More Community Building Activities

 Name web

Have the students sit in a large circle. Hold the ball of yarn and say your name. Then hold the end of the string and pass the ball to a student in the circle. That student will then catch the ball of yarn, say their name, hold on to the string and throw the ball of yarn to the next student. Have the group pass the ball of yarn to everyone to create a web. An additional challenge would be to unravel the web by throwing the ball of yarn backwards in the same order. Each student would say the name of the student to whom he/she would throw the ball. Can they unravel the web without it getting tangled?

 

Syllable dance

Divide the class into groups of 6--8 students. Have each group form a circle. Each student in the group will create a movement for each syllable in his/her name. Within  each group, the students will take turns saying their name and teaching the other students in the group the movements for the syllables. Challenge the groups to remember the names and syllable movements for the entire group. Can they go all

the way around the circle without making a mistake?

 

Name plus

Have the class form a large circle. Toss a plush ball or toy animal to a student. That student will say their name plus their favorite activity/sport. The student will then pass the ball along to another student in the circle who will say his/her name plus his/her favorite activity or sport. Have the class pass the ball around the circle until everyone has gone. There are endless possibilities for the “plus” of this

game (name plus favorite food, name plus birthday, etc.).

Similarity circle

 

This activity is best done outside or in a gymnasium (any place where the students can be loud!). Have the group form a large circle. Read a statement aloud (suggestion list is below) and tell the students that if the statement pertains to them, they should run into the circle as excitedly as possible. When they run into the center of the circle, they can jump around, yell “woohoo”, give others in the circle a high five, etc.

 

This activity allows students learn about each other and see who shares some similarities. Be sure to yell out statements that are inclusive, so that students have the opportunity to run into the center a few times.

Statement suggestions… Run into the circle if you…

…have a sibling!

…have a pet!

…are excited about starting a new school year!

…ate ice cream this summer!

…live in (specific town)

…are wearing socks!

…like to read!

 

How to Create Brain Games

Unless you're a mobile app or software developer, the easiest Brain Games to create from the scratch are puzzles and riddles.

 

Solutions of puzzles often require the recognition of patterns and the adherence to a particular kind of ordering. People with a high level of inductive reasoning aptitude may be better at solving such puzzles than others. But puzzles based upon inquiry and discovery may be solved more easily by those with good deduction skills. Deductive reasoning improves with practice.

 

Mathematical puzzles often involves BODMAS. BODMAS is an acronym and it stands for Bracket, Of, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. In certain regions, PEDMAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction) is the synonym of BODMAS. It explains the order of operations to solve an expression.

 

Some mathematical puzzle requires Top to Bottom convention to avoid the ambiguity in the order of operations. It is an elegantly simple idea that relies, as Sudoku does, on the requirement that numbers appear only once starting from top to bottom as coming along.

 

"Why did the man feel bloated after eating 10 tomatoes?"

 

This could be the start of a puzzle. Some would feel he ate too much, but in reality, water makes up 90% of tomatoes. So while he actually ate too much by eating 10 tomatoes, it was in fact the water content that made him feel bloated.

 

To create your own puzzle, start building a block of words that come to your mind. Write down each word on paper.

 

Example: Penny - letter - romance - center - solution - mystery

 

Next, write a list of associating words: weak - alphabet - inspired - piece - discovery - trivia -

undiscovered - state of mind.

 

What you need to do now is to review your word list. Find the word that associates with the first word on your list. Penny, take a minute to think about what the word means to you. We could go with fiscal, since penny refers to money. Or we could instead go for weak. Weak is a good option, since penny is worth relatively nothing these days. Associating the word penny with fiscal makes sense if you think of the saying "a penny saved is a penny earned".

 

Next, take the word "Letter". Letter could easily be associated with alphabet or writer. What you choose in this instance does not really matter. You could elevate writing letters over alphabets and perhaps draw your conclusions from there.

 

Now, think of the word romance. This a word that can easily be associated with undiscovered, mystery, inspired, state of mind etc. In this case, let's associate it with inspired, since you must feel inspired to be guided to that romantic state of mind. On your own, think about how you can associate romance with mystery and undiscovered. Try to draw your own conclusions. For me, I'd say you have to explore your inner self, which is often a mystery to most of us us. This will help you find your romantic side.

