Rubric

Okay, let's get down to the nitty gritty...how are we going to assess students as they comment and post?  This will vary according to grade level, english level, and subject area. 
Here are some starting points. 

The following are some websites with rubrics designed by others:
http://colemanspace.info/index.php/rubrics/15-blog-rubric
http://facultydevelopmentbgsu.blogspot.com/2005/11/rubrics-to-evaluate-classroom-blogging.html
http://www.scribd.com/doc/5581113/Blog-Scoring-Rubric

Scholastic has a simple rubric as well:
http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/teacher_guide/SNOnline.BlogRubric6-8.pdf
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/teachers_guide/SNOnline.BlogRubric3-5.pdf

What have you found or created?  Let's collaborate and share it all here. 

You Made That Up!

Here is a cool activity:  Take the word you were assigned and look it up.  Write down the correct definition (you can put it in your own words if you like).  Next create 2 more phony definitions.  Write those down also.  Post the word and all 3 definitions here.  We'll try and figure out the correct answer!  You can add more phony definitions if you like. 
Be sure to make your phony definitions a little tricky or else we'll tell you!

Example:
Kinetic Energy:

1.  The energy related to sports movement
2.  The energy of motion
3.  The energy related to height.

Science HELP?!!

There are 2 sites I recommend to students who are struggling in science.  These are my favorite because they both have a lot of lessons and I really like the explanations by the instructors in them. 
http://www.khanacademy.org/
http://www.brightstorm.com/

Surf them on your own and pick a video for a science topic you are struggling with in this class.  Embed it to your post just like I did on my "What's Your Word" post, if possible, (or attach the link and name) and tell us why you really liked it.  Don't take this lightly, your peers will take your recommendations seriously!

Camera Phone Diary

Okay, so nowadays, either you have your own camera phone or you know someone who has one. If you don't, let me know and we'll make arrangements. Here is your assignment:

Create a camera phone diary of erosion, deposition, or weathering happening. Explain as much as possible. Minimum of 3 pictures required to get credit. Last day to do so will be May 30th.

Here are some ideas:
-take a picture of your driveway cracks before, during, and after winter freeze occurs.
-Capture a plant growing in a sidewalk or crack in a building or side of the highway when your parents are driving
-check out the area around your mailbox.

I'm going to do my front door beam. Here's my first entry:

Although it didn't collect ice within it, it was extremely dry and cold. I'm going to take another picture and point out the changes in a few weeks.

Rap, Poem, Song, or Cartoon

You were given 5 key words by me.  Create a rap, poem, song, or cartoon script using the words and be sure to highlight the words so we know which ones they were.  You will do this in groups of 3 so make sure you list all 3 of your first names (only) on your post. 

Have fun!

Famous Quotes

Find a famous quote from your discipline (or even one that applies to your discipline). For example if you are a science teacher you might grab one from Watson & Crick, Marie Curie, Einstein, Darwin, etc...
Explain why you selected, and what you think it means...and maybe even explain what your students view might be of the same quote.

For example:
"The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." -Einstein
Sometimes I feel like I'm running a constant Science-Doesn't-Suck campaign as a science teacher. This reminds us that although it seems very intimidating, science is something you do every day, countless times within a day...I think my students would be surprised to hear that came from Einstein's mouth.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Einstein
Sometimes I feel like I'm betraying myself when I veg out in front of the tv...but say what you will about the "remote controlled babysitter" or as my dad liked to call it the "idiot box," it has allowed a bookworm like me to connect with the pulse of worldwide creativity. I'm not just an avid reader, I'm an avid watcher, and most importantly, even though I don't understand everything, I'm an avid imaginer. This is why this struck me...there is no point in gaining all the knowledge in the world, if you can't imagine. I think my students would totally see this, but maybe their follow up question would be something like, "so why are grades and tests so important, Miss?" :)

Lunar Cycles Game

Give this game a shot and see how you do.  Post what you think, if it helped you, and why.
(Careful, it's a little loud)
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/moon/moon_challenge/moon_challenge.html

OMG, the TEST!!

We are getting ready to take a test over plant/animal cells, homeostasis, and photosynthesis and respiration. 

