In this lab, students will explore artifacts supporting Continental Drift Theory, then model continental drift. Each inquiry lab will contain an essential questions that will drive the lessons and make students think. For this lesson, the essential question is: How does the historical development of evidence support the theory of plate tectonics? BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND MATERIALS LIST: Students will begin … Read More
CONSERVATION OF MASS INQUIRY LAB
In this lab, students will observe cellular respiration and its chemical equation. Students will then create a model to demonstrate the conservation of mass within cellular respiration. After completing the lab, students will be able to answer these essential questions: What happens to the total number of atoms in a chemical reaction How are subscripts and coefficients used a chemical … Read More
Kesler Science Giveaway
Tpt is having their largest sale of the year. In support of the sale, I’m not only marking my store down 25% but I’m also giving away 20, $20 gift cards. There are many ways to enter. Good luck
Differentiated Inquiry Labs for Middle School Science Teachers
Last week, I shared an article with you about five myths that prevent science teachers from doing more labs in the classroom. This week, I’m going to share with you the myth-busting (<– see what I did there?) solutions which will increase the number of labs a science teacher can do. When I left the classroom, the number one problem … Read More
“When Are We Going to do Another Lab?”
“When Are We Going to do Another Lab?” Early on in my teaching career, I had a student ask me this question and I panicked. I had a hundred responses on we couldn’t do labs ALL. THE. TIME., but looking back most of them were just excuses coming from a brand new teacher. I always felt like teaching science was … Read More
5 High-Quality Characteristics to Consider When Using Natural Phenomena in Your Science Classes
We’ve all seen that blank stare on students’ faces whenever you’re teaching an abstract science concept like atoms or cells. They are either thinking to themselves, “Why does this matter to me?”, or “I wonder what’s for lunch today?” A teacher’s job is difficult enough as is. Using natural phenomena to introduce a science concept is a research-based method to increase … Read More
How to Download YouTube Videos for Classroom Use
Many of my station labs and 5E lessons have links to YouTube videos which can become problematic if your school blocks YouTube. I’ve tried to avoid these problems by also providing a link to the video using my own Google Drive. However, there are now thousands of students using my labs on any given day and you may get a … Read More
Back To School Science Giveaway
I’ve teamed up with a bunch of secondary science authors to give away FIVE, $100 Teachers Pay Teachers gift certificates this back-to-school season. Also, I’ll also be giving away TEN, $10 gift certificates of my own. You can enter the contests below, but I wanted to throw a great tip your way on how to bring your class to attention. I … Read More
5 Reasons Why Warm-Ups and Bell-Ringers Were a Failure in My Classroom
I have a confession to make. During my years in the science classroom, I was never able to sustain a long-term warm-up or bell-ringer routine with my students. I was always so jealous of the math teachers across the hall who seemed to get their students working on a warm-up even before the tardy bell would ring. I’ve had some … Read More
FREE Lunar Cycle 5E Science Lesson for Middle School Students
Below you will find a 2-week lesson over the lunar cycle. It was designed using the 5E method for middle school science students. I’m super excited to offer you this lesson for FREE. In this post I will explain everything you’ll get in this lesson. If you aren’t familiar with the 5E method of instruction you might want to take a … Read More