 

Center is also something to discover. You can consider the center of the universe, middle area and centerpieces that go on a table. Thus, you can associate center with pieces. Solution is another thing we discover. In this case, the associated word is quite obvious, discovery. Mystery is also something to be discovered. We must explore what is kept in secrecy to find solutions to know problems. Mystery is also inspired. We often find ourselves inspired to find answers to that

which is hidden.

 

3 Strategies to Keep Students Engaged in STEM

 BY GEORGE HADEMENOS

May 8th, 2018

How I implemented project-based learning (PBL) in my classes STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is more than just an acronym or a collection of letters. Rather, it is an instructional movement that embodies cross-curricular concepts from four fundamental disciplines, as well as a research-based strategy that addresses the future needs of a technology-driven work force and sustaining a global economy. The importance of STEM is further validated by its prominence in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

One of the most effective instructional approaches toward the implementation of STEM in grade-level courses is through project-based learning (PBL). In this approach, instruction occurs through student-centered investigations focused on a specific topic driven by a set of objectives, culminating in a broadly-defined product or technique. Projects foster an environment of discussion, creativity, problem-solving, inquiry, modeling, and testing, and are applicable to students in all grade levels and subjects, but particularly within the STEM arena.

Implementing PBL in the classroom

During my 17 years as a classroom teacher, I have consistently implemented projects to help supplement and reinforce concepts critical toward a student’s understanding of overriding topics. These projects promote a student-centered approach and a sense of self-discovery, while also allowing students to collaborate with group members.

As you consider implementing project-based learning (PBL) into your classroom, I offer the following three effective instructional strategies based on my past experiences.

Strategy #1: Identify an engaging topic that is aligned with NGSS standards.

Here are two projects I’ve done in past years. Both projects were closely aligned to science and engineering NGSS, and greatly engaged students in the learning process.

• Fly Me to the Moon…Well, at Least the Upper Stratosphere: Students worked on an experimental payload that was launched using a high-altitude weather balloon. The payload was equipped with a Vernier LabQuest to collect scientific measurements and a GoPro camera to collect video footage during its trajectory.
• Oh, The Places You’ll Go…to Do Science with ROAVEE (Remotely Operated Amphibious Vehicle for Environmental Exploration): I challenged students to design, model, construct, test, and navigate a robotic vehicle—equipped with sensors to collect environmental data—on solid terrain as well as on water.

 

Strategy #2: Choose a project that can be accomplished within the presented time frame with reasonable expected outcomes.

An important aspect of these projects is the inter- and intra-group collaboration conducted both in class and outside of class. However, because of the demands of maintaining a science curriculum during class and some groups possibly waiting for the outcome of other groups before they can continue their work, student groups can connect via social media for online discussion or hold meetings after school to discuss progress, conduct trials, perform data analyses, and propose next steps. This underscores the basis of Strategy #1.

Presenting a project that is engaging and stirs the interest of the students makes it more palatable for students to advance their work within a group and pursue the overall objectives of the classroom project.

Strategy #3: Actively engage with each group, constantly assessing progress and promptly acting to troubleshoot potential issues and conflicts.

A significant advantage of PBL is the ability for students to work in a small-group setting, charged with either solving a problem or developing a novel solution. Working with other students to achieve similar goals can be a challenge—whether it be keeping the students on task without distractions from other students or social media, issues and conflicts that arise when one student is not invested in the group’s mission or resolving arguments.

I recommend asking for periodic progress reports from each group. This minimizes the possibility of a group not completing the project.

By implementing these strategies, you can provide your students with exciting, hands-on, technology-enabled PBL opportunities that will keep them engaged in STEM education and the learning process.

 

LEGO Education Releases Middle School Lessons and Teacher Guides

    By Dian Schaffhauser

·              08/27/20

LEGO Education is priming to help teachers in the new school year with initiatives intended to serve learning, whether it takes place in person or remotely. New programs include STEM lessons that include physical movement; downloadable teacher and parent guides; and a new online teacher community. Although the resources are all available at no cost, some may require access to LEGO or other products that aren't free.

