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Eclipse Reflections

We had an absolute blast at the April 8 2024 eclipse!

This was our second total solar eclipse, but definitely not our last. We viewed it from a parking lot in Plattsburgh, NY, after a long drive from Buffalo where the skies weren’t as cooperative. 3 1/2 minutes of totality, absolutely gorgeous corona and a bright pink prominence were the highlights of totality. Here’s a quick summary of our experience:

Drop me a comment below and let me know your experience with the eclipse – I sure hope there’s a total solar eclipse in your future, too!

Engaging Science Review Games That Require Minimal Prep

How do you review for assessments? I spend at least one class period reviewing the key parts of the unit – defining vocab, answering practice questions, and reviewing concepts. And I also like to spend a day playing a review game. It’s easy to create engaging science review games for your middle schoolers to practice what they know and prepare for assessments.

Benefits of review games

Review games help middle school science students in many ways.

Enhanced retention. Engaging science review games provide an opportunity for active learning and reinforcement of concepts and vocabulary leading to better retention of material as compared to passive study methods.
Increased motivation. Playing a game lets students have fun while learning. More enjoyable activities increase student motivation. Games are a well needed break from traditional classroom activities and re-energize students.
Opportunity for collaboration. Middle schoolers in 2024 need people skills. Rather than interacting with a computer, let students interact with each other and practice their communication and social skills.
Immediate feedback. Science review games provide instant reinforcement or correction of their answers and therefore allow students (and teachers) to identify areas of strength and weakness.
Low stakes. Engaging science review games are less intimidating than a traditional review activity. Students aren’t as intimidated in a game as they might be when directly questioned, and games provide a safe space for growing learners to practice and hone their skills.

15 Engaging Science Review Games

Here are 15 different ways you can review science concepts with your middle schoolers this unit:

Scavenger hunts – Students work in teams or independently to find clues around your classroom. Tie this in with solving a riddle and they’ll be super engaged. Try a free scavenger hunt about renewable and nonrenewable energy here!
Kahoot – Whole class games are incredibly engaging for middle schoolers who love competition. Kahoot has pre-made quiz type games but it’s also super easy (and free) to create your own questions.
Boom cards – Boom cards are digital flash cards that my middle schoolers love! A deck of Boom cards can have 20-100 cards that students can use to practice any content you want. Here’s a link to try a free set of Boom cards about plate tectonics.
Quizziz – Quizziz has lots of free whole class activities and it’s also super easy to create your own game. Very fun for competitive classes.
Self checking quizzes – Activities students can use independently to practice their knowledge of a unit are the big winners in engaging science review games. Using a Google form, you can allow students unlimited practice along with immediate feedback in a low stakes environment. Click here to download a free Google form self checking worksheet you can use today!
Blooket – This is a versatile web page where you can create a set of multiple choice questions and then apply them to a wide variety of games like Gold Quest, Tower Defense, and Fishing Frenzy.
I have, Who has – Students each receive a game card with a question and an answer on it. Then, I read a question. The student with the answer on his or her card reads the answer and then reads their question. If you set this up correctly, the answer to the last question a student reads will be on my card. I use a timer and encourage inter-class competition. Here’s a free template.
File Folder games – A file folder game consists of a board game with pieces that all fit inside a file folder. I start the year with one that I’ve created, but then have my students create their own as the year progresses.
Quizlet live – Use Quizlet to create vocab flash cards that students can practice with, and then play a game of Quizlet Live during class. Quizlet Live allows quick games that engage all learners in a low stakes competition. This is a great one for a quick closure or warm up as well.
Self checking worksheets – Google sheets can be used to create the ultimate in engaging science review games. With a little bit of prep work, you can design worksheets that give students immediate feedback on their answers. A little bit more work and the feedback can take the form of a digital image, pixel art, or a digital game. Try this free moon phases digital worksheet to get an idea of how versatile Google sheets can be.
2 player digital racing games – Pair your students up and have them share a pre-made digital worksheet where they answer questions to advance their player in a competitive game. My kids love them and beg for more. If you haven’t tried them, here’s a free one for you!
Escape rooms – An escape room uses content related puzzles to find clues and solve mysteries. A simple way to make a digital breakout is to use Google Sites. On Google Sites, you can add text to explain the problem, add images that link to puzzles, and add a Google Form onto which students must enter a password that they’ve learned from the clues. You can try a free Weather Vocabulary Escape Activity here.
Boom card escape rooms – Designed to be completed independently rather than in groups, a Boom card escape room uses Boom cards to progress through a series of challenges.
Trivia games – This is my own take on bar trivia in which students form teams and have to answer a series of “trivia” questions that review content they need to know. Here’s a free animal kingdom trivia game you can download today!
Scoot – Lay task cards around the room or hang them on the walls. Students travel from one card to another, recording their answers to each task card on a recording sheet. Sometimes I let students move to the next card at their own pace. Other times, I play music and they move when the music stops. I also might set a timer to let them know when to move.

