Kahoot -- Best Quiz Generating Game

Especially if you have older students, it can be particularly dull when it comes time to review for the unit exam.  You pull up a PowerPoint, set up stations, or hand over a study guide and say, "Get to work." When it comes time for final exams, it feels even worse because you have them study day after day.  One of my big theories as a teacher: if I'm bored, they're definitely bored.

I found an awesome game that my students just loved, called Kahoot!
Proof that it holds the attention of 9th graders:

Thankful Students

Sometimes school needs to be more than just content. Students learn from the things that you point out to be important. I started our classroom tradition of sharing things for which we are thankful on a wall in my first year of teaching. Originally, they took at least three pieces of paper and wrote at least three things they were thankful for and posted them on the wall. 

This year, I've decided to have this reflection last all of November and add a little at a time. Today, the kids took a leaf (cut out with dye cuts/Ellis machine) and wrote their names on one side and one thing they were thankful for on the other. This allows me to go through and be sure that there aren't any inappropriate responses to be posted in the wall as well as appreciate the responses from the students. Many today were family, friends, and life.

Day 1:

I've decided to make a topic for the rest of the days. 

Day 2: a person that taught you a lesson

Day 3: how you got to school

Day 4: the best meal you've eaten recently

Day 5: a coach or teacher who helped you gain a skill

I'll have to come up with more. Maybe you can help. What are you thankful for? What are things that you sometimes forget to be thankful for?

Week of Panic

As final examinations inch closer and closer, students get into a frenzy about getting their grades up at the last minute.  I offer "grade booster" opportunities (or what normal people call extra credit) throughout the semester, but the students see me as a Scrooge when it gets to these last few weeks and I explain that their current grades are accurate representations of how they've been performing and there is nothing "extra" to do at this point.  

As a course, all the students from one class to the next have been working on genetics research papers for two weeks, not including the week off for Thanksgiving.  It is insane, to me, that I had students that straight-up did not turn in a paper and then asked for extra credit-------- NO! Why would I give you extra credit when you don't do the actual credit? Had any of these conversations occurred a few weeks ago, yes, I would have offered extra credit. Oh, wait, I did. Hmmm... 

Now, to be less perturbed, it is the end of the last week before finals.  I know that students are reviewing in every class all day long.  To break up the monotony a bit, and also to do something to improve/update our classroom environment, we took 5 or less minutes one day to tell each other our Winter Break plans with snowflakes! It looks like many of my students will be busy bees over break!