Change in Plans

Teaching, much like life, throws us curve-balls now and again.
Sometimes those result in a a, "STIIIIIIIIRIKE!"
Other times we hit a home run....this week has bee a HOME RUN!
(See the baseball reference....)

Coming back from spring break (I had one day of break due to working for the Army...whomp whomp) I had the idea of getting out our Keva planks and building some bridges.  We haven't done that in a while. We have been doing a lot of brain work lately with dice and cards, and clay. I wanted to get some things moving with building and breaking things.

When I came into my room, I was happy to find some things I had ordered showed up!  Two big kits of K'Nex and some laserclasrroom light kits.  I received some ZOOB's earlier in the month and had been waiting on the K'Nex to show up so we could do stations.

I threw my bridge idea away and within about 15 min. had a plan to work with our new toys.
It has been a riot watching my students explore with our new gadgets!

I took the light kits to the middle school and it has been great watching 5th graders work together on different light experiments.

As always, you can see more on Twitter.

Better than a Video Game!

he last few weeks I have been trying to give my students some tools to use over Christmas break. I have been giving them simple STEM games that they can play at home either by themselves or with a few friends/parents/relatives/people/whomever. 

Two weeks ago we played "STUCK IN THE MUD" and "KNOCKOUT." Both simple dice games that reinforce the idea of probability. My students had a blast playing, and I had a few come back and say that they had played at home.  You can see my score sheets HERE! Make your own or print these off!

This week we are playing a simple form of YAHTZEE!  I have it scaffolded for EK/K/1, 2/3, and 4th grade. With the younger students I only give them two dice and one roll. The middle group gets three dice and two rolls, while the 4th graders get five dice and three rolls. It has worked well! I was a little concerned (as I often am) with the EK and K groups, but they are adding and having fun. I know that my students will have screen time this Christmas break, but my hope is that they will put the iPad down for a fun STEM game with some of their friends
.

Probably = Probability

Working with probability the last two weeks has been a lot of fun!
We have been flipping quarters, rolling dice, and shuffling cards.
1) Flipping a quarter. There are only two things that can happen, heads or tails.  That seems simple enough. Last year I had 5th graders flip a quarter 5,000 times.  We ended up with 2,495 heads and 2,505 tails. Only 5 away from perfect probability.  This week we have seen some funny things happen. As a demonstration, I will flip the quarter 10 times.  Sometimes I go 5 and 5, other times 6 and 4. One time I flipped 8 heads and 2 tails.... but why?
2) Rolling a die. This has been a lot of fun. For some reason, elementary students (mine anyway) LOVE to roll dice! Probability? 1 out of 6. We haven't had a lot of crazy things happen with the die, other than I watched a 3rd grader go 4 for 4 on guessing the right number! How?
3) Shuffling cards. We have two games we play with this. The first one we try to guess if it will be red or black (1/2 probability...same as the coin). The other game is to try and guess the number (A, 2-10, J, Q, K....1/13 probability) The red or black game is fun, but the guess the number game is really interesting. It goes back to my post about "PREPARING TO FAIL." Most students understand the 1/13 chance of getting the right answer and are okay when they get it wrong. Other students are not and it ruins their entire day. Trying to manage expectations is an interesting animal with a 6 year old.

If you would like to play, you can check out the handouts here: Probability Handout

Do all this!! https://twitter.com/Mr_JVD https://mrvandusen.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/breitungtown... https://www.facebook.com/woodlandbts/

SPOOKY SKELETONS!!!

Because it's close to Halloween, we HAD to do something fun with skeletons! It's pretty neat to see what students already know about bones, and how much they don't know!  I have had a few classes that were able to name the largest bone in the body (Femur for those who didn't know....no judgment here.) I have had ZERO classes able to name the smallest bone (Stapes..it's in your ear.) We had some "homework" to do while watching our skeleton video.
1) Where is the largest bone in the body and what is it called? (Upper leg - Femur)
2) Where is the smallest bone in the body and what is it called? (Ear - Stapes)
3) How many bones make up your skull? (21)
4) What do bones make? (Blood)
Then we had some fun making skeletons!
We started by making legs, then arms, then a rib cage.
The grand master challenge was to make an entire skeleton out of our Keva Contraption blocks.
Check me out on TWITTER for more pictures!

