What is a bellringer? A bellringer is an activity or small assignment that students complete when they first enter a classroom. They can be writing assignments, quick formative assessments, or partnered activities. Why should middle school teachers use bellringers? Bellringers gives students an opportunity to transition from one task (or class) to another and mentallyContinue reading “Why Bellringers?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Index of Spring Resources
Celebrate the spring equinox with resources for your middle school science classroom: The Science of the Seasons – 9 interactive slides for students to drag and drop information about how the revolution of the earth produces seasons. This activity works for earth science units as well as aspecial lesson that you can use to introduceContinue reading “Index of Spring Resources”
Virtual Field Trip to the Tropical Rainforest
What is an Interactive Virtual Field Trip There are times when talking about something just isn’t good enough. Great examples are glaciers, deserts and canyons. There are still plenty of places I want my middle school science students to “visit” that just aren’t possible. An interactive virtual field trip allows students to learn about aContinue reading “Virtual Field Trip to the Tropical Rainforest”
Learning about Women in Science
Why do we teach about women in science? March is women’s history month and March 8th is International Women’s Day. The purpose of both is to reflect and learn about the often overlooked contributions of women to American history. In my science class, I like to make March women in science history month in myContinue reading “Learning about Women in Science”
Reading Weather Maps
Do you teach weather maps? Middle school students love learning about weather – it’s fun, practical, and easy for them if they get enough practice. An important skill is being able to read weather maps. My “Reading Weather Maps” resource is a printable or digital tool that many teachers have used to help their middleContinue reading “Reading Weather Maps”
Wordle for middle school science
Students come in all sizes and shapes. Some students understand concepts more easily, and some struggle a bit. Some finish assignments fast and some need remediation. I always have at least one or two enrichment activities on hand for my middle school science students to grab when they’re ahead of the pack. An activityContinue reading “Wordle for middle school science”
Color By Number for Middle School Science
Why enrichment? Students come in all sizes and shapes. Some students understand concepts more easily, and some struggle a bit. Some finish assignments fast and some need remediation. I always have at least one or two enrichment activities on hand for my middle school science students to grab when they’re ahead of the pack. IContinue reading “Color By Number for Middle School Science”
Teach and Touch the Future
When I was 7 or 8 years old, my sister and I were playing school in the backyard. We always played school, and I was always the teacher. I remember using marker to write “page 2” on the wall of the garage because that was the page I wanted my sister to read inContinue reading “Teach and Touch the Future”
Atomic Structure Magic Picture Reveal Worksheet
What are Magic Picture Reveal Worksheets? Any time you can make learning and reviewing vocabulary fun, do it! Magic Picture Reveal worksheets are digital vocabulary or practice worksheets created using conditional formatting on Google Sheets. As students correctly answer each question, a few pixels of a magic picture are revealed. Once they get all ofContinue reading “Atomic Structure Magic Picture Reveal Worksheet”
3 Ways to create Self-Checking Worksheets
Do you use self-checking worksheets? Our students love them, and we do too. Not only are they a huge time saver for the teacher, self-checking worksheets are also a great way for students to take some ownership of their own learning. Students can practice at their own pace, self-identify what they need to study, andContinue reading “3 Ways to create Self-Checking Worksheets”