Homework over the Holidays?

The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Assign Homework Over The Holidays

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The Newtown Legacy

The Tragedy of Newtown-- will it be the Legacy of Our Time

Before of the children of Newtown were resting in their graves and while tears of families and friends were still being shed, many were gathering tightly around the poles of the gun issue, while most were quietly in between. The social media were replete with messages and cut-and-paste posters purporting to carry absolute truths. But none of us know what the solution is or is not.

We Americans are descended of courageous and caring giants of reason. None of us can be forced to think about the complex problem of guns, mental health, and violence generally. We have the freedom to let others decide for us and live by cleverly worded slogans often written by anonymous people whose values are unknown to us. We also have the freedom to evaluate what and why we believe and contribute original ideas to a solution. Or we can choose to not think and accept the unique obscenity of violence toward the innocent as the price of freedom in America.

The fundamental right to bear arms can and should be preserved, but not in a manner that arms teachers, or allows military weapons to be purchased by any adult, or encourages us to distrust those of opinions that are different from our own. Guns are part of a larger problem in America, and they are a part that can be reasonably addressed regardless of political party and religious affiliation.

Our constitution is a wonderful document. One of its most brilliant aspects is brevity. Our Founding Fathers were aware that the country of their time would change. They could not predict specific events, but they could predict that the future would demand occasional adjustments to the fundamental ideas in the constitution. Too many specifics would impede the process of necessary amendments. Could they have invisioned the nature of firearms in today's world? I think not.

My most fervent hope to heaven is that in this great nation the legacy of our time will not be written across the gravestones of the children of Newtown and that we will not be the generation that accepted the slaughter of innocents as routine and refused to recognize civility and reason as agents of positive change. May we appeal to "the better angels of our nature" and lean not on the uncertain safety of firearms, but on cooperation and compromise seeking courage and understanding from our spiritual and rational selves.


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New Teacher and Elementary Resources from Irene Taylor

Are you are new or elementary teacher looking for new ideas to enhance your teaching Irene Taylor has lots of help. Explore the links below.

1. Book Review:

All the Ways I Screwed Up My First Year of Teaching... 

  ...and How You Can Avoid Doing It, Too, by Katrina Ayers.

2. Chinese New Year: Great New Teacher Ideas

The Chinese New Year celebration provides new teachers with great teaching opportunities that can be easily adapted to any classroom. Use this lesson plan to make this year's celebration memorable!

3. The Importance of Visual Cues in an Early Childhood Setting

The following article provides ideas on how to use pictures and photos within an early childhood setting to help guide children throughout their day.

4. Making Clay Masks with Elementary School Students

Making clay masks with students is a fun way to introduce working with clay as well as tying an art project into social studies or science curriculum.

5. Top Christmas Books for Children

Make this Christmas season fun by sharing these great holiday stories with students. Share Christmas stories, Christmas classics and fun Christmas story books.

Assessment Issues for Teachers

Teachers should think about how to assess students. Don't just "invent" a system without considering some essential issues about assessment.

Assess yourself on how you grade students. 

1. What is the basis for your method of grading? 

A. statistical
B. course in grading
C. knowledge of rubric design
D. suggested by others
E. what your teachers did 

Consider: The influence of your peers and past experience as students have a great influence grading methods teachers use. Statistical justification or knowledge of assessing techniques are rarely involved.

2. Do you “adjust” grades for any of the following?

A. tardiness
B. behavior
C. return or failure to return signed papers
D. responsibility issues

Consider: Grade “adjustments” for a variety of non-academic reasons are common. If grades are contaminated with non-academic modifications, students and parents receive inaccurate feedback. Where do we draw the line in deciding how we may tamper with grades? 

3. Do you have a test/quiz make up policy?

Consider: Second chances are common in life (drivers’ licenses, college entrance exams, and attempts to become as a teacher are good examples). Re-teaching and retesting are proper tools in the instructional process. 

4. Do you give extra credit to allow students to improve a period grade?

Consider: Extra credit all too often involves tasks that are poorly connected to instructional objectives. If a teacher believes in extra credit, then retaking tests and quizzes on failed non-mastered objectives is a good tool. Extra credit as it is traditionally used is but one more way of grade-tampering? 

