Fun Activities to Teach Physical and Chemical Changes Are you looking for ways to teach physical and chemical changes? This is such an important concept but it can be tricky for the students to understand. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I believe constant reinforcement, using different resources, is the way to ensure student…
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…
Halloween Science: Spooky and Educational Do you need some Halloween science ideas to keep your classroom spooky and educational at the same time? We all know how limited our time is to teach concepts in the science classroom. Finding activities that keep the spirit of Halloween while staying aligned with the curriculum is the best…
Must-Have Student Handouts For an Organized Year in Science We can’t assume that students come into science class with all the learning tools they need. What must-have student handouts can you provide on the first day of school to set students up for success? Most students are visual learners, so I like to provide tangible…
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…
How to Help Students Succeed in Science Class Are your students unsure how they can succeed in science class? Do they constantly ask how they can get an A in your class? We often assume that students have the tools to succeed in science class, but science is a completely different type of class than…
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…
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…
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…