A new unit called "Training Trackers" will teach core science and math concepts using with LEGO's LEGO Education SPIKE Prime, intended for use with middle schoolers. The unit has seven lessons focused on physical science and data, including new coding blocks that improve on data collection and visualization. In the lessons students learn about kinetic energy, speed, potential energy and other concepts as they "stretch, walk and squat-jump," to collect data for analysis and interpretation. Each lesson plan identifies which learning stages can be completed asynchronously or in person, for hybrid learning scenarios.

 

The SPIKE Prime Training Trackers unit will be available this fall in English on legoeducation.com/lessons and will automatically download to the SPIKE App in a new software update. Additional languages supported by the SPIKE App are expected later in the year.

SPIKE Prime uses LEGO building elements, hardware and a drag-and-drop coding language based on Scratch or text-based coding with Python, to push students to tackle complex problems.

For virtual learning with SPIKE Prime, LEGO Education has worked with CoderZ to produce a virtual SPIKE Prime experience, enabling students to practice coding and STEAM skills in an online-only setting. The online experiences are intended to complement hands-on building activities with a physical SPIKE Prime Set, either before or in parallel.

"It's more important than ever to continue learning through play--wherever the learning happens," said Esben Stærk, president of LEGO Education, in a press release. "LEGO Education solutions provide playful learning experiences that not only teach important STEAM skills, but also social and emotional skills that together help build the confidence and resilience needed among students, teachers, and parents to rebuild and thrive this school year--and for years to come."

The new teacher and parent guides, each two or three pages long, are intended to help people adapt LEGO Education lessons to virtual versions. They include tips on preparing for online learning, engaging online learners whose interest is flagging and managing materials at home. The lessons incorporate social aspects ("Try opening the virtual classroom a few minutes early and keeping it open for a few minutes after to allow time for your students to get settled and socialize"), screen breaks (recommended for every 30 to 45 minutes) and emotional development guidance for parents ("...If your child gets frustrated, guide them past their emotional response by discussing the source of their frustration. Make sure they know that you understand why they're frustrated, and that it's OK to feel that way...").

Earlier this summer, LEGO also launched an education community, where educators can do lesson plan exchanges, participate in discussions and get updates from the company.

One participant, Jacob Woolcock, the head of computing and digital learning for Penpol School in Hayle, Cornwall, described the community as "a diverse and exciting group of educators willing to share their expertise, as well as learn from others and take these skills back to the children we teach." Woolcock is a member of the newest cohort of LEGO Education "Master Educators," a volunteer ambassador program for teachers who use LEGO Education resources in their everyday teaching. He said that "sharing and collaborating on ideas with other teachers from around the world will be an incredible resource for both new and experienced teachers, especially as we look to adapt and continue learning in the new school year."

 

Teaching STEM During COVID 19

How can I create a safe lab experience for my students? How will I have time to sanitize everything in my lab before and after each class? Do I have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) at my school? What is the best way to engage my students when they aren’t in class? How can I continue to make STEM activities fun and interactive?

·                   By James Palcik

·                   09/18/20

Whether in an in-person, hybrid, or remote learning environment, science and STEM teachers have likely grappled with one or more of these questions as they start this school year amid COVID-19. And, while there certainly is not going to be a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to teach science going forward, the following considerations and tips will help deliver a safe and engaging STEM learning experience this coming school year and beyond.

Take all safety precautions. All teachers – especially science teachers – know that safety comes first when educating students, even more so now with COVID-19. As such, strictly following the established protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and guidance documents from local State Departments of Education and local school districts will be of the utmost importance.

For those teachers providing any type of in-person instruction, traditional protocols for science labs will understandably need to be adjusted. This will include new practices for physical distancing, minimizing exposure, and enacting extra vigilance when it comes to disinfection and sanitation. For the latter, for example, high-touch science equipment, such as microscopes, balances, glassware, and lab instruments, will need to be sanitized before and after each use. PPE, such as goggles, should also be cleaned appropriately after use with an approved liquid disinfectant solution and/or UV sterilizer.

Educators should discourage the sharing of items and equipment that are difficult to clean or disinfect and, if possible, ensure there is an adequate amount of supplies available to minimize the sharing of high-touch materials. The sharing of electronic devices, books, and other games or learning aids should also be discouraged.

