Wonderful journal article on effectively using blogs in the classroom. The author lists five ways to use blogs, and each one has possibilities for every classroom.

projectwet.org/project-wet-news-events/water-education-blog/

So much going on this week. The weather has finally warmed up, and my daffodils, which have been up for over a month, finally got the opportunity to bloom!

I received my student teaching assignment, and I will be teaching eight grade Earth Science right here in Oshkosh. I cannot believe my luck - my favorite age group of students, and my favorite subject! I am looking forward to working with these students in the fall and trying out some of the wonderful ideas I have learned this past semester. I hope to introduce them to a science blog, and help foster the idea that learning extends well beyond the classroom into their lives outside of school. My idea is to have them spend a little time each week observing the natural world around them, and then recording their observations. Hopefully, they will discover that writing can be something that helps them express themselves, and that taking the time to look more carefully around them will open new doors to the delights of nature.

That being said, I have not yet been in contact with the teacher that I will be working with, but her school website says that she is very traditional. It's my hope that she is not so traditional that she will object to trying new things in the classroom. I have so many ideas of ways to encourage reading, and exploring in the classroom, that I hope I don't have to wait until I actually have my very own classroom to try them out.

Off to appreciate another beautiful day!

Julie