The Importance of Teaching Graphing on Both Paper and the Computer Are you realizing the importance of teaching graphing on both paper and the computer? Are your students simply entering the data on their devices, and making “pretty” graphs, without really understanding what they represent? You know me. I’m all about the digital notebook, but…
What Students Should Know Leaving Middle School Science Besides all of the concepts that we need to cover, what do students need to know leaving middle school science? What Students Should Know Leaving Middle School Science Updated May, 2024 Of course, we want our students to be good citizens and independent workers, but what else?…
Teaching Science Content Outside of Your Expertise We often find ourselves facing the challenge of teaching science content outside of our expertise. If given the choice, we would probably avoid teaching them but we know that that’s not always feasible. Let’s overcome anxiety with action, and brainstorm ways to find out everything you need to…
Teacher-Administrator Dynamics-Tips for An Effective Partnership Are you looking for ways to have positive teacher-administrator dynamics so you can effectively work together? Let’s go through some ways to keep a professional, respectful and effective partnership with your leaders. Communication First! I could literally stop writing after this paragraph… Having open communication about EVERYTHING is key…
Using Coloring Pages in Middle School Science Do you need relaxing, calming activities for your science classroom that still focuses on concepts? Is the noise level climbing in your classroom? Using coloring pages in middle school science may seem a bit unconventional, but it is a powerful tool! Let’s look at how incorporating concept based…
How to Have a Positive Relationship with Parents Keeping a positive relationship with parents of your students is probably the most difficult part of teaching. One upset parent can cause you to have unnecessary anxiety and stress and make it difficult to focus on your class. After teaching for over 35 years, and dealing with…
Use Backwards Lesson Planning to Create Science Labs Do you struggle with balancing time during labs and hands-on activities? Have you tried backwards lesson planning to create your science labs? I have mentioned this method in several of my blog posts, but I thought it would be helpful to focus only on this method to…
Teaching a Unit on Newton’s Laws of Motion Are you teaching a unit on Newton’s Laws of Motion as part of your MS- PS2–1 or MS- PS2–2? Are you struggling to come up with ideas to help students understand how the laws apply to their everyday life? My focus, during my two to three week unit…
12 Ways to Use Sort Cards in the Science Classroom Do you need some ways to use sort cards in the science room to get the students engaged while learning concepts? I used to believe that matching sort game cards were for the younger classes. Once I started using them with my middle school students,…
10 Ways to Assess Students in the Science Classroom It’s not so easy to assess students in the science classroom since it is not as straightforward as other subjects. Students are actively working out of their seats, working on projects and following procedures. I am a strong believer in multiple ways to gather data on…
