Maniacs in the Middle

Skate Park Energy Unit

Skate Park Energy Unit

I have had many questions on the Skate Park project I have been doing in my classroom! In short, the students create a skate park completely out of cardboard that a marble “skater” goes down to investigate kinetic and potential energy! Their marble has to go from start to finish without touching it! To see videos, check out my “Science” story highlight on Instagram! *The original idea for this project came from here. Here is a sample. My district purchased this project and we have since adapted it for our students.* The Skate Park project that we do in 6th…

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Middle School Read Alouds

Middle School Read Alouds

For those of you that don’t know, I teach one section of Lit/Comp along with Science. Growing up, class read alouds were one of my favorite things we used to do! I remember my teachers reading Charlotte’s Web, Hoot, The Lottery Rose, and many more! Read alouds are thought to be primarily for elementary aged students, but I have found great success in read-alouds in middle school! My district and librarian do a wonderful job at getting authors to come and visit our schools. Last year we had Roland Smith come to our school and this year Margaret Peterson Haddix…

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Classroom Playlists

Classroom Playlists

If you were to walk into my classroom, there is a very good chance that music will be playing. Whether that be as background noise or as a classroom management tool, I cannot go without music in my classroom! Click HERE for all of my school appropriate playlists! Our kids now are stimulated 24/7 by all of the technology at their fingertips. They are watching Netflix, while Snapchatting, while playing a video game all at the same time! They go from an overstimulated environment at home, to school where they are expected to be quiet the majority of their day…

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