Autism Awareness

Recently our town had a festival and at the police department booth, there were some items about Autism.

There was a small wallet-size card to give suggestions for interactions with a person who has autism. There is also a sticker that can be put in a car window to alert others about possible reactions. I’m attaching a picture of these because I think all police departments should offer these items!

  

 

The STS-8 Flight Cover

Here is an STS-8 Flight Cover that features the Space Shuttle Challenger. The stamp is listed as Scott #1909 Eagle and Moon. The cover is a limited production cover with serial numbers. There are 3 postmarks: NASA 25th anniversary Aug. 14, 1983, Launch Aug. 30, 1983, and Return to Earth Sept. 5, 1983. This is a cover flown on the space shuttle.

The cachet represents a reproduction of NASA’s official patch design and on the back is the 25th-anniversary logo with the serial number. The stamp was issued on August 12, 1983, at the Kennedy Space Center. August 14th is the day the shuttle was scheduled to be launched with its cargo of covers. The circular postmark cancellation on the back is the place and date the shuttle returned.

The STS-8 was the eighth mission of a space shuttle and the third flight for the Space Shuttle Challenger. There were many “firsts” on this mission: First African American astronaut (Guion Bluford), First night launch, and First night landing. It was also the first space shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center. It was a successful mission other than the discovery that a solid-fuel rocket booster almost malfunctioned during the launch.

The mission lasted 6 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 43 seconds. They deployed a multipurpose satellite for India. The nose of the orbiter was turned away from the sun for 14 hours in order to test the effects of extreme cold on the flight deck area. The crew filmed the performance of an experimental heat pipe in the cargo bag and the orbiter dropped to 139 miles altitude to perform tests. They also tested the remote manipulator system to evaluate joint reactions to higher loads. Another experiment included observing six rats to note their reactions in space. There were five Get Away Special experiment packages which included eight cans of postal covers.

(The Challenger’s service ended on January 28, 1986, when it exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. Seven astronauts were killed.)

Activities:

• Students research other space missions and share their information with the class.
• Students find other interesting experiments done in space and their results. Make a class chart featuring these experiments.
• Students can make a model of the space shuttle.
• Students research an astronaut and share this in a presentation with the class.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Safety in 3D

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In An Illusion for Good, Rushton features two elementary school students who figure out a way to make roads safer for pedestrians.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“What if you were in charge of finding a way to get cars to drive more safely around your school?

Would you put up more signs?

Create an information campaign for parents?

What around you is so common that you don’t notice it? Is it trash on the campus grounds, or instructions given to you by a teacher, or perhaps something else?

If you can identify something (like the crosswalk) that isn’t doing its job, perhaps because it is too obvious, can you come up with a new way of making it achieve its purpose?"

What a great activity this would be for students! First, they would need to identify a community problem. Then they would need to brainstorm ideas on how to solve the problem. There might be several ideas that students like and can get into groups in order to work on that solution. This would enable them to use skills they learn in the classroom in a real-life situation.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

2021 Goals Review for September

It has been a very productive month! I’ve walked a lot, eaten healthier foods, and exercised more.

1. Lose 5 lbs. – I've lost 2 lbs. this month.

2. Knit 12 squares on my national park blanket. (There are 60 squares in the pattern and this is year 4 of the project.) – 52 squares complete. I’ve knit a total of 13 squares this year. This goal is complete.

3. Knit a sweater. – I finished the Nesting Cardigan,  The Rocket Tee, Bright Axis, and Recalibrate. – This goal is completed

4. Design 3 new patterns – I completed three designs: The Chinese New Year Cowl and the Double Happiness Sock, and Graveyard Field Socks.

5. Read 12 nonfiction books. – goal completed.

1. Counting by Deborah Stone

2. My Paddle to the Sea by John Lane

3. Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl

4. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak

5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

6. The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan

7. The Body by Bill Bryson

8. Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder

9. The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron

10. Sprinting Through No Man's Land: Endurance, Tragedy, and Rebirth in the 1919 Tour de France by Adin Dobkin

11. There’s a Hole in my Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers by Royd Tolkien

12. Know My Name by Chanel Miller

How is your progress towards your goals? Please share.

Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

 

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 10/01/21

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Ziplet - “Ziplet makes gathering and understanding student feedback easy. Hear from every student in class, and create a learning environment that encourages reflection and wellbeing.”(L:G;SA:A)

Splashlearn - “Watch your kids fall in love with math & reading through our scientifically designed curriculum.” (L:E;SA:M,LA)

Chronicle Cloud - “Chronicle Cloud is a versatile note-taking app designed to help teachers maximize student success. Chronicle Cloud immerses itself in research-based best practices to offer unique, practical advantages. Designed to make student data highly actionable, Chronicle Cloud comes packed with many helpful features that enable educators to take comprehensive notes on students and improve their learning effectiveness.” (L:T;SA:A)

Dear Anger - “Screaming and yelling, fighting and arguing, tantrums and hissy fits. Anger finds its way into every home, classroom, and workplace, and we're ready to talk about it. This podcast, for humans of all ages, is not about getting rid of anger, but about changing our relationship with it. We share research based solutions for changing the way kids, and parents, respond to powerful, challenging emotions, and we hope you laugh with us along the way. Join hosts Ed Crasnick, a comedian and Emmy Award winning writer, and Renee Jain, positive psychology guru and the founder of GoZen!” (L:G;SA:A)

The Breakfasteur - A doctor mom using playdough to explain different surgeries (L:T;SA:S)

Original photo by Pat Hensley