Hello all,

I'm in my second year teaching and have a class of 15 that is completely cotaught (13 have IEP and 2 are on a behavioral pathway program). The class is very hard to manage. I'm looking for some help/guidance on the following topics:

1. There are about 5 students who will always try to derail the lesson regardless of if it's direct instruction, partner work, or group work. I've tried to split up groups, but it always leads to "I don't wanna work with this person!". I've made contact home for people who outright refuse to work with other individuals.

2. Some students are just really low level in math, not knowing division and multiplication are represented differently symbolically. This is a Junior level cinceptual physics course... On the other side I have kids (2/14) that finish up VERY early and have a 100% in the class and start to become disruptive when they're done.

3. Some kids (4) are chronically absent, last year having 30-40 absences... what do you do about this?

The majority of the kids (11/15) will likely pass if everything stays constant [which it won't] and (9/15) kids are almost always well behaved.

I'm looking at our 8th grade unit for waves and I can't figure out any way of teaching the Amplitude part other than just direct instruction -" the Amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave". I understand that the energy is proportional to the square of the amplitude. I'm just wondering if there is any other way than direct instruction to help students understand this. I already have some investogations for the rest of the standard, but this formula part has me stumped.

Hey all,

I have some minor health things going on that can flair up in the mornings. I anticipate that there will be mornings where I need to call out, but won't have time for a sub plan. I want to leave one in the office in case this happens.

What are your go-to emergency sub plans? I teach 7th and 8th, we're integrated. I'm not concerned if the plans follow whatever unit we are in. I'm just looking for something general

Thanks!

Edit: Thanks everyone for your ideas! I'll look around for some graphing practice, totally agree that kids need more practice in that. I'll find some articles too, I like the idea of having one for each unit, so regardless of where we are at, there is something relevant to read!

I teach 7th-grade life science. I don’t currently use a textbook and want to encourage my students to become better readers. Does anyone have suggestions?

As a teacher, what challenges do you face in maintaining your well-being and productivity? For instance, how do factors like a busy work schedule, bringing work home, stress from the classroom, or finding time for self-care affect your ability to stay organized and focus on your personal wellness?

I am over the moon today. I’ve been so nervous in my first year and trying my ass off to make the material engaging and fun, as well as informative and challenging. My students grades are in the C-B range mostly, but right before class started, a student told me that I was his favorite teacher, just out of nowhere. Another student chimed in and said I was quote, “Chill, really nice, and they liked my PowerPoints.” Basically I’m going to ride this high for the next month until finals, because I’ve been worried all this time, but I seem to have the approval from at least two students. Filled me with pride and I just can’t stop thinking about it. For these past few months I’ve been stressed learning the new environment and making notes, learning to teach, and I have something special here. I think I might actually be cut out for this. Thankfully he told me right at the beginning of class, because that made me energized and excited for the rest of the day. Im actually excited to go back to work on Monday. I love teaching, and I think now I have the potential to be good at it. Love this sub, what a great community this is.

Hey there! I’m a first year teacher and am scouring the internet for ideas for lessons for my very first official observation. If anyone has any great lessons on teaching scientific claim, evidence, and reasoning and/or ecosystems, I would LOVE to see them!!

My coworker is an incredible elementary science teacher and lost her entire collection of natural history specimens (and everything else in her classroom, including the building itself) to the hurricane.

She is devastated and has to start over from zero. Some of the thing she lost included an armadillo shell, a large horseshoe crab shell, various snake sheds, mineral specimens, pinned insects, and animals pelts/antlers. Everything was donated over 20 years of teaching by students, parents, and friends.

Do you all know of anywhere I could ask for donations to rebuild her classroom natural history collection?

Thank you.

