What does it mean to flip your class? In a nutshell, a flipped classroom is one that makes the lecturing homework and the homework, class work. It works with high and low achieving students. Students who are intrinsically motivated and those who aren’t. What are the benefits of the flipped classroom? It’s fantastic because it […]
How To Flip A Middle or High School Science Class
7 Must-Know Physics Teaching Tips to Get Your High Schoolers Interested
You’re at the whiteboard explaining the physics chapter to your students and you’re noticing quite a few of them nodding off. It’s frustrating because you feel like you’re wasting your breath on them. You just can’t get them interested. Don’t worry, it happens to many teachers. It can be hard to make a subject like […]
Flipping Your Science Classroom To Increase Student Success
Flipping your science classroom is much easier than you think. I started flipping my classroom last year and had tremendous success. The students were more engaged in class as we didn’t need to spend all our time going through the notes. Instead, the students watched the videos at home and spent class time either practicing […]
5 Common Teaching Mistakes and How To Keep Them Out of Your Classroom
Regardless of how long you have been a teacher, whether it has been years or it is your first day, it is normal to make mistakes. There are some mistakes that you unknowingly make and can avoid with some tips in mind. One small mistake can cost you your learner’s concentration. Read on for ideas […]
Using Active Learning in Today’s Middle School Science Classrooms
Learning in the classroom is constantly changing as new technologies are released, new teachers graduate university, and new learning styles arise. Active learning is a hot topic in today’s middle schools but many teachers have a hard time getting onboard. When people hear, or read, the word “classroom”, different images pop into their minds, but […]
It’s More Femme in STEM: Top 5 Tips on Getting Your Female Students to Stay in STEM
What do you want to be when you grow up? Children who hear this come up with a variety of answers. Some practical and others not so practical, for example, becoming a wizard. But, for young girls interested in science, these dreams of becoming a scientist may fade over time. When you ask the same […]
8 Ways You Can Make Extra Money Online As A Teacher
As educators, we have an important job: teaching the world’s youth. While the teaching profession consistently ranks as one of the top five “noble” job fields, it is also hard for many teachers to make a living without working a part-time job on the side. What are the ways you can make money online as a […]
5E Lesson Plans – How And Why To Use Them In Your Classroom
If you are interested in 5E lesson plans, you’re in the right spot. I have been using them in my class for a few years now and they are a terrific way to manage, organize, and carry out your curriculum no matter what you are teaching. Personally, I use them to help differentiate my teaching […]
Make Learning Fun! Why Digital Interactive Notebooks Are Perfect for a Science Classroom
Are you a middle or high school science teacher? Are you searching for ways to make your lessons more effective? There are over 2 million K-12 science teachers in public and private schools in the United States. Roughly 400,000 teach in the middle and high school levels. Since science is one of the most complex […]
Essential Classroom Apps: A Guide For Middle and High School Science Teachers
One app to rule them all? Not a chance. There are so many apps out there but none really fall into the “one size fits all” ideal. Since there is no “silver bullet”, I reached out to hundreds of teachers just like you in order to find out which apps they rely on day-after-day. From […]
A Soundproofing STEM Activity – The Silencer
Your students’ mission requires them to design and build a soundproofing container that will reduce noise as much as possible. In my opinion, learning about soundproofing is very important. I think students need to understanding that exposure to high levels of sound can lead to issues such as Tinnitus and hearing loss. In this soundproofing […]
How to Create a Seating Plan in Middle and High School Science Classrooms
When I first started teaching I was all about the seating charts. As I’ve progressed through my career I’ve refined how and when I use them. How do you create a seating plan in middle and high school science classrooms? How should you create a seating plan in middle and school classrooms? Should you draw […]
How to Set Up a Google Classroom Quickly and Easily Without Any Tech Knowledge
Are you wondering how to set up a Google Classroom? You should, once you get over the small learning curve, it’s great. Super easy for you, no problem for your students, and certainly the way education is moving. I created a short walkthrough video below that outlines the process. How To Set Up a Google […]
Teaching Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Using The 5E Model
Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are two of the most important processes on earth. Without them, life couldn’t exist. However, they’re topics that can be difficult to teach without going into too much or too little depth. Finding that sweet spot can be tricky. To help in my own classroom, I made this 5E lesson to […]
How To Avoid Getting Sick As A Teacher
How do you avoid getting sick as a teacher when sick is all around you? It’s hard to stay healthy as a teacher. We’re constantly around kids who are sick. Kids who borrow our pencil or breathe on us when we come over to help them. We’re in an enclosed space for hours at a […]
Cool Activities to Teach Friction to High School Students
Make friction fun using these simple activities you can do in your class with no prep and very few supplies. Activity #1: Interleaving a pair of phone books. I’m sure you’ve seen this demonstration where someone puts one page of one phone book down then the first page of the second on top of it. […]
The Immune System – A Science Teachers’ Guide
What is the immune system? The immune system is a collection of organs, tissues, and cells within an organism’s body that protects it from bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other things that would otherwise get you sick. What are the different parts of the immune system? The immune system has a special transport network called the […]
10 Teacher’s Tips for Making Teenage Students Excited In the Classroom
It is infamously difficult to get and keep the attention of teenage students. If you’re struggling to get your students excited, check out these 10 tips. There’s a valid reason for the famous, “Bueller, Bueller, …Bueller,” quote is used as often as it is. The reason: teenagers are not easy to entertain, let alone engage. […]
Solar and Lunar Eclipses
Eclipses occur when one celestial body is shadowed by another. On Earth, we observe two types of eclipses: solar and lunar. Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes precisely between the Sun and the Earth and all three bodies are aligned. The moon casts its shadow on the Earth and blocks the Sun from our […]
How to master the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and impress your admin
If you’re reading this, odds are good that the idea of implementing the NGSS in your classroom is enough to keep you up at night. For many teachers, the task of updating their curriculum to reflect the new standards can appear extremely daunting. If you are one of these teachers, I say to you, “fret […]
The Science Teacher Reading List
Here is a list of books teachers have mentioned that are good reads for their classroom. Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) by Homer Hickam The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspired the film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir—a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn […]