What I'm Going to Miss About Elementary School...

When I made the decision to leave fifth grade and try my hand at middle school, I had every intention of teaching 6th grade something or other.  But, in the back of my mind, I had a feeling that I would wind up in 8th grade science... And, guess what!?? This year I will be teaching 8th grade science!

My feelings have gone from sheer fear to giggly happiness and back to absolute terror!! The kids don't scare me (yet) but the content of which I may have forgotten the details is causing me some anxiety. But I am reading and rereading a lot of related content materials this summer as well as attending every (free) professional development opportunity possible and, as a result, I am feeling more and more confident each day. Here is a list of some of the better titles I've read (or am reading) to this point:

Help! I'm Teaching Middle School Science! by C. Jill Swango (NSTA)

Stop Faking It! Chemistry Basics  by William C. Williams and Brian Diskin

Stop Faking It! Force and Motion by William C. Williams

Differentiating Instruction with Menus: Science (6-8) by Laurie Westphal  

Achieving Scientific Literacy by Robert M. Hazen and James Trefil

Green Light Classrooms by Rich Allen (Also attended a professional development with the author)

So far...

Although they are no Fifty Shades of Gray (lol), they have all been relatively easy reads and I have taken some ideas from each of them that will be useful for this new journey. Love the Stop faking It Series anyway so they were reviews... The Menus look like a LOT of work but sooo worth it if the choices engage the kids to want to learn. 

We shall see! 

I am going to miss all the little decorations and bulletin board designs that come with an elementary classroom...uh, did I just say that... hmmmmm.... Maybe not :)

I did just buy the COOLEST framed Neo-painting of Albert Einstein for my classroom. I am sure I won't be able to completely walk away from the decor of my previous life, but I will certainly have to scale down. Hopefully, I'll keep you posted on how I handle it all :)

Classroom Review Games (List 2)

Concept Review Games

Review-Question Bingo (taken from: http://www.interventioncentral.org)

This game is played according to the traditional Bingo rules but adds a crucial requirement: students who get Bingo can win only if they and the rest of their team is able successfully to answer a series of review questions.

• The teacher makes up Bingo cards for the class. A student Bingo 'card' is made by drawing a grid of five vertical dividing lines and 5 horizontal dividing lines onto a sheet of paper. (The boxes of the grid should be about an inch square.) In the first horizontal line, the teacher picks 5 numbers randomly from 1-20 and writes them into the boxes. Moving to the second line, the teacher selects 5 random numbers from 21 to 40 and writes them in any order into the boxes. The teacher does the same in the third line with random numbers from 41 to 60, the fourth line with random numbers from 61 to 80, and the fifth line with random numbers from 81 to 100.
• Next, the teacher cuts a sheet of paper into 100 small squares. Squares are numbered 1 to 100 and are placed in a hat or other container.
• The teacher also prepares a list of 10-20 review questions drawn from academic material covered in the course. (The teacher should prepare enough review questions for several Bingo games.)
• # Finally, the teacher decides on what to offer as 'prizes' to winning Bingo teams.

Next, students are divided into groups of 4-5 students. Each student is given markers (e.g., scraps of paper) to mark off Bingo squares, with additional markers available if needed. The teacher is the caller for the game, drawing numbered squares from the hat and calling them out. When a number is called, students whose cards contain that number place a marker on it. The first player who has filled in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line with markers calls out "Bingo!" Now the fun starts! Before the student and their team can claim a prize, they must correctly answer five review questions read off by the teacher. (It is up to the teacher to decide whether the winning student consults other team members and gives the answers as the team spokesperson or whether any team member can call out an answer.) If the team misses a single question, the Bingo game continues. When another "BINGO!" is called, the winning team must again answer a series of new questions before claiming their prizes.

Eggs-citing Activities (Games that utilize plastic Easter Eggs) 

• Vocabulary Review-   Inside the eggs, either put the definition or the vocabulary word. The students' job would be to open the egg, read the definition or the word, and then write down what is missing on a piece of paper. This could be a fun partner activity, or used for individual assessment as well.

• Test Review- Have students work together to design questions that will be placed in the eggs. Make a copy of the all the questions that will be used so that each student has them to review and for accountability during the game. Place the selected questions in the eggs. Divide the students into teams of 3-4 students and have members of each team select eggs and answer the questions, earning points for each team. (If the weather permits, the eggs could be scattered outdoors.) 
  
  
   
  
  
  

   

Classroom Review Games (List 1)

Interactive Concept Review Ideas

• Tic-Tac-Toe Review
• Students or teacher creates review questions to be used for the game.  Divide the students into two teams. Create a large tic-tac-toe board (on the white board or a poster board with velcro compartments for the X's and O's).
• Create a copy of questions that will be used for each student to answer during the game (accountability of all students).
• As student teams answer questions they earn the chance to place X's or O's on the board to earn points for their team.