We just finished Earth's Systems and Cycles on Wednesday and starting a unit on rocks that I hope to get done in 3 more 80 minutes block lessons next week....I know. I am a geologist turned teacher and I am teaching my first year of Integrated Earth Science 9th Grade (integrated component is a focus on chemistry and physics) and I am behind in my curriculum. I had students observe and take notes on the rocks of our area in Minnesota as an intro activity and then taught about the 3 rock types and their respective formation. I want my students to have a decent understanding of what they're looking for when they find rocks in their day-to-day lives. I plan on doing an assessment where I pick 3-4 main rocks per types and they take notes, identify rock type and rock name and explain 2-3 pieces of evidence they observed that lead them to their conclusion. I am wondering if there are any strategies or good resources (flow chart, online resources, informational packets) to help speed up the process of identifying rocks so I have time to get to tectonics, water, weather, climate change and space (oofta, losing hope on covering it all). Many thanks!

I’m currently a student teacher on placement teaching 1st years (12-13 year olds) and it’s really hard to engage them. They are all new to eachother and scared to speak up in class because it’s all new people around them. I’ve tried different things like group work but the classroom is always filled with silence. Next topic I have to teach is earth and space science (big bang, universe expansion, celestial bodies etc.) and I want them to enjoy science as much as I do!

Any ideas of hands on activities that could get them engaged and learning because I’m new to this and would love some ideas that people have tried out and are effective. Thanks!

My AP Physics Angular Momentum Demo Wheel is...beat. I have an old one with a solid rubber tire (huge MoI!) but the spokes are falling out from me spinning it by hand. I have a newer one, but it is really small, low MoI, and isn't all that dramatic. And they both slow-down too quickly.

So, has anyone tried using a bike wheel with a hub-mounted electric motor? Does the motor make them too heavy? Are the battery requirements too onerous? Is this a horrible idea?

Hello!

Im interested in learning about paths to get a job as a science teacher abroad! I currently live in Brazil but hold a European passport and have a C1 English level (I took TOEFL iBT exam last year). I have a bachelor's degree in Biology and a teaching degree (teaching license) and have worked as a Science Technician at a primary/secondary school for the past two years.

I would like to pursue a career in teaching science/biology and am looking for an entry level job (as a trainee, intern, entry-level teacher/no experience teacher) in Europe or Oceania.

It's not feasible for me to land a masters degree at the moment (I think I need to get a job first to enter the market and help me settle in the country first), what would be a short-term possilibility? Are AIESEC teaching jobs easier to get? Is there anything similar in Europe?

Hello all!

I am sick. Very sick. Today was PSAT testing for the students, and I was proctoring. I was sent home early as I was having major stomach issues and could barely stand. Thankfully they were very understanding. But unfortunately I am doing worse than I was 6 hours ago, and I need some advice for what to do tomorrow in my absence. Normally if I plan an absence (which has only happened once) I print out pages and instructions for the sub. I've never called out sick before, and I have virtually no plans for tomorrow.

Thankfully because how the school is, everyone has an iPad. I wanted to do some type of online activity that I would assign the students and wouldn't be too many points. Have you ever been in my situation? How did you deal with it?

Thank you all so much for the help on my previous post, it's been a few days and I reached out to my admin to tell them my issues and I have a day on Monday where my department chair will work with me all day to find an alternative to my current work schedule. Turns out asking for help did help, and I didn't have to kill myself every day making plans. I also have started using tools like Magic School Ai to assist me in my work.

Just wrapped up the first two units and can’t help but feel like most of this class so far is just transfer of knowledge. I’ve been able to be somewhat engaging with labs and case studies to show the relevance of topics, but it still feels almost like I’m just giving a million ideas to memorize. The concepts so far aren’t overly difficult (in my opinion), there’s just a lot of them. Im used to freshmen bio where I have less content and can focus more on concepts. Now it’s more focusing on getting through as much content as possible. As someone who’s teaching AP Bio for the first time, I want to know if it gets better with this? Will every unit feel like just a massive amount of content and vocabulary that they need to know? Or how can I make it not feel that way without losing out on time and content

I'm teaching a Grade 11 biology class and I have a student with a significant visual impairment. She's having trouble with basic punnet squares and pedigrees. I want to give her material and assessments in a different format than the rest of the class so she can demonstrate understanding of genetics in a non visual way. She has the textbook but does anyone know of any resources that don't rely primarily on visuals to explain heredity?

