Logic Puzzles - Not Just For Fast Finishers

I love logic puzzles! I love feeling like a sleuth, solving mysteries, and spotting the little details that others might miss.  I think it started with Encyclopedia Brown books when I was in elementary school.  

What are the benefits of doing logic puzzles?  So many executive function skills!

• storing and manipulating information
• remembering details
• analyzing
• focusing and concentrating
• persisting in a task
• deductive reasoning
• filtering information
• paying attention to details

Add in working together with a group, and even more skills can be practiced!

As a middle school teacher, I've tried with varying degrees of success to get my students interested in logic puzzles.  I have found that if I just pass out the logic puzzles, the success rate is pretty low.  So many of them don't know where to start or what to do.  

The three types of logic puzzles that I use most frequently are grid logic puzzles, cryptograms, and word sudokus.  

For the best results, I project the puzzle and go step by step.  I read each clue out loud and narrate what I'm thinking and why I'm checking boxes or putting in circles.  Usually after 2 or 3 clues, students start to pick it up and want to continue on their own.  

Not sure where to start? You can try out this Free Back to School Logic Puzzle, and go through it with your students or watch this YouTube video : Back to School Logic Puzzle on how to solve it.

Solving cryptograms can also be daunting at first, but there's no need to be overwhelmed!  Tell the students to first fill in the given letters.  Next, they look for words they know that fit the theme.  When they solve one word, they have more letters to put into the key.  I tell them it is very similar to playing Wheel of Fortune or hang-man.  

I have a video showing how to start solving a Halloween Cryptogram.  After watching the video, your students should be able to complete it on their own.  You can get the Halloween Logic Puzzles here.

Logic puzzles are my best sellers in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  The feedback that I receive is often that logic puzzles are great time-fillers, are used before holidays, and are used with substitutes.  Teachers also comment that at first their students struggled or didn't enjoy the puzzles, but then grew to love them.  Teachers have used the puzzles for team building and competitions as well!  

It's definitely worth the time it takes to introduce students to how to complete logic puzzles! I have 8 free logic puzzle sets in my store, with 11 total puzzles, and I'd love you to try them out and get your kids hooked!  

 

The Additional 14%

I was going through old emails recently and came across this gem of an email.  There had been discussion about our science district assessment and goals set by the district for improvement. Granted, it is from 2016, but this kind of thing is still going on.  The email says:

Hello, all!

I was able to talk quickly with (Bigshot Person) this afternoon.  The additional 14% is applied to the number of proficient and advanced students.  That means that, by the 3rd District Assessment, you will be shooting for 78% of your students (up from 64%) to be proficient or advanced.

Hope this helps (and adds a sigh of relief.)

Let me throw out some questions to you (like they always want us to do to our students...not that that is a bad thing.)  

What to you notice?  What stands out?

Oh, so many things I barely know where to start. 

1) The Bigshot Person wants my number of proficient and advanced scores to increase by 14%.  

2)  Bigshot person acts like it is no big deal.    Sigh of relief?  I only have to get 14% of the basic/below-basic students up to proficient or advanced.  That's a huge jump.

3) Bigshot person, not the teachers, is setting the goal.

4) Not evident in the email, but Bigshot Person never taught science and hasn't been in the classroom for over a decade.

Do you think this is reasonable?

Short answer: no.  

Why?

• I have 100% new, different students each school year in my science class.  The Bigshot is asking for this new class of kids to improve on the old class of kids' scores.  That doesn't make sense.
• The content is often brand new, not something that is being spiraled.  Scores are going to be lower for new content.
• The percent only changes if a basic or below basic student moves up to proficient or advanced.  There is no recognition for below basic to basic or proficient to advanced.  
• Everybody, absolutely every student, is tested with the same benchmark.  SPED, ELL, transfer students.  At my school, there are higher numbers of students with special needs, ELL requirements, transient students, free and reduced lunch.  The schools in my district on "the other side of the tracks" start out much closer to this goal than we do.  

Are the higher ups out of touch?

Yes, undoubtedly.

Here's where the rub comes in.  The science teachers at my school were working their tails off.  We were very intentional in our teaching, using tried and true AVID strategies, re-grouping, on-line and hands-on simulations, tracking data, everything you were supposed to do.  But our students didn't come to us with the background knowledge and skills that many students from "the other side of the tracks" had to begin with.  We were doing a lot of catch-up work.  Our students could absolutely learn, and reach proficiency, but so much learning isn't captured in a benchmark or any test.  I hated that our "success" in teaching would be determined by a random percent decided upon by a Bigshot.  