incorporating engaging science review games into your middle school classroom can transform traditional review sessions into dynamic and interactive learning experiences. By embracing the power of play, you not only reinforce key concepts and vocabulary but also foster collaboration, motivation, and critical thinking skills among your students. These 15 review games offer endless opportunities to make science review sessions both educational and enjoyable. By infusing your curriculum with these interactive activities, you’ll not only enhance student comprehension and retention but also ignite a passion for learning that extends far beyond the classroom walls. So why wait? Start playing, exploring, and inspiring scientific curiosity today!

Celebrating Earth Day with Middle Schoolers

Celebrating Earth Day with middle schoolers instills a sense of environmental stewardship and responsibility and cultivates an appreciation for our planet’s beauty and fragility. These students are the future leaders, so let’s empower them to become proactive advocates for sustainable practices in their communities and beyond.

Celebrating Earth Day with Middle Schoolers

What is Earth Day

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. Inspired by growing concerns over pollution, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, along with activist Denis Hayes, mobilized 20 million Americans in nationwide demonstrations. People rallied for cleaner air, water, and a healthier planet. This monumental event led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of key environmental legislation such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. Since then, Earth Day has become a global deal, bringing folks from all over together to make sure we’re taking care of this one planet we’ve got!

Celebrating Earth Day with Middle Schoolers

Here are 15 Earth Day activities you can use this week: Celebrating Earth Day with Middle Schoolers

Organize a neighborhood or campus clean up. By picking up garbage, students learn the importance of not littering.
Do a project to learn about endangered animals. Begin by having each student choose an endangered species and then researching the habitat, food, and other needs of their species.
Create posters or artwork about environmental issues.
Organize a clothing drive, book drive, or toy drive to promote reuse.
Start a composting project at school.
Share a documentary about an environmental issue.
Take a nature walk around campus and appreciate local ecosystems.
Plant seeds. If your school property has room, buy a few seedlings from a local nursery and have students plant them. (Better yet, have the seedlings donated.) If space is a problem, plant annual flowers around the entrance to the school. Send kids home with seedlings or small potted plants.
Learn about climate change. There’s no doubt that climate change is one of the biggest challenges to science this year. Have students research evidence of climate change so they can be armed against naysayers. Have groups of students research the impacts climate change has on your local ecosystem.
Play a trivia game to learn about Earth Day.
Write letters to local officials advocating for environmental policies.
Organize a bike or walk to school day to reduce carbon emissions.
Create a birdhouse or bat box to support local wildlife.
Create an upcycled art project from recycled objects.
Try a new Earth Day logic puzzle. Use clues to figure out which student created which Earth Day project.

How will you celebrate Earth Day with your middle schoolers?

What to do when your middle schooler makes a bad choice

In a world of peer pressure, impulsivity, and TikTok, how can we, as middle school educators, guide our students to being their best possible selves? Here are some ways we can help middle schoolers make good decisions.

