The Reflective Educator

Sally Camden - The wise teacher makes learning a joy.

By Sally Camden

Mystery Science Videos In a Google Classroom

Mystery Science has been my go-to science resource this year, and I highly recommend it! It offers engaging, interactive lessons (they call them mysteries, which is fun) that give kids hands-on learning. My students absolutely LOVE Mystery Science, and I'm thrilled that my school has already purchased a subscription for next year along with all the supplies I will need. Woo-hoo!! A Free Resource from Mystery Science If your school can't/won't buy a subscription (the lessons are free until June … [Read more...]

By Sally Camden

Mystery Doug Free Science Videos

I wasn't planning to write another science-related post, but I discovered a free resource you are going to want to start using ASAP. Have you heard of Mystery Doug? I probably wouldn't have known who he was except that I'm using Mystery Science as my main science curriculum for this school year. (Shout out to my teacher-buddy Carol for hooking me up!) What with all the changes to my state standards, I needed a new resource fast - Mystery Science saved my bacon! Well, Mystery Doug is a related … [Read more...]

Using Online Children’s Books as Mentor Texts

I am halfway through a 3-year reading/language arts training program at my school district. The training has been wonderful, but rebuilding our entire ELA curriculum from the ground up has been overwhelming. Fortunately, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My “big picture” understanding has also sharpened so I feel more […]

Nonfiction Summary Graphic Organizer with the 5 W’s Strategy

Teaching students how to summarize nonfiction text can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, with the use of some colored pencils and a handy nonfiction summary graphic organizer, my students were doing it with confidence…and yours can, too! Summarizing Power Writing a concise, yet descriptive summary is an important skill upper elementary students need to learn. […]