How I Prep at the End of the Year for Next Year

We are in our last 2 weeks of school, and the final full days! The last official assignments are being turned in, desperation extra credit and make-work are being emailed at all hours, and my thoughts turn to next year.

My big goals for the next couple of weeks will be to get my room cleaned and organized, as well as setting up my procedures around the room.

In my first year or in new rooms, I do not throw anything out- you never know what you might need! Especially when there is not curriculum or guidance, anything and everything might be useful. Now that we are at the end of the year and I have a plan and direction for next year, I am willing to part with/toss out all the junk I have been hanging on to, or pass it along to another teacher. 

Cleaning out cabinets and organizing is a great activity for the students to help with. As much as they profess to be excited to have "nothing" to do, a full 8 hours of nothing gets pretty old, so I make a list of tasks and chores that I can hand out to students to complete. 

My list usually includes: 

• clear out cabinets and wipe them down 
• check expiration dates on chemicals and materials
• sorting and organizing small parts (ahem, all my stem stuff!)
• printing out new labels and attaching them to the boxes
• dusting and wiping down the entire room
• updating worksheets with my notes
• cleaning out old papers and student work
• finishing little projects and models for next year
• even sharpening colored pencils and checking for dead markers!

My big task for myself is to organize my paperwork! Although we are a 1:1, I like to keep it old school, and print copies of everything we do, and of projects I find, or inspirational labs and activities! As we go through the activities, I write notes to myself, and I keep everything in a big pile a file to refer to later. I am now tackling the huge job of sorting the papers into which class, which unit and which project. 

Original Pile With My Notes 

After I sort them, I read through each of the mini-piles, taking a look at my notes and additional materials I may have attached. I then take a clean sheet and summarize what I want to do with the materials and any new ideas I have, and put it into a file with a post-it tab.

Different Project Ideas Filed

Finally, I create a schedule of when to work on develop the materials for each class, unit and project, so that everything is prepared for the beginning of next year. I usually start with my introduction units, since they will be needed first. Looking at my planner, I write each topic into a week, so that I know what to pull out to work on, and just go from there! It takes a lot off of my mind, knowing that I can just pop open my planner, see what is scheduled and get to work- I get too stressed out and paralyzed with too many choices otherwise! 

How does your end of the year go? Do you have a plan to use your end of year helpers and prep for next year? Share your methods below! 

How to Turn Ordinary STEM Students Into Innovators

We are heading into summer, and like most teachers, I am starting to reflect on my year, and beginning to plan for next year. 

If you have read any of my other posts, you know this year was a BIG learning year for me! 

One of the things I started out the year gung-ho to do, and was not able to incorporate as much as I wanted, was to introduce my students to stories of other young people doing big changes. I had visions of my middle school students finding a deep passion that drove them to create inventive new ways to solve the world's problems! (no, I am not a first year teacher, just super optimistic!) This idea slowly crashed back to Earth, but I have not let go of it, so I am brainstorming ways to more fully incorporate awareness and critical thinking skills in my students next year. 

I feel that one of the biggest ways to get students to think outside of the box and find their passion is to expose them to other young people doing big things. Many of my students are urban, and have not had much exposure to anything other than their own neighborhoods. And Fortnight, but that is a whole other post.....

As I watch the Facebook and YouTube videos of incredible kids, I notice that their stories start out very similar- the young person had an experience that jarred them out of their everyday life. They experienced something that touched them deeply, caused them to start to look into it and thinking of solutions. They noticed a problem, and decided to solve it.

So, how can I offer that to my students? How do you manufacture a life-changing experience? 

One of the things I have decided to do is expose my students to more stories. I have been collecting short (and some long) videos on different topics that are related to our main unit topics. I have some articles as well, but my school is 1:1 iPads, so the students are used to having visual content to analyze, so I feel that will make the most impact. This would be a bi-weekly or possibly monthly assignment that students would need to reflect on, possibly do additional research, and then give a quick presentation on the video and the impact that the young persons solution had.  

I am also working to make sure all of the projects we do have a wider audience than just the classroom, so I will encourage students to think about how their projects can make a difference. This could be from a social activism angle or an environmental angle, as long as there is something the students must take into consideration when designing or creating their projects. Their project could look at addressing a problem within the unit topic, or even just making sure all materials used are recycled/re-purposed. 

