Doodle and Write

 Middle school teachers always search for ways to create enjoyable lessons for students. This is a tough age, and their minds run wild with different thoughts. So, it is challenging to keep them focused and engaged! Thankfully, these doodle and write notes are the perfect solution! Each set focuses on a key science topic while incorporating something students love: doodling! Now, students can learn key information while coloring and creating doodles that represent the information. Students will love having hands-on, interactive lessons!

Power of Doodle and Write 

While it would be nice for students to sit and listen, many cannot. However, this is not their fault. From their changing bodies to dealing with middle school drama, so much is happening in their minds. So, they need lessons that help their brains focus on the material. This is why doodle and write notes are perfect! Students focus on the topic while keeping their hands and minds busy. Honestly, it will be amazing to look at their doodle notes and see how they brought the material to life. 

Rocks Doodle and Write 

The rock cycle is always fun for students to learn about! It is fascinating how rocks transform over time. So, this interactive doodle graphic organizer is the perfect way to review or introduce the three types of rocks. 

Specifically, students will learn about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. There are two detailed graphic organizers for students to add notes and doodles while learning about rocks. 

Students will love the creativity behind these notes! 

Astronomy Doodle and Write 

Looking up at the night sky is always fascinating. There is so much going on so far away, so catching any glimpses is amazing. 

These doodle notes will allow students to learn all about the inner and outer planets. Additionally, students will learn about galaxies, nebulas, stars, red giants, supergiants, and white dwarfs. Students will even learn about comets, meteors, asteroids, lightyears, and more!

Students love adding color and bringing shine to their doodle and write notes! 

Weathering & Erosion Doodle and Write 

These doodle and write notes will explore many topics students see while exploring nature! 

Specifically, students will explore weathering, erosion, and deposition, along with physical and chemical weathering. They will also explore factors influencing how quickly a rock will weather and human impacts of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Students will even learn how weathering, erosion, and deposition have related processes. 

Students will love learning these topics in the classroom and exploring them outside. 

Volcano Doodle and Write 

Volcanoes are intriguing to study! While they are dangerous, they are breathtaking to see. So, students will learn all about cinder cone volcanoes, shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes, and strato volcanoes. 

The best conversations will spark while learning about the different types of volcanoes. 

School should be enjoyable for students. However, this is not always the case during middle school. Luckily, these doodle and write notes are ready to transform learning! Students will love taking notes on these pages.

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End of the Year - Teacher Tips for Middle & High School

Every year I can't believe how quickly time has flown by... it seems like just yesterday I was getting ready for a new year with new students, new ideas and new curriculum.

I know how crazy the end of the year can be for teachers and students alike... it's an endless list of school events to attend, meetings to go to, paperwork to be filed, grading, report cards and cleaning up of all my mess!  #mydeskisadisaster #willieverbeabletodigmyselfout

Here are some of the things I do to help make it through the chaotic last month or two of school.

Clean up

I go through all of my piles (I seem to have sooo many piles!!) and sort them into three categories.  

SHRED

RECYCLE

KEEP

Then (and this is key for me!) - I deal with all three piles right away!  I SHRED all important documents that don't need to be kept... I march out to our recycling station and RECYCLE my pile of papers into the bin... and then I file all of the papers that I need to KEEP.

Prepare

I know this may seem a little (or a lot crazy!)... but if I've got time, I like to get as prepared as possible for next year.  Where I teach in British Columbia, Canada we don't get any paid prep time at the start of the year.  We can go into school early to set up our classrooms, organize our curriculum, photocopy papers etc... but it's all done on our own time.  However, we do have a few days in June to prep for next year and I take full advantage of them to do what I can.  It helps make my summer a little more enjoyable.

Give thanks

I spend some time with my students asking them to reflect on their school year and who helped them along the way.  I think it's important for students to spend a few minutes writing a thank you note to a teacher or staff member in our building thanking them for support, assistance, encouragement or help during the year.  I provide a 'thank-you' note template photocopied on to colored paper - I let them choose the color and the template.  About half of my students want to deliver the note themselves, the other half ask me to do it.  I don't grade their letters, I don't read their letters... it's all up to the students what they want to say.  My coworkers LOVE to receive the notes and it's fun to watch how excited my students are to share them.  Grab a FREE copy of the templates and lesson plan and get started today!

