Captain’s Log – Day 3 of Isolation
I miss my students! It is time to get together virtually!
Discord
I have created a Discord channel for our class. You might be saying… “Another app, Ms. B.??” I know! It’s another one, but I can video cast from this one and students can chat with one another via voice and text. I have a set of rules below. If you and your student sign these rules, they can join me in a live Mystery Science lesson on Friday. I’ll be recording from my home, and they can even ask questions. They will need a headset and a mic of some sort if they would like to speak during the lesson. The headset helps with feedback. If I am talking and they are listening on speakers, it will feed right back into the computer and we’ll get the echo effect. If they are going to type questions and listen, they do not need a mic. This app is free and is available for android and iPhone. Students can use a phone headset to participate. You can participate too, if you’d like. I am hoping to do at least two live lessons a week. I will probably end up doing more, but I’d rather start small and build.
Friday’s Lesson – Clouds
Things you will need:
- Clean-up Supplies (Eg. Paper Towels)
- Container for Warm Water, and Warm Water (you may want to wait to warm it until we get going. We may have some technical bugs to work out. I’ll pause for warming)
- A pair of scissors
- Clear Plastic Cups with a lid of some sort. Glass will do as well. They need to be able to see through the lid so they can see the condensation. I’ll probably use a pint glass and a plastic lid. Even fast food lids will work here.
- The Mystery Science Gas Trap Handout
- A headset if your student will talk
- A mic if your student will talk. They can always type questions.
- Sign the discord contract and return a picture of the signature to Ms. B. You can do this on a phone, on a piece of paper, or digitally. I just need agreement from both student and parent before I’ll send out the invite link.
Here’s an example of a cup:
6 Minute Podcasts
This has been a favorite in class and at home as well. My rule about the podcasts is that students can listen to one at a time in order as long as they write a summary or complete an activity about each. I’ll add some PDFs to a google drive file so you can access them. Students can always look at the PDF and then write it on another piece of paper.
Feedback
I will need your feedback on the science lesson for future lessons. What would you like me to teach when I do live lessons? Math, science, a reading skill, language? What things went well? What can we make better? I feel like I didn’t get all the time I could have with your students, and this will allow our classroom community to continue to grow.
Books, Music, Movies
Do you need more books at home? Check this out. The New York Times has opened up free ebook checkout. Their app is here: https://www.nypl.org/books-music-movies/ebookcentral/simplye
Ms. B. in Class 
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