I am really looking forward to adding more inspiring content into my curriculum next year! How about you? What did you want to do this year that maybe fizzled out, but that you plan on revisiting next year? 

Creating STEM: an Electricity Unit

This term in my 8th grade STEM classroom, we are moving into physical science. I am focusing on teaching an Electricity and Circuits Unit, and a Simple Machines Unit, with the final project for the term to build carnival and table top arcade games for the end of the year celebration.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have never taught a STEM centered class before. (That is probably about to become REALLY apparent, lol...) This year has been a lot of a hot mess- I have been trying to find my bearings, but I am starting to feel pretty confident, so what follows is my own personal musings on how I am planning my units, lessons and projects. Feel free to disregard at will...

Let me first say, that I have not applied any standards to my class this year. Not state standards. Not NGSS. This year has been all about design, engineering and learning how to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. Because i teach STEM, I am kind of outside the normal realm of academics in our school. I plan to spend some time this summer looking at the desired outcomes of my lessons and aligning them to NGSS. But ain't nobody got time for that right now- I am doing my best to stay one step ahead of the students.....

When designing units, I look at what I want my students to be able to do, or a project I want them to complete and think about what skills/knowledge they will need to have. Often, during the middle of a project, I will realize there are better ways to do what I am doing. Sometimes I will adjust; most of the time, I take notes for next year...

My overall end goal/desired outcome for this unit was that students would be able to use basic circuitry  and knowledge of simple machines to construct carnival games and table top arcades.

These kids have had STEM since 5th grade, but this may be the first class where they were truly thrown out on a limb and told to figure it out (you know, GRIT) so it has been an interesting learning curve (for everyone).

I started with basics- making paper circuits, and then beginning a circuits challenge, and ending with creating an electronic game. Some of them had done paper circuits before in earlier grades, but luckily, they remembered nothing, so we were starting from a clean slate.

I started with paper circuits to give them an gentle introduction to circuits and electricity flow.  By completing the basic series and parallel circuits with batteries, aluminum foil (none of your fancy copper tape, THANKYOUVERYMUCH) and Christmas lights, they were expected to come to an understanding that electricity will always flow along the metal (or I called it the path of least resistance). So if they did not leave a break in the foil and insert the light, no luck-no light! I also wanted them to start making a connection to the number of batteries and the number of lights (Mrs., it works really well with one light, but more than one and it doesn't work/gets really dim! REALLY? Fascinating....) My final expectation for this challenge was that they would have a working knowledge of series and parallel circuits.

This was an interesting challenge- some of them got it right away, some struggled to the end.

After the paper circuits, we moved on to something a little more common- using batteries, lights, switches and copper wire to create circuits. I created a 10 part Circuits Challenge that started with  simple instructions and amount of materials (for example: create  a series circuits using 1 battery, 1 light and 1 switch) and got increasingly harder, until they were building mixed circuits. For each of the challenges, they had to diagram the circuit, build it (and get it working), experiment with it (such as opening and closing switches or unscrewing a light bulb) and then record observations. Some of the circuits had them adding more components, and then observing the changes. 

This was an amazing exercise in grit for some students! As the challenges got harder, there was a lot of frustration, followed by triumph and success. Some got a few challenges along, then realized they were mixing up series and parallel (middle school student heartbreak). There was a lot of interesting observations, especially when adding switches into the mix. 

The desired outcomes of the Circuit Challenges was to fully understand flow of electricity, the importance of connections, and the function of switches and their effect on current. During the process of building the circuits, they had to learn how to test for current, using multimeters, and calculating voltage requirements. 

After they completed the Circuits Challenge, they were tasked with creating an electric game. For this final project, they had to create a working electric game, with 12 activated points. Many opted for making an "Operation" style game, or a matching quiz game. I have several who created sports games and mazes- I even have a mini-golf game! 

This unit was a lot of fun for my students. It even got a number of students really involved and thinking critically, as well as problem solving and trouble shooting. 

It also got them really excited about our final unit of the year- Carnival Games! We will be exploring simple machines, with a final project to create a working carnival game for our end of the year carnival! I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Beginning a STEM class- My Journey

I recently posted about my excitement in teaching a STEM program using the PBL method.

Since we are now in our second semester (third term) of the year, I figured I would check in with how it has gone so far and what I have learned during this experience.