5. If you grade homework do you

A. take it up, correct it, and return it
B. check it off without taking it up C. count it as more than 10% of the grade 

Consider: Homework is but one teaching tool, but only when teachers take the time to assign it appropriately and validate it. Homework merely checked off for credit does not qualify as an assessment to be included as part of a grade. The value of homework as an instructional tool varies widely. Care must be taken to be certain that it reinforces learning objectives. Also, homework is generally a formative assessment. 

6. In your opinion how much homework should students in middle school have each night (total for all classes)?

Consider: Many teachers do not consider that students have homework in other classes. The amount of homework should increase with increasing grade level, but more than 1 to 1 ½ hours per night (middle school) may place too great a demand on students and parents. Also, is weekend/holiday homework really needed? 

7. Do use grading rubrics for projects?

Consider: Rubrics are an important way of assessing tasks that have multiple parts (e.g., science projects). The derived scores tend to agree better with standardized tests scores that simply assigning points. However, training is important for the development of proper rubrics. 

8. Do you give different grade categories (tests, quizzes, etc) different weights?

Consider: Weights should not be determined strictly for teacher convenience (E.g., all categories have the same weight). Is homework reasonably weighted so that it places the student in jeopardy. 

9. If a grade of 70 is required to pass for a grading period, can you justify passing a student with a 68?

Consider: A grade is a sampling statistic. There is a "margin of error." An average score should not be viewed as an absolute. A 69 is not a line in the sand. Negative grades do not usually motivate poorly performing students to try harder.  Grading is inherently subjective. There is no single method of grading that has universal acceptance. Also, teacher judgment is involved in writing or selecting the assessment, deciding how to grade the test, how much the grade will count, etc.

Problems with True and False Tests

Teachers should know how to write and grade tests. Regrettably, they don't always use good assessment methods. 

True/False Tests and Guessing

Please answer the following true/false item:

___T ___F   Neils Bohr accepted the principal of complementarity as a necessary part of quantum theory.

If you actually participated in my one-question true/false "test" you had about a 50-50 chance of getting it right (unless you are quite knowledgeable regarding quantum theory). The question was easy for me to write-- I modified a phrase from a website. 

True/false tests have perhaps two advantages over other types of tests: (1) they are quickly written, and (2) they are quickly scored. 

These two advantages are both for the convenience of the teacher and do not offer students much. The trap for both students and teachers lies in the 50-50 chance of a correct or wrong answer. This encourages guessing-- not a test-taking skill to be encouraged. Also, because true/false items generally address simple concepts a large number of them is necessary to produce valid results. 

The chance factor is also important in scoring. Teachers typically grade them as they do other test items-- i.e., 20 items will count 5 points each (100% / 20 = 5). Thus a student who misses 10 of 20 will receive a score of 50. But if the items are fairly written a chimpanzee  trained to use a pencil could be expected to get half (10) of the items correct. Did the chimp know the answers? Likely not. Should the chimp receive 50 points based on chance? Well, if the teacher wants to grade according to knowledge the answer would be "No."

The correct way to grade true/false test and score for the "guess factor" is to multiply misses by two (the number of choices) and subtracting the result from the percent right. Each item counts 5 in a 20-question test. 

"Traditional" scoring simply deducts 5 points for each one missed:

100% - (5 X 10) = 50%

Scoring to compensate for guessing is different (and correct):

10 right X 5 = 50%;

10 wrong X 5 = 50%;
% right - % wrong + 50% - 50% = 0

Another view of the same "correction score" method is:

100% - two times the percent wrong;

100% - 2(50%) = 0

Students who score around 50% with traditional scoring techniques are demonstrating a score predicted by guessing! Of course, the same issue arises with any multiple choice test. After all, a true false test is a multiple choice test with 2 choices. The effect of guessing is reduced as more choices are added. 

Do True/False Tests have Value in Real Assessment?

The short answer is "Yes." But if a they must be used, consider them for formative (ungraded) activities designed for teaching simple concepts and adding variety to instructional methods. True/false worksheets can be an good exercise for homework.

True/false tests can be improved by having students justify their answers, but why not simply ask a short-answer question to begin with? 

By the way, the sample item at the beginning is "true."