I don't have a take-away for this scenario.  My point, I guess, is that Bigshots using random numbers to set goals is frustrating, undermines the hard work teachers have to do, shows a lack of respect for our professional judgment, and misses out on the hidden curriculum that is at the heart of all learning.  It's driving me and many others away from our love of teaching.

Please, just trust me and my 20+ years of teaching experience.  Value my opinion and professional expertise.  Let me do my job.

The Positive Benefits of Taking a Risk- Even If You Fail!

As teachers, we all know that we teach more than content, even if this hidden curriculum is never assessed by a bubble sheet test.  We teach work ethic, self-control, organization skills, communication, compassion, tolerance, and a whole host of other life skills.  And then sometimes, our kids teach us.

As I was reading one girl's journal last year, I noticed a trend in many of her entries.  "Makayla, I think your theme for this year could be taking risks," I told her.  She beamed and agreed. 

"Yeah, I've really been thinking about this in your class a lot," Makayla told me.  "I think it's time for me to get out there and do some new things." And she did!  She auditioned for a chance to sing the national anthem before a basketball game, and I had tears in my eyes as I listened to her sing in the gym weeks later.  Afterwards, Makayla told me that she had been so nervous, but was so glad she took the risk.  Bolstered by this success, she entered poetry contests, spoke up more in class, and made a list of other things she wanted to try.  I was so proud of her for taking risks!  

I got to thinking about my own life and chances I had taken.  I'd been at the same school for 15 years, teaching science, and sometimes a social studies class, and for a couple of years ELA.  Even though every year was different, teaching had also become safe for me.  It wasn't really a risky job.  I had my favorite activities, my tried-and-true experiments, and file cabinets of lessons that I knew would work.  Gone were the days of trying new things and failing miserably.  (The Great Ice Cream Baggy Calamity of 2005 came to mind, as did the Cheetos-Burning-Calorimeter.)  Sure things were safe, but had I also become boring?  Stale?  I needed to take a page out of Makayla's journal and take some risks.  

For that school year, I decided that while I wasn't ready to completely throw out my stand-by lessons, I was ready to try some new things. 

• I changed rooms, giving me the perfect opportunity to throw out some old lessons and start from scratch.
• I got trained on some new science lab equipment, which led to a last-minute observation by a consultant who trained teachers in our district.
• I applied for a job in a different district. (I didn't get it, but that's ok.)
• I applied to go to the Go Green Summer Bootcamp by Honeywell.
• I led a community service group and started the school's community service club.

As the school year drew to a close, I was been able to see how taking risks benefited me professionally as well as personally.

1.  Taking risks keeps you fresh and breaks up routine.

2.  Taking risks gives you more tools to use.
  
3.  Taking risks forces you to grow.

4.  Taking risks keeps you connected to how it feels to struggle.

5.  Taking risks and failing does not make you a failure.

As you get ready to embark on a new school year, why not plan to take some risks?  Whether or not you succeed, you might be surprised at the results you get.

Cliff jumping photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/california-sea-ocean-waves-man-1813238/

Singing Shenanigans at School

I'm not sure what is going on in the universe after noon each day.  You know when you stay up too late and everything is just 1000x funnier? That's me and the choir teacher each afternoon.

It started by us singing a countdown song of sorts.  We teach 3 classes, then have a short lunch break, then teach 4 more.  The days seem long, so the song goes, "3 down, 4 to go. 3 down, 4 to go."  We clap and do a really bad TikTok inspired dance.  The students roll their eyes, which just encourages us to get even louder and cringey-er.  

It gets better.  My colleague across the hall made the mistake of saying, "Lily Lily Bo Billy."  Obviously, we can't let that slide.  Every student in the hall was subjected to their name inserted into the Name Game.

"Let's do Logan! Logan Logan Bo Bogan, Banana Fana Fo Fogan, Mi My Mo Mogan.  Logan!"

And you can't just sing without dancing.  We were swimming and diving, then doing the Monkey.  The kids had no idea what to do.  My two teacher friends and I literally couldn't stop.  The bell rang, and we were still carrying on.  Finally one of us mentioned that there were kids waiting in our classrooms, so the trance was broken and we went in to teach.

via GIPHY  Yesterday (Friday) wrapped up the week with a chorus to Johnny.  Johnny is a very popular and cool kid, but Johnny does get into a lot of trouble.  Somebody before class, in the hallway, yelled out Johnny's name, and so I popped out "Who's Johnny?"  

The memories of the El deBarge song came flooding back.  To Johnny's horror, I started singing to him.  The choir teacher joined in.  

"Who's Johnny, she said.  And smiled in her special way. Who's Johnny, she said.  You know I love you."  Complete with the whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, and oh no, no no, no no no no.  

