Having a pen pal in school can break down the walls of our classrooms and connect us with others outside of our local communities. It is exciting to build relationships…
#37 – Reassembling After Loss: Putting the Pieces Together for a New Picture
The problem with the term “learning loss” is that it puts the focus on a deficit mindset. The loss that students experienced this year was of an opportunity to learn…
#36 – Managing Transitions Back to the Classroom
While many students are excited to head back to the classroom, most are sharing their worries and concerns about how the school will keep them safe and what will be…
Pre-Write With Purpose: Step 1 in Powering Up and Enhancing the Writing Process With Technology
Quality pre-writing can set you up for success in the writing process. It’s like the foundation of a house. If the foundation has been planned well, plotted accurately, and poured…
#35 – Supporting Families During the Pandemic: Coping With Stress, Anxiety, and Grief
Families are struggling to balance work, child care, and self-care, while keeping worries—their children’s and their own—under control. With these worries come feelings of being overwhelmed. When we feel overwhelmed,…
Share Your Learning With Others: Step 7 of the Searching for ANSWERS Inquiry Process
During the first steps in the ANSWERS inquiry learning process, students asked questions, noted the possibilities, sought out information, recorded their findings, designed a product or presentation, and used feedback…
Reimagine the Writing Process
Writing is a critical and powerful learning activity. Not only is it a very cognitively complex task, but it also forces us to think deeply about a topic in order…
#34 – Caring for Students During Pandemic Learning
The disruptions caused by the pandemic over the past year have made it more difficult for teachers and school staff to engage with students and actively assess how they are…
Mash It Up With Multimedia
In previous articles, we’ve explored five main types of media that students can use to create digitally: video, audio, images, writing, and animation. While we reviewed these formats individually, they…
Heat of Combustion in Biofuels
How do biodiesels compare with their virgin source oils, traditional petro-diesel fuel, and kerosene with regard to their potential use as fuels? Students will consider this phenomenon, the diesel engine,…
Carrying Capacity and Algal Blooms
What effect will different nutrient concentrations have on the carrying capacity of algal populations in vitro? Students will investigate growth in algae populations maintained in different concentrations of nutrient solution….
Review, Reflect, and Revise: Step 6 of the Searching for ANSWERS Inquiry Process
During the first steps in the ANSWERS inquiry learning process, students asked questions, noted the possibilities, sought out information, recorded their findings, and designed a product or presentation to share…
Make Project-Based Learning Truly Authentic With Public Products
If a student creates a project and no one sees it, or hears it, or interacts with it, does it truly matter? Can it ever be truly authentic? There are…
Publish With Pride: Step 5 in Powering Up and Enhancing the Writing Process With Technology
Congratulations! You have written, revised, and polished your writing, and it’s now time to share the results of your hard work with others. While you might decide to publish in…
Teach Students to Divide (Decomposition) and Conquer (Algorithmic Thinking)
We often encourage students to “divide and conquer” when solving problems. However, if we don’t teach or provide students with the appropriate skills needed to most effectively divide and conquer,…