The water cycle is taught starting in elementary school. It seems like in high school biology when I get to the biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) the water cycle gets glossed over because we assume the students know it and it’s too basic. But water is vital to
Models can be powerful tools when teaching science. They allow students to visualize concepts that can be difficult to picture in their heads.If you ask students what the most abundant gas in the atmosphere is, their first guess is usually oxygen. And when you say no, their second guess tends
If you read my blog post on recommended summer science reads, you saw my confession that I’m not generally a big non-fiction reader. I love to read, but fiction is my go-to. As I was compiling a science book list for students and teachers, I kept seeing and getting recommended
One of the most common projects for invasive species is for students to make a “Most Wanted” poster. Students do research on an invasive species of their choice and create a wanted poster that includes facts about the species and what they would be “wanted” for. It can be fun,
One of my favorite case studies to examine with students is the tragedy that occurred at Lake Nyos. Located in Camaroon, Africa, Lake Nyos is a lake that formed in a volcanic crater. While villagers thought the volcano was dormant, it was slowly releasing carbon dioxide into the lake. One
I currently live in Phoenix, AZ, which is the 6th largest city in the United States. Considering our large population size and desert climate, we have a huge problem with heat. In the summer it is not uncommon for the temperature to stay above 100F all night. It can be
I love teaching about population growth (ecology is one of my favorite subjects to teach). This topic truly leads to so many rich classroom discussions! Pose some questions at your students and see what their thoughts are: Should we monitor wildlife populations, or just late nature take it’s course? Do we
When I moved up from teaching middle school to high school and was looking at my new curriculum I saw the term “keystone species” and scratched my head. It was a term I had never heard before and didn’t remember learning in college. After learning about the terms keystone species
Ahhh the biogeochemical cycles. They are vital to life, but students don’t typically enjoy learning about them. They usually know the water cycle by the time they reach high school, but struggle with carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. I’ve rounded up some resources you can use to spice up your chemical
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
Is food chains up next in your curriculum? Most students learn food chains in the elementary grades, so how do you make it interesting and rigorous at the secondary level? Here are some great options: Food Chain and Food Web Lesson Plan Ideas 1. In this interactive from the BBC, students
I like to use a lot of video clips in my lessons. Video clips keep students engaged and it breaks up the monotony of the notes. After lots of searching on the internet for good videos for my symbiosis lesson, I’ve found some real winners! Your students will love these