Come join us for a session that will focus on getting the most out of your students in the science classroom. Strategies to be discussed include: Interactive Notebooks, Project-Based Learning, and Collaborative Projects through the Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways Network. Please be prepared to share this session's information far and wide when you leave!

1. Todd Williamson NCMSA 2011 Strategies for Scientific Success

2. Interactive Notebooks Strategies/Rationale Challenges Project Based Learning Sample PBL Activity Podcasting Activity Pringles Challenge Middle School Portal Topics

4. Help generate creative understanding of classroom topics

5. Allow for student choice

6. Allow students to make connections

7. Help maintain a portfolio of yearly work

9. One side is teacher material, the other side is student processing

10. Students are given a list of processing activities to start the year

13. Colored Pencils – markers bleed through

14. Glue – handouts are glued in so they can’t “fall out”, glue sticks or bottles

15. Highlighters – to encourage review of notes

17. Title Pages

18. Pre-reading activities

20. Rather than being assigned a particular activity, students select from a list of 20 to 30

22. Current Event summaries

23. Illustrations

24. Mnemonic Devices

25. Haiku

26. Song Lyrics

27. Advertisements/Magazine Covers

28. Hero/Wanted Posters

29. Sensory Figures

30. Concept Maps

31. Charts/Graphs

32. Lab Write-ups

33. Verbal, Visual, Vocabulary

35. Choice – students often don’t know how to choose “right” activity

36. Absent students – easiest challenge

37. New Students…second biggest challenge

39. Major Topic Which are more dangerous: hurricanes or tornadoes? Project Based Learning

40. REQUIRED How is your group defining “dangerous”? How is each type of storm classified? What is the frequency of each type of storm in the US? What type of damage is associated with each storm? What are considered the historical “worst” storms of each type? What conditions are necessary for each storm to form? What areas/states in the US are threatened by each type of storm? What precautions are necessary for preparing for each type of storm? What differences are there in forecasting each storms approach? How much time is there between formation and impact? What is the relative economic impact of each type of storm on the US each year? What fallacies, myths, or legends are there about each type of severe weather? Sub-Questions

41. Note cards with final project activities Group leader comes and picks a card Group can either keep it, or put it back If they put it back, they choose another one, and are stuck with it Pick or Stick

42. PowerPoint Glogster Skit: Old folk sitting around talking about the weather Skit: Meteorologist presenting to a school class Jeopardy Game Board Children’s Book Activities

43. When you have way more to cover…and your kids have way too many questions… Podcasting Project

44. http://www.msteacher2.org Middle School Portal