Teaching Mistakes Teachers should Avoid

Teachers continue to make the same old teaching errors and ignore opportunities to improve. Student achievement suffers as a result.

Common instructional mistakes that teachers just won't give up.  

1. Incorrect use of homework. Homework is a formative activity -- i.e., it is assigned to help        teach new material. As such it should not be graded. If students see it as clearly related to learning they are more likely to do it. There should be no need to grade it; if homework is clearly relevant student grades will be lower on their tests. Why give zeros for missing homework if the student will receive a lower test grade because he did not use 

the learning opportunity homework offered. Tell parents about the missing homework.

2. Giving poor assessments. Teachers should understand formative and summative assessments and grade only summative. Also, teachers should not depend heavily on published assessments-- they might not agree with teacher vocabulary or syntax. 

3. Grades are for assessments, not behavior. Teachers should not deduct points for misbehavior or add points for behavior not related to learning. 

4. Avoid extra credit. If parents or students want extra credit allow them an opportunity to retake an alternate version of a failed assessment.

5. Screaming at students teaches them that you don't mean it unless you scream. 

6. Don't expect students to act like your children. Respect individuality.

7. Rewarding students with material "things" will not necessarily improve learning. There are problems with this practice. Dr. Marvin Marshall, an expert on motivation writes, "External controls are manipulators that set up students to be dependent upon external agents." 

8. Punishing the entire class. Would you want to pay a fine because your neighbor has a wild party? The practice turns peers against one another, while demonstrating that teachers have a right to be unjust.

We are Failing in Social Studies

American students and their parents are bombarded with information from television, the Internet, and other media. Not all of what is published or spoken is true. Politicians speak to the simple levels of our learning because we don't understand the complexities of government.

Rating Student Knowledge of Social Studies

While the National Council for Social Studies has established high standards defining effective citizenship, tests of social studies knowledge have yielded discouraging results. A report released by the Educational Testing Service in May 2012 listed three areas of concern linking poor knowledge of civics to “voting and civic engagement.” The principal concerns were:

In the most recent national assessment, only about one-quarter reached the "proficient" level, demonstrating solid academic performance.

Only 27% of fourth-graders could identify the purpose of the U.S. Constitution.
Only 22% of eighth-graders could recognize a role played by the U.S. Supreme Court.

For three successive years, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute — ISI — surveyed college students to determine the effect of college educations on civic knowledge using a sixty-question multiple-choice test of America’s history and institutions. The results are summarized below:

Freshman average in 2006 = 51.7%; freshman average in 2007 = 50.4%
Senior average in 2006 = 53.2%; senior average in 2007 = 54.2 %.

A 2009 survey conducted by the American Revolution Center revealed, among other things, "that 83% of Americans failed a basic test on the American Revolution."

The ISI was also concerned "that College-educated adults were particularly ignorant of the Founding and Civil War eras, constitutional themes, and the essential features of a market economy."

The National Assessment of Educational Progress offers sample questions that were missed by approximately 50% of 12 graders on a recent assessment. One example in economics is given below:

Which of the following is a policy tool of the Federal Reserve?

A. Raising or lowering income taxes

B . Increasing or decreasing unemployment benefits

C. Buying or selling government securities

D. Increasing or decreasing government spending

Take the five-question test at the Nation's Report site to find the answer.

Ignorance of Social Studies Is Not a Laughing Matter

Jay Leno fans are familiar with a popular segment on his show called “Jay Walking.” The segments feature Leno on the street asking people at random questions a high school graduate would be “expected” to know. Certainly the clips are edited and the people interviewed are not a representative sample. Still, the apparent ease with which poorly informed citizens are found is disturbing.

The “Jay Walking” idea has led to student projects using the same format to demonstrate and alarming lack of basic knowledge in civics.

Before laughing too hard, one might wish to take the Civic Literacy Exam offered by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. A sample of over 2,500 Americans scores an average of 49% correct. Surprisingly, college educators scored only slightly better — 55%.

We Just Don't Seem to Like Social Studies

The facts of social studies — i.e. dates, statistics, etc. — are not generally essential to proficient knowledge of the various fields. An understanding of how governments function, the role of economics, comprehension of cultural differences, how geography relates to progress, the lessons of history, and many other broad issues enable citizens to process the events of global events.