Teen Brains

Teen brains are still developing, and the slowest part to develop is the control center. It is perfectly normal for students to try to figure how how far they can push the envelope.

When my daughter was 3 years old, she wanted to pick out her own clothes. But her closet was filled with great outfits and she loved them all and the act of choosing was completely overwhelming for her. So I gave her three outfits every day to choose from. Winner winner chicken dinner. She got to feel a sense of control about something important to her, and I got out the door in less than an hour.

The developing teen brain undergoes significant changes, particularly in when teens make bad choices regions associated with decision-making and impulse control. During adolescence, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational thinking and decision-making, is still maturing, while the limbic system, involved in emotions and reward processing, is highly active. This imbalance often leads teens to make impulsive and sometimes poor choices. Factors such as peer influence, sensation-seeking behavior, and hormonal fluctuations further contribute to this propensity for risky decision-making. Understanding these neurological changes can help educators, parents, and policymakers implement strategies to support teens in making better choices, such as providing education on risk assessment, promoting healthy coping mechanisms, and fostering positive peer relationships.

Teens need a sense of control over their worlds. But they don’t always make the correct decisions when there are too many options to pick from. A lack of boundaries is overwhelming for middle schoolers in much the same way that excessively long menu options in a diner make choosing what to order difficult. Part of our job is to help our middle schoolers learn to make good decisions.

Bad Choices

Remember devious licks? It was a phenomenon in 2021 when students posted videos on TikTok of themselves vandalizing items in their school, most notably bathrooms. Some students posted videos of themselves stealing paper towel dispensers, toilet paper rolls, mirrors, even ceiling tiles. The students in my school followed the trend and our school’s response was heightened bathroom monitoring. Teachers were asked to sit outside the bathroom and record the names of students using the bathroom throughout the day. I’m not sure our response helped at all, but eventually the vandals got tired of their pranks and moved on to bigger and better things like the Slap A Teacher challenge. Schools responded by installing more security cams, hiring school resource officers, and increasing the hall monitoring responsibilities of teachers.

All that faded, thankfully. Most school never developed a way to prevent such shenanigans, only a way to catch students and punish them.

But this year feels different. While students aren’t posting their adventures on TikTok, they’ve started playing pranks for no benefit at all. Stealing another student’s ID or cell phone, breaking someone’s chromebook, stealing a teacher’s flash drive or tape dispensers have all become (unfortunately) a common part of middle school this year. When they’re caught, students deny the accusation. Their parents often believe them and administration has to rely on cameras for evidence because eye witnesses aren’t trustworthy or reliable any more. Accused students say it was “just a joke” as if vandalizing their teacher’s desk or urinating on the bathroom floor were funny in any way.

These are middle schoolers. Children who, it is reasonable to assume, should know better. And many do. But every year we set new records for numbers of detentions and suspensions. Every year, we more than double the previous year’s record of bullying incidents. How can we help middle schoolers make good decisions?

I don’t have the solution

I’m not even sure there is a solution – kids have to navigate adolescence by themselves. But I know how to help students make better choices. Here are some things to try:

Reward good choices, in whatever way that looks like in your classroom. A word of praise, a piece of candy, or a phone call home with a compliment work wonders.
Set clear expectations. Clearly define boundaries and consistently reinforce them to help teens understand the consequences of their actions. Knowing what appropriate behavior looks like helps middle schoolers make good decisions.
Teach problem solving skills. Equip your students with the tools necessary to assess situations, identify possible solutions, and make informed decisions.
Provide consequences. Criminal behavior needs to be punished. Consequences need to be immediate and consistent.
Students need to make reparations for damage they’ve caused. They should be made to pay for stolen or broken items. “I’m sorry” or a 3 day suspension doesn’t replace the broken bathroom sink.
Keep them busy. Students with engaging and appropriately challenging work don’t have time to bother with pranks. I know that sounds simplistic, but all misbehavior occurs during “down time.” Minimize the down time.

