Blog Hoppin Teacher Week 2014 Friday What

Today as part of Blog Hoppin's wrap up to Teacher Week 2014 we are talking curriculum. I LOVE trying new resources out - I like taking a risk and finding those perfect products that fit right into your routine as if they were meant to be there.  Last year was first year teaching Grade 7 Math and Science so it seemed like a great time to try things out - I had no prior experience with what did and did not work.  Was it rough alone the way - occasionally.  But as teachers so often do - I adapted and made them my own when they did not work. I LOVE teaching Science, most of what I teach falls into the Earth Sciences and that is where I got my degree after all.  Math was harder - I am naturally not a mathematician so I teach myself each concept 5 ways before tackling it with my classes.  If need to make sure I can explain it to a variety of learners after all!

Here are a few resources that I will for sure be reusing this year:

Teaching with a Mountain View - HUGE Fractions Concepts Bundle { 256 Common Core Aligned Fractions Task Cards } .  This was a great resource for a diverse classroom to do rotations with.



Amber Thomas - Long Division Task Cards - Bundle of 3 This as a great tool for class to review
basic skills.  I used this as an early finisher activity.



Kelly Terry - Plate Tectonics: Tectonic Plates Puzzle, Teachers' Guide and Students' Worksheet.  This complimented my Dynamic Earth Unit perfectly.  It was a lot

of fun for my class to do instead of just watching the illustration.   It really helped them see how plates "fit".





One of the units I am proudest of creating myself is the Interactions Within Ecosystems Unit.  It took me a few weeks to put together this summer but I am very excited to be teaching it this fall.  It is everything I had pulled together from a whole bunch of places but made "my own".  Notes on napkins, info from my degree and textbooks, from teachers I taught with - all in one 143 page unit.

This document includes:

 

37 chevron Vocab cards

True/False cards to laminate and use for review games

Mount St. Helens

• Questions for Parts 1 through 6
• Ecosystem Wall Mural Project, Teaching Suggestions, Sign
• up, Rubric

Ecosystems:

• Teaching suggestions
• Brainstorming sheets
• Small Ecosystem Research Project
• Lab Experiment and Review Questions
• Info Sheet/Student Reproducible
• Ecosystem Review

Population:

• Info Sheet/Student Reproducible
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Poster Assignment and Rubric

Succession:

• Teaching Suggestions
• Links to videos and review questions
• Interactive Foldable on the Stages of Succession

Producer, Consumer, Decomposers/Energy Flow:

• Teaching Suggestions
• Rubric and Guidelines for Small Group Assignment
• 3 page Energy Flow/Food Chain/Food Web Student
• Reproducible
• Review Questions
• Bioaccumulation info sheet/student reproducible

Microorganisms

• Teaching Suggestions
• Bell Ringer Match up Activity
• Baking Bread “Yeast” Lab
• Experiment Report Reproducible
• Experiment Follow Up Questions
• Info sheet/Student Reproducible
• Mould Lab – Bulletin Board Tracking Suggestions

Photosynthesis:

• Chlorophyll Chromatography Lab
• Teaching Suggestions
• Info Sheet/Student Reproducible
• Review Questions
• Skittles Lab
• Skittles Lab Review
• 11 x 17 Infographic Poster
• Photosynthesis Project and Rubric
• Crossword
• Cellular Respiration Info Sheet/Student Reproducible

Water Cycle:

• Water Cycle Idol instructions, Song Links, and Ballot
• Exit Slip
• Terrarium in a Jar instructions
• Teaching Suggestions
• Info Sheet/Student Reproducible
• Review Activity
• 3D Poster Project and Rubric

Biodiversity

• Effects of Biodiversity Whole Class Activity
• Teaching Suggestions
• Link to Bill Nye Video and Exit Slip
• Info Sheet/Student Reproducible
• Succession/Biodiversity Exit Slip
• Biodiversity and Humans Info Sheet/Student Reproducible
• Teaching Suggestions: Cultural Viewpoints

Sustainability

• Sustainability and Organizations Brochure Assignment
• Lorax Link and Questions
• Info sheet/Student Reproducible
• Human Actions and the Environment Discussion Starters
• Exit Slips

Mid Term Quiz

Final Test

All Applicable Answer Keys 

Right now this unit is on sale, but this is only until Monday - so grab it up while you can.  If you are interested in checking out a portion of the unit you can download The Water Cycle portion of the unit for free! 

Thanks for checking in.  Leave a link below so I can stop by and see what you have going on in your classroom!