The correct interpretation of political behavior is essential to making decisions for electing qualified officials. There is an enormous competition in the various media for divergent ideologies. Citizens who cannot assess the claims and counter-claims of candidates may be setting themselves up to be victims of their ignorance.

Position statements of the National Council for Social Studies offer numerous good points for teachers to offer to students and parents. Teachers are at the forefront of advocacy for better resources in social studies education.

Various indicators provide an unsettling profile of social studies knowledge of American students and citizens generally. Surveys and tests show that deficits in knowledge of government, economy, etc. are not limited to the uneducated. In a world that is increasingly international in scope, a citizenry composed of an educated electorate is essential.

Really Easy and Quick Science Demonstrations

Teaching science is enhanced when students have high-interest teacher demonstrations that make important science facts easier to understand.

1. Point: heat is the movement of molecules

 Procedure: put 400 ml cool water (50 F) in a beaker and an equal amount of 100 F in another beaker. While students watch, put one or two drops of food coloring into each. The food coloring in the warmer beaker will diffuse through the beaker with warm water within minutes due to the faster motion of the molecules.

2. Point: to see how colors mix to make difference colors

Procedure: cut a strip of paper towel about one inch by 12 inches. Using a blue water soluble maker (E.g.: Vis-à-Vis) and make a dark mark about one inch from one end of the strip. Suspend the paper towel in a beaker of water so that it just touches the water below the blue mark. As the water is soaked upward by capillary action, it will separate the different colors in the blue dye and move them slowly up the strip. Allow 5 to 10 minutes for the separation. Blue works best, but green and read are interesting as well.

3. Point: Effect of evaporation on cooling

Procedure: wrap the bulb of a lab thermometer in a single ply of toilet tissue. Wrap around only one or two times and wet the tissue. Note the temperature of the air in the room before beginning. Gently wave the thermometer around or back and forth, stopping every 15 seconds or so to note the temperature which should drop as water evaporates and cools the bulb. This works well when the air is dry (humidity < 50), but will usually produce results inside on any day. After two or three minutes the temperature will level off. Compare on a rainy day and the temperature drop will be less. Students can do this as a simple experiment.

4. Point: How density affects buoyancy

Procedure: pour a clear carbonated drink (like Sprite) carefully into a clear, tall drinking glass. Add about 10 fresh raisins. Initially, the raisins will tend to sink because they are denser than the drink, but as bubbles of carbon dioxide attach to the raisins, they reduce the density and cause the raisins to float to the top. The bubbles will burst at the surface and the raisins will sink again. This will continue for several minutes until the carbonation (CO2) has been lost.

5. Point: demonstrate magnetic field

Procedure: Use ceramic neodymium magnets to show how magnetism can penetrate matter. A small pair of can be obtained at stores like Walmart, some tool outlets, Radio Shack, etc. They are strong enough to separate iron from cereal (like Total) after cereal has been mashed to crumbs and added to water in a Ziploc bag. Hold the magnet against the outside surface of the mixture and tiny particles of iron will be attracted to the magnet. Neodymium magnets of about one cm diameter have a magnetic field strong enough to allow one to be placed on the back of the hand and hold on to another one on the palm of the hand. Be careful! They can snap together with such force that they can pinch! 

6. Point: The "sound" of contracting air (best in cold weather)

Procedure: Have students collect two-liter soft drink bottles -- with caps-- until each student can have one bottle for the demonstration. On a cold day -- 45 F or colder outside -- have student screw the caps on the empty bottles and walk outside. As the cold air outside cools the air in the bottles, the air in them will contract causing outside air pressure to push the sides of the plastic bottles inward creating "crackling" sounds. The contraction of the bottles will be visible as dents. When they return to the classroom, the effect will be reversed and the bottles will expand. Be sure students screw the casps on tightly.

7. Point: Observing with the ears

Procedure: Students often think that observation is done with the eyes only. Place a common object (paper clip, rock, coin, key, etc). Conceal the object in a small box or can. Ask students to try to identify the object by the sound it makes when the container is shaken or gently rotated. Call attention to the types of clues they are using to make their conclusions.

Science Facts for Elementary Teachers

The gray color in this cloud is caused by a shadow.

