Tornado Information for Kids

In the news the other morning was an account of a serious outbreak of tornadoes. The tornado season is upon us, and mother nature is certainly keeping busy as over 800 preliminary tornadoes have touched ground (According to the NOAA's Storm Prediction Center). With the peak of the season not yet reached (May and June) one only wonders what the old girl has planned.

Watching the swirling columns of air sweeping their way across our TV screen, and witnessing the destruction left behind was rather frightening to me. I imagined it would be the same for some of my students while others might be drawn to it.

Naturally, children are curious, fascinated and maybe fearful of tornadoes. It might be helpful for them to have some information about this topic.

Fujita Pearson Scale: This is the old scale used to rate and describe the tornado, but it gives the children an idea of what kind of damage occurs. The scale has now been enhanced to these wind speeds.

Tornado Video: This 3 minute National Geographic video for kids explains how tornadoes form and what to do in the event of a tornado.






Tornado Alley: In the U.S. most tornadoes occur in the states between North Dakota and Texas, although they can happen anywhere. (More in depth information can be found at tornadochaser.net)

Other Great Sites:

Teach Your Kids about Tornado Safety: Safety tips from eHow explaining what to do before, during and after a tornado.


Weather Wiz Kids: This site has a lot of information created especially for kids.

FEMA for Kids: This site has information and more. A highlight of this site are some Tornado stories written by children.

Tornado Photo Gallery: This site shows the different types of tornadoes: Cones, Wedges, Elephant Trunks, Ropes & Stovepipes.

Putting the power in kids’ hands by helping them learn about natural phenomena like tornadoes will hopefully, ease their fears through understanding and at the same time create an interest in their world.

Please let me know if you have any resources that should be added to this list. I welcome your comments and ideas.

Resources from Cybraryman:
Tornadoes
Top Photo:photo credit: Jmos® via photo pin cc

Bottom Photo:
photo credit: Florencia Guedes via photo pin cc

School Assembly

Imagine 458 kids along with 30 + adults singing and dancing in an auditorium! All in sync - all in tune! Well, this past Friday, that was OUR school.

Every other week our elementary school gathers together in the auditorium and is treated to a whole school assembly presented by a different class or two.

Assemblies this year included a tribute to family veterans; a choral reading about the Pilgrims; a class role playing promoting bullying prevention; a class sharing their family heritage and more.

By far there are some whole school assemblies that become 'Boyden' Traditions! Two of those assemblies happened to occur in the same week!

Dressed in their best cowboy attire, our annual 'Hoe Down' is held in the gymnasium and shows off the new dancing skills of the fourth grade students.  The Virginia Reel, Cotton-Eyed Joe and other dances were featured as part of the culminating unit on 'Pioneers'.  Each fourth grade class demonstrates one of the dances they learned while the rest of the school waits in anticipation for a chance to be chosen to dance with a fourth grade buddy.  Dance after dance, smile after smile, students are learning first hand about American Culture while having fun!

On the Friday before the spring break it's our Kindergarten students' chance to perform on stage.  They sing, gesture and dance to  Tony Chestnut while the rest of the school wiggles and whispers along with them. When the song is finished a thunderous applause can be heard in the audience.  Kinder faces beam with pride.  Our principal then invites all in the auditorium to stand and participate.  There is nothing quite so powerful (and fun) as being in a room filled with students and staff singing and dancing together.  It's truly heartwarming.

Image from tonychestnut.com

For our students assemblies provide a way to showcase their work, either individually or as a group.  Speaking in front of others and being on stage are important as this will help students build confidence with their communication skills.    

For students in the audience, assemblies provide a way for them to learn HOW to be a part of an audience and how to show appreciation by applauding appropriately (not hooting and hollering).  Learning to sit quietly and listening attentively are other benefits of being an audience member.

Boyden School is proud of their students and their school assemblies.

Does your school have students presenting at whole school assemblies? 

Teachable Moment - Watch Live - Iowa Eagles

Making our way back to the classroom from Phys. Ed. the other day, one of the kindergarten teachers stopped my class in the hallway and invited them into her classroom.  I'll admit I was a tad bit annoyed because it was near the end of the day, and we still had some pressing things to get accomplished.  Quickly, my annoyance turned into absolute fascination!  Staring right at us was a momma eagle sitting on her 3 eggs waiting for them to hatch!  Talk about a 'Teachable Moment'!