Luckily, I have been very open and honest with the students as I have been building my courses, and they have been able to put up with the craziness with good humor.

So- how do you start a STEM class from the ground up?  I would like to share with you my beginning of the year planning, what happened, and what I plan to fix for next year. This is obviously not the end-all-be-all of STEM class planning, just my process.

Beginning of the year-

My original idea was to break the year into each of the major branches of science, with the end of the year dedicated to a genius project. It looked a bit like this:

First term- earth science/environmental science
Second term- life science
Third term- physical science
Fourth term- genius project

Actual year so far-

First term-I did start with an life science/earth science unit on ecosystems. I had them create a biome, complete with plants and animals adapted to it. I had them create infographics on invasive species. Come to find out, this was almost exactly what they were doing in their regular science classes.......

Second term- this one was dedicated to my passion- saving the Earth! We did a research project on recycling in our school, made recycling bins, (attempted) to make bioplastic, and they created presentations to be given to the administration to make a change in the school- either increased recycling program, switch from plastic to biodegradable plastic in the cafeteria or install water refill stations for the broken water fountains. At this point, they are thoroughly burned out on Earth-saving, and I am learning that they do not have enough skills to really complete the work I want them to do.

Third term- we are working on electricity/energy, circuits and possibly coding. I have dialed it waaaay back- their activities are much more guided and my expectations of their work has come down a bit. I am giving more time for them to complete projects, much more guided worksheets to try to dig out deeper thinking answers and I an not expecting them to be able to research or to have intrinsic motivation to search for answers.


Plans for next year-
I have learned that my STEM class will actually be more about teaching them 21st century skills than about strict science. I am moving to have all of my classes have a more "internship" type quality, where the students are stepping into a role in a business, and will be taught the skills needed. This means I will move toward more of the basics- researching, problem solving, presentations, group work and peer reviewing, critical thinking, global and personal awareness, and a sense of being able to do something that makes a difference. I will try to line up authentic audiences for the work that my students do, so that they get a real sense of accomplishment beyond a grade. Here is how my plan for next year is shaping up so far:

First term- introduction to engineering and design (grit, problem solving, global and societal roles)

Second Term- Life/Earth science- we will work on an environmental impact projects, and human impact/ resource use (researching, global and self awareness/responsibility, critical thinking)

Third term- Physical Science- electricity and energy, circuits, simple machines, engineering (problem solving, critical thinking, presentations, real life applications)

Fourth term- I am still planning on Genius projects, but we will see.......

As we move into the second half of the year, I am becoming more comfortable with my plans and designs. I am getting better at guiding the students to create the kind of work I want, and that I know they are capable of. I am also getting better at not being a main science- I am getting used to not having pressure behind anything I do, or having to meet standards, or give out tests, which was a big one!

I can honestly say I am very excited for next year! I can't wait to share my end of year reflection with you- Stay tuned! Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in building a STEM curriculum in the comments below!

Teaching STEM using PBL in 2018

Well, it has been a bit since I posted! This year, I started at a new school, teaching 8th and 9th grade STEM, along with an Urban Gardening class. While I am super stoked to be at my new school, as you can imagine, I have been a little overwhelmed!

When I was hired on, I kept trying to get a handle on what I would be teaching. 

"You will be teaching 9th grade Life Sciences/ Biotechnology- but it isn't biology!" 

"Teach your passion!"

"Just teach STEM!"

Here's the kicker- because my class is in addition to the regular science classes, I have to basically avoid the major topics for those grades!

For example, I was going to do a study on GMO and genetics with my 9th graders- nope, they are doing that in their other science classes.

I started my 8th graders with an ecosystems/ invasive species unit- surprise!- they are learning the exact same thing in regular science! 

I also decided to teach STEM using project based learning (PBL) method. 

I have never done this before. I don't know anyone else who has done this before. 

There has been a bit of a learning curve...

So, for the first half of the year, I have been focusing on putting together meaningful learning activities about topics that I feel strongly about- environmental impact and personal action. 

I have also been learning as much as I can, as fast as I can, about teaching STEM, PBL and grading based on standards and rubrics. 

Now that I have a plan for the rest of the year, I am looking forward to sharing with you everything I have been learning, as well as working on new products for my TpT store!

My resolution for 2018 is to write about once a month on the various going-ons of the classroom and about my journey into STEM and PBL. I will still be sharing recipes and fun kids activities as the come up as well.