Student activities

Lastly, I try to find student activities that are low prep for me, engaging for the students and don't require any grading (or very little).  Here are some of my favorite activities to help you get through the last few weeks of the year!  Click each image below to check them out!

I hope you have a fantastic summer!!

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Quotes for Kindness - Free Writing Prompts for Your Classroom

I teach middle and high school age students and they're great.  They're really great. BUT sometimes they can be downright awful to each other. The drama we see in middle school students can be out of control!!

I value the classroom community I create throughout the year - I value the open communication, the easy joking, the laughter and the fun.  But... I know my students need reminders.  Reminders to be respectful, reminders to be kind, reminders to show empathy...

Here's an easy and FREE set of writing prompts to help remind your students of the value of kindness, the value of friendship and the value of respect.   It's amazing how far a little reminder can go with my students.... and I hope with yours.

Click HERE to grab your copy of the writing prompts that have been inspired by quotes from famous literature. Use these quotes as bell ringers, inspiration for a longer essay, paragraph practice, an anti-bullying unit or a class discussion!

As an extension activity I have includesd a blank version of the writing paper so that you or your students can add your own writing prompt.  Why not ask them to find a quote about kindness or empathy from their favourite book, a famous movie or from a well-known historical figure.

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How to Encourage Students to Do Their Best Work

Are you tired of students asking you if their work is "good enough"? Or asking what grade they would receive if they turned their work in "even if it's not all done?". Or students asking why they received a poor mark because they "did it"? After a few years of teaching I came up with an easy way to explain it using a PIZZA ANALOGY. I knew my students could relate to pizza!!

So I started talking about their work in terms of a pizza and lo and behold they totally 'got it'! Here's how it works... I ask my students to imagine that their assignment is to make me a pizza. Seems simple enough right? Just make a pizza and turn it into me. However, once we start to delve into it a little more my students realize that there were several options available when making the pizza. They could simply turn in a basic cheese pizza or they could turn in a deluxe pizza and even throw in a soda for a little extra. We talk about how the person who makes a deluxe pizza (with the soda!) has done more work, put in more effort and gone beyond the basics! We even talk about the fact that some students would not even get their pizza finished in time or would have only gathered the ingredients... but not put the pizza together. It does not take long for them to realize that I'm relating their effort in class to the number of toppings they put on their pizza!

I created a series of posters to help students relate their work effort to the toppings on a pizza and the posters have made a huge difference in my class and how my students talk about their work. They often come in to the class and ask each other where they are on the pizza rubric and I hear them talking about how many toppings they included! Or where they are on the rubric... "Dude, I made a deluxe pizza, my project is totally topped up!". I often have to turn away and have a little giggle... to hear my high school students (mostly boys) talking like this just puts a smile on my face!

 The nice thing about the pizza rubric is that it works for any assignment and any subject - I teach a variety of classes (ELA, SS, and Science) and have used it successfully in all subject areas! In fact, many other teachers have my school are using it too and so the students have really bought into it. It's a great way to introduce a Growth Mindset and the idea that putting forth their best effort will yield good results. I often ask the students to self assess their work before turning it in and explain to me where they think they should be on the rubric. Here's the link to the poster set in my TpT store - I hope you find this as helpful in your classroom as I've found it in mine!

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End of the Year - Calming the Chaos

The countdown is on for THE END OF THE YEAR and it still seems so far away!  I am in session until June 30th this year... I can do it... I can do it!!  Thrilled to be joining into this Calming the Chaos Blog Hop hosted by 2 Peas and a Dog!  Not only is there a great blog hop, but you can ENTER TO WIN A $60 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO TPT!!  (Contest is now over)

We've had some spectacular spring weather in Vancouver, Canada where I live and it's made my students much more "squirelly" than usual... the clear skies and beckoning city beaches make sitting in a classroom more challenging.

Here are a few fun and easy tips to help you make it through the chaos that always comes with the final weeks of the school year.

Ask for Feedback - I know this can be a scary thought... but I give my kids a chance to evaluate me and my teaching for the year with a quick survey.  I used to use a print version, but kids were hesitant to write things because I am so familiar with their writing.  Last year I used SurveyMonkey (free online survey tool) to get feedback... it was great! Kids loved the chance to go online and were more comfortable sharing their ideas anonymously.

