middle school fall party: comics

step into my classroom: microbiology

One of the all-time favorite seventh grade science lessons is during our unit on the cell. Students get a hands-on introduction to microbiology by learning how to prepare a wet mount with a celery leaf, then examining it under a microscope. They also get a chance to check out several prepared slides of everything from cotton fiber to fly wings to brain tissue. It is a lot of heavy lifting to transport a classroom set of microscopes from the high school campus but it's totally worth it to see the excitement and engagement of the students as they see things come into focus on their microscopes.

 

step into my classroom: acids and bases

A few weeks ago we wrapped up a unit on matter in Science 6. We did a lab to determine the acidity or alkalinity of common household substances and the students just loved watching the litmus paper magically change into brilliant colors. I also spent the whole previous evening concocting a huge pot of cabbage juice indicator, but those results weren't as brilliant. All I ended up with was a stinky kitchen, and lots of purple juice. For whatever reason, it just didn't change colors like all the Pinterest tutorials promised. So, here are some shots from the lab.

bus duty

I took this video today while I was on bus duty. It's always fun saying goodbye to all the students as they board the bus!

October newsletter

Click on the thumbnail below to access the October 2012 newsletter!

For the best view, I recommend clicking either download or print to view as a PDF.

thankful thursday

Today I'm thankful for:

• The fact that East and West Germany reunited in 1989. Thanks to this reconciliation, Germany celebrates a national holiday and we get the day off from school. This week it fell on Wednesday, breaking up our five-day week into two pleasantly short 2-day chunks. I eased into the day with some pumpkin oatmeal, a pumpkin spice latte, and a few chapters of Les Mis. Then, I went to school and enjoyed seven hours of blissfully quiet, undisturbed and uninterrupted work time. It feels great to finally be on top of a few of my classes in terms of lesson prep!

• Heitzmann's bakery. As I've mentioned before, I live a few doors down from this bakery and they open at 7:30. Since I catch a carpool at 8:00, this means that in a pinch I can pop in for a croissant or chocolate milk on my way to school, like I did this morning. Chocolate milk tastes SO much better in Germany, FYI.
• Aleve. The marvels of modern medicine never cease to amaze - or comfort me when I need it!
• German Class. After the confusion and frustration of my experience in German class last year, I am really thankful for the class I'm taking this year. Granted, some of the beginning lessons were repeats but I am really excited to be making more strides in learning German and not feeling like a total doofus.

 

coffee cupdate

If we were to sit down for a cup of coffee I'd have a lot to tell you.

First, we might have a mini-freak-out-moment about the fact that it's October. Um, what?

But then, we might get excited about all the things that come with fall, like cardigans, pumpkins, and cider. Speaking of cardigans, I might tell you about the awesomely successful shopping trip I had this weekend with a few girlfriends, in which I scored some new cardigans for only 10 Euro a piece! And then I might show off my new jeans, another score. I'd confess that it's hard enough for me to find proper-fitting, flattering jeans in America, but to find a pair of jeans that fits like a glove in Europe is cause for celebration, so I bought two pair!!

And speaking of pumpkins, I'd definitely brag on my awesome roommate Lexi. Not because she is a pumpkin, but because she made us homemade pumpkin spice lattes this past weekend. I'd tell you how she scoured the Web for the best of the best recipes, even combining a few for the perfect pumpkin brew. I'd gush about how lovely it was to have a relaxing Saturday morning curled up with a book (well, my roomie's Kindle) and some music, all while sipping a fresh pumpkin spice latte.

You might notice that I am wearing glasses and, like one of my students this week, comment on the fact that I look more "scientific and smart" wearing my frames. I'd agree that yes, my glasses make me look like a nerd ... but a cute nerd, make all the boy nerds go "whaaa!" And then it would be awkward because you probably wouldn't get my reference to The Princess Diaries, and I'd have to explain it. Or I'd tell you to watch this clip.

What would you tell me?