Middle School Portal

the network for middle school math and science teachers

Karolee Smiley
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  • Sacramento, CA
  • United States
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Are you seeking ways to better serve your students who are not native English speakers? Have you had success working with ESOL/ELL students? If so, this group is for you. Join to learn and share strategies for helping these students succeed.
on Thursday
So, does anyone encourage their students to move on to regional science fairs, like the Intel ISEF?
January 11
Thanks for the article. I'll need to add this to my file. Great example of using a wiki in science, Tommy. Years ago I used to do the Junior Solar Sprint. We were completely limited by kids needing to be in the same class at the same time to be abl…
December 14, 2009
I have been doing school science fairs for many years. It sounds like ours is similar to Sandra's, just on a larger scale. This year, we are looking at four full-time teachers coordinating our fair with over 600 students. Over the years, our depart…
December 14, 2009
Are you looking at running a district-wide science fair or a school site fair? I have been doing science fair at my sites for 16 years and can share how we handle that, but at the district level you need to coordinate and disseminate information in…
December 9, 2009
Interesting question, Ron. I would love to find what websites people are using as well. I am lucky that my school district subscribes to a web portal system that I can share information on. We used to use SchoolCenter, but now we use SchoolLoop. Ea…
December 1, 2009
Thanks, Todd, you take great notes! Rick Wormeli's closing keynote was fun, energizing and informative. But, I really liked the end. The focus on what happens after the conference. Although he jested about us leaving the conference rejuvenated and…
November 17, 2009
I was very excited to hear Daniel Pink speak. I read A Whole New Mind for a class in my master's program and hope that many others begin to see it as a call for change. Todd has great notes here that encompass the main ideas of his presentation. Fo…
November 5, 2009
This isn't a grant, but it is a great opportunity. I have been working with my local SMART representative on a program they have for districts/schools who do not have any SMART technologies. They have a program called the SMART SEED PROGRAM. I was a…
October 20, 2009
Karolee, this is a great question! When I first read it, I thought I had seen a grants section in one of the technology magazines I receive. However, I can't find it now. Perhaps I can find something. HP Technology for Education Grants - I first l…
September 30, 2009
Our fall book will be Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.
September 16, 2009
September 16, 2009 from 7pm to 8pm
Join Robin Schader, NAGC Parent Resource Advisor for this web seminar. Part of the National Assocation for Gifted Children's WoW (Webinars on Wendesdays) series. Registration opens September 3. Seats are limited. Find more information and register…
September 7, 2009
I went ahead and started the Getting Grants page and added it to the MSP2 Resources box on the Main Page. Now we need to start adding opportunities!
August 28, 2009
Mary - That is exactly what I was thinking - let's start a page so we can update the information when we hear about new items of interest. In addition maybe we can find a calendar widget that we could include deadlines on - I think using the events…
August 27, 2009
Great idea, Karolee! Hmm.....maybe we could start a wiki page that lists grant sources? In the meantime, one source for info is eSchool News. Every issue lists grants and deadlines. Not all are tech-specific, but many are.
August 26, 2009
Thanks for starting this, Tom. I am dependent on free software as well. I also need to find software that is fairly easy to use since I do not have a "tech" class. I need the tech to enhance my content lessons, not take too much of my content time t…
August 21, 2009

Profile Information

Which best describes your position?
Classroom Teacher (preK-12)
What discipline(s) do you teach?
Science, Other

Karolee Smiley's Blog

Karolee Smiley

NMSA 09

Hey all!

Several of us are here at the NMSA Conference in Indianapolis. There are many great sessions, presenters, and exhibitors here, far more than any one person can see. We will share all that we can in the Forum under NMSA 09 Conference.
Check out all our notes, summaries, and resources we found!

Posted on November 5, 2009 at 8:11pm —

Karolee Smiley

Session Archive: Tech Talk on Wikis

On August 19th, I moderated a Tech Talk on Wikis through Elluminate. The Tech Talk was recorded and is available for viewing online. The NSDL wiki has recorded versions of all the Tech Talks and links shared by the group. During the presentation, I provided an overview of wikis, the rationale for using wikis in education, some possible ideas of how they can be used in the educational setting, and an o… Continue

Posted on August 20, 2009 at 10:00pm —

Karolee Smiley

WICR - Collaboration

Collaboration is one of the main skills that employers are looking for that many people seem to lack. The last research I heard, the number one reason people were fired was their inability to work well with others. Collaboration skills are essential for almost all professions, but we rarely talk about teaching it. It is not always something that comes naturally and we assume that everyone know how to work together. Like reading and writing, people need to know how and practice the skill.
Another… Continue

Posted on July 18, 2009 at 11:47pm — 1 Comment

Karolee Smiley

WICR - Inquiry

Inquiry is essential to AVID, College Readiness and Science.