Thank you so much for coming along on this adventure with me! Stay tuned for my next post about STEM!

Lesson Planning: Scientific Method Unit Outline

I have been teaching for 7 years now, all different science subjects, in both middle and high schools. The one thing all of my classes have had in common is that I always start out with teaching the scientific method. Yep, even my high schoolers.

I like to start out with something as basic as the scientific method for a few reasons. First, it is an easy introduction to science, a topic that pretty much all students have seen. This guarantees that they will be successful and helps to boost confidence in my students. It also keeps them pretty engaged because they "already know this".

The second reason to start with scientific method is because it is a good introduction to my method of teaching. That way they are not learning two things at once!

I would like to share with you my Introduction to Science Unit outline. It takes me about 5-7 days to teach this unit, depending on the students and how much they participate. I end each unit in a station review that includes 5-6 stations of task cards, practical activities and sorting activities and a unit test. Click on the picture to download a PDF of my unit plan; I have linked the resources below as well.

Scientific Method Unit Resources

Day 1- Introduction to Science Lesson
Day 2- Observations, Questions and Hypothesis Lesson
- Quantitative and Qualitative Observations Activity by Elly Thorsen
Day 3- Variables and Experimental Design Lesson
Day 4- Data, Graphing and Conclusions Lesson
-Data Collection and Graphing Activity
Day 5- Alka-Seltzer or Gummy Bear Lab
Day 6- Scientific Method Stations Review (usually takes 2 days)
Day 7- Test


Additional Resources- I like to have resources on hand, depending on the class.
- Scientific Method Task Cards by Amy Brown Science
- Scientific Method Stations by Elly Thorsen
**I have not used this particular one, but I have use Kesler Science Stations before, and they are generally good quality- Scientific Method Stations

I hope this unit outline has been helpful for you! Let me know what you think below in the comments!

Lesson Planning: Back to School-Teaching Rules and Procedures

Well, teacher friends-it is just about back to school time! We start school on September 5th this year, and I am in full new-year mode! I have ransacked the Target, Walmart and Staples for supplies and I have been working on completely planning the first semester.

I try to have at least the first month mapped out completely. This helps calm my over-anxious teacher-brain, but is not so planned that I feel I can't change it after the month is over. I usually find that the first month is a sort of settling in period for me. I get to know the students, and they get to know me. I get a hands-on practice of how my systems and structure will work and what will and what won't need to be adjusted.

During the first week, I usually do a mini-unit on rules, procedures and expectations in my class, followed by my Introduction to Science Unit. These are both nice easy topics to learn and keeps the students (and me, tbh) from freaking out too soon. (I like to ease them into the freaking out part, lol!)

My mini-unit on rules, procedures and expectations usually takes about a 3 to 4 days of 50 minute classes.

Here is my schedule:
Day 1- Personal introduction and begin Back to School Stations
Day 2- Complete Back to School Stations
Day 3- Fun lab
Day 4- Mini Research/Poster Project

My Back to School Station activity is usually about 5-6 stations of different activities that I pull together, including:

• a Syllabus Scavenger Hunt, where they have to read the syllabus and find the answer to questions
• Getting to Know Your Group Dice Game, a school friendly version of "never have I ever"
• an Around the Room Scavenger Hunt for locations of different materials and bits of information
• a couple of group challenges (usually working as a group to stack cups or write with a single marker) 
• setting up notebooks
• and a station for logic puzzles 

These Station Activities can take anywhere from one class period to two. Sometimes, I will save the group challenges for the second day entirely and talk about how they will need to work together in groups. For that, I will try to have a couple more activities on hand, in case they really work fast! 

I have also had them spend a class period getting notebooks in order, depending on how I use them. If they are using regular binders, then the station will just be coloring a cover page and labeling their tabs for the binder. If I am doing full-on interactive notebooks, then I will spend an entire class period going over how to set them up, and pasting in rules and expectations, showing them examples of good and bad work.  

I like to do a mini-lab on the third day, just to get a quick assessment of how they work in groups. Everybody is still fresh, so no one has fallen into their "role" in class yet. This will usually be the marshmallow/spaghetti stack, or the saving Sam activity. (This is also a great introduction of how to complete classwork and turn it in, whether I am using a binder or INB.)

