I'm Back!

Last week, after being out for an entire week with the flu then out for another three days for professional development, I went back into my classroom to be observed by my mentor and video taped. What a day! My kids were pretty good but of course they are a little crazy after not having class for two weeks. I used an activity from Project Wild and modified it a bit to fit my students and my class.

Project Wild (as well as Project Learning Tree, Project Wet and Project Wow) is a great resource for activities that incorportate several subject areas (can you say collaboration!) and includes hands-on indoor or outdoor activities. The usually require minimal supplies and are for students in K-12. You can get the books and training free by attending a training workshop. I highly recommend it.

My lab last week was a general microscopy lab and most of the kids loved looking at the slides. They are getting really good at focusing the microscopes. I had a new student and her lab partners gave her instructions and helped her learn how to use the microscope. I was so proud!

The rain finally stopped for long enough to take my environmental science class into the outdoor classroom. We worked on the bridge and removed some brush. We also did a listening and observation activity and the students learned the names of some birds.

We were out of school on Friday and of course no school on Monday. I am looking forward to Tuesday and I will be glad to finally get back into the swing of things.