Teachers should develop a rigorous schedule for this increased, routine cleaning and disinfection and build in extra time during science and STEM classes to accommodate for these extra steps as part of the lab activity procedure. Cleaning products should also not be used near students, and staff should ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using these disinfectant products to prevent students or themselves from inhaling any potentially toxic fumes.

Provide real data. Since in-person lab experiences will be limited – or, in some cases, not an option – it is important for teachers to find ways to keep students engaged in the learning process. Providing students with real data to analyze is one way to do this.

If students can’t physically collect their own data during lab investigations, teachers can provide them with the opportunity to watch videos or simulations of investigations and lab techniques taking place and then give them real lab data to analyze. This will help students engage in scientific practices, such as making predictions based on their observations and analysis of data, and be much more impactful than just listening to a lecture – either in-person or remotely – about various scientific concepts.

Providing students with data also lends itself to increased opportunities for collaboration. Students can share and discuss their hypotheses and findings during whole class or small group discussions as they make real-world connections. By also including prompts designed to promote engagement with science practices, it is easier for students to make sense of a topic or question rather than if they just hear about and recapitulate it. This is a useful method for multiple learning modalities including blended and remote situations. It can also be used for in-person instruction as a pre-lab activity to focus students on the observation and data gathering process when performing these investigations themselves.

Make learning opportunities accessible. Especially if students are learning remotely, it is important that they can easily participate in the scientific discovery process. Try incorporating common household items into investigations, as well as have students take advantage of the natural world as much as possible. This could include having students participate in hands-on, outdoor learning opportunities where they explore soil, leaves, or other items easily found in or around their homes.

 

Mind Bogglers and How They Work

 Mind Bogglers are very tricky questions that are as fun as they seem stupid. For example, take this old mind boggler, "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Many years ago, people were trying to explore this mind boggler, till date millions are still trying to do so. Yet, the truth seems obvious enough. God created all things, and that must mean that the chicken was created first before it could lay an egg.

 

These are more mind bogglers for you.

 

a)    The average American drinks around 500 gallons of water yearly.

b)    The average American makes over 50,000 phone calls yearly.

c)    The average American spends 10,000 hours in from of the TV each year.

d)    None of the above.

e)    All of the above.

f)     A

g)    B

h)    C

 

Here's the answer. If we calculated the average time people spent creating foolish multiple questions and tests, we'd be here searching for answers to the above question all day.

 

Not all puzzles and Brain Games generally are designed to have answers. Some could actually be stupid. Yet, they could still help you develop your skills. It's all about challenging your mind while having fun. It opens your mind to explore opportunities. Rather than allow your brain focus on either the right or the left part, brain games inspires you to comb every part of your brains trying to solve a mystery. You get to make use of your parent side, your creative side, your rebellious side, your child side and so on.

 

How Mind Bogglers Work

 

Mind Bogglers could be baffling at times. It could erupt a feeling of astonishment and confusion. Hence, some people shy away from mind bogglers for fear of getting stuck on a question. They feel threatened by trival mistakes. Yet, these forms of brain games are very helpful to the brain, keeping it active and keeping it in charge of the body and our activities. It just makes you think.

 

For example:

 

How many men were enlisted in the Air Force at the start of WW1?

 

This sort of question will make your mind wander back to WW1, attempting to explore the answer.

 

You may have known the answer while in high school or college, but this question will take you back to that period, helping to wake up certain parts of your brain as you explore.

 

50 men were enlisted in the Air Force at the start of WW1.

 

1831, a man was barred from the West Point for appearing naked at the match. What is his name?

 

To answer the question, you must again let your mind wander back and explore. The answer, however is Edgar Alan Poe, the famous novelist. He appeared at the match at West Point naked in 1831 and was subsequently court martialled and kicked out.

 

Here's another good one.

 

A mother had five children, named Rascal, Peck, Lime and Carry. What's the fifth child's name?

 

I'm still trying to find out the answer to this one though. You're welcome to join me. This is one of those mind bogglers that can make you feel utterly stupid, or make you feel like the answer is not something you can ever get to figure out. But that's not even the point. The point of these mind bogglers is in the effort you put in trying to find the answers. Looking at all the angles trying to find solutions is a healthy exercise for your brain and you should do it often to keep your brain active.

