Jill Johnson STEM

✨I am still feeling over the moon..🤩✨

I had the immense privilege of presenting at the Space Port Area Conference for Educators (SPACE) this week on Empowering Students in STEM: Building Space Vocabulary K-5 using LEGO Education and hands-on inquiry based instruction 🚀✨

Attending educators not only participated in top-notch PD, but we were also immersed in the operations of Kennedy Space Center - including keynote sessions with astronauts and other space icons, as well as behind the scene tours of Space Port Operations! ✨ I couldn’t stop smiling! My boys even came up, and we watched a morning launch together less than 7 miles away 🚀

Many thanks to The Astronauts Memorial Foundation for the privilege of being inspired by other STEM professionals and educational sessions, networking with other passionate educators, immersing ourselves in the world of space innovation, and concluding with the incredible Galactic Gala! 👏✨

To all of the STEM advocates and educators out there…look out for next year’s registration! 🌟👩‍🚀🛰️

📣 Have you heard the news?!? JUNE 11 is now *officially* the International Day of Play! 🛝 And that’s TODAY 🙌 ✨

The adoption of a UN resolution for a day centered around PLAY helps to elevate the critical importance of play.

‼️ TEACHERS..this is especially important for us. 89% of students say play makes them more excited to go to school.

The power of playful learning goes far beyond student engagement.

🎈 Play is a fundamental right —> it builds resilience, instils confidence and helps children develop.

🪁 But children need TIME to play. That’s where we need policies, training and funding to get play integrated into education and community settings.

🚂 Taking part can be as simple as making extra time to play on the 11th of June or adding your voice to the play movement.

Together we can make play a priority every day 🙌

✨Learn more about the International Day of Play and the importance of learning through play at school at..

INTERNATIONALDAYOFPLAY.org

National STEM Day is almost here 🙌👩‍💻🛠️🚀📚📐🌿🧮🧪🔭✨

How will YOU be celebrating?

👩‍🔬👩‍💻👷‍♀️👩‍🎨👩‍🏫

5th grade girls were invited to the STEM Lab over for a very special 💪 opportunity..

We participated in a live meeting with female engineer; the amazing Cathy Koerner 🚀👩‍💻✨

Thank you for creating and sharing this great opportunity for others ☺️

BOOKMARK 🔖 ALERT 🚨
You’ll want to save this one!! I have over 50 picture books for building class community & linked beautifully together with 📚✨

Titles include..

















And so many more

✨✨Link in bio 🔖

When your mom is really into 😅👩‍🏫♻️🏗

Before we break them down to toss in the recycle ♻️ bin, we get some good use out them first. We like to play..

•Tallest Tower
•Baby Bulldozer
•Dominoes
•Maze Maker
•Drums
•Cardboard Mountain
•Bridge Builder
•CardboardBot
•and any other random ideas

Fisher Price has nothing on our old cereal and cardboard boxes 📦😅

Teaching math in 2022 be like..

Social emotional learning + math skills practice + mini table top 🏀 = whole child approach

I meet with intermediate grades 35min 2x a week for intervention. I wanted to make that pull out as meaningful as possible so it was worth the time away from their teacher and class. I wanted to collectively work on addressing other needs and areas that unfortunately go unchecked, interfering with learning and improving.

For instance, this week we focused on ACCURACY and how we FEEL can change the accuracy we get out things. Groups shared how they act differently based on how CONFIDENT they are; like if something is too easy they make more mistakes because they are comfortable. Or if something is too hard we may talk ourselves out of it and not really give our best. Before I knew it we were deep into sharing effective test-taking strategies, discussing other life skills, and I STILL had these kid’s undivided attention!!

I passed out a set of math fluency practice from the Teacher Toolkit by (adding and subtracting decimals). Once finished they ran up for me to check. **For every question they answered correct they would be able to shoot one mini basketball** I put the basketball hoop under my document camera so that it was displayed on our SmartBoard a.k.a. Jumbotron.

Whoever had the most baskets at the end was the winner.

RESULTS:
Some students went as fast as they could to shoot the ball first. They quickly realized they also had the lowest accuracy for number of problems correct since they rushed. Then, the students who took the longest had the best accuracy, but they did not answer as many questions so they could not get that many balls to shoot.
The students with average time spent had the highest accuracy and most opportunities to shoot.

💡Learning is through DOING and CONNECTING through learning💡

I STILL get wide eyed amazed when I see how one simple piece of paper or scrap of cardboard can be completely transformed in endless ways..it’s almost magic✨

💡Imagine where your students could take these ideas if presented with some visual inspiration?

👩‍🏫 You don’t need a maker space or STEM lab or a ton of materials to give your students a chance to imagine and create ✂️

Everything in my store f r e e this first week back 💛 .no email lists to sign up for or follow games to play..I’m just sharing what I can to hopefully help in some way ✨

I return to my school tomorrow and the amount of emotions swirling inside is _nauseating..but we do what we need to do, right? 💪

winterbreak #2022

Have you heard about the NASA test made to help find engineers and scientists in the 60s? Children under 5 had the highest scores, compared to teens and adults. Why? Because of their innovative or divergent imagination. It’s said that as we grow up, the imagination becomes convergent which eventually leads to drop in intelligence.

