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…
Mistakes I Made as a New Middle School Science Teacher If I could go back and correct the mistakes I made as a new middle school science teacher, I’m sure my 30+ year teaching journey would have been much smoother! I’m going to be transparent and tell you some of my biggest mistakes with the…
Teach Biodiversity in Food Webs With a Dice Roll Game Are you looking for an engaging way to teach biodiversity in food webs? Let’s do it with a game! My food web, dice roll biodiversity game helps students understand that man-made or natural events can cause serious consequences in a food web. They will realize…
