Using science stations in the classroom is one of my most favorite ways to give students the deliberate, repeated practice they need to learn the material. Stations can be done during 5E Explore or Elaborate. Today, I’m going to share all about stations in the classroom after students have been taught the material- so this…
Let’s take a closer look at different independent work ideas and the routines that students need to know and follow. This will help us as teachers be more intentional with the independent work we give our students. This is the fourth blog post in the Routines for Classroom Management in the Science Class Series. In…
There are many ways to take notes in class so our note-taking days do not have to be sit-and-get. This is the third blog post in the Routines for Classroom Management in the Science Class Series. In the first two blog posts in this series, I shared an overview of routines and the beginning of…
Movement in the classroom benefits students and teachers! As Science teachers, we need to make sure our students move throughout our class period. Let’s explore how it benefits the brain and learning. You’ll also see how simple it is to incorporate movement into your day! In this post I will talk about why most classrooms…
During school, it is important to incorporate team building activities in a classroom. That goes for Science too, especially because most of what we do requires collaboration. Team building is one of the biggest parts of community building. Let’s explore why it’s important and what team building activities in a classroom are useful. In this…
I love setting goals and reaching them, and I like to teach my students how to start setting goals. I involve them in my goal setting and share my progress with them. This helps them see how they can do this too. Let’s get started! In this post We will talk about goal setting in…
If you’re anything like me, you’re always working on ways to improve as a teacher. I LOVE being a Science teacher, and I want to make sure I’m doing my best for my students. I’ve read many books and attended various professional development trainings throughout the years. In This Post I will share three books…
What are some science activities you can assign that are meaningful, engaging, and grow students’ brains? This is what Elaborate is all about! It’s time to have students practice and expand on what you taught them in Explain. In This Post We will discuss what Elaborate is in a 5E unit. I will share different…
We’ve engaged and explored, now it’s time to Explain 5E Model. This is your time to shine and project your best teaching practices with direct instruction. So, what are the components to successfully implement the Explain step? In This Post Explain is the guided instruction piece of the 5E Model. We will look at what…
Now that you’ve done your hook in the Engage step in your 5E Model lesson, the next step is super fun because this is where you get to plan science experiments for middle schoolers! This is the Explore step. Kids will do some engaging activities to explore the content you will be teaching. In This…
What do you think about lesson plan hook ideas? Let’s try this activity. Look at this image of two separate classrooms. What do you observe? One classroom is full of students who are bored, not engaged. The other classroom has students participating and asking questions. Why is this? Quite possibly, the teacher in the…
School is supposed to be about learning, so why the use of games in the classroom? Have you ever heard someone ask this or wondered this yourself? Kids (and adults) LOVE games! Kids play games at recess, they play games at home, they may even play sports! So how do you incorporate the use of…
I’ve thought about how to use task cards in my classroom so that it is engaging and meaningful for my students. I enjoy using task cards in the classroom because it’s a way to chunk information, and they are getting deliberate practice and review of information they were taught. In This Post I will share…
Have you ever found some of your students off task during your amazing science lessons, and wondered, “How can I engage students in my lessons?” Well, you are not alone! There are some students who just LOVE Science and will be glued to everything you say. But then there are others who are disengaged and…
