Engineering Design, Harry Potter, and Growing Professionally

Wow, I cannot believe that has been over a month since I posted on here.  Mid-winter recess is behind us and we in the middle of probably my least favorite month of the school year.  March is long, state testing is right around the corner, grades are due, and the end of the year just seems so far away.  I've been busy, but productively busy as opposed to overwhelmingly busy, which is nice.  Not every day has been good, but there has definitely been some good in every day...

6th Grade Coke Engineering Design Project
So my 6th graders have been working on their engineering design projects where they had to come up with a new box for Coke that was not the same as the original 3x4 and 2x6 can configurations.  They had to come up with a rationale why their box was the next big thing, both a net and a 3D model of their package, accurately calculate the surface area and volume and cost of their package, and come up with a pitch to present their ideas with visuals and enthusiasm.  It was a two week project that they worked on in both their math and science classes and between yesterday and today both classes gave their presentations to their classmates and about 25 parents and adults.  The parents acted as "representatives" from Coke and had questions and eventually picked the "winning" design.  This was a fantastic project and I was so very lucky to have the support of the science teacher and my co-teacher.  I was so proud of my students and got to see so many of their talents.  They enjoyed working on it, and the parents really appreciated coming in to see their kids shine.  I also learned a lot from this experience, and got many ideas for other project-based learning opportunities.  I hope to do something similar with my 7th graders for their current unit on statistics and probability.

Math Museum Field Trips
Tomorrow is my first of two field trips to the Math Museum this month. Tomorrow I am going with my 7th graders and in two weeks I'll be going with my 6th graders.  I am looking forward to and I think they'll have a good time exploring Mobuis strips, plus the weather has been so nice, we should be able to enjoy a nice lunch in the park afterwards.

Math Competitions
Next month, I'll also be taking two different groups of students to two different math competitions, the 2016 MoMathalon and the Girls Math Olympiad.  I was also looking forward to possibly going to Pi5NY this year, but I have another engagement that day, so maybe next year.  

Ten Marks Math Madness
Ten Marks Math Madness began again this week and interest has been OK.  We are taking a break from Khan Academy, which will be a nice change before the state test next month.  I am hoping that once my students see the week 1 standings they will be motivated to try for the grand prize, a class set of Amazon tablets, which would be awesome.  We'll see how they do....

Service Learning
My advisory will be volunteering with Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen later on this month as part of their service learning project.  I am proud of them for picking a huge topic like homelessness and finding a way to give back.

Harry Potter Elective
Our current elective cycle is coming to an end at the end of the month, and I think I want to take a break from Math Club.  I was thinking about doing meditation/ yoga or photography, but some of my 6th graders asked me if I'd want to do a Harry Potter elective, and I told them I'd think about it.  Well, they were very persistent, sending me several documents that they created outlining inclusive activities, rules of conduct, and even a schedule.  So I did some of my own research (here, here, and here) and submitted a proposal to my AP and it looks like I will be a headmistress next month for our first Harry Potter elective and I am kinda super excited about it.  I will definitely be sharing more details as it develops.

Growing Professionally
One of the reasons I changed schools last year was because I felt I wasn't growing anymore.  Despite being Lead Teacher for the past two years, my thinking was stagnating, which is never really a good thing.  One of the best things I did was take on the new challenge of finding a new school to force me out of my comfort zone, which I am happy to say has worked.  So what next?  Well I finally started my application for the Summer Institute for Gifted Certification, which will get my my G&T certification, and I am also applying to the Math for America Master Teacher Fellowship for next year.  I went to an info session a few weeks ago, and I just had stars in my eyes!  Math for America sounds like an amazing organization to be involved with and I want to be amazing!  I started my application for there too and even signed up for the math Praxis exam next month.  I won't hear anything until the summer, but I think I have a decent shot of getting in.  I want this!  Lastly, I was also inspired by a former colleague to sign up for EdCampBROOKLYN next month.  It sounds like really amazing teacher-led PD, so I am looking forward to that.

