6 Low Prep Science Activities for the First Week of School

I love the beginning of a new school year – I’m pretty sure that’s why I became a teacher! I love brand new sharpened pencils, shiny unused plan books (I still paper plan, even though I know it’s not 1989 any more), even back to school haircuts. But I don’t love the exhaustion that comes from ramping back up after that first day or ten. After so many years teaching, I’ve found I’m a better teacher, and kinder to myself, when I’m not exhausted. Here are some low prep activities to get your year kicked off.

1. Start with a mystery

Present your students with a puzzling phenomenon, image or question. Try “Why do we only see part of the moon at night?” to introduce moon phases or “Which of these objects will sink or float?” to introduce density.

Why this works? Building curiosity lets students know why they’re learning what you’re teaching. Setting a purpose for learning helps boost student desire to learn.

2. Lab Challenge

Give your students an opportunity to engage with the content and become curious about it. I start my pH unit with cabbage juice and some random substances to test – milk, lemon juice, soapy water. I give students test tubes of each substance and challenge them to make the cabbage juice bright pink.

Why this works? Students LOVE being given a chance to “play” with science. They’ll ask to repeat the challenge later in the unit once they have a better grasp of what’s happening. Let them!

3. Quick Demo

Show your students a 1-2 minute demo of something related to the content. Try dropping a feather and a ping pong ball from a ladder to introduce friction.

Why this works? Curiosity keeps them wondering. Hopefully, but the second day of the unit, they’ll be able to figure out why the feather took so long to fall.

4. Tap into Prior Knowledge (Even if it’s wrong!)

A quick partner turn and talk reminds students of what the already know. A KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) doc is a more formal way to assess this.

Why it works? This gives you an opportunity to pre-assess informally – do they need to learn this? What do you need to un-teach before you can teach?

5. Play a low pressure review game

I taught in a regional school district where seventh graders came from four different sending districts and seven different schools. One of the first things I noticed was the disparity in science preparation – some sixth grade classes nailed it and others fell short. But the first few days of school is no time to put anyone in the hotseat. Which is why I playa game of Trivia or Quizlet Live. A quick game of sixth grade content gives students a chance to play together and shows me areas of strength and weakness.

For some quick Get-To-Know you ideas you can use in any classroom, head over to this blog post from last year!

6. Try an Escape Room

My students *literally* can not get enough escape rooms. Normal classroom escape rooms involve locked boxes and combinations, and a LOT of prep. But digital escape rooms require minimal (read “zero”) teacher effort other than posting a link for students to work from. You can create your own (NOT zero prep) or purchase one already created for you – here’s a link to a free digital escape room AND step by step directions to creating your own if you’re feeling ambitious.

The beginning of the year is stressful enough – be sure you have some low pressure, low prep activities to get you through that first few weeks! For some quick Get-To-Know you ideas you can use in any classroom, head over to this blog post from last year!