 

Go on the internet and find some more mind boggling puzzles, riddles and quizzes. Whether they are fun or tacky or too difficult, gather them and cultivate the habit of trying to solve them in your free time.

 

Benefits of Trivia Games

Did you know that one of the greatest benefits of trivia games is increased brain health? It’s true! In fact, research suggests that older adults who frequently participate in intellectually and socially engaging activities exhibit higher cognitive function than those who do not.

 

By answering questions and learning, you’re improving your cognitive skills. Retaining information about topics you’re interested in is like an exercise for your mind, allowing you to expand your intelligence and improve mental capabilities. This leads to greater creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills. Plus, you’re now able to show off those new facts you’ve learned to impress friends and family.

 

When you play trivia games, you’re also enhancing your socialization opportunities. What better way to get to know your friends and neighbors than through friendly competition? Playing games allows the chance to foster conversation and connection.

 

Thanks to trivia, you’re able to build a community through the sharing of common knowledge, a unique way to build relationships. You’re able to connect to others on a more personal level by sharing the task of finding the right answer to a question.

 

Creating Trivia Questions

 

Writing trivia questions can be a lot of fun. It can also be challenging to get the right mix of questions to make a quiz that’s not too hard or too easy, and that the user will want to share with their friends and family. But with a little strategy upfront you can knock it out of the park.

 

Here are the 5 tips to consider when writing a trivia quiz:

 

1. The Title: The title of the quiz should be fun and timely. If the title of the quiz makes people smile, you have a winner you can run any time of the year (“Famous Movie

Quotes”).

 

2.    If it’s timely, you have a winner for a particular season (“Test Your Holiday Knowledge”). But, if you combine them at the right time, you’ll hit a home run (“Holiday Movie Quotes”).

 

3.    Strategy: Have a strategy for what topics your questions will cover given the title. I like 10 question trivia surveys because you can easily compute your percentage. You got 8 out of 10. What is your percentage right? It’s easy to compute. 80%. Before I write a single question, I come up with a strategy. For the Holiday Movie Quotes Trivia quiz, I first researched the top holiday movies ever made. I decided I wanted to have one quote from each of the top 10 popular movies. Then I searched, for example, for “Elf movie quotes.” I picked quotes there weren’t too long, weren’t too obvious, and were funny.

 

4.    Arrangement: Order the questions to make the user feel like they’re on a thrill ride. Make the first question funny and easy. It gives people the confidence to continue on with the quiz. Put the harder questions in the middle and right toward the end. Think of it like a roller coaster – don’t just go up and then down; go up and down and all around at different heights.

 

5.    Correct Answer Placement: Randomly position your correct answers. Once I have come up with the questions, the first thing I do is decide on the positioning of the correct answers. I always go with 4 answers, just like the ACT and SAT. To start, I enter placeholders – like the letters A, B, C, and D – for all the answers. Then I come back and put in the correct answer in a varied way.

 

6.     I take the quiz in this format to see if I have done a good job mixing up the positioning of the correct answers. Once I’m satisfied, I start filling in the wrong answers

 

7.    Wrong Answer Placement: The real art of writing trivia is the wrong answers. Have a goal in mind before you set out. My goal is for the average person to get 7 out of 10 correct. Have at least one tough question. Make it tough by having all the answers be nearly identical. For example, in a qyiz about old movies, the player should instantly be able to tell that those quotes are from old movies, but which one?

Using Your Creative Skills In Brain Games

 

Brain Games allow you to explore the mind, have fun and develop certain skills you never thought you had in you. The benefits of having an active mind can never be overstated. An active mind makes working, playing and communication more enjoyable and less stressful. They challenge your mind to reach the best of its capabilities. Creating your own Brain Games at home will not only benefit you, but also if you have children, you can have them join in. The more, the merrier.

 

How Creative Question/Answer Brain Games Work

 

Question: In the 50s, a player missed the pitch during tryout in the Washington Senate game. Which player missed the tryout?

 

The key is to try and use your mind to figure out who this player was that missed the pitch, rather than looking below for the answer.

Answer: Fidel Castro missed the Washington Senate tryout.

 

Question: What is the undeviating expansion amidst two individuals?

Answer: Laughter.