So lots of good things happening and lots of good things to come!  Like I said before, every day may not be good, but there is some good in every day.  I am very lucky that I am in a place in my life where I can keep growing and learning.  Isn't that what education is all about?

Field Trips, Formal Observations, STEM...

After Fridays, Wednesdays are probably my favorite day of the work week.  More than half the work week is over, and Mondays - Wednesdays are usually my most productive days, so Wednesdays are good.  Even though it's been hard to get out of bed the past few days (it's just so warm and cozy) work has been good.  Like last week, I am still amazed that we are almost half way done with the school year!  It is going by so fast!  And almost not a day goes by where I don't regret making the (scary) choice to try something new.  So here's what's been going on in the math (& art) middle school life the past week:

Field Trips

I scheduled my first whole-grade field trips of the year!  (My art trip in November was just one class).  My 6th graders and 7th graders are going to the Math Museum on two different days in March, which will hopefully break up the miserable school month of March a little bit.  I also scheduled our trip to the Festival of Cultures in May for the whole middle school.  Fun trips coming up!

Formal Observation/ Mathalicious

Tomorrow morning I will have my formal observation with my 7th graders.  We will be doing an inquiry investigation on linear equations using Domino's Pizza.  It hits some important 8th grade standards on equations and functions (yes, I am doing it with 7th graders!).  I am so happy with my Mathalicious subscription, I highly recommend it for any middle/high school math teacher!       

Math Club/ STEM: Building Straw Bridges

Tomorrow my Math Club will begin formally working on their Gold-level project for the National Math Club and they will also explore building straw bridges.  One of my 6th graders (who isn't even in Math Club) shared with me this game as a resource.  I am excited to see what they come up with!    

Ten Marks March Math Madness

A few years ago, my students used Ten Marks as an online resource.  It was especially engaging in March when they have a contest, March Math Madness.  I got an email from them about it this week, so I decided to check out an account.  I even had a student test it out, and I think I may use it again (at least for Math Madness) as a way to change things up.  Currently my kids use Khan Academy online, which is great, but it might be a nice change (and good motivation) to switch over for a bit.    

Interim Assessment #2

One of my classes took their second interim assessment this week.  The other two classes will take theirs in two weeks.  These are assessments that I make, using released state-test questions.  The next round will be in March and the final will be in May.  I am proud of myself for following though with this goal.  The data has been useful and I don't feel like I am over-testing them, especially since I create the tests, so I know they won't be a waste of time (like prior benchmarks given to us from the city have been).     

Parent Engagement

I finally sent out my first parent newsletter of the year this week!  I have been wanting to do it all year, but it just hasn't happened.  I like how it came out and I hope to send one out every Tuesday during our parent engagement time.  When my 6th graders start their geometry unit, Covering & Surrounding, we will also be inviting families in for the Coke Project (probably sometime next month), which should be fun.

Andy Warhol

In art this week, my students will be studying Andy Warhol work on this project.  

Working with Individual Students

I am so lucky to work at a school that is so flexible with their schedule.  Today I was able to skip lunch duty, still have my prep period, and use what would have been my prep to work with two individual students during their study hall period.  Nothing is better than being supported in working with kids one-on-one.  This is something I tried to bring to my old school, but wasn't able to make happen.  Right now this is on a week-by-week basis, but it is fantastic and I hope it continues!     

Advisory Service Project
My advisory is still working on their service project around homelessness.  I am so proud of them for taking on such a great cause.  They are really starting to own this service learning project.

G & T Extension Certification

I started looking into Gifted & Talented Extension Certification programs.  I am currently only have my secondary math certification.  The Summer Institute for Gifted Certification program at Hunter College looks promising.  My only fear is that it will be very elementary school focused (since G & T testing happens to little kids).  I know St. John's has a program too, which I believe is online (which would be nice) but I hear it's pricy.  Decisions, decisions.