This song was especially special to me, since it came out when I was in sixth grade, and I currently teach and serenade sixth graders in the hall.

Poor Johnny quickly got out of the hallway.  That's one positive thing about our hallway singing.  The students stop loitering and get into the room, faster than when we yell and threaten.  

I don't know what causes this loopiness.  I think we are mentally drained at this point in the school year.  The kids have spring fever; there are more discipline issues, and it's harder to get students excited about learning or even participating in things that they used to find fun.  I'm certainly happy to have co-workers who will sing and dance with me.

I don't think Johnny will remember what we did in class on Friday (worked on game codes), but chances are he will remember that there is a weird 80s song featuring his name.  I seriously hope that some day when he is in his thirties, he hears somebody ask, "Who's Johnny?" and thinks fondly (or baffledly) about this moment in time.

I asked my colleague across the hall if he remembered Who's Johnny from the movie Short Circuit.  He did not.  He said he would've gone with Johnny B. Good.  Solid suggestion.  Maybe if I'm still slap-happy next week, that will make the hallway performance play list.  

Please tell me I (we)  am (are) not alone in this afternoon phenomena.  Share how you and your colleagues release stress, act cringey in front of students, and survive and advance to the next hour of a long day.

I Have, Who Has Game- Bring Back the Fun!

Online learning has changed much of what we do in the classroom.  When I first started teaching in 1999, playing games with our classes was commonplace.  Those games seem to have gone out of vogue, but I think there is real value in them!  They increase accountability, provide motivation, build classroom community, and are just fun!  Vocabulary is a necessary part of teaching science (and many other contents!)  Finding fun ways to practice and review vocabulary doesn't have to be tedious!  The I Have, Who Has game can be applied in many ways, and is super easy to set up.

How to play
The premise of the game is to have a class set of cards that say "I have (and a word or definition,) who has (and another word or definition.)"  You can have the students stand in a circle with their cards, or they can stay in their seats. 

Every student gets at least one card- some students might need to have more than one.  If you have a student with special needs, they can have the first card.  If you don't have enough cards, a student can be the timer, the answer-key checker, or a hint giver. 

The first card is read, which says, "I have the start.  Who has (vocabulary word)?"  The student who has the answer on their card will then read their card:  "I have (definition of vocab word.)  Who has (another word or definition.)  The game ends when the last card is read, which says, "I have the end."

Ways to use the Game
I use this game in two ways- as a timed competition, or as a small group card sort.  For the timed competition, I take 5 - 10 minutes at the beginning of class to do two or three rounds of the game.  I post all the class' fastest time on the board.  The goal is for each class to get faster every day, and also to have the fastest class time.  When the words are first introduced, I don't make students switch cards in between rounds, but as time goes on, I do make them switch.  For the card sort, I use the cards in stations with small groups.  The students have to put the cards in the correct order, starting with the "I have the start" card. 

I used the game for practicing and reviewing science vocabulary, but it would also work well for multiplication facts, matching countries and capitals, and identifying people and their accomplishments.

How to set up the game
1. Make (and number) a list of terms that you want kids to know, with the definitions.  This will guide what you write on the cards as well as be your answer key!
2. Count out enough index cards for each word, plus one more card.
3.  On the first index card, write "I have the start.  Who has ___________?"  In the blank, write either the vocabulary word OR the definition of the word for term #1.  Do not include the number on the card.
4.  On the next index card, write "I have ___________."  In the blank, write the answer that matches what you wrote on the first card.  Then write, "Who has ___________?" Fill in this blank with the vocabulary word or definition for term #2.
5.  Continue writing "I have (answer), Who has (term)" on the rest of your cards.
6.  For the very last card, write, "I have (answer.)  Who has the end?"  The last card should just say, "I have the end."

My students always enjoyed this game and got quite competitive with it!

If you don't have time to make your own game, or want to try one out, visit my TpT store to see the I Have, Who Has games that I have!

No Textbook? No Problem! Free On-line Resources, Science Version

Back in the early 2000's when I was first teaching, I remember certain teachers touting that they "never used a textbook," stating with their noses in the air that they "created their own resources," implying that printed resources from curriculum companies were for peasants.  I happily used our science textbooks, plus the wonderful extraneous material, plus any other good idea that I could get my hands on.  Then the trend of districts ditching textbooks hit us, and I was left waving in the wind trying to re-create text that students could read and annotate (since that was still a big push!)  My school literally trashed all of our science textbooks before we went to one-to-one devices.  I was fortunate enough to have about 15 years of teaching experience at this point, with generous and ingenious colleagues, but it was definitely difficult to find appropriate science materials for our middle school students.

