If you’ve been teaching for a while, chances are you have had some ELL (English language learner) students in your classroom. I’ve known many teachers that have panicked and asked me “how can I teach them science if they don’t speak English?” I think many teachers tend to think they
Why density is so important Density is a fun topic to teach because it is so hands-on. There are a ton of experiments you can do to help students understand the concept. It’s an important concept for students to understand across all the branches of science: Black holes. Layers of
I posted a picture of my latest bulletin board on facebook and instagram and got a lot of positive feedback. Many people reached out asking for a copy to make their own, so I’ve uploaded it for FREE to my TpT store! I’ve included 2 versions: a non-editable PDF that
Are you tired of hearing the following questions 10 times a day:“What did we do yesterday?”“Was there homework?”“I lost my paper. Can I have a new one?”“What are we doing today? Anything FUN?”“Where do I turn this in? I know I was. Want to save your sanity? I cannot express
(Want to save this blog post for later? Click here to repin!) Cladograms are my favorite part of the classification and taxonomy unit. They are relatively simple for students to grasp and are great for visual learners. While they can be easy to read, sometimes students struggle once you ask
Living? Nonliving? Dormant? Dead? Even though teaching living vs. nonliving seems very elementary, you’d be surprised by how often high school students get confused when you throw examples at them. Fossils? Fire? Slime mold? How can we test if they are alive or not? Teaching characteristics of life is a
It’s almost time for me to start planning out my first week of school (yes it’s crazy, I go back end of July). When I first started teaching, I spent the first week reviewing the syllabus, class rules, and (duh duh duh duhhhhh) spent time reviewing all the lab safety
As much as we would love to have our lessons end 30 seconds before the bell rings, it rarely happens. Even if it does work out perfectly in 1st hour, 2nd hour is a completely different group of students and the lesson might require more or less time. It sometimes
Whew! You made it to the end of the year! (insert happy dance here). The last week of school all most teachers have on their mind is posting grades and summer vacation. Buutttttt….. I’m here to give you a few tips on things you can do NOW to make your
This is one lab that you don’t want to miss! It’s easy, the materials are inexpensive (you probably already have them at home), and it ties together multiple concepts. Winner! In this lab, students will analyze a pedigree of a fictitious family. In the introduction, students read that “Jon and
Teaching English language learner (ELL) students is not for the faint of heart. In my teaching career, I have always had ELL students trickled throughout my classes. This year is the first year that I have had a biology class made up of entirely all ELL students. They vary in
It’s April. Sigh. If you live in the US, you are likely experiencing testing season. Between ACT, SAT, and state exams, it seems like the entire month is taken. Kids are burned out and teachers just want to start teaching again. Students have to be quiet when they finish testing