Well, our kindergarten teacher was actually projecting a live stream video feed of a bald eagle's nest sitting high atop a tree in Decorah, Iowa.  The 'Nest Cam' is part of the  Raptor Resource Project whose mission is to "preserve and strengthen raptor populations."  Raptors are birds of prey. The eagle's eggs which were laid in February have an estimated hatching date of April 1st! 

 

  (This video created from a PowerPoint show produced by Colorado State University)

Watching the male and female eagles 'LIVE' has been the highlight of our week!  Everyday the kids rush into class sharing what they witnessed while watching the Nest Cam.   

Students' observations have included:

  * the male eagle swooping in and changing places with the female

  * moving and rolling the eggs closer together using their beak   

  * dinner (in the form of a mouse) being brought to the nest

  * the female eagle signaling to the male with a high pitched squawking

  * building up of the nest around the eagle's body

The students also blogged about their observations, and also wrote short stories from the point of view of the eagle! They have been asking me question after question about eagles.  They are so en'raptor'ed by the whole thing!

The students have not been the only ones watching this extraordinary event, as their parents have been glued to the live feed as well. One parent commented,  "Not only is it a permanent fixture on our home computer...everyone I work with had it on their computer as a window today." Another parent stated "It's addicting - I can't wait to see the chicks". It's hard NOT to get excited about nature up close and personal!

To think I almost passed up this 'Teachable Moment!' Let this be a lesson to us all about capturing those 'teachable moments' for we never know where learning will lead us (or our students)! How lucky we all are to be able to experience the hatching of these majestic birds - the symbol of our nation! Thank you Ms. Bearce for drawing us in! 

Resources to help answer Eagle Questions:

Eagles 101: Although this is geared for kids in grades 5 - 8 it has a lot of information that can be shared with younger children.

Bald Eagle Facts for Kids:  Some quick facts about the eagle.

Bald Eagle Fun:  Coloring pages, greeting cards and games    

Bald Eagle Photos: Photos taken of Bald Eagles in Alaska

Ben's Guide to Government: Tells how the eagle came to be the symbol of the US Government

 What was your most recent 'Teachable Moment'? Please share it in the comment section. 

Reporting on Report Cards

My First & Second Grade Report Cards

"Why don't you just give them all A's!" shouted my daughter this afternoon!  It never fails...I hear the same request from either my sister, mother, husband, cousin, friend, neighbor, or local teen every time I sit down to spend the day to write out my students' report cards.


Do they really all think that teachers just 'GIVE' grades based on some nebulous reason?  Don't they understand that teachers work long hours finding sums and averages based on the student's assessments? Or don't they realize that hours are spent filling in checklists based on whether the student has completed the standards set by the state?

The business of report cards is a touchy subject at best.  When mentioned in most any setting it brings recounts of days gone by.

"Do you remember when I locked myself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out? How I shoved my report card under the door for mom and dad?" my sister asked me.  Apparently, her report card was not one that she was proud of and was in fact rather embarrassed by it.  "What happened?  I thought you were always an "A" student!" I probed further.

Well, it started out like this......She was an all "A" student in elementary school (something which I was NOT).  When she got to junior high school she was an "A" student as well.  But one day, in science her class was asked to collect insect specimens in jars with the intent of eventually mounting them on a board.  They were supposed to collect 50.  She was horrified with the activity and would not participate.  And so, led to the decline of her straight "A" days.  Since she wouldn't complete the project she was given a zero (that day till the end of the project) and subsequently received an "F" in the class.   Each day she would go into science class and feel worse and worse about the events taking place.  Knowing she was failing made her try less.

Did she receive the "F" because she didn't KNOW the information? Or wasn't learning?  Or was it an "F" based on effort?  How should she have been graded? 

I think the following video by Rick Wormeli (author of Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom) explains what most likely happened to my sister.

 

Report cards are supposed to share information about a child's progress in the classroom.  Some think the traditional report card tells parents very little about what their child really knows.  While some others prefer this method because of the familiarity or comfort level.

