Classroom subject areas
Less than a century ago, children in the United States faced real threats from malaria, hookworm, polio, rickets, smallpox, and a host of other health issues that have been largely overcome. Studying these conditions can bring 21st century students a greater appreciation of the health practices we try to convince… Continue reading
“Why are we doing math in writing class?” a student complained this morning. “Because we’re working with information, and this information happens to have numbers in it,” I explained. That’s why it makes sense to do math in health class, too, or health in math class, as the case… Continue reading
Today is Thomas Edison 164th birthday, or would be if he were alive. It’s also National Inventors Day. This is a great day to invent something. Here’s a fun lesson with minimal preparation: Ask students to talk with their neighbors for three minutes about irritating things that come up… Continue reading
Customs related to love, courtship, weddings, and marriage vary significantly from one culture to another and throughout history. Consider this theme as a way to approach standards in social studies. Young children enjoy dramatic play involving weddings. Add a [amazon_textlink asin=’B007EA4CH6′ text=’bride costume’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’aaf41ebb-4ee6-11e8-b8da-17e608dcc280′] to your dramatic play… Continue reading
Valentine’s Day is a great classroom holiday; it might have started as a religious observance of St. Valentine’s Day, but by now it really has no religious connotations and no controversies surrounding it that are relevant to the classroom. It is one of the best holidays for school observation,… Continue reading
Adaptation is an essential and miraculous part of the wonder of life. It can be hard to grasp, too, especially if your state mandates the teaching of adaptations before the teaching of natural selection, evolution, DNA, or reproduction. One solution is to teach the concept repeatedly in different grades,… Continue reading
The term “DNA” is likely to be familiar to students from TV crime dramas and news reports. Use that familiarity to bring some real-world science into your classroom with a study of DNA and its use in forensic science. The DNA molecule pictured above has two long strands joined… Continue reading
If you teach biology, or life science, you need to teach evolution at some point — or to decide not to and how to work around it. I live and teach in Arkansas, and I have a lot of sympathy for teachers who decide not to open themselves up… Continue reading
