Hi, I’m Katie. I teach middle school scientists and have a project-based, standards-based, and student-led classroom. Sounds like a lot, but those three work together really well. I also write, speak, and consult on all three.
LATEST POSTS
-
Hour of Code
Today, students (and teachers) participated in Hour of Code. If you aren’t familiar, Hour of Code is part of Computer Science Education Week and encourages people of all ages and ability levels to have fun with coding! Or in the words of a few students today: Here are some other things I’ve been hearing throughout…
-
Random Acts of Awesome
I’ve always considered myself lucky to work with such incredible young people. Not a day goes by where they don’t do something that amazes me and really shows how phenomenal they are. However in the last few weeks, I experienced an onslaught of crazy cool things … it can only be described as a few weeks crammed…
-
What it Felt Like to Have a Blank Gradebook
It was ten days until the end of the quarter, and my gradebook still did not have a single grade in it. The grades were coming, so I was starting to breathe a little easier, but still, eight weeks in and not a single published grade. At the start of the year, I…
-
Announcing the Launch of Our Student-Created Website: Keep Us Healthy!
For the past several weeks, all ninety-three students in our sixth grade science classes have been working toward one common goal: to create their own website. Finally, it’s ready to be shown to the world! I’m so pleased to announce the launch of … Keep Us Healthy – Don’t Get Sick! Use Our Tricks! Their…
-
Exactly What We Want
A couple of weeks ago, the students were doing research on different types of animals. One student came up, chuckling, to show me his computer screen. I stood there, staring at it for almost a full minute, before I realized what he was laughing at. Once I got it, he eagerly took it around to…
-
Science is for Everyone …
Before teaching, I spent five years doing chemistry work in the labeling industry. I always had a very mixed reaction when I would tell people what I did. People would make the immediate connection to their school science classes and then proceed to tell me that they either loved science or they hated it. After…
