What I Realized After Sandy Came to Town

Greetings from Bergen County, New Jersey, 12 days since Hurricane Sandy swept through this part of the United States and changed the lives of people forever. After missing 7 days of school, we are here on November 9th, which should have been the second day of the N.J. Educator's Association's yearly convention in Atlantic City. Many of my colleagues and students were directly affected by the storm; some losing their cars and some losing everything they owned. I realized how important social media was in helping us communicate with one another. If you owned a smartphone and found power to recharge, you could check email, Facebook, or Twitter. Schools which utilized social media were able to get the word out about closings, delayed openings and clothing drives for those in need. Our school does not use Twitter or Facebook, but check the links if you want to introduce social media into your school.

With so many people still living without power, I once again pondered how great it would be if we didn't have to rely on the oil and power companies the way we do.The recent gas lines in the New York metropolitan area reminded me of the '70s, waiting for the correct day (odd or even) depending on the last number on your license plate.  What about the electric companies? Alternative energies have been around for a while, yet why don't we harness them?  News reports are now saying that some may people will not see the light at the end of the tunnel until 2013, because an electrician has to inspect their home and make sure it is safe to turn on the power. (To donate to the Red Cross, click the image on the top right of this page.) How do your students feel about alternative energies? Here are 28 places to start your lesson plan:

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
K-12 Energy Lesson Plans and Activities- U.S. government site

About Hydropower

Adventures in Energy-a look at oil and gas (interactive)

Alternative Energy- solutions for the 21st century

Alternative Energy News- news and resources

Alternative Energy Resources

The American Wind Energy Association

Department of Energy- covers all types of alternative energies, including hydrogen, solar, wind

Energy From the Sun Teacher and Student Guides- seven lessons for grades K-4

Energy Fueling the Future- this site is from the UK; take one of their quizzes and see how much you know about energy

Energy Kids- wind, solar energy


The Energy Story- read the twenty chapter story online

Geothermal Energy- from the Geothermal Education Office

Green Technology and Alternative Energy

Harness the Power of Wind- from National Geographic

National Science Digital Library Ocean Wave Energy Company

New York Times Article on Solar Energy

Solar Electric Power Association- harness the power of the sun!

Solar Energy Lesson Plans- listed by grade level

Solar Energy Videos- from NeoK12

Solar Lesson Plans- divided by grade level

Solar Energy Basics- from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Treehugger- archived news articles about alternative energy

U.S. Department of Energy

Wind Energy Basics- from the U.S. government

Wave Power

Wind Energy Curricula and Teaching Materials- from the U.S. Department of Energy; nice listing of links

Wind Energy Curriculum for K-12

(This listing will be added to the "Science" page)

UPDATES are Ongoing

Many posts are added to the pages listed at the top of this blog. For example, today's post on hurricanes can also be found on the Science page. SO.......check back often and use the pages or the search box (left column) to find what you are looking for on the blog.  Thank you for your continued support!

Using Fake Tweet Builder in Your Classroom

Thank you to history teacher Ken Halla for sharing this tool on his blog.  A colleague of his set up an assignment here using Fake Tweet Builder, asking his students what Stalin and Hitler would tweet to each other if Twitter existed back then.  You don't have to be a history teacher to take advantage of this terrific tool. For example, language arts teachers could use Fake Tweet Builder when students discuss various authors. 

27 Sites with Information About Hurricanes

As I sit here on the first of two days off because of an impending hurricane named Sandy, I thought I create a post or two in case I lose power. (I'd rather lose TV, phone and Internet than power!) It seems surreal that in the New York area we are living through what people in Florida are used to: hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding etc. But the reality is that Sandy means business and the gusting winds happening right now are only a prelude of what's to come. To those of you who are in the "eye of the storm", stay safe.

A to Z Teacher Stuff- small list of lessons about hurricanes

Apps for Tracking Hurricanes- nice listing of apps available in the iTunes store; most $$, some free

BrainPop- video on hurricanes (younger kids)

Editors' Choices from Education World- best books to teach about hurricanes

FEMA Site- steps to prepare for a hurricane; kids site here.

Horrific Hurricanes

How Hurricanes Work- from How Stuff Works; includes quiz, video

How Names are Chosen- includes listing of names to 2017

Hurricane Digital Memory Bank- "Launched in 2005, the Hurricane Digital Memory Bank uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the stories and digital record of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita." 

Hurricane Facts and Figures- from the St. Petersburg Times; includes hurricane gallery 

Hurricane Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities- from Education World

Hurricane Tracker- from weather.com

Hurricane Tracking Activity- from Enchanted Learning

Hurricanes- page includes graphs, maps

Part 2 | Part 3

Make a Hurricane Spiral- for younger students; three hurricane spirals to cut out

Make Your Own Tracking Map- printable black and white map of the eastern United States

Miami Museum of Science Teacher Resources- a lot here in a friendly user interface

National Hurricane Center- forecasts, tools, podcasts

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale- explains each level in detail

Scholastic.com : Severe Weather and Natural Disasters- site includes quiz

Severe Weather: Hurricanes

Student Hurricane Activities- choose from 10 activities, including a crossword puzzle, quiz and word find

Teacher Guide to Hurricanes and Tornadoes- from TeAchnology; 

WatchKnowLearn- 68 videos about hurricanes; covers ages 7-18 (each one labeled for age)

Weather Coloring Books for Kids- includes downloadable posters, videos, more

Weather Wiz Kids- images, diagrams, list of hurricane names

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What's Your Blood Type?

The Blood Typing Game is an interactive activity where students try to detect the blood type of various patients. After choosing a patient, you are asked to use a syringe and take blood which you then put into three vials. Guessing the patient's blood type is the final step. The Blood Typing Game was the 2012 Winner of the Best Game Category by Swedish Learning Awards. Students will really enjoy this game, which was recommended to me by my colleague Pat, who teaches biology.

A Trusted Online Source: Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life is a terrific online resource with "information and pictures of all species known to science". Search an animal's name and several tabs are made available, including the overview, details, outside resources on that topic, classifications and names for the animal and so much more. If you are a biology teacher, this is a site you should bookmark for your students.

Refraction: A Math Game About Fractions

With support from University of Washington Center for Game Science, DARPA, Gates Foundation, NSF, Adobe, Microsoft and Intel, Refraction was created to teach fractions. According to the website, "In Refraction, the player must partition lasers in order to power spaceships containing various animals who have gotten stuck in space, as shown in the picture. These animal spaceships all require different fractions of the lasers, and the player is given several pieces that split and bend the lasers to reach the animals and satisfy these requirements".  Refraction won the Best in Show Award in the 2010 Learning Challenge, which was sponsored by Disney Research. Below is a description of the program.