The 2020-2021 school year has been like no other. Teachers have had to redesign how they teach in ways that no one would have thought possible and students have had to make huge adjustments to learning in an online classroom.

Mrs. Reagan has taken High School Science to a whole new level with CANVAS.  She teaches: Fall Block Earth/Environmental Science, Spring Block Physical Science, and period year-long Honors Chemistry.  When most people hear the words Distance and Remote Learning they think that their students are going to be sitting in front of a computer all day-ruining their eyes and changing the way they feel about school forever.  Mrs. Reagan has taken the term blended learning and infused this within her Canvas Courses offering students alternatives to online assignments.  She incorporates choice boards and allows students to choose how they demonstrate their learning of materials.

In Mrs. Regan’s Words

Learning In Action

Her students have stepped away from their computers and turned their own homes into a personalized science classroom.  Earth/Environmental students display mastery of standards through posters, foldables, and while studying the weather going OUTSIDE!  Most recently students completed a project on clouds where they had to analyze early morning clouds and use their understanding to predict the afternoon weather.  Here, Jamie reports on the cumulonimbus clouds at her house in the morning and uses her knowledge of weather patterns to predict that it will storm in the afternoon.  Her predictions were correct and that evening around 5:00 pm it started to rain!

Chemistry students have explored atoms and molecules and conducted problem-based learning virtual lab experiments.  Students were able to collaborate with lab partners in Canvas Groups to determine which of eight different metals would be the most effective to construct new school buses.  Students researched and analyzed the reactivity of the different metals to determine which would be the most cost-effective and reliable to construct a school bus from.

What Students Say

Chemistry student Zoe says:

“Virtual learning can be challenging, especially for “hands-on” classes like Chemistry! But, Mrs. Reagan has included many preliminary assignments that will help us on tests. This method of teaching allows us, students, to understand the material, which then allows us to thrive in Chemistry.”

Chemistry student Claire says:

“Mrs. Reagan has done a wonderful job of organizing our assignments, tests, and review materials. She has given us plenty of resources on the topics she is teaching us. With chemistry, we must have plenty of reviews and explanations. I like that Mrs.Reagan explains topics we are learning in each module during the weekly Canvas Conference meetings. Her enthusiasm through all of this has been a great factor in my motivation. Though being apart has been hard, Mrs.Reagan has tried to keep us comfortable and confident so we can succeed. For that, I think she deserves the credit.” 

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