Teach Longitude and Latitude While Plotting Earthquakes and Volcanoes Can your middle school students read a map? Can they plot a point using longitude and latitude? Do we even need to teach this with GPS so readily available? I realized my students had trouble using longitude and latitude when we were halfway through my plate…
Personalized Project-Based Learning Through Choice Boards Do your students groan when you assign a new project because they find it stressful or boring? What would happen if you used personalized project-based learning with choice boards? I was surprised when my students kept thanking me over and over when I first utilized choice boards several years…
Dealing With Students Who Are Reluctant To Learn At some point in our teaching careers, we all encounter students who are reluctant to learn for various reasons. These students can be challenging as they may become disruptive in class. I’ve put together a brainstorm of methods that I’ve used throughout the years to help engage…
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…
How Do You Develop Relationships with Middle School Students? Have you heard that it is crucial that you develop relationships with middle school students, but you don’t know where to start? After teaching middle school science for over 30 years, I feel that developing relationships is definitely the most important tool. Let’s go over some…
STEM Energy Project Using Rube Goldberg Machines and Food Chains! Are you looking for a great STEM energy project that combines two middle school units? I have a super engaging Rube Goldberg machine and food chain STEM project that ties together two units that deal with ENERGY LEVELS. Food Chain Energy Levels When you are…
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…
Inspiring Middle School Students to Minimize Their Impact on Municipal Waste Do your students have any idea of their personal impact on municipal waste? Are you introducing a unit on human impact as part of the NGSS standard MS-ESS3? Let’s start the unit with relatable scenarios. Your mom asks you to clean your bedroom. You…
How to Cheaply Teach Chemical Reactions to Middle School Have you been reluctant to teach chemistry reactions in your middle school classroom because of the cost? Do you think of chemistry as being only done in an expensively equipped high school lab? I have found some ways to teach chemical reactions in my classroom that…