A mini-lab setup with the rolling lab tables

 **Just make sure that if you do this, you check with other teachers to make sure you are not repeating each other (that was awkward-Mrs!- we just did this in miss-so-and-so's class!)**

And finally, depending on how bored I am with introduction stuff or icebreakers, I will either have them complete a mini-research project to make a poster for my bulletin board or I will dive into my "what is science?" lesson and get started!

This year, I am looking into finding some new activities that are not quite so played out.

I have listed a few things on my wish list below! 

All About Me Back to School Ice Breakers by Getting Nerdy  -this looks like a great icebreaker and INB practice activity in one! Plus, I love their stuff!

Four Brains are Better Than One by Tangstar Science - I already own this one! It is quick and a lot of fun. I have used it and many of her articles as substitute work!

Back to School Science Activities for Middle School by That Rocks Math Science and ELA - This looks like a great collection of 12 activities that focus on different science skills. Geared toward middle school, and looks to be not your typical activities.

Back to School Beginning of the Year Activities: Science Edition by Martina Cahill, The Hungry Teacher - this looks promising. It includes different activities, along with getting to know you and questionnaires. Suitable for lower middle grades (think 5-6, maybe 7)

Take Notes the Cornell Way by Mister Science- I am still thinking about how I want students to take notes. I have done modified Cornell before and this looks like an interesting lesson to teach it more effectively.

So there you have it- my general back to school method! What do you guys do for back to school? do you have any special ways to introduce you rules and procedures? Anything new you are trying this year? Leave a comment below and share!

The Lesson That Failed

So this little post is about the lesson that failed. It is also a little bit about building rapport with students.

Recently, we have been learning about scientific method. My lessons are pretty streamlined- notes, activity, notes, activity, and so on.  I knew I was going to be out, so I whipped up an activity that the students could do on their on- collect data on each other, then graph it. I was super excited- easy for a sub, the students were still learning- I was patting myself on the back.

Well, they didn't end up getting the lesson on the day I was out (there was a mix-up in the office), so I planned to do it the day I came back.

In the middle of introducing the activity to them, it dawns on me.

This lesson will not work. AT ALL.

I will have to completely change this lesson.

Crap.

This is where the rapport part comes in.

I have a tendency to be very open and honest with my students. I am really transparent with them. I let them know why things are happening in the school when changes are made (so, all the time). I tell them how, why and when I grade papers. I tell them how, and why, they got their grades. I am all in favor of students having access to information so that they understand what is going on around them.

I do this not just because I think everyone should be as informed as possible, but also because it builds a sense of trust. They know that I will tell the truth, that I will explain things to them.

It also means that they will behave better. My class almost never has problems. Every time admin walks through, students are doing what they need to do- getting work done, participating, discussing.

I am upfront about my lessons, that the students are guinea pigs, and that sometimes the lesson that I give at the end of the day is completely different based upon what happens in each class. They are equal partners in this-my students are helping me be a better teacher by helping me build better lessons.

So yeah. Right in the middle of introducing the activity (which they are excited about), I stop talking. Just stare at the paper.

**thinking furiously**

Ok, guys. Change of plan. This will not work they way  I wrote it.

Proceeded to change a small group activity into a whole class activity.

And it worked. They laughed. They rolled with it. Enjoyed it even.

We collected data. We graphed data. We made conclusions.

They day was saved, I was able to adapt the lesson for the rest of the day. (Pssst-Do you want the fixed version? Find it here!)

You should never be afraid of failure. I have known teachers who thought that they had to be on stage the entire time- performing a flawless routine. These teachers never showed a crack, never had a mistake, even to the point of being completely in the wrong-still pushing that the teacher is right no matter what.

I have never agreed with that. I have always found that being honest with them has been the best policy (*see previous paragraph about behavior!).

So, anyway.. *climbs off soapbox*

This is my story about the lesson that failed. 

Have you ever had a lesson that went spectacularly wrong *right* in the middle of teaching it? Share it so we all feel better!

PBL Posts: What is project based learning?

Hi everybody!

Today is a short post, but I am posting about something I have been wanting to do for a while- move to a PBL classroom!

What the heck is PBL? It stands for "project based learning" and is a great way to get students to become more creative and innovative thinkers! It is a method of teaching that encourages students to actively discover the information in the curriculum themselves, not to sit passively by while the teacher lectures. It is a big buzzword going around in education right now.