Many communities have already or are moving towards a Standards Based Report Card, but these can be confusing. Check out how one community explains the purpose and application of its Standard Based Report Card in this video.

Check out this student's thought's on Standards-based Grading!


Whichever, system is used, it is important to give feedback to our students and their parents about how they are progressing in school.  Is there evidence of learning?

                    Do you have a favorite REPORT CARD MEMORY?  

Leave it in the comment section!

             

                  

Tsunamis and Earthquakes for Kids

View from NASA satellite on 3/5/11

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter Scale shook Japan on March 11, 2011.  The earthquake then triggered a 23 foot wave tsunami that caused massive destruction.   

Watching the videos of water sweeping cars and homes away, people scrambling to take cover under desks, people running in the streets trying to avoid falling bricks and many other images were disturbing to me.  I couldn’t help but think about my students who might also be seeing this on their televisions.

Naturally, children are curious, fascinated and maybe fearful of earthquakes and tsunamis.  It might be helpful for them to have some information about these topics. 

Richter Scale – Learn how to read the Richter Scale by Scholastic.

Tsunami – Watch this video designed for kids by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). It describes what a Tsunami is and what do to if one occurs in your area.  Or watch this free BrainPop video (free for a few weeks) on Tsunamis. 

Earthquakes: This site from Weather Wiz Kids explains what causes earthquakes.   The USGS (United States Geological Survey) goes into greater detail for those who want to learn more about earthquakes.

Perhaps hearing about the tragedy in Japan has sparked an interest in that country.  Check out these sites for kids.

Kids Web Japan: Explore Japan’s climate, weather, culture, housing and other basic facts. Explore the rest of the site to learn about Japan’s Egg Machine and High Tech Train.

Time for Kids: Check out ‘A Day in the Life’ or ‘Native Lingo’

Putting the power in kids’ hands by helping them learn about natural phenomena like earthquakes and tsunamis will hopefully, ease their fears through understanding and at the same time create an interest in their world.

Please let me know if you have any resources that should be added to this list.  I welcome your comments and ideas.

                                                             

For the Love of Reading!

It’s a question I hear at ALL parent teacher conferences: What can I do to get my child to love to read?   Or What can I do to get my child to read?  These are also questions that educators wrestle with as well.

As a teacher and parent I am still plagued by these questions as there are no definitive answers.  However, there are some steps that we as educators and parents can take to aid in the love of reading. 

Be a Role Model: This is a tip from an article, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading.  Children follow their parents’ lead.  If they see their parents reading they in turn, are likely to read.  If watching TV is the preferred activity of parents, then children are likely to fall into that habit.  

Likewise, children follow their teacher’s lead.  When the students are reading during DEAR time, why not read a book along with them.  Share something funny or unusual from a story you are reading.  Kids will want to share with you once you have shared! 

Make Reading Interactive: From when a child is very young to even young teens, your child or student can participate in activities that are related to the book...from dressing up like a character or creating a craft such as a time capsule.  Reading books online at sites like Story Time for Me (for ages 1-8) or Story Line Online (for ages 5- 12) are bound to grab their attention.  (Story Time Online pairs great literature read by actors and actresses!). 

Use a RockStar: My students at school and my own children love to listen to stories that have been dowloaded to their iPods.  Using a Belkin RockStar allows up to 5 headphones to be plugged into the same iPod or mp3 player.  Now five friends can listen to the same story - makes discussing a book way more fun (and they can say they are actually with a Rockstar!) 

Take a Trip: Go on a Google Lit Trip or create your own!  Using Google Earth you can locate and visit places mentioned in your reading!  Children love to connect what they are reading to real life! There are also many Virtual Field Trip sites that offer experiences via the web that engage students in their learning!  Visit SimpleK12 to check out a few ideas.

As teachers perhaps it's time to throw out the reading logs and try something new! (Read this post by Nancy Hniedziejko: Want Children to love to Read? The comments are insightful too!)

It's devastating to think your child (or student) DOESN'T love to read (much less like it). But, engaging them in conversations about what they're reading and sharing related information may pique their interest enough that one day they'll find the one book that will hook them forever!!!

   

What was the ONE book that hooked you as a reader?... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Please share ideas that you have found successful!