Elementary teachers will find these science facts useful for enrichment and for addressing common topics that students often ask.  

Events in the world are often not as they seem. Science teachers armed with facts that clarify and inform inspire learning by making science more relevant. 

Weather Facts

Clouds are white, not gray. The gray appearance is an illusion created by lighting and shadows. Parts of clouds in the shade appear gray. The same effect can be demonstrated by projecting light from an overhead projector on a white screen. Holding the hand in front of the screen produces a shadow and an apparent change to gray color, but people know the screen is white, no one “sees” it as gray.

Snow is rare at the South Pole. About 1 inch of snow falls on the South Pole in a year — this is approximately equal to 0.1 inch of rain in water equivalent. The extreme cold prevents water vapor from entering the air in large amounts. When snow falls it stays, blows around and accumulates. Snow depth has reached nearly three miles over inland regions over millions of years.

Don’t open windows to equalize pressure if a tornado is expected! Tornadoes do have low pressure, but it is the savage wind that causes the destruction. Winds in a tornado can reach 300 mph and commonly exceed 200 mph. Opening windows simply invites these winds into the house with less resistance.

Physics Facts

Tires do not have treads to increase friction. Treads provide channels that let rain flow from beneath the tires so that contact with the road is maintained and the car does not hydroplane. A slick or tread-less tire is used on racing cars to actually increase friction. Electric fans don’t cool the air; they cool people by speeding up evaporation of moisture from the skin. The fan motor actually adds a bit of heat to the room. There is no need to leave the fan running if no one is in the room.

The sound of snapping fingers is made when the middle finger strikes the base of the thumb at a high speed. The sound does not come from an interaction between the thumb and finger. The thumb allows potential energy to be stored briefly by holding the finger. Place a piece on cotton at the base of the thumb and the impact will be softened preventing the “snap.”

Earth and Space Science Facts

The total amount of gold ever mined from the Earth could fit into a cube about 60 feet on each side. That’s about equal to filling two Olympic swimming pools. Gold, by the way is very dense. A cube of gold 15 inches on each side weighs a ton — 2,000 pounds!

Sunspots are not black. They only appear to be so because they are contrasted against the brilliance of the Sun’s photosphere. If it were possible to look directly at a sunspot away from the Sun, it would still be bright enough to harm the eyes.

The Earth’s tectonic plates are still moving. The distance between South America and Africa is increasing about as fast as fingernails grow — two or three cm. a year.

Chemistry Facts

Oxygen does not burn. It supports combustion. A spark in a pure oxygen environment will not result in an explosion. Objects burn better in the presence of oxygen as it combines chemically. More oxygen increases the intensity and heat of the fire, but the oxygen is not burning.

The atoms of one object cannot touch the atoms of another. Pushing against a wall may bend the fingers, but that is due to the electromagnetic repulsion of the electrons. Atoms can get very close, but they do not touch.

Atoms are mostly space. A scale model of a hydrogen atom is basic — one proton and one electron. Using a soccer ball as the proton in the nucleus, the single electron would be the period at the end of this sentence ten miles away.

Information like that above helps students understand the world as it truly is — often beyond our perception. The Internet is rich with similar science facts. Teachers can offer questions based on the preceding facts as a topic for an information “scavenger hunt" in the school media center.

Plus... One Really Easy, Fast, and Relevant Science Project!  (

More science facts
More weather facts
More physics facts
More chemistry facts

Easy Elementary Science Project #1: Inquiry and Chewing Gum

Teaching inquiry skills is not hard. Under proper supervision,  it can be used to demonstrate the scientific method in an interesting way. It is a good experiment for teaching the scientific method and appropriate for elementary students who can use a balance. The experiment can be modified for different grade levels.

Teacher Notes for the Experiment

Students should make a simple table numbered 1- 10 minutes and record the weight after each minute. The procedure is simplified if all students are kept on task by having the teacher keep time and announcing when each minute has expired, when to weigh, and when to begin chewing gum again. This procedure ensures that the students will all be doing the same thing at the same time.

Be sure that students always place the gum on its original wrapper and that it is weighed also. After the gum-chewing is done, have students dispose of gum one at a time by wrapping it and placing it in a trash can near the teacher who will monitor disposal.