As the test begins, guess who is LEAST likely to be nervous?  The teacher...cuz they know all the questions and the answers. 

Let's get rid of some of your test anxiety by playing teacher.  Make a test question you think will be on a test...extra points for including a diagram or graph.  I can assure you, there will be few (and possible no) questions asking you to do something as simple as identify the definition to something. 

Remember, we'll decide if your question will be a good one or bad one...I may even assign extra points if your question (or a version of it) shows up on the test.

Imaginary Numbers? Seriously?

Okay so it's time to be honest with you. I know that we, as science teachers, like to feel falsely assured either that we know everything or can easily learn anything we don't know.... Far more interesting than what we don't know....is what positively CONFOUNDS us. For example, I always loved math...until I got to college and took engineering-based Calculus. The class was a struggle for me but I muddled through....until I got to imaginary numbers. A number,...that you imagined? A number that could be anything? As in 0, 1, 2, 3, or 9? or as in a group of numbers? or maybe they meant it was a object? This plagued me.

Then, one day, 8 years later, in a Frontier Airlines flight, the zen 40-something surfer next to me simply explained that imaginary numbers are simple,...once you understand that they could be anything, like a variable or equation or constant...at this moment, several lego blocks inside my brain clicked and I realized....all those years of feeling like a calculus failure were unwarranted. It was simply that no one had ever fully explained to me before! To be fair, to do so would have seriously deterred the benefits of early morning alcohol consumption for my tenured Cal professor....and also I think there is still something I'm missing here.

Do you have a similar "bone to pick" with any particular content area? Think back through your education and tell us what stumped you in a certain class. Tell us about it, and maybe you'll have a similar experience.

What's Your Word?

In Elizabeth Gilbert's famous book "Eat, Pray, Love" , she mentions a friend of hers who insists that every city and every person has a word. For example, New York's word is "acheive" and Rome's word is "sex." Eventually, the author decides on her word. My question to you is the same, but with a twist.
If you could pick a word from any of our units in science to be your word, what would you pick and why?
Here is mine: I feel like a cell in telophase. This is when the cell splits in two and separates. It is a phase in the process of cell division (mitosis) that is the end of a growth phase in a cell and signals the creation of 2 separate new cells.
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/tutorials/cell_cycle/mitosis_movie.html

I've spent a great deal of time growing, exploring, and learning wonderful lessons. Now, I feel like I'm going to another level where I am not who I was when I was younger, when I first started teaching, and when I first started learning science. I carry the lessons from my former self into this new life and have identified what I really want to pass on to the next generation. Its the end of something (my former motives) but also the start of something (new hopes and motives). I'm sure I will go through this stage again as I age and learn even more. My word is Telophase.

I can't wait to hear yours!

Cognates? Do you brush your teeth with that?

Cognates are words that are spelled and pronounced similarly in more than one language. For example "evolution" in English and "evolución" in spanish are cognates. Notice how they are spelled almost the same. In this case, they are TRUE cognates because they also share the same meaning.
Here is another pair: "mass" in English and "mas" in Spanish. These are FALSE cognates because mass (Eng.) means the measure of matter within an object, whereas mas (Span.) mean more.
(Note: If you are a HS teacher, you have access to the NGELPS online resource and there are lists of cognates available there)

It's important to address these in your class so that all students can gain insight and make connections. Look up some TRUE and FALSE cognates in your content area that will be valuable for students in the upcoming school year. If you could only share one of each (one true and one false) for your content area...which would it be? Explain your choice.

Dissect a key word:

1. Select a key word from your specific content area. 
2. Break it up into roots, prefixes, and suffixes and explain what each part means. 
3. Use one or two of those parts (roots, prefixes, and suffixes) in another example. 
* Don't forget to list any good websites that you find. 
Here is an example below:

a herbivore is
herb-        i-        -vore
herb= plants        vore=eat [greedily]
so now you know that herbaceous has something to do with plants and that detritivore has something to do with eating. 
This site has a short list of some root words: http://www.ccarney.org/rootwords/la11rw.html
Here is a list of science root words that is pretty extensive: http://www.studystack.com/flashcard-26876

Your turn...