Have Fun - Yup... it's true... it's the time of year when my students are stressed about final tests, graduation, final projects and more.  Take a few minutes to play a review game, watch a funny YouTube video, or just talk about summer plans.  My students LOVE to play Kahoot!  - it's free and students get to use their phones /devices!  What a blast we have!!

End of Year Literacy Activities - I often need quick, educational, and engaging activities for those awkward last few days of school... so I created a pack of ready to use activities for the end of the year! Click HERE to check it out!  Here's a sample page!

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Addie Education Leaps Into Literature

Here at the Literary League, we’re a group of English teachers who truly love literature (we bet you already figured that part out). Given free time, we can all agree that there’s nothing better than leaping into a good book. But, even as avid readers, we have to admit that those spare minutes tend to be few and far between, especially during the school year, and there are times that we just have to …

  

• leap into a book recommended by a friend, a colleague, or especially a student, who is anxiously awaiting our review
• leap into a new novel we’re teaching, whether or not we’ve had time to fully prepare a complete unit
• leap into a classic, maybe not one of our favorites, but something we know students need to sit with in order to grow as a reader

For those instances, the Literary League is teaming up to share some of our favorite resources to help you Leap into Literature. These are resources that are not tied to a particular book, but ones that can be used over and over again, both with your favorite novels, as well as with new texts or classic pieces you’re trying to breathe new life into.

A favorite resource I use to engage my students in literature is my NOVEL STUDY - READING JOURNAL FOR ANY NOVEL.  I have used these graphic organizers with students from 5th-10th grade with success with many, many different novels!  Combine the graphic organizers with standard chapter questions or use them in different combinations for different chapters or sections of the novel.

You can read about other engaging literature resources from the other Literary Leaguers linked up below!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Test Prep to Reduce Test Anxiety

We are coming up to the time of year that most students dread.... final exam time!  I currently teach secondary students and I see their anxiety and hear their fear.  The more they talk about their test anxiety the worse it gets... it's a vicious cycle!  I taught a student last year who spent more time fussing about a test than ever doing anything productive.  Over the last 20 years of teaching, I've come up with a few ways to reduce their anxiety.

1.  Talk about it!  Address student fears and concerns by asking them what aspect of the test they're most worried about.  Ask them to share their concerns with each other... sometimes just knowing that others feel the same way is enough to make my students feel better.

2.  Create a plan!  Students at my school write a series of final exams over a week in June and my students can find that very overwhelming.  I give them a blank calendar and they write in the exams they have and then I ask them to schedule their study time.  Just seeing it all laid out on paper and creating a study plan can be helpful to reduce anxiety.

3.  Make sure there are no surprises.  I give students clear lists of what they are expected to know for their test/exam.  I provide a checklist of topics and skills they will be assessed on.  Rather than saying "You have an astronomy test next Wednesday." I give them a specific list of vocabulary and concepts they will be tested on.

4.  Review, review and review some more!  Practice makes perfect!  We play review games (see this blog post for a fun review game!), we do crossword puzzles (my kids LOVE these as a take-home study guide - I make mine using www.eclipsecrossword.com and I give them practice test questions.

Here's a fun and easy review activity for you and your students - FREE in my TpT Store!

5. Test Day Fun!  On the day of a test I always give my students a candy to suck on... a lollipop/sucker or a hard candy.  They love the candy of course... but there is something soothing and relaxing about having a sucker in their mouth.  Perhaps it's a throwback to being a baby?!?  But it's a very calming technique for my students... and it's an inexpensive, fun and tasty treat for them.

6. Teach Test Taking Skills.  I teach my students throughout the year little tricks to help them write a test.  I tell them to skip questions they're not sure about... and to go back to them later.  I tell them to never leave anything blank... there are a ton of tips and tricks we pass on as teachers.  Vocabulary associated with tests can also be taught.  I have a set of Exam Key Word posters that I use to teach keyword vocabulary to guide students in test writing.  You can purchase a set in my TpT store HERE.

Would love to hear of any other test-taking tips below to help reduce student anxiety!

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Easy and Inexpensive Bookmarks

Looking for an easy reading incentive for students?  Here are some quick and easy bookmarks to make to give to your students.

