Teaching Students Organizational Skills Teaching students organizational skills is critical and will stay with students long after their time in your classroom. I have often had alumni students come back to tell me how much they appreciated my “forcing them“ to do proper Cornell notes and to keep an organized notebook. They tell me that…
End of Year Science Teacher Reflections As a science teacher, it is powerful to use end of year teacher reflections to review successes and areas needing improvement. I strongly believe that the first few days, after the school year ends, should be spent analyzing and evaluating. End of school reflections don’t take much time, but…
Tips For Success as a New Middle School Science Teacher Are you looking for some tips for success as a new middle school science teacher? Where do you start? It can be incredibly overwhelming to step into a new classroom, a new curriculum, new students, a rigorous schedule and high expectations! I still vividly remember…
72 Tips Your College Never Told You About Being A Teacher What your college never told you about teaching is a lot! Are you a newer teacher? You have probably realized that teachers are basically expected to “learn on the job” in many essential areas. Unless you have a full time mentor teacher, it can…
How to Overcome Math Phobia in Science Class! Do your students have math phobia? When you’re introducing an equation or a calculation, in science class, do they freeze up? Are students having trouble applying what they are learning in math class to your science class? Many students, who love science, are not so fond of…
Dealing With Difficult Parents as a Teacher Are you dealing more and more with difficult parents in your teaching job? Have you received an unexpected nasty email? Has a parent become angry about something in your classroom? What strategies can you use to diffuse the situation? Dealing with difficult parents, as a teacher, can be…
Planning Lab Activities for Middle School Science Class Are you struggling with planning lab activities while teaching middle school science? How do you introduce the lab, execute it, clean up and draw conclusions in one class period? I use a method that I call “backwards lesson planning” as I am planning lab activities for my…
First Day of School in Middle School Science What do you do on the first day of middle school science? What do you need to cover to be successful for the rest of the year? I have experimented with many different approaches to the first day of school in middle school science for over thirty…
20 Teacher Hacks For the Middle School Science Classroom All teachers develop classroom hacks, or tricks, to help them succeed in their classroom. Do you wish that someone had told you all of their teacher hacks before you started teaching on your first day of school? I’ve been a middle school science teacher for over…
6 Types of Science Bellringers to Start Your Class The first three to five minutes of your class are the most critical. Science bellringers, warm ups, or starters, are highly effective in terms of bringing the students to order. These activities help gather the student’s focus and get them organized. The first few minutes of…
