Must-Have Student Handouts For an Organized Year in Science

Most students are visual learners, so I like to provide tangible forms for all of my policies and procedures. I also enlarge these forms into posters to hang in my classroom for easy reference. This not only saves me from having to repeat myself 1,000 times but also helps clear up any misconceptions from the start.

Below are the essential forms and templates I give students during the first few days of school:

A Letter From The Teacher: How to Succeed in Science Class

I start with a letter to students offering tips on how to succeed in science class. As I mentioned earlier, we can’t assume students enter the classroom knowing how to navigate the unique demands of science. The strategies they use for math or history class may not be effective in a hands-on, critical thinking, and analysis-focused environment like science. (How to Help Students Succeed in Science Class)

The letter covers topics such as staying organized, reviewing regularly, and actively participating in class. It includes tips on how to study, time management strategies, and a growth mindset approach. I also touch on the importance of staying healthy by getting enough sleep and balancing nutrition. After distributing the letter, we go over it together, starting a discussion where students share their own study habits and approaches to class.

Behavior Guidelines And Rubrics For Labs and Bellringer Activities

It’s essential to provide structured instructions for students to understand your expectations before they begin any activity. Two core activities in a science class are hands-on labs and daily bell ringers.

For lab activities, I use a four-part behavior guideline that can be enlarged and displayed on the wall. I also provide a rubric that echoes these points. Giving these forms to students at the beginning of the year allows for easy reference throughout the year. The guidelines cover preparation, procedure, observations, and cleanup. Knowing that their performance is being assessed with a rubric helps students stay on task.

For bell ringers, I offer a three-step expectation sheet along with a corresponding rubric. Both can be displayed as posters and included at the beginning of their bell ringer notebook. 

When I first started using bell ringers, students didn’t take them seriously, and some would stroll into class two to three minutes late. However, once I introduced a graded rubric for the bell ringers, their attitudes completely changed. Other teachers have asked how I manage to get my students into class so quickly and why they are so eager to be on time. The bottom line: students appreciate easy points and dislike losing them.(6 Types of Science Bellringers to Start Your Class)

Scientific Method Review Activity

Although most science teachers teach the scientific method, it’s still important to review it at the beginning of the school year. Having a printed version, along with a poster in the classroom, makes a significant difference—you won’t have to repeat yourself as often!  

I make this review more engaging by providing two reading passages where students can analyze the scientific method in action. As they read, they identify the main question, hypothesis, experiment structure, and results, then fill out graphic organizers to explore the scientific method in greater detail.

How to Write a Lab Report

Not every lab or activity requires a full lab report, but when I do ask for one, I expect it to be done well. We use a standard method that students will continue to use in high school and college. Writing in science, even when it’s not a full lab report, is important for developing analytical and conclusion-drawing skills.

This resource includes a student handout with prompts for different sections of the lab report, plus a graphic organizer. The prompts can be enlarged and displayed in the classroom. Using the graphic organizer makes the lab report process much less intimidating for students.

Lab Report Templates

As followers of my blog know, I’m a big advocate for digital science notebooks. I provide students with a variety of lab report templates they can use on their devices, some of which are also printable. Some students even choose to create their own templates, which I encourage.

Student Journal Templates

Students need time to reflect and analyze their day or week. Journal writing is known to be therapeutic and helps students gain perspective on their busy lives.

I provide students with several graphic organizers featuring themes like cacti or butterflies, which they really enjoy. We journal once or twice a week. I explain to students that they’re “recording history” and that they’ll find these journals fascinating at the end of the year or even years later. I often share stories about the journals I’ve kept since middle school.

I also include several writing prompts to get ideas flowing. For example, “What is something I wish I had done differently today or this week?” or “Who is someone I need to thank today and why?” I leave it up to the students whether they want to share their journal entries with me, but I do check to see if they’re completing the work. Most prefer to keep their entries private.

Science Notebook Templates

Since I use digital science notebooks, I offer students the option to use templates I’ve created. About 65% of my students use my templates, while the rest create their own.

We create our notebooks on Google Slides, and the results are generally beautiful! The templates I provide cover a variety of needs, such as Cornell notes, video notes, class notes, graphic organizers, and lab report templates. I’ve designed them with various backgrounds, including dark themes for easier reading on devices, which many students prefer.

CER Templates

CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) fits seamlessly with the scientific method, but sometimes we focus exclusively on CER for specific projects. Whether it’s a lab, reading an article, analyzing a passage, or interpreting an image, I provide students with plenty of CER templates that can be printed or added to their digital notebooks.

Conclusion

I firmly believe that students crave and respect organization. They appreciate seeing your thoughts organized, your procedures straightforward, and your boundaries well defined. This leads to fewer discipline issues and a calmer classroom atmosphere.

One of the teachers I mentor used most of these must-have student handouts, and two of her more “challenging” students came to her at the end of class and said, “Thank you for being so organized. It’s so easy to understand.” Hearing something like that from them was huge!

Are you looking for more science ideas? I have hundreds of science resources available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Science by Sinai. Plus, I offer a free resource library for even more valuable tools!