Okay... so I know that I'm not the first person to have ever figured this out and it's clearly not rocket science... but I can't believe how easy it is to make my own bookmarks with scrapbook paper!

My students love bookmarks... like really love... I had no idea that they would be so popular. However, buying bookmarks online is expensive "like $1.50-$2.00 each expensive" which is over $50 per class!!  As well, most of the bookmarks I see would not appeal to my middle/high school aged readers.

While wandering the stationary aisles of Micheal's Craft Store one day trying to think of something I could make with the beautiful stacks of scrapbook paper, I realized I could make bookmarks!  There are tons of teen-friendly papers and when I buy the books on sale I can make 200-300 bookmarks for less than $15!

And it turns out my students love them!  They ask for themes (they can't wait for the Valentine's Day bookmarks I've promised!) and love when I add new ones to my box of bookmarks.

I usually use a 12"x12" book and I can get 10 bookmarks per page.  For the Valentine's Day bookmarks above I used a 6"x6" mini-book and got 5 per page.

I just got this awesome pad of comic book themed paper on sale!! Can't wait to cut these up into bookmarks - my students are going to LOVE them!!

Have fun making bookmarks!!

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Secondary Sub Plans

Ugh... we've all been there! You wake up in the morning and realized you're not going to make it in to school. I know I've dragged myself in to school on many days (when I really should have stayed home!) because the thought of coming up with a plan for the day can seem overwhelming!

Here's a fun linky to collect some ideas from other Secondary teachers to have on hand.  Thanks again to ELA Buffet and Desktop Learning Adventures for organizing all of us!

Here are a few ideas I have for last minute ELA plans:

Here's a FREE and fun writing activity that can be used just about any time during the year in an ELA, Social Studies or Science classroom.  Students must create the front page of a newspaper to practice expository writing.  Includes assignment sheet, graphic organizers and a marking rubric!

In the middle of a novel study?  Adapt it to be about an event in the novel!

Why not have your students write about an important historical event?

Teaching science?  Students could write a news article to summarize a current topic!

Great review for writing, editing and more!  Just click the image above to grab a copy!

Another handy pack to have on hand is my Poetry Package!  It includes 7 individual poetry activities that students could easily work on with a substitute teacher.  Each activity includes everything needed to get started right away and is "print and go" ready!

An InLinkz Link-up

product links:

An InLinkz Link-up

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Holiday Resources - Tis The Season!

Thrilled to be joining up for the Tis The Season Blog Hop with an awesome group of secondary teachers!

How I Bring Meaning to the Season for My Students

Each year my school does a HUGE holiday food drive for our local Christmas Hamper Society.... and our students get so involved - it's truly amazing.  From organizing boxes for collections, jars for money, keep track of all of the donations and then getting it sorted and boxed up for delivery - the students do it all!  They truly learn that the best gift of all, is giving to others and their selfless acts touch 100s of families in our town.  The sense of accomplishment and the pride the students take in knowing they have made a family's Christmas special is amazing.

How I Bring the Meaning to the Season for My Family

My hubby and I try to think of a way to give back every year and it seems that Christmas time is the perfect time to do it.  This year we are taking some fruit / vegetables to a local animal shelter as they have 26 orphan bear cubs to feed - an unusually high number - and they're desperate for help!  We're also going to take my niece and nephew Christmas shopping for a toy to donate to the Christmas Hamper.... we'll let them pick out something for a child in our community and then take them with us when we drop it off.  It's something we all look forward to every year and it's important to us to show the younger generation the importance of giving to those less fortunate.

One Thing I'm Looking Forward to This Season

Getting out in the snow for some fun!  Last year we had very little snow on our local Vancouver mountains and we weren't able to enjoy snow shoeing or snowboarding like we usually do!  But we're off to a chilly snowy start and we are hopeful we can get up onto the slopes for some snowy fun!  Here's a picture of hubby and our dog snow shoeing at a local provincial park in 2014.

A Holiday Gift For You

Enjoy this fun and easy to use freebie! Perfect for January when we all have to go back to school.  It's a great time to set goals and resolutions for the year and it's an easy way to warm up students after some time off.  Just click the image below to grab a copy!

Be sure to hop on over to the other awesome blogs listed below for some more holiday cheer!

An InLinkz Link-up

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