Grow Up

Everyone grows up eventually, but a very wise principal once said to me, “Faces may change but behaviors repeat.” The kid whose driving you nuts this year will move on to the next grade eventually, but you’ll still have to deal with the behaviors that drove you nuts when another child takes his place. Smart educators learn how to manage them.

Spring break

It is just me, or does the stretch from December break to spring break get longer each year? Well, it’s finally here, and it’s time for teachers to do what we haven’t been able to do for months! Here’s my check list for this spring break:

Eat a meal, drink coffee, make phone calls, and use the bathroom when I want.
Sleep late. Maybe even take a nap. My school year has been very draining so far
Tackle one home project. This year, I’m feeling pretty burnt out so it will be a small one. Maybe replace the runners on the stairs or clean a kitchen cabinet or two. Other years, when I’ve had more energy, I’ve painted rooms, decluttered closets, cleaned attics and garages. But I think it’s important to do at least one thing around the house to give myself a sense of accomplishment.
Dress however I want. There are no “spirit days” in my house so I won’t need to worry about wearing school colors or crazy hair day.
Do some yoga, go for a run, or meditate. Maybe all three.
Spend time with friends. When the school year is particularly hectic and there’s nothing left in the can at the end of the day, my friends are often short changed. While being careful not to overbook myself, I’m going to catch up with people I love.
Do something nice for myself. Mani-pedi, read a book, maybe even some retail therapy.
Take a road trip. This year, our destination is the path of totality for the April 8th eclipse. Two nights in a cabin in the woods or in a hotel by the sea recharges the batteries and helps prep me for the 2 1/2 months left in this school year!

Celebrate Women in Science

History classes around the Country are celebrating Women in History Month this March, but what are you doing in your middle school science classroom? We celebrate Women in Science in my classroom all month with activities and mini-lessons on some of the amazing women who have helped pave the way in science.

Read about some of my favorite women in science here!

One way I celebrate women in science in my classroom is with a picture walk. I hang short biographies of some of my favorite women in science around the room and give students guided questions to lead them through the picture walk. You can check it out here. Oh yeah, and I put it on sale at 1/2 off from now until the end of March..

I don’t always have enough time to spend an entire day on women in science, as shameful as saying that makes me feel. In that case, I have an abbreviated version of that same activity that students can do independently and in their own homes – no hanging pictures required. Check it out here – also on sale from now until the end of March.

What are you doing for Women’s History month? Will you celebrate with some women in science nostalgia or trivia? Let me know in the comment section below!

Planning for the April 8th Total Solar Eclipse!

I’ve been completely speechless only a few times in my life. At the Grand Canyon, on top of Mount Washington, and when I observed the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. We were in Kansas City. After a few days of enjoying the sights and sampling lots of barbecue, we headed to a field for the big event. The partial phase was lovely, but then a few clouds came in. Panicking, we drove in and out of traffic, up and over fields, and found a hole in the clouds on a side road next to a farmer’s field. A few other cars joined us, and, when totality approached, the entire horizon – 360 degrees, glowed red in a sunset. The air temperature dropped. Birds stopped chirping and everything got eerily silent. The sky darkened and the farmers’ horses headed into the barn. We were plunged into darkness and stars became visible.

I couldn’t speak. To be honest, I still can’t find the words to describe this. It was overwhelming, amazing, and breathtaking. I will never miss a solar eclipse again.

There will be a total solar eclipse visible through a wide path of North America on Monday, April 8th, 2024. If you’re outside of the path of totality, you should be prepared for a partial eclipse. Here are some ways to help your students get excited for this event!

What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and the Earth, obscuring the Sun’s light from reaching specific locations on Earth. This alignment only happens during a new moon and results in a temporary dimming of the sky despite it being the middle of the day. Observers within the eclipse’s path can witness the Sun being completely covered, plunging the surroundings into a momentary twilight. Depending on your location on Earth, the eclipse may be seen as total in which the Moon completely blocks the Sun or partial in which the Moon only partially blocks the Sun making it appear crescent shaped.

april 8 total solar eclipse

First contact is when the edge of the Moon appears to touch the edge of the Sun. As the Moon passes over the Sun, the edges of shadows start to become sharper and change to crescents.

