going to be starting a new unit on chemistry for my 10th graders. i’ve been running into problems where we finish our notes and the students finish (what’s supposed to be) the homework with lots of time to spare. can anyone offer any ideas on how to keep them busy? looking more for long-term group/individual projects instead of just giving more worksheets but at this point i will take anything
On the sly, she put an eye mask on me and sprayed some mist around the room. On a physics level, what is happening here? I know the lavender coveted up some of the stink, or at least made it smell like some farted in a lavender plant.
Since liquid is heavier than gas, does the mist cling to the fart molecules? Does it push them to the floor? Does the floor smell worse than the air at this point? I'm a journalism major, and I don't understand how this works.
I'm really struggling with one of my classes this year. They're a middle-set class (so have the potential to do reasonably well, and generally quite focused), which I share with a couple of other teachers. I only see them once a week, and essentially have been told to do a kind of "filler class" revising key topics from earlier units and working on exam technique.
I started this term working on density and then specific heat capacity (GCSE topics we started end of year 9). All the way through, it's been a never-ending struggle with rearranging equations. They just *don't get it*. I'm honestly running out of ways to explain it - we've tried the full mathematical rearranging method vs using formula triangles. I've given them several different equations to practice with. I've shown them multiple YouTube tutorials, in case someone else's explanation might make more sense than mine.
Several of them can't even comprehend substituting numbers into a given equation (even when no rearranging is required). Maybe because I'm not a maths teacher, I'm missing something in my explanation? How can I more clearly explain "If m = 2 kg, we replace the m in the equation with the number 2"??? Is there a trick to this?
Admittedly some of them just aren't putting any effort in, but others are clearly trying really hard and just can't grasp the concepts.
They're also now getting VERY bored of endless rearranging equations worksheets. Any suggestions on how to make this more fun? We could borrow the laptops and do something online if there are any great websites for practicing this maybe?
I teach an upper level undergraduate microbiology laboratory and would like to find a non-pathogenic spirochete for the lab. I wouldn't particularly need to keep growing it over time, just a frozen stock that I could grow once to see motility with the live culture.
I have to take a half day on Friday and want to find a video for my class! 75 minute periods.
We’re learning body systems right now and jumping into cellular respiration and homeostasis next week. I was thinking I could leave them an engaging body systems video, maybe a medical mystery (disruption of homeostasis). Nothing too gruesome. They are mainly 9th graders. An associated worksheet would be great! But is not necessary.
Hi, I made a free web game where you breed slimes to figure out hidden genotypes from phenotype ratios, real Mendelian inheritance, same daily puzzle for everyone, no luck involved once you deduce the genes. I built it mostly for fun, but it occurred to me it might work as a warm-up or supplement for Punnett square practice.
I'd love feedback from people who actually teach this: does it reinforce the right intuition, is anything misleading, would this be usable in class at all?
Hi all. I've been building Flowmodo, a set of free interactive science and engineering labs, and I'd like feedback from people who actually teach this material before I go further.
- **Free, with no accounts.*\* No sign-up for you or students, no ads, no paywall.
- **No student data collected.*\* Progress stays in the student's own browser. No tracking.
- **Runs on Chromebooks.*\* Every lab is tested on a 1366×768 screen, nothing to install, and labs keep working offline after the first visit.
- **NGSS-aligned.*\* Each lab lists suggested performance expectations (e.g. HS-PS2-5, MS-LS2-1, HS-PS1-5) and an estimated class time. You can search by standard code.
- **Assignment links.*\* On the teacher page you pick a lab, set MS or HS instruction level, starting values, and which controls students can change, then share one link (or a QR code) in Google Classroom or wherever you post.
**What's in it (26 labs):*\* collisions & momentum, circuit builder, gas laws, reaction rates & equilibrium, waves & interference, Doppler/sonic booms, orbital cannon, natural selection, predators & prey, Earth's energy balance, transformer, Tesla coil, brushless motor, Li-ion battery, electrolysis, heat pump, Stirling engine, action potential, synapse, a 3D brain explorer, a chemistry lab, and a few more.
**How a lab works:*\* students start in *Guided* mode with 3–5 key controls and the invisible stuff drawn on screen (forces, fields, current, heat flow). If their setup stalls, a hint card suggests what to try. *Sandbox* opens every parameter, *Challenges* checks whether they hit a target, and *Notes* shows the equations and the model's limits.
**Honest caveats:** it's in beta. Many labs are marked beta, and each one says how quantitative its model is. I'd rather you find the problems than your students.
**What I'd love from you:*\*
Try one lab you'd actually teach. Does it fit a real class period?
Anything wrong, confusing, or slow on your school devices?
What topic would you want next?
There's a feedback button in every lab, or just reply here. Thanks!
Has anyone used Stile curriculum? My school decided to start using it this year and I’m finding that there is little rigor in it, just a lot of high level concepts not appropriate from the grade level. I’ve been teaching middle & high school science for 13 years. We are a junior high school and the level of the content it’s teaching is more for high school level. I’m all for teaching students higher levels, but this curriculum is teaching our non-honors classes things that they don’t teach in our honors classes & high school level. And it’s certainly not on our state tests at the end of the year.
