Reviewing for 8th Grade Science STAAR

8th Grade Students went online to review for the upcoming STAAR Science test.  Using materials chosen for them to address high stakes TEKS students interacted with the science concepts and got to clear up misconceptions the weeks before the Science Test.  

Science Review with Kahoot!

The excitement in Mr. Sralla's room was evident as students reviewed for an upcoming unit test on Plate Tectonics.   Using Kahoot students try to be the first person to answer correctly to get the most points.  They quickly lowered their laptop screens so no one else could see their answers to try to get the most points possible.   All students were highly engaged in this activity and Mr. Sralla took the opportunity after each question to clear up misconceptions and examine why they might have chosen the wrong answers.   Walking around the room the students were talking to each other about why they chose the wrong answer or why they got it right. This video is a small snipet of the activity today.

Human Body Systems in Science

Students in Ms. Billing's room were learning about different body systems through an online presentation and Brainpop videos.   In addition to checking on the students notes they took from the resources that were shared, Ms. Billings checked for understanding  as she had students composes a paper tweet about what they had learned or what questions they still had about what had been studied.  In Ms. Filary's room students learned about the respiratory system by examining a website and answering questions on a handout.

Onboarding Party

Students were invited to bring their devices to the library the mornings of February 18, 19 or 20th to take advantage of the district provided wifi on campus.  Students were divided into groups based on the operating system of their devices and were walked through the instructions with several teachers and staff on hand to help out as needed.   Over 300 students took advantage of that opportunity and can now use the district wifi while on campus.   Any student or staff member can onboard their device at any time following these directions.

Math Loves Technology!

Sixth grade students started off the new year by diving into Think Through Math.  "Think Through Math is a Web-based solution that provides adaptive math instruction for students in grades 3 through Algebra 1. Developed by teachers and technologists to help students prepare for rigorous Common Core and TEKSstandards and assessments, " (http://www.thinkthroughmath.com/)


Seventh grade math spent much time in the fall semester using technology to review and practice math concepts with  various websites for math practice for students including Think Through Math, SumDog, and math-play.com. The students also used online quizzing software like Socrative for formative and sumative assessments.   Mr. Ritchie says "My students love using technology! I think it is the future of education. My students use an online educational software called Think Through Math. It is a self paced software that only lets you move on as fast as your knowledge will let you. There are also incentives for the students to be successful. That is an added bonus. "

Eighth Grade student have also spent time on Think Through Math to reinforce skills, especially in the Algebra and Geometry classes.  These students are taking the STAAR 8th Grad Math exam as well as the Algebra and Geometry End of Course Exams, so this program allows students to review math concepts that were covered in previous years.

8th Grade Science Gets Moving

Students in 8th grade are getting hands on time with motion detectors and vernier probes this week to create motion graphs by mapping the motion of other students moving at various speeds and paths.  This is part of their study of Force and Motion as they learn to differentiate between speed velocity and acceleration.

Fine Arts and Technology

Choir students led by Ms. Williams and Mr. Goad are participating in FUNdamental Fridays which incorporates technology into their classroom with activities such as PowerPoint games where kids answer questions and compete against each other. 

They also use technology to analyze student's sight reading skills with the use of a microphone and a program called SmartMusic.  

Band also uses SmartMusic to help students learn their music faster.  Mr. Mullen states: With our advanced band kids, we use it to help them learn their region band music.  The software allows them to hear the music, and also to play along.  The software follows the player and can provide feedback as to whether or not the rhythms were correct.  It can also adjust the tempo to help students who need to practice things a little slower or challenge the successful students with quicker speeds.

Our beginners use this software as well.  Seeing the music on the screen and watching as the cursor follows along really helps them feel the pulse.  It frees us up as teachers to walk around and monitor students on a more individual basis.

Theater Arts recently completed a webquest on Greek Theater and used the netbooks to research pieces of Greek Theater as students created masks and presentations from their findings.