chapstick I've tried with coconut oil in it I've loved.  It doesn't get all caked on your lips after talking for a while (good for teaching with!), it stays on your lips for a long time, and the tube lasts for a long time.  It's a little pricey...$4-5, but for how great of a product it is for me, it's worth.

Bottom line, get yourself some nice chapstick :).

2. Bobby Pin and Hair tie: for those times when you just need hair out of your face.

Teaching Biology means I'm doing many labs and leaning toward a microscope.  My short layers of hair get in my eyes and when I look through a microscope it gets in the way.  Bobby Pin to the rescue! Hair ties on my wrist are great for when we do labs and need to pull back the hair.

3. Water: stay hydrated!

My fave water container

Talking to 100's of kids all day long can make you dehydrated and dizzy (it's happened to me before).  Challenge yourself to drink water, rather than soft drinks, to keep on your toes.

4. Tea: for times when you don't really need coffee or soda, but want a change in beverage.

My fave so far is.... I like having tea while I teach because it makes me feel a little bit at home (which the classroom really does become home when your there 5 days a week).

5. My favorite mug: Anthro beauty

You need a great mug to drink coffee or tea from :) Trust me, a great mug makes ya feel better about life sometimes!

6. Snacks: for a pick-me-up, or your drive home!

You'll need a good nutrition boost now and then, but candy will make you crash HARD (I won't get into the science of it, but it's all this glucose and insulin stuff, and a crash and burn of sugar in your system...). Protein, fruit, or veggies will do.  Have some candy every once in a while, but maybe a "fun size," so you won't hit that afternoon food coma that comes 20 minutes after your king size milky way bar :)

7. A cardigan: for those "the A/C is so cold" days.

Something simple and that can match anything, like gray or black. I have one very similar to this.

8. Gum: cause your breath is harsh.

That's all I can say!  How embarrassing would it be to talk to a student in close proximity and for your breath to be so bad! It's a fear of mine, I swear!

9. A favorite writing pen/pencil(s): because sometimes it feels better to write in your favorite pen.

Bic Triumph 537R

I'm a lefty, and with that power comes great responsibility. Like finding pens that don't smear as you go across the pages.  This pen work great and drys fast! No ink all over my hand!

10. Post-It's: write and stick.

They are perfect for quick passes for a student, and colorful enough to grab your attention if you have to make an important to-do list on them.

What an exhaustive list! I hope that inspires you to have some great essentials in your classroom to make things more at home in the class! :) 

Linking at Views from Room 205.

Organization, Part 1...look good when you organize!

Who says you have to use the "black" binder that has no color and no life?! Ok, well the black binder is definitely cheaper than a pretty one, but I think it's ok to spend a little extra on something that will get used a lot!  If the colors or designs make you happy, then go for it.  You have to look at those things on a daily basis, so you might as well smile when you keep organized, right? :)

And who couldn't love those colors and designs?  Last week I stumbled upon the following items at Target.  They were on sale, and they completely go with the colors that I want to use in my classroom!

file folder pack, note cube, 1" binder (bought 2), and small journals

What are you going to use these items for? Glad you asked!

note cube: for my desk, to jot down a note, or make a quick pass for a student.

 

 file folders: at my last long term sub job i used this file organizer for student graded work.  i labeled the files with the class period, and put work to be passed back in them.  but careful, if you don't pass back work right away, they get really full! (so it forces you to be on top of graded work)

journals: there's 3 of them.  so far i plan to use one for faculty/department meeting notes, and another for bell work (where i can write out the ? and answer and have a personal log of the bell work for the week)

binders: for my lesson plans, worksheets, and answer keys.  I bought 2, one for each semester.

easy peasy tabs, written in pencil just in case a change needs to be made

student handout/homework in binder, ready to be copied...

and the homework key in a sheet protector (since it will be used a lot, i wanted to protect it)

Since I'm a 1st year teacher, there's so much to get organized!  Good thing I enjoy having my ducks in a row :) If you have any tips on how to keep organized, let me know!  

P.S. I'm linking with Erin's blog here. Check her out, she's lovely!

Teacher Tool #1

Today I've been working so diligently on some stuff for school.  Any teachers out there ever heard of Prezi?  It's like PowerPoint, but more appealing to the eye.  It allows you to embed videos right into the presentation as well.  Not sure if I'll go completely Prezi this year with my material, but I started with my first presentation, lab safety.

Go here and check out my presentation: Lab Safety Link

Lemme know what you think of Prezi! (I'm not endorsed to talk about their company, I just wanna put tools out there for us teachers to use and make life easier!)

Here's a sneak peak of a DIY I'll post tomorrow....

Happy Wednesday!