The loss of weight will be about 50% of the weight of the gum. This also presents a good argument for why sugarless gum is better for teeth.

The experiment follows the steps in the scientific method and can be used as a model to introduce how proper science projects should be designed. Call attention to the “If…then” statement in the hypothesis, which is standard. The conclusion should answer the question presented in the hypothesis.

The conclusion does not have to support the hypothesis. Whether it agrees or not, something is learned. In other words, it is just as important to know that the hypothesis is correct as it is to know that it is not correct. In this experiment, however, the hypothesis should be supported. 

Before beginning, the teacher should have selected three popular brands of chewing gum of nearly equal weights per stick. Average the weights of three different sticks for future reference and use a control.

Hypothesis:
If three different brands of chewing gum are chewed for a total of ten minutes each, then the amount of sugar lost will be the same for each brand.

Materials:

1. 1 stick of chewing gum from 3 different choices. Do not use sugarless gum.
2. triple beam balance
3. watch, clock, or other timing device

Procedure:

1. Unwrap the gum and save the foil wrapper.
2. Place the wrapper on the balance to keep the gum clean.
3. Before chewing the gum, place it on the balance and weigh it to the nearest tenth of a            

    gram — be sure to weigh the wrapper with the gum.    

4. Record the weight on the table below.
5. Chew the gum for exactly one minute, place it with wrapper on the balance and weigh it.
6. Record the weight in a table after each minute.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until 10 one-minute trials are complete.
8. After completing the table, make a graph as directed by the teacher. (Optional)
9. Compare results of all three of brands chewed to the average weight of unchewed gum,            
    which were weighed prior to beginning the procedure.

Conclusion:

The amount of change for each type of gum will be essentially the same. The data should be averaged for each brand. Small differences of a few tenths should not be considered significant — in higher grades some discussion of how one decides if differences have importance is prudent, but this is a matter of statistical significance and not a recommended discussion until students can grasp the concept numbers being different but not significantly so. The discussion of significance is optional, but basically would involve what things — extraneous variables — might have resulted in small differences.

Optional Questions

1. What was the independent variable? This will be the thing that is deliberately changed, i.e. the brand of gum.

2. What was the dependent variable? This will be the thing that changed — or didn’t, i.e., the weight of the gum.

3. What was the control? The average weight of the unchewed gum is the control.

4. List at least three variables that might affect the results. This refers to extraneous variables — a term that the teacher can choose to omit — but the teacher should engage students in a discussion of "things" that explain why data varies from student to student. Possible extraneous variables include student techniques in weighing, different speeds of chewing, etc.

The experimental method can be introduced with easily understood and interesting procedures. Even simple methods can contain the essential parts of experimentation — the dependent and independent variables, the hypothesis and the conclusion, the procedure and extraneous variables, and the control. The above experiment is generally appropriate for fourth grade and higher.

For Advanced Students

Teachers should be sure that students notice the “If…then” construction of the hypothesis. “If” introduces the independent — manipulated — variable and “then” introduces the dependent — responding — variable. A simple generic statement for the hypothesis is, “If I do A, then the result or outcome is B.

The teacher may choose to have students graph results with minutes on the X — horizontal — axis and the weight on the Y — vertical — axis. The graph line should begin to level out after a few minutes. The loss of weight is due to the loss of sugar, which also explains why the gum shrinks in size. The difference for different brands will not likely be significant.

Links for more elementary science projects:

elementary earth science projects 

elementary chemistry science projects 

Involving Students in Science

Children learn science by doing science.

Teachers need not be science majors to teach young minds. For the beginning students -- for all of us -- science is the closest thing to magic there is. Teachers must remember to DO science, not just talk about it. Young minds especially like to do things that involve creating new things. Teachers should tap into the natural curiosity and discovery. 

