The Sunrise Science Classroom Blog
Hey teacher friend! This blog is your go-to spot for creative ways to teach science with clarity and confidence. I’m sharing ideas, classroom-tested tips, and meaningful strategies to help you keep things rigorous and engaging... because science class should be anything but boring! ☀️
CATEGORIES
Using Manipulatives to Teach Chemistry Concepts
How Can We Differentiate Complex Content for Our Various Learners? At the middle school level, it’s sometimes a great challenge to differentiate for various learning styles when you’re in the midst of a chemistry unit. Imagine learning about chemical bonding […]
Engaging the 5E Explore Phase with PhET Virtual Labs
A couple of years ago, I started writing my lesson plans using the 5E instructional model. IT WAS A GAME CHANGER! Something about scrapping those ‘old school’ teacher terms of “anticipatory set”, “input”, “independent practice”, etc. helped me to plan […]
Students Become Wizards in this Potions Science Lab!
As an 8th grade science teacher, when Halloween time crept up in the Fall, I always wished that I had a fun, potions-themed, Halloween-esque science lab for my students. But with all the craziness of jumping into the school year, […]
Heat Stations to Warm Up Your Thermal Energy Unit!
What better way to learn about heat transfer than to experience it firsthand?! Basic thermodynamic concepts provide a fantastic foundation for students learning chemistry and physics. One of my favorite station labs of the year are my heat stations and […]
A Fun Mystery Puzzle to Add to Your Physical Science Class!
After I do the Gummy Bear Demo to pique their interest, I have found that this Mystery Solutions Puzzle is a great way to grab my students by their brains! I have used Flinn Scientific’s Mystery Solutions Activity for […]
Classroom Prep Tips for Middle School Science
Even when you end one school year with exhaustion, inevitably the beginning of a new school year brings rejuvenation. You take out your beloved boxes of classroom decor and materials. You pop them open and feel the welling of […]
Free Websites for Finding NGSS Anchoring Phenomena
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) ask us as science teachers to provide anchoring phenomena, opportunities for real-world application of concepts, and flexibility to allow students to follow their own curiosities while learning science. They are asking us to learn […]
Sniffing for Patterns : Connecting Chemistry and Smells
How important is the sense of smell? Your sense of smell guards you from eating rotten foods, conjures up memories from the past, gives you a stronger sense of place, helps you to find a mate, connects you with a […]
How to Teach a Brief History of Space Exploration
When I was in elementary school I was obsessed with the idea of space and astronauts. I remember consistently requesting permission from my 4th grade teacher for my best friend and me to be allowed to go to the library […]
10 Awesome Podcasts for Teachers
I started finding solace in podcasts on my hour-long commute to school across the state of New Jersey. My husband and I lived at the beach (#surfwifelife) and I would leave the house at 6 a.m. to arrive at school […]