Science for All

My new novel available for pre-order now!

The Competition After an EMP attack by a rogue nation plunges the west coast into darkness, high school math teacher Jack Goodson has two objectives: First, he must get his students home safely from their hundred-mile field trip. Second, he must travel another thirty-five miles to reunite with his own family. In...

Some are finding it difficult to navigate the NGSS highway system. Too many acronyms, for one thing. Try looking at a Performance Task and making a list of what students need to know to complete that task adequately. This list becomes your 'Standards' which will include basic scientific literacy and laboratory skills not necessarily embedded in the NGSS.

Back to School Sale at Teachers Pay Teachers!

Oh faithful Conductivity probe. How well you reveal the purity of the water. And illustrate the effects of osmosis.

The 'testing season' is nearly upon us!

School has either started already or is starting soon depending on where you live. Here's a tip for new teachers:Stock up on Horehound so you will have a voice on Day #2. It works great to keep your throat lubricated as you go from speaking only a few minutes per day to 6-7 hours per day. Available at most drug stores or candy stores.

Stock up on those resources at the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School sale! www.teacherspayteachers.com

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Woohoo! Standardized testing is over for the year!

For those going back to school/work today, good luck!

Spent a week on genetic engineering last week. To me,it is the hardest of all Biology topics for students to grasp. However, almost every one of my 180 students got an A on the quiz. Why? Because even though it is hard to grasp, it is also very cool!

I think the big disconnect with the Next Generation Science Standards is that they are not Standards at all. They are performance expectations. Proper Standards are needed to fill in the gaps between these expectations. Perhaps some re-tooling is necessary, CA.

In CA, we have only one state mandated high school science test right now. The 10th Grade Life Science test is that test. Every 10th grader, regardless of what science course they are currently enrolled, must take the test. The scores become part of our measure of Academic Yearly Progress. The results for last year came out recently and while my school still above the state and county average, I see a steady drop in our scores over the last 5 years. Time to come up with a new approach.

So now we are rewriting all the common exams to match the NGSS. It's really bittersweet. I like the new Standards, but I think of all the work that went into writing the old exams. Oh well, progress I guess.

First week of school is over!

Huge sale going on at TeachersPayTeachers.com!

Science For All TeachersPayTeachers.com -- 1,300,000+ free and priced teaching resources created by teachers for instant download including lesson plans, interactive

One of my favorite back to school activities.

Back To School Activity - Textbook Scavenger Hunt TeachersPayTeachers.com -- 1,300,000+ free and priced teaching resources created by teachers for instant download including lesson plans, interactive

Summer time is dwindling! Teachers minds begin to drift back to the classroom this time of year. What will your first week of science class be like? Start preparing now!

I'm teaching high school health this summer. Not my normal discipline. When I went to our regular health teachers to get their scope and sequence, I was amazed at the lack of planning they do. Every health teacher taught a different curriculum AT THE SAME SCHOOL. I guess that's the difference between a core class (science) and a non-core class (health).

How to keep your child reading through summer? Find something they are into. Don't worry about AR points and such, make it something they can enjoy. For example, my 12yo son likes military-related fare, so I bought him a book about a young man in the military during a possible civil war in the US. It has all the things he likes and we can discuss the political implications, as well. And it is targeted at his age group. Fun stuff and gets him off the Xbox. Go for what they like!

Told my AP Environmental Science students to sit down and design an eco-village. No instructions, just design. Everyday I have them spend a few minutes at the end of class and I add a little more info. What about the residences, what about food, what type of shops? Its fun watching them erase because each day their designs get better and better.

Love these 3 day weekends, but after today, no more holidays until the end of March. Since it is in the mid-70's today, I'll try and make the most of it.

Feel like I've been lecturing too much to my AP Environmental Science class. I need to get their hands dirty!

Always keep your eyes out for grant opportunities. So far this year I have had three DonorsChoose.org grants and a local company grant. Most only take a few minutes to sign up for.

Big back to school sale over at TpT starts tomorrow. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/My-Products