The general idea of PBL is to use the standards as a guide to structure a unit that will allow students to discover ideas, experiment, make mistakes and "productively struggle" to reach an understanding of the material. This is a huge undertaking! As I sit here, and think about my subject (chemistry!) I can think of units here and there that can easily fit into PBL, others not so much.

My biggest concern is that the students will not get the information they need, based upon the standard I am supposed to follow. I teach high school chemistry, and most of the information about PBL that I find is geared more toward middle school, or towards having the students choose a problem and find ways to solve it (while learning the material on the way). I have still not quite figured this part out.

A big challenge will also be that my students are not on level, as far as reading goes (so the textbook is out) and we do not have any real access to computers. I think I will still have to do a little presentation to introduce basic facts, or to move investigations along...

So, my goal for this semester is to start adding in a lesson to each unit where I will give a demonstration (or show a video) and have the students begin to study to figure it out. I am thinking that this will be sort of like a 2-4 day lab, with materials and information to guide them on their way.

I would love to hear from some other teachers, of any subject- do you use PBL or inquiry based learning? How have you implemented it? Do you have any tips for a newbie! Leave comments below, and help a teacher out!!!

Lesson Planning: Introduction to Science

On February 6, we will be starting a new semester. The school I teach at is an accelerated high school, which means a chemistry class that is usually a whole year long, is only half a year (or one semester) long.

I am loving this format, because it means I get to see new students, AND I get to test out all the changes I want to try out in my curriculum! I don't know about you, but I scribble all over my master copies (and even on additional post-its) ALL the things that go right or (mostly) wrong after I teach a lesson.

*not an actual picture of it, but pretty close...

I was able to spend some time during the state exams we just took to revamp and make the changes I had written on my lesson plans during this semester. I am really excited about the changes I made to my first unit and I wanted to share them with you!

I always start every class I teach with an (re)Introduction to Science and Scientific Methods unit. I have found that most students either have never had this topic or never learned/forgot from previous classes.

My original Intro to Science lesson was okay- I felt it was choppy, and not presented smoothly. I mixed in a little bit of scientific method, without explicitly telling what the scientific method was (oops!). There were no good activities- I had made a worksheet, but it wasn't great.

There were many, many, many notes on that lesson plan....

My new and improved Introduction to Science is so much more focused! It is entirely about science as a field of study. It includes characteristics of scientific thinking, the branches of science, types of jobs that require science and ways that a knowledge of science and scientific thinking can help in other ways (not just passing class!). That was my biggest addition to the topic-reasons to learn science. I always have that question-"why do I have to learn this?" Well, now I have reasons that I can give them!

I also added in a color-by-number that goes along with the presentation, instead of the previous worksheet. I love the color-by-numbers available, but wanted one that was more inspiring for my students. The quote that they color in says "You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the first one." I love it!

You can check out my new Introduction to Science Lesson on TpT! For $3, this lesson includes a PowerPoint presentation (both regular and modified for special education), guided notes, a color-by-number activity sheet and a 5-question quiz. I find this lesson usually takes about a day, or one 50 minute class period to complete, with the quiz given the next day or so.

If you are interested in an in-depth unit on the Scientific Method, make sure to follow my TpT store-I should be posting it about the middle of the month! It will include an overview of the scientific method, then individual lessons on 1) observations, hypothesis and asking questions, 2) variables and experimental design, 3) data, graphing and writing conclusions. I also plan to release a bundle of all the lessons, plus a stations activity, labs and unit test!

Introduction to Science

I have been teaching Science for 6 years, and every year I start with an Introduction to Science Unit. In middle school, it was a great way to introduce 6th graders in their first year of dedicated science or to remind 7th and 8th grade students of scientific methods and measurements, as well as the tools that we will be using.

The topics I always try to cover include:
What is science? where I talk about the branches of science and scientific thinking
Scientific Theories and Laws- definitions and the differences of each
Scientific method- including the steps of scientific method
Scientific tools- I try to cover all the materials that a student would see in a middle school science lab
Lab safety- I cover basic safety in the science classroom

This year, I am using them to ensure that my students have a strong foundation for an accelerated high school chemistry course. Because these students are often coming into the classroom with little or no background, it will be necessary to ensure their success.

