Week 17, Day 4: TGIF! De-stressed and back in the saddle

ODD BLOCK: Reading passage starter "WHATS YOUR SIGN" including star maps and astrology vs astronomy.

It took 4 days but I'm out of the blues and got unstressed.  I have a lot still to do but I have managed to put it in proper perspective.

Kids enjoyed the reading passage (go to my web site, look in Notes and Assignments and Reading Passages. 

The passage is how you can take peoples Astrology interests and build on it to show them some really cool Astronomy facts.  I use star charts to let them find their birth-sign constellations, then teach them celestial navagation (right ascension an declination) and then show a video clip from the movie contact (the scene of makeing Contact to the Presidential Press Conference). 

I hope this helps,
Love to Teach and Teach with Passion
Remember...It's not Magic, It's Science
http://qp.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/rey_kinney
richardkinney@cusd.com

Week 14, Day 1: Belated appreciation and surround yourself well.

ODD BLOCK: Spent the day in the library with students working on the Intro. to Astronomy Website search.

Today's Best Practice: Surround yourself with motivated colleagues that love what they do, stay away from the other type.

I love Astronomy. I wish class was held at night so we could go out and look at Jupiter in the western sky after sunset, Orion's Nebula anytime, and the fuzzy glow of the Andromeda Galaxy. Since class is not held at night the website above is a nice alternative.

A former student found my Facebook page and posted this: "...you were my favorite science teacher out of m entire public education and you're probably the only teacher who actually was interested in what he taught. Just though I'd let you know." So often our 8th graders are lost in the world of surviving middle school and don't always say thanks.

My first thought was how nice this is and thank-you.

My second thought was anger. WHY ARE SOME TEACHERS NOT TOTALLY IN TO WHAT THEY TEACH. For more on this go back to my very first post back in August.

My 3rd thought was that he must not have had Mr. Piercy in 7th grade life science nor Mr Lake in High School Physics. These two colleagues are 2 of my best friends and outstanding teachers.

Surround yourself with greatness. Hand out with excellent teachers. Don't spend your time around anyone that pulls our profession down (see my first Post in August).

As I look at my colleague friends they are ALL EXCELLENT teachers that Love what they do.(look at the my Einstein picture on the side bar)

Hope this helps,

Love to Teach and Teach with Passion

Remember...It's not Magic, It's Science

http://qp.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/rey_kinney

richardkinney@cusd.com

Week 13, Day 5: Start Astro and Thanksgiving!

EVEN Block periods: After transcribing the answers from my wrong test version post of 2 days ago we started Astronomy with an interesting INTRO TO ASTRONOMY web search of the ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY website...THE BEST WEBSITE ON THE WEB.

I am thankful for being an 8th grade science teacher. I love working with these wonderful kids. They let me keep in touch with my inner child...which is pretty close to the surface.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
The Introduction to Astronomy assignment is an interesting web search from this NASA sponsored site. You can download a copy of the worksheet from my web site listed below on the calendar for today. Here is today's Picture.

Credit & Copyright: Victor van Wulfen

Explanation: This bright meteor streaked through dark night skies over

Sutherland, South Africa on November 15. Potentially part of the annual Leonid meteor shower, its sudden, brilliant appearance, likened to a camera's flash, was captured by chance as it passed between two clouds. Of course, the two clouds are also visible to the eye in dark southern skies - the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds - satellite galaxies of our own Milky Way. This year's Leonid meteor shower peaked on November 17 as the Earth passed through the stream of dust from periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle.

Happy thanksgiving. Clear and Steady skies.

Hope this helps,

Love to Teach and Teach with Passion

Remember...It's not Magic, It's Science

http://qp.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/rey_kinney

richardkinney@cusd.com