Ahhhh…. the dreaded first day of school icebreaker. Some teachers skip them altogether. Some principals require them. I’m in the camp of finding an activity that the majority of students will participate in, that doesn’t include “My name is ___ and my dream vacation is ___.” A few tips before
We’ve all been there. You are in the middle of teaching, and a student raises their hand. Expecting a question, you call on them, only to hear “can I go to the bathroom?” Ok… so the title of this blog post is slightly misleading. I’m not here to tell you
It’s back to school season here on the west coast! I like to change up what I do during the first week each year, because I get bored of using the same thing over and over. Generally, science teachers kick off the year with topics including lab safety, scientific method,
As if teaching mid-pandemic wasn’t already hard enough, this past year my district moved to block schedule. I went from over a dozen years of teaching 50 minute classes to being thrown into 93 minute classes. Over an hour and a half! It turned my world upside down. Here’s the
US teachers- are you tired of reviewing the metric system every year? Multiple times a year? It’s almost as if students completely forget the difference between a meter and a centimeter every summer. The first week of school I dive right into content… I don’t waste days doing icebreakers, going
Bell work… Bell ringers… Do-nows… Warm ups. Whatever you call them, it is important to have some sort of routine at the beginning of the class period. Your day will run so much smoother when students walk into class and know what to begin working on without being told. I
Are you teaching a new science class for the first time? Are you overwhelmed with what lab supplies you will need and how to spend (or save) your budget? I’ve taught biology for many years, and compiled a list of 20 must-have items to get you started. Some materials can
We all would love a picture-perfect-pinterest-designed classroom. But if you start adding up the cost of new posters, paint, flexible seating… you will break the bank. I remember as a first year teacher I felt like I had to spend a fortune on posters to fill up wall space (and
Most of US schools are preparing to go back virtually in a couple weeks. Going virtual in the spring was definitely a transition, but since we already knew our students and had existing relationships with them, it wasn’t as hard to call home and stay on top of them with
I posted on Instagram last week pictures of preparing agar for my go-to first week of school lab: testing the 5 second rule. It’s a great lab for back to school because students are super engaged and it’s a good way to review variables and how to set up a
Meme from @DigitalDivideConquer Today is my first day back to school and my 12th year teaching. (No, I’m not actually typing this August 5th, I scheduled it out in advance. Because we all know the first day is EXHAUSTING and I’ll be in bed by 8pm. Plus this is my
I’m currently two weeks into school, have 140ish students, and have already learned their names. I’m not here to brag… it took work. You might be thinking “Wow! She is so good with names!” but that can’t be further from the truth. I am one of those people that if