Because of this less than steller science background, I am changing my Intro to Science Unit up a bit to better suit my high school chemistry classroom. Some of the additions I have planned are:
-adding a section on What is Chemistry? to give students a better understanding of why we have chemistry class
-dropping the sceintific theories and laws
-adding a mini-unit on lab reports and how to write them
-adding more chemistry specific safety information in the safety lesson

DON'T SNIFF. WAFT!!!

Are you are looking to start the year with a solid Introduction to Science Unit? Check out my Introduction to Science mini-lessons!

All my mini-lessons include a photograph-rich presentation, fill-in-the-blank guided notes, a worksheet and a quiz. And don't forget to follow my store on Teachers Pay Teachers to be updated when new mini-lessons are released!

#BestYearEver at Teachers Pay Teachers One Day Sale!

Surprise! Teachers Pay Teachers is having a one day sale on Monday, August 22 to make sure your year is #BestYearEver! Everything in my store is 20% off Monday AND Tuesday! On Monday, enter the code OneDay and save 28% on everything in my store.

And don't forget to enter my Raffle to win a $10 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers! Raffle ends at midnight tonight!
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Back to School Giveaway-$10 to Teachers Pay Teachers!

Happy Sunday everyone! I am starting orientation at my new school this week (eeek!!!) so I am having a special 24 hour giveaway! Enter below to win a $10 gift card to Teachers pay Teachers-you can use it in any store and stock up on all your back to school needs!

There are 4 ways to enter the giveaway-but hurry- it only lasts 24 hours!!!
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Back to School-Vacation Post!

That's right people, Summer is not quite over yet! At least for me, anyway. (sorry teachers who are already back!)

This year, my in-laws were kind enough to rent a beach house for a week for the whole family! It is one of the two mini-vacations we took this Summer, which is a HUGE change for us. We have not taken a real vacation since before the first daughter was born (so about 4 years ago). We went on a babymoon vacay to New Orleans, and Rob ate so much at K-Paul's restaurant that he cried and was (almost) sick. And I was about 7 months preggo in NOLA in the summer. Ah, good times.

So, anyway, while I am lazing it up on the beach, I thought I would pull together some awesome posts about back-to-school stuff. There have been lots of posts popping up about "things I wish I had known my first year" and all I can say is OH MY GOD, YES, TRUTH PEOPLE. I really wish I had known some of this stuff......

Enjoy and here's hoping your yearly goes smoothly(ish?)

1)Amy Brown Science- Tips for New (and Experienced) Science Teachers
Yes, it is geared toward science classrooms, but most of her 20(!) tips are universal. This was really helpful to me as a returning science teacher to remind me of areas that might lag, or things I forget over the summer. I keep a running order list all year, so I know what to purchase the next. And I ALWAYS try out the experiment before the lesson (that was a hard one to learn!!!)

2) Kacie from Managing and Motivating Math Minds has some wonderful advice on starting the year right. There are a few in there that I am working on now, after 6 years in the classroom!

3) MaryPat from Just Add Students has some great tips. My favorite is to keep notes as each lesson or day is over. I either review them the next day or at the end of the unit to improve my lessons.

4) Sherry at World Language Cafe shares what she has found to work in her classroom. I greet kids at the door and I am always honest with them about when I am not feeling well, and it really does help!

5) Melissa at Little Owl Academy shares a sweet, touching story about why we should remember that our students also have lives outside of the classroom that affects what goes on inside the classroom.

BTS Blog Hop! Classroom Organization Tips and Tricks

Hi everybody!

It's my first Blog Hop and I am teaming up with 50 great teacherprenuers to bring you tried and true classroom management and organizational strategies that work in our classrooms. Please make sure that you hop to each participating blog! We are also hosting a giveaway. Enter to win one of two great prizes. We are giving away the chance to win a $50 TpT Gift Card and classroom resources from over 30 teacher authors. Good luck! 

Check out each blog for great tips on classroom management and organization and enter to win all the great prizes!

Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale!

Hey everyone, it's that time again! Back to School is upon us, which means that Teachers Pay Teachers is offering a discount of 10%  (using promo code BESTYEAR) ON TOP OF the 20% discount I am offering on ALL OF MY PRODUCTS!

Make sure to check out all of the great sales happening now and stock up!

Doodle Notes Pages-no more boring meetings!

So I don't know about you, but I am a notes doodler. 

It helps me focus during meetings-I doodle and listen. Everyone assumes I am busily jotting down all the information. Reality?