Knees in the Breeze

The 5th grade STEM class meets for 5 days in a row.They are on a rotation with Art, Music, Gym, Computers, and STEM.  Even though I only see them every 5 weeks, being able to have them for a few days in a row means we are able to do some pretty cool stuff.

Wile E. Coyote rocking the chute!

This sections project is to build a parachute.  After some brief discussion about what a parachute is, the history of it, how it works, and the science behind it, we get right to work using newspaper and masking tape!
It is really interesting to see the different designs that 5th graders can come up with.
At the end of the week we take the parachutes out to the Flivver Field grandstands and drop them off.  Some of the parachutes work REALLY well, while some...don't. Either way, we had a lot of fun and learned a lot about how parachutes work and what causes them to fail.
It has been a great project. Pictures really don't do the project justice, so I ask that you watch the video we made.
Check out our YouTube video here!
Check me out on Twitter to check out our latest project!

Christopher Columbus: The worlds biggest FAILURE!

Watch his story here!

With Monday being Columbus day, I thought it would be a great week to talk about one of the biggest failures of all time!

Floating Easy

That may seem harsh, but Christopher Columbus failed miserably at his mission.  He was trying to get to India.  He missed by about 15,000 miles. Not his fault though!!  He thought the earth was a lot smaller than it really is.  It's hard to fault a guy for that when most of the world still believed that the world was flat!  Almost everyone he came across told him he was crazy for one, thinking the earth was round, and two, for wanting to go sail off the edge of it. 

So how do you celebrate a man who failed.  Easy! Christopher Columbus may have failed at his attempt to find the West Indies, but he was brave enough to try! He could have listened to his critics and not tried at all, but, because he was persistent, he opened up trade routes with the Americas and is credited as the first European to set foot on these new lands. 

It's SINKING!

He tried so hard, that he succeeded, even in failure.

The boats come in all shapes and sizes. A few students have realized (Sometimes before and sometimes after) that a wider boat works better. Next lesson? Displacement! HA!

The main lesson this week is that even when the world (flat or round) is against you, you should always go with your dreams. Even if you fail, you may end up doing something extraordinary.

There is saying that says, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars."
That's what Columbus did. You should too.

See more on TWITTER!

All About Apples!

The Kindergarten class went to an apple orchard for their field trip last week.  I thought it would be a PERFECT time to have a lesson about apples.

We watched a short video about how apples go from the tree to the store. (Watch it here) It is DEFINITELY for kids, but it's very informative and the students seemed to enjoy it. They especially liked the "apple river" and sticker machine.

Then we tried to build apple trees. We completed all 5 parts of the, "APPLE STACK CHALLENGE!" If you would like to try the Apple Stack Challenge, here are the Google Slides.  Feel free!

Building the apple trees was a lot of fun. I made a video of all the challenges here.

I was surprised while talking about apples how many students DIDN'T like applesauce....  Even less like applesauce with cinnamon.
I was NOT surprised at how many students liked apple pie, apple crisp, and caramel apples.
It seems that somewhere around 1st grade is when students start to experience apple cider.
Apple cider is one of my favorite drinks on a cold, winter day.

Learning all about apples this week has not only been a lot of fun!

See more on TWITTER!!

Late Start

For all my millions of blog readers I sincerely apologize!!
I thought about blogging over the summer, but I had my son almost every day that I didn't have Army obligations, which was GREAT!

On August 10 I tore my patella tendon, which put a damper on pretty much everything.  I had surgery on the 11th, and am in the process of recovery. It is very slow, but going well.

