The unit that I most love to teach is Atoms and the Periodic Table. I love this unit because the growth in my students’ understanding is so significant and they undergo a transformation before my eyes! With the exception of the occasional chemistry-obsessed student, most…
Someone recently reached out to me asking about my top lab equipment essentials for teaching middle school science. I thought this would be a good blog post! I know that I used to struggle every year when it came time to select supplies with our…
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 for the very first time.…
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 more fun and interesting lessons.…
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, parent-teacher conferences, half-days, holidays, and…
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 a few years, but this…
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 with our students and to…
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 newborn baby or a pet,…
This sounds really nerdy but I absolutely love the Periodic Table. I think it’s one of the most fascinating tools in science and I love bringing it to life for my students. I have created a lot of resources around the Periodic Table because as…
There is so much in this Gummy Bear Sacrifice demonstration! No fail, it is a memorable way to grab your students’ attention during the first or second week of school! It also fulfills the following important goals: students learn how to draw and label scientific…