Improving Elementary Science Instruction

1. Show students something every day and explain the science behind it. A piece of science equipment like a beaker will do, and if it’s unfamiliar to students it will grab their attention and they anticipate something new when they enter the class.
2. Include simple, quick demonstrations in those initial class activities, especially activities that students can do at home. Seeing things happen is innately interesting.
3. Relate science topics and objectives to events and objects familiar to students. Make science relevant! Every grade will demand new examples as students become more academically sophisticated.
4. Decorate the classroom in an eye-catching science theme and change it periodically. Invite students to help.
5. Fill the room with science magazines and books. Allow some time for students to read. Some of the reading matter may be simply related to science – e.g., science fiction or cars ­– but expect students to discuss how science is involved.
6. Bring science news to class. When a particularly interesting news item pops up in the news, bring it to class and share it by reading to students.
7. Stress with every grade that science is fundamentally about force, motion, and energy. This is important in all aspects of science, because science, whether biology or geology, are interrelated by force, motion, and energy. Students need to become comfortable early with these three concepts because they will become increasingly complex and important.
8. Help students understand that science is a quest for simple explanations. For example, pick an example like evaporation and discuss how increasing kinetic energy makes the water molecules speed away into the air seeming to disappear.
9. Stress to students that science is a process more than a body of knowledge. Demonstrate that process ­– the Scientific Method ­– as often as possible and ask students to give examples.
10. Science is a great "show and tell." activity.

Elementary Science Links:

Science Buddies
Hand-on Science
Elementary School Science Fair Project Ideas
Kids Science Projects
Elementary Science Experiments
Penny Drops

Classroom Management by Self Control

Self-control!

Teachers spend a lot of time thinking about thinking about ways to promote good student behavior. Call it student discipline or classroom management—it’s all about teaching students how to control themselves.

“Don’t you know how to behave?” It’s a common question asked by teachers countless times every school day across America. The question is typically academic — intended to voice disapproval of a breach of decorum. My point is that teachers who simply expect that students know how to behave are apt to be disappointed.

Classroom Management Calls for Teaching Skills

Too many teachers depend on discipline tips — including rewards. Good discipline, however, requires knowledge of factors that determine human behavior. For example, to what extent are teachers aware of the role of “cues” in managing behavior?  In other words, are there things present in the classroom or visible outside that might encourage some students to act out? Something as simple as a poster that has an anomalous picture or word might serve as a stimulus for a crude joke.

The best classroom control comes from self control because it is more desirable for students to internalize the ability to manage their own behavior, and the good news is that self control can be taught.

Suggestions for Teaching Self Control -- the Key to Classroom Management

The first step in teaching self-control is to model it. This precludes all-too-common practices like screaming at students, overt displays of anger, put-downs, etc. Along with controlled emotions, teachers much present themselves in a manner that demands respect.

On the first day of class initiate a discussion of self-control. Be positive. Make it clear that good manners are part of self-control.

• Be friendly, relaxed, and smile on the first day and every day.
• Have an activity that focuses on teaching self-control.
• Help students understand that control must come from within.
• Do not reward students for showing self-control. Doing so violates the concept of controlling one’s self. Material rewards are external controls.
• Try to omit rules based on pet-peeves.
• Work hard on mutual respect instead of rewards and punishment.
• Have frequent, brief discussions about self-control and character development.
• Read and learn what you can about self-control. 

Links re: self-control

Teaching Young Children Self-Control Skills

Teaching older kids self-control

Teaching Self-Control Skills to Children Reduces Classroom Problems

For Kids, Self-Control Factors Into Future Success

Games to Teach Self-Control in Kids

Punished by Rewards

Punishment Does not Motivate Students

How Useful is Homework in Student Learning?

As an instructional tool the value of homework is severely limited. 

In one corner there are those who argue that homework is an essential part of instruction – it builds responsibility, improves study skills, etc. In the other corner, with equal vitality, are those who want to ban homework – it creates extra work for teachers and interferes with family plans. Homework still polarizes educators, and there is a broad spectrum of opinions between the poles. A heavy emphasis on taking school assignments home is a fairly recent practice. It's use began to take off in the years immediately following the launch of the world's first manmade satellite – Sputnik – by Russia in 1957. The U.S. was embarrassed by this loss in the space race and panic pushed educators toward improved practices, since the assumpton was that schools had failed. Decades later, homework has still not shown to be a great idea. 

Homework is not Simply Something that all Teachers Do

Individually posted teacher policies present a myriad of procedures to encourage students to turn in the assigned work. School and district sites sometimes place stern warnings for students to do their homework or face disciplinary procedures,

Homework is, to say the least, problematic. There are many popular Internet teacher sites where teachers can exchange ideas across the nation. A perusal of these sites indicates that homework is of great concern to teachers. Teacher policies about whether or not to grade homework, how much it should count, and other matters create unnecessary worries.. Homework is a formative assessment. That single fact can put an end to the homework quandary.

