Week of December 12

Thursday Thoughts December 12

 Have you ever heard of The Drake House?   It is a temporary shelter for homeless women and children in the North Fulton area.  In 2014, the Drake House will celebrate it's ten year anniversary.  It is actually named after Mary Drake, the woman who helped establish North Fulton Charities.  This housing facility serves approximately 40-50 families per year and each family can stay from 90-120 days.  Programs and life skills classes are provided to the mothers during their stay.  One of the unique things about this organization is that they run two consignment boutiques where all funds benefit the Drake House.  The boutiques, called The Drake Closet, sell new and gently used clothing and jewelry and is completely operated by volunteers.  The stores are located in Roswell (next to the Teaching Museum) and Alpharetta (near the Milton Center).  Below please find the link for the Drake House where you can learn even more information about this facility and the stores.  As you are out and about finishing (or starting)  your shopping, please consider visiting these stores.  Your patronage will definitely benefit a worthy cause.   http://www.thedrakehouse.org/tdh/

Staff Spotlight:
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Nancy Trenker.  Nancy is not only a key to the success of our Media Center, but we also rely heavily on her for the clinic.  Nancy puts her heart into everything she does for Medlock.  She is in charge of our school inventory (which is not an easy task) and makes sure that our furniture and equipment are accounted for and in the proper place.  Nancy also assists Poonam with computer updates and other technical needs as requested.  I often think about the roles that we all play and how we are interdependent.  Many thanks to you Nancy.  We depend on you.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills
 

15 Ways Art Can Increase Innovation in Your Science Class  by Erin Macpherson

 

Imagine walking into a science classroom and seeing…paintbrushes? And easels? It may seem strange to those of us who grew up memorizing the periodic table and rolling marbles down inclines, but as the STEM to STEAM movement picks up pace, more and more science teachers are integrating art into their science lessons. Interestingly, the use of art as part of a science curriculum is something that has been done in places like Italy and China for centuries. Mrs. Heather Wallace, a science teacher who has studied in China, told us that she "learned early on that creativity leads to innovation and innovation leads to success in the sciences. Art and science may seem like different disciplines, but when you look at them closely, you see that they are beautifully intertwined."
So how can science teachers integrate art into their every-day curriculum? It takes some work and some ingenuity, but with a little effort, you can give your students a leg up in science by teaching them to think creatively. To get started, here are a few of our favorite creative teaching ideas that integrate the two disciplines.

For Elementary School:
Get your recycling unit going in your Earth science class by making these adorable recycled bottle animals out of recycled materials.
Go on a nature walk and then have your kids recreate the trees they see using paint chips and bark.
Show your kids a basic chemical reaction by making salt watercolor paintings.
Turn your kids into elementary urban planners and let your future engineers plan out their own city and then make a beautiful map to demonstrate what they learned.
Grow your own crystals in class and turn them into crystal rainbows.

For Middle School:
Make magnetic paintings and visually demonstrate to your students how magnetic forces work.
Use marbles and paints to teach students about inclines in your physical science class.
Use baking soda and vinegar to make fizzy color art. Make sure to snap pictures because these masterpieces won't last.
Visualize energy with these fun artistic renderings that use rubber bands, gems, and googly eyes.
Make thaumatropes, images that shift back and forth so quickly that they appear as one. This is a great way to demonstrate changing processes—the exploding of a volcano, the hatching of an egg, or a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.

For High School:
Make these gorgeous Six Corner Art pictures and get your students thinking about the physical properties of lines, angles, and inclines.
Have your biology students recreate the parts of a cell or the parts of the brain using toothpicks, paint, and other craft supplies.
Study chemical reactions using glow sticks or glow paint.
Bring some action into your physics class with pendulum paintings. Watch out! This one could get messy!
Make spiky crystals by creating a chemical reaction with Epsom salts and hot water.

Technology Tidbits: (If you have websites to share please email me and I will share with all)

Check out the following website:

http://powermylearning.org
A free site (although you have to sign up) that gives you access to thousands of activities.  You can sort through the activities by standard.  Although there are sites for all subjects and grades k-12, the sites for Math and ELA match the common core standards K-8.  I signed up and found myself exploring for over an hour.  I did not even scratch the surface.

News & Notes

A multitude of electronic resources are available to you as educators through the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library's eCampus program.  As a FCS employee, you are eligible for a free library account.  You can also take online courses for PLU Credit through the eCampus program.  For more information, please read page 13 of the December 10th PL Post.  The library account is also a great way to check out books to load onto your iPad for a two week period.