Hey everyone, I'm a student teacher just starting the middle-school science portion of my semester. I'm completing the semester in an 8th-grade physics classroom (not physical science) and will be teaching a 2-week module on gravitation in late November. I'm starting to plan my lessons now and was wondering if anyone has any resources I can draw from.

The main challenge I'll be dealing with is that these are 8th graders who are taking algebra concurrently with physics, so the math is largely beyond them and the district's curriculum is built for highschool, so it's too advanced to work for them.

Thanks in advance for any help.

I'm a 4th grade teacher looking at different science curriculums for my elementary school. I know that some are generally more expensive, but the district restricts us based on per student amount. Does anyone know what the cost is for your school for your science curriculum? Thanks!

How would you explain/show to students(in elementary/primary school for 14 years old) how Mendel's work helped support and better understand Darwin's theory of evolution? You can also suggest any activities/games. I need some new ideas, thank you!

So I've posted here before detailing how I work at a therapeutic day school in the north shore of Chicagoland. My students, while at grade level, need an extremely slow pacing due to processing times and absences so students don't all fall behind. this is also my first year teaching chemistry.

My question is, does this order of chapters look normal for an entry level chemistry class? I wanna get to the mole for sure, but it's not until chapter 10 apparently, which I always thought the mole came sooner.

1- intro to chem 2- analyzing data (basically math review) 3- matter, properties and changes 4- structure of the atom 5- electrons in atoms 6- periodic table and periodic law 7- ionic compounds and metals 8- covalent bonding 9- chemical reactions 10- the mole

There's more chapters, but these are the first ten. Is anything able to be omitted for a very entry level course? Or how does this look? Thanks!

TL;DR Question 1: Does your school/district have standards, curriculum guides, or anything else in place for teaching students with special needs science.
Question 2: Do you believe science education is important for students with special needs?

I am a first year science release teacher at an elementary school. My district has a new curriculum, and I am in charge of educating the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. I am also in charge of teaching the bilingual and newcomer students. They also assigned me to the 1-3rd grade mild/mod class as well as the 3-5th mild/mod class. It quickly came to my attention that the curriculum is not designed for students with special needs and my district has no support or guidance in place for science instruction for special education classes. I talked to the homeroom teachers and they told me that for as long as they have been working there (one has been there for almost 10 years), science release teachers would either put on a video or take them out for extra recess. I have been spending hours to adapt the curriculum and try to make it accessible for both classes, but it is incredibly difficult and I know I am making plenty of mistakes. I want to know if other special education teachers or science release teachers who teach students in special education are teaching them science? If you do, does your district or school have any guidance or system place. Is science instruction something that teacher's see as necessary for students with special needs? I am really just looking for guidance and to see what everyone else is doing.

I am also pursuing my master's degree in Instructional Design and I am interested in doing my capstone project around this topic. Below is a brief survey/need assessment that would be very much appreciated if you participated in.

Needs Assessment

Hey All,

I am working on a project for my education consulting company and I would love to crowd source some of the best "weird questions" students ask. It could be from any age level and any science topic.

Some examples that have stuck in my brain:

"Can a polar bear walk from the North Pole to NYC?"

"If a killer whale is really a dolphin, why is it called a killer *whale*?"

"If there are oxygen molecules in water, why can't we breath underwater?" "Do people with more melanin in their skin really not need to wear sunscreen?"

"This frog I am dissecting has eggs in it! Does that mean she was pregnant when she died?!"

The wackier the better! TIA!

Hi! I'm new to the sub so someone else before me must have been in a similar position, but I thought I'd personally ask for help. I'm a chem major and most of my teaching experience had been ESL but this semester I managed to land a decent job as a chem teacher.