One of the things I find most frustrating from my kids is their inability to question. Their questions tend to be vague or low-level. One of AVID's essentials is using Costa's levels of questioning and helping students understand level 2 and 3 questions, so they can ask them as well as answer them.
I always tell my kids that they can identify the level of question depending on where the answer is found.
-Level one questions are answer… Continue

Posted on July 18, 2009 at 11:21pm —

Karolee Smiley

WICR - Writing

Looking at the Writing component of AVID, there are many strategies to help students be successful in written communication.
First, writing, like any skill, takes practice. But more than just practice, there needs to be feedback, so that one does not practice mistakes. AVID has a variety of activities to allow students to practice writing in their content area courses (besides English) and receive feedback. I'll start with my list of activities from the week and try to remember more as I think o… Continue

Posted on July 16, 2009 at 9:46pm —

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At 11:06am on October 29, 2009, Laurie E Sison said…
Thank you for the welcome.
I am a K-8 certified teacher with MAEd.
I was laid off from my job and am working on a math/science endorsement (possibly science only)...
I am in the beginning stages and so I am in that confused state!
Thank you again,
Laurie
At 6:25pm on October 17, 2009, Lucille Causi said…
Hello Ms Karolle, I want to thank you for your warm welcome. I adjusted my page, in addition to teaching English, I am also a Science and a Math Teacher. As a Special Education Specialist, I teach different subjects throughtout the day. I am trying to obtain a smartboard for my classroom, and i am willing to work hard to learn everything possible in the field of technology. Being a new teacher in the 21st century, it is important to be up to date with technology. I have a laptop computer that I use at home and at the school, and I am looking forward to using this portal for future references. I look forward to hearing from you in the future,
I hope you have a nice day,
Lucille
At 5:54am on October 15, 2009, marilex sion said…
Thank you for the warm welcome Ms.Karolee. I am very much pleased to be part of msp2.
If there there are things i need to know by now, it is simply about classroom management for I'll soon be a preservice teacher in almost half a year. Mathematics is my line of specialty, though i know I'm not that good at it compared to my classmates. But I am very much willing to learn.
I know I don't have my own PC that is why my access to the internet is very limited. Yet, with that, i would always try to find time to be here.
It would be my honor to be able to share something to everyone.
Good day

-marilex
At 10:49pm on October 14, 2009, Tim Guest said…
Thanks Karolee. I am teaching 7 & 8th graders pre-algebra. I came from a finance background so I focus on using math as a means to the end of solving a real problem. I am looking at going to some workshops to learn new ways to explain algebraic principals in ways that might be more engaging to students. Let me know of any you would recommend.
Thanks
At 9:14pm on October 13, 2009, Kathleen Lynch-Davis said…
Thanks Karolee,

I will do that. I am an Associate professor in a Curriculum and Instruction department where I teach elementry and middle grades math methods.
At 7:50am on October 8, 2009, Dr. Ludmila Smirnova said…
Yes, Karolee, I am a college professor with more than 30 years of experience in different socio-cultural settings. I taught in Russia, Holland, Great Britain, Germany and now I am in the U.S.A. I can share all my experiences and most of all share my passion of teaching with technology -- Moodle, SmartBoard, Web 2.0 tools.
At 10:36am on August 10, 2009, Vicki Morgan said…
I've been teaching about 25 years now. I am certified to teach both science and math at the middle school level. Unfortunately I love both but have to choose one. For the last two years I have taught Math at the 6th grade level. This year our school is changing to Connected Math so it will be an intense learning year for me since it is more discussion and investigation based. I also have to renew National Boards this year. I am working on getting more technology integrated into my teaching. I want to have a venue to give out information through...either a wiki or a blog...not sure which. I am looking forward to checking this site and using the resources here.
At 2:57pm on August 5, 2009, Patricia Schmiedeknecht said…
Hi, I teach 6th grade social studies and studying to be reading certified. This will be my 6th year teaching! I am interested in learning new information or discussing information on middle school education. I am also seeking out resources that I can use to create and enhance lessons that will interest my students. I am registered for "Digital Storytelling" and "Cognitvie Learning Innovations for Consumers Brain Fitness" webnars. I have never attended a webnar, and I am not sure on how to do it. I am wondering if I just sign on and click the address to the right of the screen to get on during the time it will be held? Have a great day to all. Thank You
At 3:49am on August 5, 2009, Karolee Smiley said…
Hey all
I have recently returned from a day visiting with King Tut's treasures.
For a history and art lesson, I sure found many science-based discussions with my family...
-The asteroid crash that formed the glass used in the scarab coronation pectoral
-The chemistry and techniques of creating faience
-The physics of the trumpet (which is different from modern instruments of the shape of the mouthpiece)
-The medical research, especially the CAT scans, used to determine cause of death
-The process of mummification - primarily dessication and the need (and means) to remove the organs
-The engineering behind transporting and preserving the artifacts to visit museums like this one

And so on....
Its amazing how interconnected all subjects are. Interdisciplinary teaching just makes so much sense to me. Makes you wonder why we try so hard to segregate everything into separate niches.
At 1:29pm on August 4, 2009, Susan Rynkiewicz said…
Thanks for the welcome. Actually, what I have been working on the last few days is creating a classroom website. Many schools (like mine) now require one, but it hard to know what are the best or at least the best for a cheap price. We have a program we can use at school but it is a dinosaur. It takes 30 minutes to add a sentence and can only be run at school. It has crashed everyones computer who has tried to load it at home.
Thanks,
Susan

Thanks
 
 

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