As you can imagine, starting the year off in a wheelchair has NOT been easy!  It has taught me a lot of humility and lessons in pride.  I have also used it as a, "I CAN" statement with my students. There is very little I can't do, teaching and coaching football isn't one of them!

STEM this year has started off great! I have a new room (much bigger) that is in the lower elementary portion of our building. This makes the walk for EK, K, and 1 much shorter which is easier on everyone.

I am taking a new approach to getting students excited about the task at hand. I have been using a short story (one about a mouse, one about my soccer playing friend) to engage the students into the "WHY" we are trying to do something. It has worked well so far and made the tasks more problem based and real as opposed to science based which is perfect for younger minds.

The 5th grade has been a BIG switch from last year. For one, they are at the middle school, which means I go to the middle school.  It's the last hour of the day, so it's nice for practice. The other big change in that I now have the same class for 5 days in a row. This has been fantastic because we can get more in-depth with he scientific method. We have been flying paper airplanes in a controlled environment (the hallway) and making hypothesis as to how far they will fly out my window. It has been a lot of fun and a lot of brain activity goes into figuring out what's happening.  It's been great!

I haven't been as active on Twitter (yet) as it's hard for me to get around.  Still...check it out: TWEET

Closing Down the Year

My 1st year at Woodland and 1st year as a STEM teacher are almost in the books!  Kids (and teachers) are feeling that summer feeling!  We are still doing some pretty awesome things in STEM class. Last week we had to figure out how to drop a ping-pong ball into a self made wishing well.
Anyone who has been alive longer than a day knows that you don't throw ping-pong balls in a wishing well...you throw quarters! So that's our task this week.  I have some great videos on my Twitter Feed.
I am amazed each week as to the ideas that come out of young students. Third graders seem to have the craziest ideas that actually work. It seems that 4th and 5th graders are more concerned with what others thing of their projects, but 3rd graders are all about trying new things. The critical thinking that comes out of these kids is amazing.  Even though I know that this task will probably never be asked of them again, the brain power they are putting into this will also be put into their math, science, and reading skills.
I haven't done a ton of research on the brain, only what I had to during college and my masters degree, but I'm sure that that more they use their brain in my class, the better they will be in other classes.
I'm looking forward to summer and looking forward to next year and more exciting STEM stuff!

Fidgit Spinners

WOW!!  I have never seen anything storm a classroom quite like the Fidget Spinner!  If you are one of the 13 people in the United States who doesn't know what a Fidget Spinner is...here is an excerpt from Wikipedia (I know....I know...just read about the Fidget Spinner will 'ya! HAHA!)

Double Trouble! A red Fidget Spinner and a white one,
Spinning in the same direction at different speeds.

"A fidget spinner is a type of stress-relieving toy. A basic fidget spinner consists of a bearing in the center of a design made from any of a variety of materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper and plastic. The toy has been advertised as helping people who have trouble focusing or fidgeting (such as those with ADHD, autism, or anxiety) by acting as a release mechanism for nervous energy or stress. Experts were divided on this claim, with some supporting it while others refuted its scientific basis and argued the toy may actually be more distracting."

I am on the side that says it's distracting. In fact, probably the most distracting thing I have ever seen enter my classroom. I'm not saying they aren't fun, because I have fun with every one I take! As a matter of fact, I have to put it on my desk after I take it otherwise I find myself playing with it. So simple, yet so fun! 

I have a friend who wanted to be the, "Cool progressive" teacher and let his students play with them. One day he had his students in groups working on a project. Four of the groups did not have Fidget Spinners and were busy producing Power Points to go along with their YouTube videos. The group with Fidget Spinners accomplished nothing. The next day they were out!

Being a Theme teacher, I see all of the students at Woodland. I haven't seen Fidget Spinners in grades lower than third, but I'm sure they are around. My policy is to take them if I see them, and hand them back to the classroom teacher. Some teachers allow them, some do not. I don't see the students long enough (I only see them 42 min. a week) to find a constructive way to allow them while keeping students on task. 

