I’m one month into the distance learning adventure with my middle school science classes and I have had ups and downs with various tools that I’ve tried. I tried a handful of educational resources that caused my students or me confusion and stress and I…
Experimental design is an umbrella term for a big concept! Science pedagogy used to have us box it up with a pretty bow and call it ‘the scientific method’. And in order to practice good science, there is absolutely a value to understanding the objective…
Student-designed mousetrap cars are a great way to incorporate engineering and design principles into your physics unit! Student groups will design, construct, and race their mousetrap cars while learning about energy transfer, simple machines, and speed!…
I had a proud teacher moment this February when I realized that I had trained my 8th graders to effectively complete Cornell Doodle Notes all on their own. I put the simple instructions on the screen to choose a scaffolded level of notes from the…
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…
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 the learning from these stations…
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,…
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 for recess instead of out…
Escape games in education are all the craze these days! They are part imaginary story, part scavenger hunt, part competition, and part rigorous content review (which the students usually don’t even notice!). If you need to review science content, try an escape game! Imagine awaking…
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…
I love teaching middle school science concepts with Cornell notes! I used Cornell notes in my class for three years and found great success with them in helping my students to understand complex concepts. Cornell notes provide a structured format for note-taking; they have a…
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…