If you find yourself without a textbook but students have devices, let me tell you about three free on-line resources that helped save my sanity when I was teaching science.

1) activelylearn.com- on-line texts and questions for science, ELA, and social studies

You can create a FREE account, and set up classes for your students to log into.  You search and add content to your individual classes.  Within the content (articles) that you add, you can embed questions or edit questions that are already there, or also insert videos.  You assign the content, and can grade it later or in real-time as students answer.  The colleague who turned me onto Actively Learn would even grade remotely if she had a sub, so students knew that she knew if they weren't doing their work.  You can print out the articles and questions for students who can't use computers/ don't have it charged/ lost it, but the on-line feature is most useful.  The content isn't just science, it also includes ELA and social studies.  The free account worked well for me, but there is a paid version that has some nice upgrades like data reports and differentiated texts.

2. edpuzzle.com- videos with embedded questions, comments, or explanations, any content

 I love this website!  Again, it is FREE, and within your account you can create classes for students to sign into.  Instead of being text-based, this website is video based.  You can search Edpuzzle for videos, or search YouTube, Khan Academy, National Geographic, or a number of other sites for videos.  You can crop the videos if needed, but the cool part is adding questions.  At any point in the video, you can add a multiple choice question, short answer question, or comments.  You can record a voice-over for a video or insert a pause in the video to explain something further.  With the free version, you can check and see how much of a video the student watched, their answers to every question, and the percent they got correct.  But wait, there's more!  Edpuzzle can integrate with many on-line grading websites, such as Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and PowerSchool.  I didn't really delve into those realms, but I could see how they would be helpful once you master it.

With the free Edpuzzle plan, you can save 20 videos with the questions or edits that you've made.  There is a pro version that is $9.50 a month.  Districts can buy plans as well, but I could not find a price quote for that.  The free version worked quite well for me!

3.  CK-12- text to print out, math, science, ELA, social studies, links to other ways to learn

CK-12 is great for finding articles, but it isn't as easy to navigate for students and the on-line features are pretty limited.  Many of the articles are also used in the Actively Learn website.  I like the wide variety of articles plus the ability to search by specific content.  Articles also have a section called "other ways to learn" that has videos embedded, direct links to interactive websites, or a link to a "PLIX"- "Play, Learn, Interact, Xplore".    CK-12 is 100% free!  You still have to supplement with worksheets, notebook activities, and your own quizzes, but you have to create that yourself anyway if you don't have a textbook.

Finally, if you can't find exactly what you're looking for here, I have a few "No Textbook? No Problem!" resources for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers.  They contain original articles, Level 1, 2, and 3 questions, some notebook activities, and quizzes.

Best of luck with your science teaching this year!

Book stack clipart credits to: Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Clker-Free-Vector-Images-3736/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=308785">Clker-Free-Vector-Images</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=308785">Pixabay</a>

#Reality in Middle School

Social media- such a blessing and a curse!  I love to keep up with what's happening in the lives of my college friends and what my favorite athletes have to say about important games.  On a rough day, I love to take to Twitter and find something to laugh about. *** 

A few years ago, when Twitter started going strong among educators, my colleagues and I were done with Twitter already.  We had a difficult group of kids, and the only things posted on Twitter were humble brags.

"Look how great this lesson is!"  
"My Ss did this amazing thing!"
"I love it when my students bring me gifts and treats!"  (*note- I don't expect gifts from students. That's another post for another time, and yes, I do have a story about this!  It's a doozy!)

We were struggling though.  At our team meetings, we thought a much better idea was to let down our guards and post #reality pictures of what went on in our classrooms.  The students sleeping.  The messes left behind.  The student who always did her make-up during class.  The student who wouldn't do assignments but constantly ripped and folded paper into his own version of origami.  The student who cried and threw his iPad if he got a Kahoot question wrong.

We had fun making tongue-in-cheek comments and sending each other pictures, but of course we never posted them.  It was almost therapeutic to be able to say to each other, "My classroom does not run perfectly.  It's actually kind of messy and situations come up that my education classes or 19 years of experience haven't prepared me for.  I don't have all the answers."

We did end up posting many positive tweets about our students, and we did work really well together as a team.  

My take-away from that year- be open and honest about what goes on in your classroom.  It will create stronger bonds with your teammates.  It will take away pressure to be Twitter-perfect.  It will encourage others to take risks and know it's ok to fail.

***If you are not following @Lawrence_KS_PD, you are missing out!  For a laugh-until-you-cry- and-can barely-speak-story, check out one of my all-time favorite threads: https://twitter.com/LawrenceKS_PD/status/1101211158642675712

paper roll credits to: image via Peakpx