Dendrochronology is the study of tree rings. Tree ring data can provide us information from the year they formed, including what the climate and atmospheric conditions were like. Scientists most commonly use living trees to collect data, but data can also be taken from archeological sites and even sunken ships.
If you have some spare time before Christmas break and want to do something fun, first off- congrats! I always seem to be squeezing everything in before finals and barely have time to review much less throw in some fun activities. One fun thing you can do with your students
Teaching the cell theory? If you just throw a bunch of names at your students, chances are they aren’t going to remember them. How can you make this topic more interesting? I like having students actually SEE what these scientists discovered (yes, you will need microscopes). In this cell theory
As teachers, we all have that one topic we hate to teach. For me, it’s photosynthesis and cellular respiration. They learn the basics in middle school: plants need water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight, and in turn they create oxygen and glucose. Then glucose gets broken down and turns into energy.
As teachers, we all have that one topic we hate to teach. For me, it’s photosynthesis and cellular respiration. They learn the basics in middle school: plants need water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight, and in turn they create oxygen and glucose. Eventually glucose gets broken down and turns into energy.
Moon phases. Some students catch on right away, while others seem to NEVER get it. (Heck, sometimes I even second guess myself). You’ve tried worksheets, the flashlight and styrofoam ball demo, video clips, and it still isn’t sinking in. Here is something new you can try: make a moon phase poster
Glow sticks always increase student engagement! They are inexpensive to buy (I can usually find them 8 for $1 at the dollar store). There are quite a few labs you can do with glow sticks depending on your science content area. Here is a list to choose from! TEACH PHYSICAL
Whenever I play review games before a test, I always have some sort of prize students can win. There is a LOT more buy in when there is a prize at stake, even if it’s only worth a few cents! Here are a list of prize ideas your students will
Ecology is one of my favorite topics to teach (along with evolution), so I’m excited to write up this blog post on biomes! In biology we begin the year with the characteristics of life, and then move into ecology. I like starting with ecology because it involves relatively easy concepts.
Owl pellets are really fun to dissect during ecology. One concern voiced by some colleague is this- most students have already dissected owl pellets in elementary or middle school. By the time they get to high school biology, should we do it again? What are they really taking away from
The beginning of the school year for chemistry teachers means… #1: atomic structure, and #2: how to read the periodic table. Looking for some fresh ideas? Here is a list of resources you can use to introduce and explore the periodic table. 1. ORGANIZING A STORE: Before diving into the
As a biology teacher, when I introduce the characteristics of life at the beginning of the year we discuss the term homeostasis. Students seem to remember the term for about a week, and it vanishes from their memory. When we could circle back to the term during cells (when observing