Fun with Jeopardy!

Fun with Jeopardy!

If you were to ask my students to list the activities they enjoy in class, one of their responses will definitely be: Jeopardy! Playing Jeopardy has become one of our traditions as a revision for a test.

I was inspired with using Jeopardy from one of my university professors. When taking a Shakespearean course in literature, my professor would have us play Jeopardy as a revision before our tests. We looked forward to the day we played Jeopardy, and it motivated us to read and understand each play so as to answer the questions correctly.

Throughout my years as a teacher, I modified the rules of Jeopardy in order to motivate all my students to work harder and ensure they understand the concepts. Our class rules are:

• Students will work together in teams in order to solve a problem. Their team names need to reflect a concept they learned in the chapter they are reviewing.
• They need to assign a different person each time to select a category and state the answer.
• The answer should be in the form a question.
• Each team will take a turn (usually in a rotating manner) to select and answer a problem.
• If the team gives the wrong answer, the other teams will be given a chance to display their answers, and the points will be divided among the other teams. If none of the remaining teams display the correct answer, the original team that answered the question gets a second chance, but will only receive half the points. 
• Students are responsible for recording their points on the board, and keeping track of which categories were already selected.
• At the end of the game, they need to calculate their points and designate which place each team came in.

Through playing Jeopardy, my students learn to work in teams, which is an essential skill they need to master in order to succeed in the real world. They also solve all the problems during the game, even if it wasn't their turn, in hope that they might get a chance to receive partial points. Most importantly, they will have everlasting memories of having fun while learning!

Chromosomal Socks Activity

Sometimes, all it takes to spark an idea is simply... a picture. While searching online for fun activities for our human genetics lesson, I saw a picture of a karyotype model. This model was created by using colorful socks, whereby each pair of socks represented a homologous pair of chromosomes. For someone who has an obsession for colorful, funky socks, I jumped at the opportunity of recreating this model with my students!

In order to recreate this model, my students had to complete a set of tasks. They were first provided with a huge pile of mixed-up socks, and had to work together in order to arrange the socks in pairs.

After arranging the socks in pairs, their next task was to figure out how scientists arranged chromosomes in a karyotype. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that chromosomes are arranged by length, except for the sex-chromosomes, which are found in the lower right hand corner. Using the model they created, my students then learned about the number and types of chromosomes found in human cells.

The picture (saved on Pinterest from science.membase.com) I found online gave rise to the production of an entire lesson plan that was applied by all our Grade 6 science teachers. It enabled all our students to ask questions and investigate in order for them to learn about chromosomes.

FIS Numerology

"When will I ever use this in real life?"

This is one of the most common questions asked by students on a daily basis. As teachers, we should always try to break the barrier between school walls and the real world; to bridge the gap between what happens in the classroom and what actually takes place "out there" in the real world. Students should not only learn certain concepts and skills, but rather how they can apply what they have learned in the real world. This, in my opinion, is the essence of education.

We are currently at the end of our third unit in math, which is centered around decimals, percentages, and fractions. This unit will soon culminate with a summative assessment, whereby students will use the knowledge, skills, and concepts they have learned during this unit in order to complete their summative assessment.

When first planning this unit, like our students, we also asked ourselves, "How will our students use decimals, percents, and fractions in the real world?" Real-world applications are endless, and the challenge was in creating a structured, inquiry-based lesson that allows students to explore how they can use decimals, percents, and fractions. Through collaborative planning, we came up with FIS Numerology, which involves quantifying personal and cultural expression by using different forms of numbers (i.e. fractions, decimals, and percents).

FIS Numerology was a four-day, project-based learning experience. Our students were divided into groups, and given a survey topic related to personal and cultural expression. They had to come up with their own responses, and then conduct a survey by visiting classrooms and staff rooms. After gathering their data in the form of a tally chart, they had to convert it into fractions, decimals, and percents. The next step was to display their calculated percentages in a hand-made double-bar graph. Students had to also incorporate a technological aspect, where they learned how to input data and create a bar graph using Microsoft Excel. All of this culminated with a display of their work, a Gallery Walk activity, and a personal reflection of what they learned from this in-class project.

As a result, our students were able to quantify student and staff's personal and culture expression. They learned how to apply percents, fractions, and decimals in the real world as a means of conducting surveys to gather, interpret, and display data. I'm truly proud of their work!

Powers of 10 Lapbook

Earlier this year, my students created lapbooks to learn about multiplying and dividing by powers of 10. These lapbooks involve identifying powers of 10 less than and greater than 1, and the rules for how to multiply and divide with powers of 10. After creating their lapbooks, they then used them as a guide to complete both their classwork and homework. My students were able to express themselves through their creative lapbooks, which also enriched their learning process!

The template for this lapbook is available for purchase in my TPT store. This is the first lapbook I created, and there will be definitely be more to come!

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Looping...Yet Again!

"Looping, in eduction, refers to the practice of a teacher remaining with the same group of students for more than one school year. For example, a teacher who teaches a third grade class and then goes on to teach the same students, the following year, for the fourth grade." (Wikipedia)

I was introduced to the term "looping" a bit over a year ago during a series of EdTech workshops. It was summer time back then, and I was looking forward to moving up with the same group of students from fourth (4M) to fifth grade (5M). It felt exciting to get a chance to continue with the education process where I had left it as opposed to starting allover again with a new group of students. Another year passed by, and I'm still with the same group of students (6M)! Unlike the previous two years however, I only teach them two sixth grade subjects (math and science) along with teaching math to three other sixth grade classes.

Looping with the same group of students has been both a unique and enriching experience. It gave me a chance to continue building upon my students' knowledge as they moved up to new grade levels. It also beame easier to design inquiry-based lessons that suit each of my students' learning styles.

Although there are disadvantages to looping (i.e. students not being able to adapt to changing environments due to interactions with the same teacher and classmates), they are outweighed by the its benefits. I've enjoyed watching my students grow in all aspects (i.e. intellectual, academic, physical, etc.) and acheiving highler levels of success.

The Benefits of Using Technology in Education

"Change is Imminent"

How many times have you heard the above expression? Why is change imminent? What causes change to occur? History maps the numerous changes that mankind has witnessed; changes driven by curiosity, questioning, inspirations, discoveries, and technological advancements. Without change, our world would be static; devoid of any form of development. Change is therefore an essential requirement for development and advancements to occur.

Similarly to all the components in our society, the teaching and learning strategies of education have evolved drastically throughout time. Education must parallel the technological developments present in our world today. Why? It's simple: our world has been transformed by technology. If you look around you right now, or even at the screen you're using to read my blog, you'll notice that your environment is surrounded by technological gadgets you use daily. Furthermore, today's work force relies greatly on technology whereby people need to have specific skills in order to succeed in their job. Daniel Newman identifies how technology has impacted the work force in "6 Technology Trends Transforming the Workplace." Students should therefore be equipped with the tools that will enable them to succeed in the 21st century - the Digital Era.

Although some are still skeptical about intertwining technology with education, there are those, including me, who believe in the importance of having students use technology in order to learn. The following video provides a few reasons as to how technology helps students learn better in today's world.

As can be seen, our role as educators today have changed from being the sole providers of information to guiding students into learning how to use technology in order to nurture their intellectual minds. As I always tell my students in class:

~My job is not to give you information; it's to show you how to find information on your own.