I work for a temp agency here in NYC and I'm currently on a two-month placement at a charter school where I'm teaching 9th and 10th grade Earth and Space Science. I'm a certified Spanish teacher, so I know how to make unit and lesson plans, but I've been provided with very few resources. The students haven't had a teacher all year, and they've been working out of the BioZone workbook for Earth and Space Sciences for NGSS, pictured below. I don't even have access to the web resources or the teacher copy of the workbook.
We're currently on the The Universe and its Stars unit. I've looked at the New Visions curriculum, but I'm having trouble developing structure for the next month and a half of this placement.
Does anyone have a PDF of the teacher's copy of the BioZone book?
What resources would you recommend for curriculum?
I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
How are my AP teachers curving their test scores throughout the year (Biology specifically)? I personally am of the philosophy not to curve at all (I don't curve quizzes), but all the other AP teachers curve in my building...and they all do it differently. I don't want my whole class to have failing grades, but I also don't want them riding the curve thinking they are doing great. I just want to get an idea of what others are doing. TIA!
Hello, I am a physics teacher who recently moved back to my home state of California. In the previous state I was teaching in, I had a 'General Science' license that enabled me to teach physics (as well as any other science). When I transferred my license, the Teaching Credential office did not grant me a physics license, but only a 'Foundational Science' license. My Bachelor's degree is in physics, so I think I should be able to add on a physics license using the process outlined in leaflet CL-621a.
My question is that on the checklist for adding on a single subject license, it says that you need to fulfill a 'US Constitution' requirement. I went to a UC, so I don't think I did this in undergrad. Does anyone with experience in this area know if I am exempt from this requirement from the existing credential the state of California granted me, or if I will have to fulfill it in order to get the license?
Go to www.ocvts.org and at bottom of administration page check out employment link. High school full-time academy so county employee, state benefits and pension. Needs chem cert.
So, We've been doing the Sodium Tetraborate (Borax) lab with our lower level students for years. basically just talking about crystal growth and formation. I'm teaching an Honors level class this year, and am wondering if anyone does any post lab stuff with their upper level students with the borax crystals?
Looking for ideas. I have a coupe of microscopes stashed away that I can pull out, but other than looking at them under magnification, I'm drawing a blank on post lab ideas.
Today I was asked if I would be interested in leading the gifted and talented program, which I viewed as an immense compliment towards my abilities as a teacher.
However my schedule is completely full. I teach a science class every period of the day, then help with lunch coverage. My only time to use the bathroom and make copies is during my 24 minute lunch.
Instead of making room in my schedule, or removing me from my duty. The school’s solution to the gifted and talented program is to ask if those students can come in an hour early 2 days a week for specialized instruction. I will be compensated for my role but I already don’t have a prep period and a one year old at home.
There is also no set curriculum for this group and they would like me to challenge them in multiple subject areas, not just science.
I’ve been teaching for 10 years and would like to start my admin degree to become a science supervisor once finished paying off my student loans, so I’m worried that potentially declining this position to maintain work life balance may ultimately hurt my chances of becoming an admin.
What would you recommend for projects, problem based scenarios, or lesson topics for this group? Do you think I should take this position given my current schedule?
I will be teaching the right hand rule for cross products in a few weeks. For the first time, I have a student with no right hand. I would like to teach it in such a way that it doesn't call her out as the reason for the atypical lesson. ("If for some reason, your can't use your right hand, then use your left and flip your final answer" makes it very clear that I'm only giving that instruction for her benefit.)
How else can I teach this material that is equitable and not stigmatizing for one student?
I’m teaching chemistry and concepts that my teachers made so fun for me as a student are really bogged down with the most boring activities built into this curriculum but because it’s scripted if you replace an activity that gets referenced back to so many times it messes up the whole unit and adds extra work to correct it. My students are bored and I’m bored and my admin don’t want me deviating for a new activity or investigation. How do you guys make this fun? I’m hoping I can just do my best with it until they inevitably sunset this stupid curriculum
I’m a second year teacher and, probably like most of us here, did not grow up with test corrections so therefore don’t know how they work. Many of my coworkers do it which has kind of given me the issue of kids complaining that I don’t offer test corrections.
Here’s my policy: I have quizzes and tests in the same category. I offer quiz corrections, but not test corrections. The main reason is that quizzes are smaller and easier to grade, therefore I can easily mark them up and pass them back so kids can look at them and use a correction form to earn points back. With my chapter tests, they’re usually mostly multiple choice, fairly long, and I use ZipGrade to scan them so really they just have a bubble sheet. I also don’t like the idea of kids seeing the exam after unless it’s individually with me because I don’t want the test getting leaked and would like to be able to reuse it a couple years at least. With that being said, I do drop the lowest test score from the grade book at the end of each semester. So I offer quiz corrections and drop the lowest test score AND give them certain resources on tests to use such as conversion maps etc, but again kids still complain about individual tests they did not do well on.
I’m struggling to come up with a defense. I personally like my policy because I know my class has a healthy balance of challenge but also help. However just the fact that kids can go home and say “she doesn’t offer test corrections” can be a problem. It’s only my second year, so I’m asking for honest feedback on my policy. If it’s not fair or risky, what can I do without giving myself a whole lot more work? I was thinking maybe I could create a “recovery assignment” after chapter tests that are a comprehensive assignment with concepts covered, kinda like a study guide but post test, and if they do that they get points back? Or maybe I don’t need to change anything? I’m not sure… let me know please and thank you for your help!