Just before totality, the Sun’s corona appears. The corona is the outer part of the Sun’s atmosphere. Because the Sun is so bright, the corona is normally not visible but during a solar eclipse, it appears as a glowing ring around the Sun. The diamond ring and Baily’s beads are two phenomena that occur immediately before and after totality. The diamond ring effect is the appearance of only a tiny portion of the Sun peaking out from a ring around the Moon. Baily’s beads are small bright spots around the ring of the Moon caused by the Sun peaking through craters and valleys on the Moon.

During totality is the only time, ever, that it is safe to directly observe the Sun without eclipse glasses. Totality lasts only a few seconds in some places to a few minutes in others. Solar prominences may be visible around the Sun.

As the Moon continues to pass over the Sun, the diamond ring and Baily’s beads will appear again.

And within a few minutes after totality, nature will return to normal. Animals that were silent during the eclipse will return to their chatter. The eerie sky will go back to normal, but, if you’re anything like me, you won’t. You’ll carry the awe of this experience forever.

How to observe the eclipse with your students

Classroom activities to get ready for the eclipse

If you’re in the path of totality, be sure to buy your students eclipse glasses! Hold a bake sale or take the money out of the budget – whatever your district will allow!
Make a pinhole projector. This is a simple and fun activity that will enable students to “see” the eclipse without damaging their eyes.
Model eclipses using foam balls and a flashlight. Have students draw what they see from the Earth during lunar and solar eclipses.
Use timeanddate.com to identify how much of the eclipse will be visible in your location and what time it will be visible.
Participate in citizen science at the GLOBE Observer app. People all over North America will record and input data regarding clouds and air temperature during the eclipse.
Observe the wildlife around your during the eclipse and submit your audio recording at Eclipse Soundscapes.
Partner with your language arts department and have students describe their observations in the form of prose or poetry.

The Genetics of Budgies for middle schoolers

Budgies are small parrots and are one of the most popular pet birds. Occasional breeding by their owners has built a impressive amateur database of budgie genetics and creates a great hook for middle school science teachers to engage students in the study of genetics.

budgie genetics

Traits such as feather color, wing color, and cheek color are easily observable traits that are inherited by simple dominance. Blue cheeks are dominant over violet. Grey wings are dominant over yellow, and green body feathers are dominant over blue.

In this new resource, students have the opportunity to design a male and female budgie using the three traits of cheek color, wing color, and body feathers and then find out what kind of offspring the two birds will have. Along the way, students practice genetics vocabulary to earn the right to change their budgie’s traits.

Check out this video below:

Did you notice that students have to answer 15 questions in total but that they are rewarded every 2 or 3 questions with an opportunity to pick a trait for either the mother bird or the father bird? Then, the traits of the baby bird are randomly chosen from the parents’ alleles – baby birds can’t be born with a dominant trait if both parents show the recessive trait, but they can be born with a recessive trait even if both parents show the dominant trait.

How does it work?

There are 3 parts to this activity:

First, students must answer 15 questions – mostly vocabulary questions – about genetics.

Then, students choose the characteristics of the parent budgies. They can choose the color of the bird’s cheeks, wings, and body feathers.

Finally, students decide if they want a male or female baby bird and name it. Once they name the bird, the egg opens and the baby’s features are revealed.

