Teaching at the Co-op

I will be teaching biology, beginning composition, and marketing at Cornerstone Tutorial Center this school year, so I thought it would be fun to blog about my adventures.

For biology, I am using Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd Edition, by Wile and Durnell. As we only teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays, this will be perfect for you who follow a similar schedule. (Remember, I said it was more fun to teach history two days and science two days!). My plan is to cover one module every two weeks, beginning September 4th.

For beginning composition, I am pulling together a variety of resources to cover word choice, paragraph writing, essay writing, poetry, and creative writing. We will also do some vocabulary and grammar drills throughout the year.

I also created my marketing class

Biology 101 Review by Cindy Downes

Your visual and auditory learners are going to LOVE this. As a matter of fact, Biology 101: Biology According to the Days of Creation, developed by Wes Olson, is going to be enjoyed by the whole family!

The topics covered in this 4 disc set include Defining Life and Life Classification, Plants, Aquatic Creatures, Avian Creatures, Land Animals, Mankind and Genetics. It also includes a printable 114-page guidebook and a 12-page "Course Accreditation Program."

First, what I liked:

I loved the beautiful videos; the animated graphs, charts and illustrations; the background music was pleasant and added to the learning experience. The host (also Wes Olson) was an excellent speaker and kept my attention with clearly defined definitions, anecdotes, and interesting facts. During the plant

Ready, Set, GO!!

Its the third week of August, and I can feel the winds changing! Yes indeed, my friends. The school year is approaching once again!

There are two additions to my treasure trove of curriculum that has me particularly giddy this year. The first is a math book named for a precocious little professor that goes by “Fred”. The Life of Fred is a series of math books covering everything from fractions through calculus and trigonometry (as well as biology and economics). However, what makes Fred so different from other Math curriculum is that it is specifically written with the “math-phobic” in mind. Fred’s creator (Stanley Schmidt, Ph.D) has had plenty of experiences with less than enthusiastic math students. After teaching on both a high school and college level for over 15 years, Dr.

Edible Rocks Recipe: Sedimentary Rocks

Edible Rocks Recipe: Sedimentary Rocks

This is a fun hands-on project and snack for a unit on rocks! I'll add an actual photo next time I make it.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups crushed flake cereal
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup chocolate or butterscotch chips
• 1-1/4 cups coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

Directions:

1. Melt the margarine.
2. Mix with the cereal and the sugar to make cereal layer.
3. Press into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.
4. Sprinkle the chips over cereal layer.
5. Sprinkle the coconut over chips.
6. Sprinkle the nuts over coconut.
7. Pour condensed milk over the layers.
8. Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. 

Edible Rocks Recipe: Metamorphic Rocks

Edible Rocks Recipe: Metamorphic Rocks

This is a fun hands-on project and snack for a unit on rocks! I'll add an actual photo next time I make it. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening or margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup well-drained crushed pineapple
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cream the shortening and the sugar.

Add the beaten egg and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and mix.

Stir in the fruit and the nuts.

Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet.

Bake for 7 minutes at 375 degrees.

Note: Chocolate chips, coconut, wheat germ, etc. can also be added for more layers!

Edible Rocks Recipe: Igneous Rocks

Edible Rocks Recipe: Igneous Rocks

This is a fun hands-on project and snack for a unit on rocks! I'll add an actual photo next time I make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 can evaporated milk (6 oz.)
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1-1/4 cups tiny marshmallows
• 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan.

Combine evaporated milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5 - 9 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently.

Pour into prepared pan. Let cool. (Refrigerate) 

1 pan (8 x 8) makes 30, 1-inch squares. 

Ants on a Log

Here's a yummy science project for an insect unit:

Ants on a Log

Ingredients:

• Celery
• Cream Cheese or Peanut Butter
• Raisins

Directions:

Cut celery into "logs." Spread cream cheese or peanut butter down each log. Place raisins along the "log" to create ants on a log!

Lots of fun and yummy!

Plants are for Spring

It's almost spring time, and spring is a great time to do a unit study on plants. Here are some fun resources for a quick plant unit. 

Scienceworks For Kids: Plants. This workbook has fun reproducible worksheets that your read/write students will like.

Hands-On, Minds-On Science: Plants. This has lots of hands-on activities that your kinesthetic kids will love!

Dissect a virtual cell: Virtual Cell Dissection

Or, get a real plant and dissect it for real! Wiki Lesson on Plant Dissection includes instructions, diagrams and worksheets.

Press flowers. YouTube video on making a flower press.

Take the Great Plant Escape - on online adventure into the world of plants.

Grow a garden: My First Garden. Here you'll find instructions for a garden as well as some teacher resources for