Handouts are available below.   Big Idea How can we help students practice writing arguments (like CER) while also evaluating the reliability of sources? Answer: use argument mapping and the CRAAP test.   Episode Notes Here are a couple of big ideas from the episode: The CRAAP Test (stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea How can the “cell is like” project be infused with more creativity? I share my updated version of the classic cell analogy project: an animation of the cell that students need to add a symphony of sounds to. It’s all meant to stretch the critical AND creative thinking skills…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea One topic that comes up again and again at my workshops is this: what does extending (aka exceeding or excelling) on a proficiency scale mean?According to one proficiency scale, extending is where students demonstrate a sophisticated understanding. Unfortunately, many colleagues misinterpret sophisticated understanding as going “above and beyond” the…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea Standards-Based Grading (SBG) is a better way of assessing learning because it focuses on mastery of skills and not just regurgitation of textbook knowledge. But, do the students feel the same way? Is SBG – as communicated to parents in BC – accomplishing its goals? I thought I’d ask…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea What happens when we ask both MagicSchool AI and ChatGPT to create a 5E science lesson while incorporating Black History Month into a science lesson? Which AI program does it better? I decided to find out.   Episode Notes A few observations while I was using ChatGPT or MagicSchool:…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea I love a good multiple choice question: one that asks something out of the ordinary. One that isn’t based on straight memorization. And, one that includes thoughtful distractors (ie. doesn’t say “all of the above”). I don’t use multiple choice questions on my tests anymore because I haven’t found…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea One question that comes up about Standards Based Grading time and again is this: how do we get a percentage out of it? For my students, I use a scale to convert proficiency scales to a percentage. This conversion comes up with roughly the same percentage a student would…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea Compared to traditional grading, Standards Based Grading (SBG) is a better way of assessing student learning. But, doing SBG takes more time – especially at the beginning. Recently, a colleague showed me how they set up their marking rubric, and one small change has helped me determine a student’s…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea Have you tried using ChatGPT to make a STEM project even more challenging – and since it’s more challenging, there will be more learning involved. Recently, I gave my students the aluminum foil boat challenge. It’s where they take some foil and create a boat that floats and holds…

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Handouts are available below. Big Idea AI programs like ChatGPT, Magic School, and POE have the potential to differentiate activities for students who are progressing at different levels. In this post, I’m going to share how AI produced a tiered set of review sheets for my students. I asked POE – a web-based AI application…

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