Get Your Students Outside of the Classroom - No Excuses!!

Why its so important to get your students out of the classroom

Do you want to spend your whole day sitting, reading, writing, etc.  A lot of what we ask of our students, we wouldn't want to do ourselves.  I think this is particularly true for middle school students.  They are wiggly, social, active creatures.  They need to be moving around.  It's nice weather. They want to go outside. So do we. We are teaching about the outdoor world. Its OK once in a while to take them outside and conduct a class or activity outside.

Lessons outside the classroom

One of my favorite lessons when we learn about weathering is to take the students outside for about 10 minutes, with dry erase boards, to look for examples of weathering, draw it, and decide if its chemical or physical weathering.  Then, of course, they have to share they findings.

Students find it very exciting. It takes some management, but can easily be done in a short class period and on school grounds, even in an urban setting.  They love it! Its a big change.

I have also taken Biology classes outside to look for quick examples of living and non-living things, or to look for examples of different types of ecological relationships.

Where can I get more ideas to take my students outside? 

Here is a link to other ideas: 

Five Minute Field Trips: Teaching about Nature in Your School Yard (full-text)

AND 10 Minute Field Trips: A Teacher's Guide to Using the Schoolgrounds for Environmental Studies. (full-text) which is available in full text or for purchase as a bound book (affiliate link)

Enjoy, and let me know what you do in your classes to get them out of class!  

Giveaways and Free Resources

Several other bloggers have hit landmarks recently, or are hosting events such as giveaways, linky parties with free resources, and more over the break.  I want to share a few with you:

I am very excited to be part of the giveaway at Second Grade Nest.  This giveaway has 5 different prize packages, with over 65 products total being given away.



My circulatory system lab (one of my newer products) is part of package 5.  This is a favorite of my students, and could easily be adapted to lower grades as well.

Secondly, in honor of his blogs 1-year anniversary, Hopkins Hoppin' Happenings is doing a series of exclusive freebies (1 per day)....a different one each day. They are a variety of products of different grades and subjects.  Mine is scheduled for 12/31!  New Year's Eve!  Check it out (and check out the other exclusive freebies!

Also, another education blogger does a weekly themed linky.  This week includes paid and free resources.  There are frequently linkys for free resources as well.  This is going on at Educator's Life

And don't forget to keep an eye on the Success in Secondary Linky party. Although not going on right  now, it is recurring and a great place for secondary resources.

An Innovative and Memorable Look At the Skeletal and Muscular Systems

Get Your Students Excited About the Skeletal and Muscular Systems

Students were yelling and screaming they were so excited about what was going on in class. They left the room talking about the lab we did that day, and other classes later in the day came in very excited to see the skeletal and muscular systems in action.  I knew this was a lab I needed to share with you.  Students were totally engaged and focused on the lesson.  They had different roles that fit their different needs, but everyone was busy and involved.

Do you want your students thinking differently about something they probably encounter every day?

Human body systems are taught at so many different grade levels. Students are often interested and excited as it relates to their own body, but they quickly can lose interest if the information is dry and repetitive.  Here is one of my favorite labs.

Be ready for some yelling and middle school excitement :).  A great introduction to dissection, in a pretty tame way.

Here is a video clip from YouTube: (not mine)

Some pictures from my class this week:

How did we learn about skeletal and muscular systems?

We did a little bit of notes and background about the skeletal and muscular systems, using a graphic organizer (click here to get the free graphic organizer) to see how they relate to and to get the main idea, but the 'meat' of this lesson (pun intended!) is a chicken wing dissection! Chicken wings are cheap, easy to obtain and pretty safe as long as you take basic precautions such as wearing gloves and googles, washing hands, and washing equipment. I make it easier by using paper plates (that get thrown out) for dissecting trays, and using scissors instead of scalpels. Students get a change to see all the parts that they are learning about: tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bone, joints, muscle, as well as skin and fat. They also get an understanding of how those parts work together. By carefully following the lab instructions they are able to actually move the chicken wing and see the parts working together to make it move. They love it!! And I have to admit, its pretty cool to see!

And if you want to see more, or use this resource yourself, check it out. They will gain a much better understanding of the skeletal and muscular systems, and have an experience they remember!!

Skeletal and Muscular System Mini-Unit