IF they are still around in the fall (It will be interesting to see if this is a fad or if it sticks) I will try and figure out a cool lesson to do with them for STEM class.

For more Fidget Spinner Awesomeness....Check out my Twitter posts: @Mr_JVD #FidgetSpinner

MAGNETS!

We had a great time working with magnets over the past few weeks!
We learned about how magnetic fields influence iron, nickle, and cobalt.  We watched a video from BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY.

We played a game using magnets and paper clips (Nickle plated of course). All grade levels had a ton of fun using the magnets.

It was interesting to watch how students from kindergarten to fifth grade played the game and used different techniques to collect the paperclips. I especially liked the students who turned the magnate around and used both the North and South pole side of the magnate to collect the paper clips.

At the end of the first week, I showed students an electromagnet and how it worked. We then took a quick field trip to the POD door to see the electromagnets that hold our doors open. We talked about different drills that those doors close automatically.  To finish up the week we made a magnate maze for kids to follow.  It was a great activity and a fun way to end the unit. Magnetism is really cool!

NOVEMBER!

We have been BUSY in my STEM class this past November.
I post most of my pictures and live stories to twitter at https://twitter.com/Mr_JVD

A project that I though would take 3 weeks it taking closer to 6...but it's GREAT!!
Students grades 3-5 are building bridges out of craft sticks and glue.  It's an amazing exercise in engineering, teamwork, and ingenuity.  Some teams are totally ROCKING it while others are struggling.  It's interesting to see how each group interacts with each other and with other groups.  Watch a time-lapse video here: Time-Lapse Bridges

The K-2 students have been busy too!!
We had a great time with 3-D shapes making them out of toothpicks and clay!  Some of the students really surprised me with their engineering skill!!

We also played a mad-dash game of WAR! using playing cards and our addition skills.

We have built towers, bridges, and all kinds of fun things that have challenged our brains.  This week we are learning about reactions.  It' has been a hoot watching each others pupils while we turn the lights on and off.  We then test our reaction time by catching a yard-stick that one of our classmates drops.  Super fun with a lot of brain power getting used!

Another fun thing we did with most of the 4th grade pod and a class of 5th grade is the Mannequin challenge!  We did a "proof of concept" drill with a set of 5th graders then did the whole pod of about 150 students.  SO FUN!!!  Check it out here: Mannequin Challenge

OCTOBER

WOW!
October FLEW by!!
The Freshman Flivver Football team ended up 2-7.  Not as well as we had hoped, but there was A LOT of improvement from game 1 till game 9.  That's what important.  The most important thing is that they are proud to be Flivvers and will (hopefully) fill the weight room this winter and summer and come back for their JV year bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter.

If you want to check out more about Flivver Football, find them on Facebook: Flivver Football on Facebook
Also on Instagram: Flivver Football on Instagram
Next year I would like to set up a Remind mass text messaging like I did for Hornet football.  I'll have to check with the varsity staff first.

School has also been a whirlwind!  We have been doing some awesome projects: Building water towers, bridges, figuring out geometric shapes, making sound waves...all kinds of fun stuff!!

Twitter has become my new favorite outlet.  Check it out here: https://twitter.com/Mr_JVD

I also use Instagram some: https://www.instagram.com/mr_jvdusen/

Check out Twitter for some TRUSS bridge building action over the next 3-4 weeks!

Messy Classroom....4 days until GO TIME!

WOW!  My classroom is a MESS!  It was very clean for a little while, but then I found out there was some science stuff all around the building.  I was able to find it and I'm bringing it to my room so it's close!

It's exciting moving into a new room in a new school.  I'm excited to start working with everyone!

There are TWO things in this picture that are out of the ordinary....can you see what they are?  Post in the comments if you figure it out!