This drop in intelligence has a lot to do with the rote learning method. It becomes difficult for kids to relate what they are learning unless they see the application of the concept.

Learning is different before we’re introduced to the traditional method of education. Kids observe, experiment and do things to adapt the surroundings, which keep their learning efficiency high.

This learning process gets hampered when they are introduced to traditional rote learning method. Premise is that we should not tinker with the natural learning process of the kids.

We should motivate them..

to *think*
to **imagine**
to
to ••have their own experiences••

and

to ^arrive at their own conclusions^

📢Cue S.T.E.M.
Critical thinking, logical analysis, inquiry and project-based learning are the keystones in STEM education. It boosts the curiosity in students, making learning fun, relevant and everlasting.

✨Imagination Workouts are another way to encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, and storytelling ✨link in bio

✨Spelling Practice Print & Go Pack is out now 🤗

✨Fun Fact: I originally created these pages so my own 1st and 5th graders had something to help with their weekly spelling words at home. These activities were the “most requested” ones that help! I hope they can help others too! ✨

* * f r e e download for the first 24 hours* * grab it through my link in my bio ✨

🕷October is the best time for all things S T E M 👻🎃🕸

🕸This Creepy Creature STEM Design Challenge has super simple directions, easy materials, and best of all…it can be paired with (or without) the book HOODWINKED by Arthur Howard..starring the adorable Mitzi the Witch 🧙🏻‍♀️

🕷Resource also includes **differentiated** response sheets for primary and intermediate grades!

🍎

📣Do your call and responses to your students usually involve lots of👏👏 or shouting?💥

As fun as it is to say macaroni and cheese 20 times at day or pretending to ride a roller coaster may be, sometimes we need a bit more of a gentler approach..

🎋 TRY these ideas out with your students if you’re looking to build in more mindful deep breath‘s and engaging postures to promote a comfortable learning environment

💟

❤️‍🩹

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✨NEW✨Meet the Teacher templates have been updated to include…

MEET THE STUDENTS/CLASS/SCHOLARS
👏👏👏

We have all gotten used to making and sharing our own handouts with families during now we can do the same for our new class ☺️ students can take them home to fill out, complete during class, or using the digital version! Class books, bulletins, or banners would make great activities for building up class community 💕

*Use for face to face OR distance learning
*Made for easy PRINT&GO or SAVE&SHARE for less back to school stress 👍
*Different color options also included

🌟link to download in bio

ThirdGradeNerdHerd Browse over 50 educational resources created by ThirdGradeNerdHerd in the official Teachers Pay Teachers store.

New Google for Ed updates coming your way 🙌

👩‍💻I must say, the 20 new fonts for has me especially excited 💾

Earned my Certified Educator badge today in my pjs 👏👏

Newsela has always been my go to for non fiction texts 📚 After learning more today I am super impressed with the updates they rolled out! The adaptive and automatic differentiation with the student reading level is quite amazing!

Let me know if you’re interested in getting your certification too!

Use this FREE End of the School Year Reflection survey with your students!

Download is an editable Google Form so you can change questions, answers, pictures and settings 📲

✨link in bio✨

@ Florida

✨punch it

It’s happening tomorrow; amidst and perhaps some lovely

✨✨Click on the link in my profile bio to grab some Jedi training **print and go** or digital resources 💻 for both face to face and distance learning💫

Need some ✨Star Wars✨ ideas for next week?

🌟check out the new Star Wars inspired PRINT & GO download in my store!

✨Includes and pages, creative writing response coloring, and more 💫

A school where students co-create the curriculum? Where two whole days a week are devoted to inquiry projects?
Sounds good to me!

Revolution School: When “Reimagining School” Actually Happens Instead of trying to create their dream school within the system, this group of brave, forward-thinking educators just built it from scratch.

🌏 Earth Day is this week 🌿
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🍃 Celebrate with this print and go scavenger hunt for in class or at home learning

•Available as an editable Google Doc download too—𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐨🔝⁣🌏
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📝 Emergency reminder for all teachers and professions on a winter break right now 🚨🚨🚨

Okay, so maybe I did my grades/report cards yesterday morning, but it’s over and I refuse to open my laptop again for the next 14 days!!! 🙌

Love using this story during our unit on illustrations contributing to what’s conveyed by the words in a story this time of year! Surprise ending gets them every time 😉

Available on Epic makes it even better for my virtual kids 🙌

3 week countdown before winter break 🎁 Time for wrapping paper Holiday Math for learning Area & Perimeter 🎁

📍Link in bio 🔝

✨Be on the lookout for the digital version this week ✨😉

Earned myself the EdPuzzle Coach badge this morning while I had my coffee before school starts ☕️

If you’re not already using EdPuzzle, you need to start!
If you have no clue what EdPuzzle is, check it out and look into one of the 20 different PDs andself paced badges you can earn yourself. Super easy and helpful for your distance learning game!

Nearpod is hands down my FAVORITE digital tool!!! Embedding them inside Canvas as assignment or doing them live on our class virtual meetings are super effective!

Here’s a little glimpse into our virtual school day 💻

Thank goodness or Google Slides, early release Wednesday, and mini stretch breaks throughout the day 🙌

**Slideshow template is available through my link in bio**