Just got feedback from my students and the main critiques focus on my explanations and instructions being too convoluted and even confusing. Some have also complained about monotonous work.

Usually, I'd like to introduce context when explaining a concept but I'm afraid it's not helping so I'll try trimming down the fat on that point. On another front, the curriculum got updated and I'm usually catching up prepping lessons, presentations and assignments but I'd like to spice things up engaging their attention and doing more than just "review the theory, try to apply formulas or do calculations".

I know about sites like Genially, Wordwall, quizziz and such but I wondered if there are any other resources where I might search for or design short activities and games to integrate into my lessons. I'd appreciate any help you might provide!

Hello everyone,

My school mushes Earth and Space Science and Physics together for 9th grade. It is very basic physics like Motion and Newton's laws, energy, electricity, magnetism, waves, and then we incorporate in Keplers laws when getting into space, big bang, universe organization, solar system organization, Earth's interior, and earth's exterior. We end with natural resources and sustainability. It is a big mash of everything basically. I have been teaching this class for 3 years now and every year we end up changing the what we include and exclude, what orders we go in, etc.

The physics is incredibly simple. Basic pre algebra stuff. Our book (HMH - that we do not use) is too complex for our freshmen. It is our book adoption year and we are having a lot of difficulty finding a book that encompasses what we need, or even two that would work for our year long course.

So my question is, does anyone else have any experience with this integrated earth and space physics material and if so, what book(s) do you use?

Hey all. So I’m a first year teacher at a small high school. I teach Integrated Chemistry and Physics, as well as Earth Science. Because of the size of the school, I am the only teacher for both of these classes. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but it is the first year for both of these classes at this school. I have nothing to go off of, and am expected to make my own lesson plans every day, along with grading, and learning the material.

I am a physics major, and currently for my ICP we are learning Chemistry, and I say “we” because I haven’t taken chemistry since high school, and I have no teaching experience, it’s my first year. I did not go to school for teaching, I have an emergency license. With my Earth Science class I am teaching Geology right now (never taken a geology class). So I’m teaching two classes I have zero experience with. So my day involves going to work, getting home at 3:30, teaching myself the material for the next day, consult the standards, write up a lesson plan and power point for the day, and grade papers. I’m normally done by midnight and wake up at 5 am.

I am burnt out. I’m not considering quitting, I’m considering suicide. I’m overwhelmed and I can’t handle much more. I don’t know what I can do to minimize my work load. I fantasize about someone killing me every single day because while I love teaching (and I do love teaching), I just can’t handle this anymore. The coming home every day and working to learn the material, write lesson plans from scratch, and making homework assignments completely alone is just burning me out. I want to lull myself or quit, and I don’t know which on I’ll do first.

How do you manage this? Again, I’m the only teacher teaching both these classes, it’s the first year for both of them, and I have NOTHING to go off of. I work until midnight or later and I haven’t slept much at all in weeks. I spend my lunches crying in my car until it’s time to go back inside.

I need help, what resources are there for a teacher in my position. It’s not worth $40,000 a year. I barely make enough to scrape by and I just want to kill myself more and more every day.

Hi there, I’m in the process of becoming a middle school science teacher and have experience in chem and bio. I have a fear of safety in the classroom (of course I personally have worked very dangerous jobs in the field). How does it work if god forbid a student spills something, injures themselves…how does it work- how much would I be at fault? It’s a fear of mine and idk if I should teach lab.

Thanks in advance

Edit: thank you to everyone who has commented: I feel a lot of relief and support! Not fear anymore, thank you so so much. Kids to need to learn early on and schools, safety forms, safe chemicals and labs are in place for a reason. And we are there to teach!

Very excited to see what protocols my school has when the time comes.

I am looking for suggestions for alternatives to cow eye dissection labs in 6th-grade science, TIA🤗