Category: Best Practices

  • How to Manage the Hour Study Hall

    How to Manage the Hour Study Hall

    In 1998, I was still a new teacher but I’d had a couple of years behind me and was just getting the hang of organizing lesson plans, keeping the class focused and not burying myself under a pile of homework.  When I arrived to school that August I found something unusual on my schedule,  something…

  • Set the Class Tone on the First Day

    Set the Class Tone on the First Day

    This year I will have the exciting opportunity of teaching an introductory physics class to students on vocational tracks. For those not understanding ed-speak, this means that I will be taking a class of kids who have probably already failed in 8th grade, have poor test scores and may have already given up on school….

  • Encourage Reading and Following Directions with a Square

    Encourage Reading and Following Directions with a Square

    Most biology classes will have at least one dissection in the year, though specimens can range from the commonly used frog, to the less expensive grasshopper.  No matter what you choose to dissect, the biggest challenge most teachers face is getting students to follow directions.  Based on the talk I hear in the teacher’s lounge,…

  • Easy Science Fair Project Ideas

    Easy Science Fair Project Ideas

    Science fair project ideas for middle and high school students that are quick and easy to set up.

  • How to Study Protists with Freshman

    How to Study Protists with Freshman

    The unit on protists is one that I used to dread, mainly because the world of microscopic organisms does not ever seem particularly interesting to students, where only a small percentage of them seem to care about the Ameba and Paramecium.   Furthermore, studying protozoa seems to be disconnected from real world applications. Laboratory investigations can…

  • Observing Diffusion Using Iodine and Plastic Bags

    Observing Diffusion Using Iodine and Plastic Bags

    Use simple materials to model diffusion. Place corn starch in a bag and then submerge into a solution of iodine.

  • Concept Maps and Graphic Organizers

    Concept Maps and Graphic Organizers

    Concept mapping is a great way to get students to organize information about a topic.   Sometimes I have them work in groups around poster paper, like this project in anatomy on Body Tissues.  On other projects, students use concept mapping software to map topics in class, like evolution.  Students can work on their own…