Why do I love self-checking resources

Using a self checking worksheet to teach genetics in middle school is a easy way to solve lots of problems:

Instant Feedback: With self-checking worksheets, you don’t have to wait for me to give you the thumbs up. You’ll know right away if you’re soaring like a superhero or need a little boost.
Learn from Mistakes: Self-checking worksheets help students see where they stumbled, so they can learn from those slip-ups and come back stronger. That helps build a growth mindset and grit.
Practice Makes Perfect: The more students practice, the more confident they become. Self-checking worksheets let students tackle problems at their own pace, building skills step by step.
Teamwork Friendly: Grab a buddy and dive into these worksheets together. Compare answers, discuss concepts, and watch your understanding bloom.
Boost Confidence: There’s nothing like acing a problem and seeing that correct answer pop up. It’s like a mini celebration that fuels your confidence to tackle even trickier challenges.
It’s Fun! Students are more engaged when they have instant feedback. When the pixel art becomes visible after getting a question or two correct, it’s a little dopamine hit for your kids!

Why I love this create-your-own bird resource

Students learn genetics. This particular resource is a new favorite of mine because it’s fun for kids but it also helps them understand the basics of genetics using simple dominance. Not only do they get the vocabulary practice, but they also get a chance to manipulate genes on a small scale to see how it affects the offspring.
It’s fun. After they’ve practiced the vocab, they can change the characteristics of each of the parent birds to try to get a baby with a particular set of traits.
Easy to differentiate. As an enrichment exercise, I have students create Punnett Squares demonstrating each of the traits in their offspring.

YES! I need this

Preventing Burnout: 12 Self-Care Strategies for Middle School Science Teachers

How to Put the Joy back in teaching and Prevent Burnout

For the last 10 weeks, it’s been dark when I get to work in the morning. After school, my life is consumed by prepping for dinner and then, by the time dinner is served, the sun is down again. It was really starting to feel like my whole life was work and sleep – and definitely too much of one and not enough of the other. And, of course, my students were feeling it too. We’re all slogging through the winter in what feels like the longest break-less stretch of the year. In the interest of preventing burnout, I started to look into some self-care strategies that I could implement to bring some joy back into teaching. Here are 12 ways I’m making work better for myself.

The little things are the big things. Focus on small victories.

The day that Liz said science was her favorite class. The day Ella told me she wanted to be a science teacher because I make it look fun. The day Ben (finally) got a passing grade on an assessment. Those are the little things that make my day brighter, and those are the things I want to focus on.

Re-read letters from past students.

I have a drawer of an old filing cabinet filled with letters and cards from students (and parents) that make me feel good. It’s an odd collection of holiday cards, notes from students, and emails from parents but rereading them reminds me of how much I (usually) love what I do.

Remember your WHY.

We all teach for the same reason – to make a difference in the lives of children. No one goes into this profession because it looks glamorous, easy, or well paid. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of teaching – the paperwork, IEP meetings, grading the piles of lab reports. But there’s no joy in that. Even after decades of teaching, I still love the conversations I have with 12 year olds. They fascinate me, challenge me, and delight me. When I’m feeling a little out of sorts, I find a student or two and sit with them for a few minutes. Ask them what’s up, how’s life. Tell them a story about something in your life. It rejuvenates me every time.

Let yourself, and your students, be silly.

My 30 second dance parties from the pandemic virtual learning days were infamous. Whether we were hybrid or on zoom, everyone had to get up and dance for 30 seconds to some 80s rock song I blared. Some kids were more shy than others, but that didn’t stop me – I danced as wildly as I could and we all had a great laugh. Have a rock-paper-scissors tournament (it takes less than 5 minutes) and crown a winner. Last week, we had a 5 minute round of balloon volleyball – winning team got to pick their own seats for the day. We lost a negligible amount of instructional time, but we gained a lot of fun.

Add competition.

Have students compete with each other or with different classes for whatever goal you want them to achieve – 100% homework completion, highest test average, fewest beakers broken during lab. Have them compete with you – who scores the highest in Kahoot, can they finish the bellringer before you take attendance, can they guess the vocab term before you write it on the board? Let students pick reward if they win – my students always pick no homework, but bigger competitions deserve bigger prizes – they get to pie you, you must drink hot sauce, you have to sing a song.

Gamify your lessons. Make it fun for you and for them.

