How to Interpret Distance-Time and Speed-Time Graphs Do your students need practice interpreting distance-time graphs and speed-time graphs as part of your motion and forces unit? By the time your students finish this activity called Interpreting Distance-Time Graphs and Speed-Time Graphs Unit, they will have a good understanding how to read the slope on a…
How to Make Food Webs Interactive and Fun! Are you looking for more engaging ways to teach the important concepts of food chains and webs? Do you want dynamic activities that you can refer back to over and over again? Here are some super fun activities that involve every student in a memorable, exciting way!…
Identifying Pond Water Microorganisms as Bioindicators Have you been wanting to look at pond water with your students, but you struggle with identifying microorganisms? Do you need to know which creatures are tolerant to pollution, and which aren’t, but don’t have time to research? I have drawn 46 common macro and microorganisms that you are…
How to Introduce the Characteristics of Living Things Do you find that students struggle with being able to determine the basic characteristics of living things? Even in middle school, students have a hard time distinguishing the differences between a living versus a non-living structure. It is better to deal with any misconceptions first, using engaging activities,…
10 Environmental Activities for Earth Day or Every Day What are you doing for Earth Day? Are you looking for activities to help the students bring environmental conservation into their own lives? Every day should be Earth Day, but these ten activities will start great discussions as students celebrate environmental awareness. 1. Create a Giant…
Move the Plates! Teaching Plate Tectonics is Fun Are you teaching plate tectonics and looking for a way for students to manipulate the plates while learning the types of boundaries? Would you like a digital component to add to your earth science unit? Utilizing plate tectonic drag and drop activities with Google Earth analysis helps…
How to Create an Exciting But Structured Rube Goldberg Machines Unit Have you tried having your students make Rube Goldberg machines and had the project drag on and on with several false starts? Did you have an abundance of random materials around your classroom? Did your students start the project with enthusiasm but then fizzle…
How to Create STEM Magnet Mazes Are you looking for a well structured and fun project for your students to learn magnetism? Do you like projects that involve students learning the concept on their own as they create? I designed this Magnet Maze Structured STEM activityand it has become a yearly project. The upcoming…
Make Speed and Acceleration Labs Fun with Pullback Cars! Are you looking for ways to teach speed and acceleration, including their relationship to mass, potential and kinetic energy? Are you teaching the Laws of Motion and NGSS MS-PS2-2? This standard states: “plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends…
Teaching About Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Teaching a “balanced and unbalanced forces” unit(MS-PS2-2) is so much more engaging when students do activities using the features on their iPads! My middle schoolers have a blast using the slow motion feature on their iPad cameras to capture what they call “things smashing into each other”. They are…