Homework Invites Controversy

Part of the divide has resulted from the fact that homework as an instructional tool has developed in an uncontrolled manner with few rules governing its application and correct role. There is no one thing called “homework,” and in many cases isn’t even done at home, but at the end of class. Another problem is the myth that everything that students do must be graded. Arbitrary “solutions” have been initiated by many schools and districts.

Chief among them are decisions to allow no grade lower than fifty – or some other arbitrary level to be recorded. This is a way to maintain student motivation and respond to the problems created by zeros, but it is simply a convenient invention.

The practice has become common across the nation. Humble, Texas includes the policy in its student handbook, as does St. Simon Stock School In Bronx, NY. Monroe Middle School in Monroe, NC forbids the "recording or averaging of any grade lower than 60." Variations of these policies are frequently posted on the Internet. These policies have troubled teachers who see it as grade manipulation, and it is, but with good intentions. School policies serve better when they are based on a logical process.

Homework Needs a Redefinition and New Purpose

An analysis of the problem reveals a possible real solution. First, teachers need to understand that homework tends to fall under the category of formative assessment – those things teachers do while students are learning a new topic or set of standards. Students must be retrained to believe that work has value even when it is not graded. Schools have become institutions that place too much emphasis on grades. Schools must dedicate themselves to emphasize learning for the sake of learning.

Teachers need to convince students – starting with students’ first-ever homework assignments – that homework addresses what they will need to know when they are assessed with quizzes and tests – i.e. summative assessments. It gives them an opportunity to study these things and review them the next day in class and make correction as needed. Teachers will quickly check off whether or not the student has done the homework in order to let parents know if students are doing homework. That’s it! No grading, no arbitrary methods of turning checks into grades, and no zeros.

Students should be encouraged to use homework as part of the material to study for assessments. Next a summative assessment is given. Some of the assessment should sample knowledge gained from homework. When the assessment is scored, the students who were serious about using homework as an opportunity to study will score better than those who didn’t, provided the homework assignments and the assessments were in agreement. In this way, what was learned from homework is finally graded.

The same factors that might have caused poor homework grades are still in effect for better or worse but significant positive changes will result:

• Those horrible zeros have been eliminated.
• Homework is now about learning instead of chasing grades.
• Homework is for practice and diagnosis.
• Fewer papers to grade.No need for special homework grading methods.
• The responsibility issue is still intact.
• The teacher can still see the relationship between homework and test grades.
• Bribes and reward systems are no longer needed.
• Copying homework is now no worse than copying notes.
• Student evaluation stresses summative assessment; evaluation “pollution” is reduced.
• Less stress for all.

Link:

The Homework Myth

Teacher Evaluations: What’s the Big Deal?

Is student achievement a valid part of teacher evaluation?

Using student achievement as a part of teacher evaluation is perceived as a threat by many teachers. Why? Because teachers know that there are many factors that affect student learning that are beyond their control. Parent involvement, for example, is critical to student success.

Some doctors are better than other doctors, and the word gets around by the successes they have in practicing their crafts. Doctors have to treat patients who often do all the wrong things where health is concerned. Nevertheless, they do what they can to make life better for those in need of medical care. They can lose their licenses for breaching the Hippocratic Oath.

Some teachers are simply not qualified to teach and they can do great harm. Yet bad teachers can be very hard to remove from a classroom as long as they don’t make waves. Bad teachers, like bad cops, weaken respect for a noble profession.

Student achievement will eventually become a routine part of teacher evaluation. Count on it! And it should be. No, student standardized scores should not be the sole determining factor of teacher effectiveness. Yes, teachers should have considerable input into the development of an evaluation instrument. Spend time in staff development constructing examples of what would seem like a fair evaluation instrument that includes student achievement and other factors.

Perhaps by doing so, teachers will be ready when the inevitable happens. Perhaps schools that have developed evaluations might ultimately influence instruments used in their districts, states, or nation.


Links: 
Chicago Teachers' Strike

Making New York State a National Leader on Teacher Accountability