Fascinating facts

Hey all, 

It's Friday Week 9 and I truly have nothing earthshattering to throw at you today!  So my offering is a list of 'fascinating facts' to catch your attention and have you say 'Really?'  (I haven't even gone through and checked the validity of them - how's that for lazy?)  I'll let you and your classes do that! 

Fascinating Facts

 There is a butterfly found in Brazil that has the smell and colour of chocolate.

 Rats can survive without water longer than camels.

 The elephant is the only animal that has been taught to stand on its head.

During its entire lifetime a house fly never travels more than a few hundred feet from the place where it was born.

 It is impossible to sneeze and keep your eyes open at the same time.

 The starfish has an eye on the end of each arm.

 A zebra's stripes are as individual as human fingerprints. No two zebras are striped alike.

 A fish's heart has two chambers.

 Any whole number decreased by the sum of its digits will leave a remainder that can be divided by 9.

 You can tell a fish's age by counting the rings on its scales in the same way that you can estimate the age of a tree by counting the rings in the trunk.

 It takes about 48 hours for your body to completely digest the food from one meal.

 The rarest disease in the world, called Kuru, or laughing sickness, affects only the cannibals of New Guinea and is believed to be caused by eating human brains.

 The smallest known fish is the Pandaka Pygmea, about the size of an ant and almost transparent.

 Your brain will stop growing in size when you are about 15 years old.

 A full moon is nine times brighter than a half moon.

 Nearly half the people on the earth live in only one thirtieth of the total land area.

 One square mile of land contains more insects than the total number of human beings on earth.

Have an great weekend - and carry on being awesome!  Not long to go to school break!

Genre Display and Weblink ideas

I have updated the mini Genre Display with Adventure as the theme for this week.  There are a couple of 'Choose Your Own' titles included in this collection as well.

When you get a free moment - or two- check out the Weblink below.  It gives a list of the 'Top 10 Blogs for Educators to follow' - and promotes them as  "rock-solid and trusted education blogs that continue to be sources of inspiration for us all as educators from all walks of life."

https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/10-best-edtech-blogs

Hopefully there will something there to catch your interest.

Have a fantastic week - and carry on being AWESOME! 

Genre Display Update

I've updated the Genre Display - and it's Horror this week.  

Included in the display is a 'Choose Your Own' story.  These books give you the opportunity to choose how the story runs because as you get to the end of each chapter, you make a choice as to where you'll go.  Therefore, you can have multiple stories in the same book - and different endings to each. 

These have proven popular with the students - and they are not big books, so even the unconfident readers are usually prepared to give it a go.

Mindshift Weblinks

Below are a few weblinks from the MindShift website that caught my attention.  Take a few minutes and check them out for yourselves.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53940/how-hydroponic-school-gardens-can-cultivate-food-justice-year-round

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53892/how-daily-farm-work-and-outdoor-projects-make-learning-in-high-school-better-for-teens

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53701/what-students-gain-from-learning-ethics-in-school

Displays and so on.

Currently I have a small mini display happening in the Library that I am planning to update each week (or so) covering various Genres in the Fiction area.

The one out at the moment is a collection of SPORT titles, and my plan is to try and work my way through most of the Genres in the hopes of catching students interest - as well as giving an understanding of what the pictures on the spines of the books actually mean, and how it can make it easier to choose a book. 

Mr Eckart also has a variety of display boards and posters that his class have done on Indigenous Language and Culture that he updates regularly, and Nurse Beck also regularly updates her board depending on what is happening in her area.  Huge thanks to both of you for keeping it current - and for saving me lots of time.  

We also have a small display of books concerning India tucked in a corner near the magazines which has proven popular for students wanting to flick through stuff - especially the Graphic Novels about Indian myths and legends.  

Holiday Time

Three weeks break coming up!!  Yippee!!

Have a wonderful, relaxing time - take it easy, rejuvenate and make the most of it, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.  

Also, make some time to READ - it's great for the blood pressure according to research.  

Carry on being your awesome selves!