• Will the Winners Lose (taken from: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp321-04.shtml)
• Prepare two sets of cards in advance of the game:
• Prepare a set of 25 "scoring cards." On each of those cards, write a different instruction, for example:
  

  * Earn 100 points
  * Lose a turn
  * Take 50 points from the other team
  * Earn 70 points
  * Double your total points
  * Take an extra turn
  * Earn 500 bonus points

• On the other set of cards, write 25 questions related to the topic or skill(s) you want to review and reinforce. (Note: Questions might be created in list form rather than on cards.)

Introduce the stack of scoring cards to students. Shuffle the cards. Put the stack face down on a desk.

Alternative idea.
You might post the 25 scoring cards in random order on a bulletin board or chalkboard. Post the cards with the blank side facing students and the scoring instructions hidden from view.

Arrange students into two or more teams. Decide which team goes first, and then pose the first question to a member of that team. If the student answers correctly, he or she draws a scoring card from the stack (or removes one from the bulletin board or chalkboard). The score on the card determines the score the student earns for his or her team.

• If the team has 0 (zero) points and the card selected reads "Earn 50 points," the team has a total of 50 points.
• If the card reads, "Double your present score," the team doubles its score of 0, for a total of 0 points.
• If the card reads, "Deduct 50 points from your score," the team subtracts 50 from 0, for a score of -50.

If the student answer incorrectly, the first student on another team to raise his or her hand earns the right to "steal" the question. A correct answer earns that student the opportunity to choose a scoring card...

Of course, the scoring card could carry a negative message, so answering a question correctly is no guarantee that a team will earn points; as a matter of fact, the team could lose points! A team could conceivably answer all the questions correctly and lose the game. That's why the game is called "Will the Winners Lose?"

• Trash Ball: taken from: (http://712educators.about.com/cs/assessment/ht/htbballreview.htm)
• Write at least 25 'easy' review questions.
• Write at least 25 'hard' review questions.
• Buy or make a small (3-4 inches diameter) ball. I make mine with a paper wad in the middle surrounded by a few layers of masking tape.
• Set up the room with a (clean) garbage can in the front. This will be the 'basket'.
• Place a piece of masking tape on the floor approximately 3 feet from the basket.
• Place a piece of masking tape on the floor approximately 8 feet from the basket.
• Divide the students into two teams.
• Explain that each student must answer the questions given to them. Easy and hard questions will be evenly interspersed.
• Keep score for the questions. Easy questions are worth 1 points each and hard questions are worth 2.
• If a student gets an easy question correct, they have a chance to shoot for an 'extra point'. They will shoot from the tape mark that is furthest from the basket.
• If a student gets a hard question correct, they have a chance to shoot for an 'extra point'. They will shoot from the tape mark that is closest to the basket. 

• Zonk! (adapted from http://www.learnersedgeinc.com)
•  A board is made with pockets numbered 1 through 50. Inside the pockets are 3x5 cards with a numerical value on them. However, some of the cards have the word zonk or wham written on them. The students get into teams of four or five students. The teacher asks a question and if the team spokesperson gets it right the team picks a card from the number pockets. The team can pick up to three cards. If they get a number card they get those points, if they get a wham card the points are doubled, but if they get a zonk card they lose all their points. The students enjoy this game and like pressing their luck; also the score can change with every question, so the students never get discouraged if they have a low score. Each student receives a copy of the questions to complete as we work through the game together (accountability & review).
  

• Snowball Fight (adapted from http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/qt/snowballfight.htm)
• Ask students to write questions regarding the topic you want to review. Provide each student with several pieces of paper so there is abundant snow. If you want to make sure certain issues are covered, add some snowballs of your own. When the snowball fight is over, each student will pick up a snowball and answer the question in it.
  If your room accommodates this, it can be nice to keep students on their feet during this exercise since they’ll be picking up snowballs throughout it. Moving around also helps people retain learning, and it’s a great way to energize a classroom.
  (Printing a copy of the questions for each student adds accountability)
  
•  Skee-Ball Review (adapted from: http://yearn4learning.blogspot.com/2012/07/skee-ball-school-style.html) 
• Have students spend time writing review questions and answers that could be used in a review session. Make a master worksheet of all the questions that will be used and copy for each student (accountability). As student teams answer questions, they earn a skee-ball toss to earn points for their team (ping-pong balls work great for this).
• 
• Balloon Relay (gym or outdoor game)
• Place review questions inside balloons and inflate. Divide students into teams. Place the filled balloons Each team will send one person to run and retrieve a balloon, bring it back to the team, sit on it, pop it, remove the question and answer. The team may not retrieve another balloon until the questions are answered correctly. Teams earn one point for each correct answer.