Kahoot, escape rooms, Blooket, Quizlet live, I have Who has. Just play a game. Whether it’s 5 minutes or the whole class period, give some time for play within the content. They won’t even know they’re learning but they’ll have a great time and so will you.

Take a break – with or without students.

We had 9 days of cloudy weather. On the 10th day, the sun came out for about 45 minutes and, despite the cold, my class went for a walk outside. Just 10 minutes to circle the building, but we all came back refreshed. It’s also a great idea for your own mental health to get out of the building on your lunch or prep! I don’t like to go far – I need time at my desk to keep up with prepping and grading – but it’s important to take a break. Whether it’s a walk, a drive to run an errand, or even sitting on a bench, it’s much easier to focus when you’ve had time to unfocus. If you’re really swamped, take your laptop to the school library or to a bench outside if it’s nice out. A change is as good as a break, they say.

Ask for help – from admin, coworkers, parents, friends.

When it’s bad (and it’s often bad), make sure you have a support system to get you through. As a coworker to cover your hall duty today and then cover his or hers tomorrow. Ask admin for support with challenging students. Send an email to parents asking for tissues, glue sticks, whatever your class needs. Tell your friends you need an evening out. No teacher is an island.

Build relationships with students.

Talk to your students. Find common ground and have actual conversations. Let them know that you believe in them and that you’re here for them. Everyone wins when students and teachers genuinely like each other.

Use music you love during transitions.

I played a lot of Taylor Swift these last few months, but my students also recognize Boston, Luke Bryan, and Queen. Sometimes I choose a song with a science theme, and other times I pick a song that makes me happy. Play songs between class periods or as students are collecting materials for lab or doing the bellringer.

Catch up days – for you and for them.

Before every unit test, I build in a catch up day. I usually provide an outline of things students must do – make up missed work, complete review sheets, etc – and some choices of things they may do – enrichment activities or games. Lots of opportunity here for extra help and for relationship building.

Say no.

It really is ok if you don’t chaperone the spring dance. It’s ok if you don’t stay late on a Friday to provide extra help for the student who took a vacation last week. It’s ok if you don’t check emails over the weekend. It’s ok if you close your door when you’re eating your lunch. Although there sometimes is a culture that expects teacher availability 24/7, you don’t have to support that culture.

Engaging Middle School Minds with Valentine’s Day Science

Valentine’s Day is a great time to engage your middle school science students! Here are four ways to celebrate the holiday:

Chemistry of Love

Middle schoolers will be absolutely riveted studying the chemistry behind emotions and love. Discuss neurotransmitters, hormones, and the science of attraction. Include ways that animals attract mates and you’ve got them hooked!

Dissection

For the more hands on approach, ask your butcher for a cow or pig heart and show your students the chambers and valves of the heart. I promise you – they’ll be talking about that for years!

If that’s too gruesome for your kids, dissect a flower – tulips or lilies work best. Show students the path of the sperm to the egg and discuss how seeds grow.

Reproductive Strategies

Extend your learning in to the plant kingdom with propagation techniques. Have students plant spider plant babies, make cuttings of a pothos plant, or .propagate succulent pads.

Venus and Eros

valentine's day in middle school science

Have students compare oviparous vs viviparous reproduction and trace it to evolution. Have them compare placental and marsupial mammalian development. Identify species that mate for life.

This Valentine’s Day, Venus will be visible in the morning for those of us in the northern hemisphere. As the planet named for the goddess of love and beauty, your students might be excited to come to school a little early for some planet gazing. Eros, named for the Greek god of love, is the first asteroid ever discovered (in 1898). It is also the first asteroid that was orbited by a spacecraft – the NEAR Shoemaker orbited in 2000 and then landed in 2001.

It’s time to infuse joy, curiosity, and a dash of romance into your science lessons. Seize the opportunity to spark enthusiasm in your students and make this Valentine’s Day a celebration of both science and the heart! Happy Valentine’s Day!