Fundraising for Maths & Science Camps

https://www.schoolsplus.org.au/stem-adventures/

Please visit the website above to give a tax deductable donation and support local students who are keen to stretch their mental skills and understanding in challenging ways.

Since 2016, Tennant Creek High School has been providing opportunities every year for teams to engage and compete in the Science and Engineering Challenge as well as the Maths Enrichment Camp.

These two events offer students alternative non-sporting opportunities to extend themselves and explore the areas of Maths and Science in fun and competitive environments. 

The students carry out fundraising each year to help support travel costs and competition fees.  Those who have attended these events have shown an increased interest in Maths and Science as well as improvement in their attitudes to learning.  

The camp theme is FUN, THINKING & FRIENDSHIP. 

STEAM - powering today's classroom

Below are a few links to articles about schools and STEAM in classrooms and the benefits or otherwise to our students.  I found the one about Math and STEM being a social justice issue fascinating, especially given my inherent dislike of maths and numbers.
  
Take a look when you have a moment and see what you think.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct17/vol75/num02/The_STEAM-Powered_Classroom.aspx

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/01/how-steam-education-benefits-students-at-a-young-age/

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/06/why-math-and-stem-education-is-a-social-justice-issue/

Tennant Creek Show

https://www.tennantcreekshow.com.au/

Link to the Tennant Creek Show website above.  

The Tennant Creek Show will be on 12th July.  There are a few more updates to come including the Show program and more sponsors added, but it should give you an idea.  There may be lots of things your students could enter in.

Being the 40^th Show – it will be party time as well!!  Cake, Balloons and raffles for gifts. 

There are also some competitions running for people to have fun with ...

* Build A Scarecrow sponsored by the TC Girl Guides
* Cows for Schools sponsored by the NT Cattlemans Association
* Photography Competition - Photo from any previous Show over the last 40 years sponsored by the Barkly Multicultural Association
* Decorate a Party cake to celebrate 40 years sponsored by Barkly Plumbing Services

Check out the Show Program booklet for more information.  You can do this on the website but there are also printed copies available in various businesses.

Remember - it is just a Great Day Out!  See you there.

Maths and Sports

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53767/getting-physical-how-the-flagway-game-sparks-learning-and-love-of-math

Check out the above link  - it's another small gem from the MindShift website about a program called FlagWay which is changing students attitudes to Maths.  It's sort of like a combination of Maths problems and Parkour.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour

I am no fan of Maths, as I'm sure some of you know - but I can see this being fun for the kids.

Mindshift Links

It's been a little while since I've posted on here - and that has been for a variety of reasons.... staff feeling I'm wasting my time/heart surgery slowing things down/changes in how things operate each day.  

But then, every so often I come across small, little gems (in my mind anyway) that I want to share with everyone and here I am!

Today it is a couple of articles I found on the MindShift website.  If you get a few moments, take a look and see what you think.  This site has a link on the side if you want to see what else is there.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49092/digital-text-is-changing-how-kids-read-just-not-in-the-way-that-you-think

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53681/how-movement-and-exercise-help-kids-learn

Have an awesome day!

How to restore Civil Society

Take a quick look at the link below - it is certainly food for thought.  Libraries are about SO much more than just a collection of books and magazines.  Today they are truly more about people and communities.  
Of course, they always have been, but in today's 'disconnected' world, they have the capacity to bring people and communities together - and in many ways, they offer a quiet haven in place of the hustle and bustle of today's uncaring world.  
And while 'disconnected' may seem like the wrong term - I do truly mean it.  Everyone is so 'connected' that they have no idea how to connect - with family, friends, people and community. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/opinion/sunday/civil-society-library.html

Week 10 - and 2 weeks break coming up.  Enjoy!

Carry on being awesome!  

In defence of Libraries

Take a moment and check out the link below.  

It's not just that I am biased (I am, of course) - but because it's true ...

https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2018/sep/06/neil-gaiman-and-chris-riddell-on-why-we-need-libraries-an-essay-in-pictures

Have an awesome weekend!