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Context: I'm a new chemistry teacher with anosmia (due to a bad bout of covid), so I can't really smell anything. We had a staff-only day, so I decided to trial one of my labs. I used a bunsen burner for about an hour total (but was in my classroom for about 7 hours). At the end of the day, another teacher came in my room and said it smelled pretty strongly of natural gas. Sure enough, I rechecked the hose for the burner, and there was a small leak.

I read online that natural gas contains somewhere around 37 ppm of benzene and is linked to leukemia and pancreatic cancer, so now I'm very worried. Did I release a lot of benzene and should I be worried? I opened the door to my classroom, and I was told that the smell was gone by the next day.

Hello, all! I am a 1st year teacher, and I am struggling to prep labs for my students. Do you all have any advice on the best way to go about this? Our classes are 45 mins with occasional 90 min blocks. Class size is about 16 students. As of right now, we are working on ionic and covalent bonds, but I cannot for the life of me figure out/find a lab that would assist in this. Please give advice/help if. you can! Thank you all so much in advance :)

We are currently using explore learnings Gizmos, but have decided not to renew it for next year. phet has a lot of great physics virtual labs, but does anyone have recommendations for virtual Biology labs?

I do a bunch of labs. They are objectively "fun", hands on but the data collection is repetitive. I'm sure it's a break from the classes kids just sit in their desks for, but it's not Disneyland. Lots of carts on tracks and timing things falling. The lab the kids are most engaged with is the specific heat lab using LN. They say it is the most fun thing they've ever done.

I'm like, kids, if the most fun thing you've ever done is watch a clear liquid boil, you need to get out of the house more!

I’m super sick and planning sub plans for the next 2 days. I had a webquest from Laney Lee, all set to go but I double checked the links and chem4kids is no longer working. Way back machine was useless. I’m looking for

DNA

Nucliec Acids

Amino Acids

Enzymes

Thanks in advance if you have these!!!

I have one out of 4 earth science classes and a bio class meeting tomorrow for only 25 minutes because there's spirit week events and the schedule is very weird. I thought I'd put a movie on, but what should I show? Are there any low lift labs or demos I can do?

Hey all, wondering what activities you guys might use to get your kids into the lab when you're covering the Periodic Table and Atomic Structure?

When I first got here, 4 years ago, the lead hated her CP Chemistry classes, and they usually went into the lab only 3 times throughout the course. I'm trying to build that up, but am struggling with ideas on what to do. Ideally, I'd like to get them in the lab once a week or so, but at the moment, I'm probably averaging every other week.

Love to hear any advice or ideas you might have!

I'm trying to get my 7th graders to do more hands on labs, however my next unit is on the food web and the only thing I've come across is "card sorting" and "make a food web".

Anyone have any good labs for this topic?

I just started student teaching and have observation next week already. My CT gave me the idea and materials to use pipe cleaners & beads to have the students represent CO2 and H2O molecules and show how they rearrange to form glucose and oxygen. There’s a worksheet to go along with it. I like the idea but I feel like it might be too “childish” for them. Especially since my 16 year old brother just said he would hate doing that. My periods are only 40 min long and they really don’t do any “real” labs like elodea or floating disc lab because of this. What do you guys think? Is this a dumb idea? Any other recommendations for observation period? It will only be the 2nd day of photosynthesis unit and they will have already gone over cellular respiration at that point.

I am currently 19 and fresh out of highschool. I’ve been working as a music instructor on the side for experience and volunteering with younger kids too. I’m really interested in education and I’m currently a biology major. Initially I wanted to go into dentistry but I think I’m a little more passionate about education. I don’t have a lot of familial support or people around me to look up to, and I’m looking for advice. I’m really interested in science and if I were to teach I’d like to teach hs level bio. I’m working on my associates in bio at a community college, is that appropriate or should I be majoring in education? Once I’m done with cc, what’s next? Any advice or thoughts would help :) Thank you!

Hey all,

I’ve been teaching Chemistry for 7 years now but my degree was in Biology. I have the cert to teach Chem, but I really want to offer my students some form of college credit. One way to do this is College in the HS, but I would be required to have a BS in Chemistry. I’m willing to go back to school, but I really only have the ability to do classes online or during the summer. Has anyone ever done something similar? Just curious if there are any programs out there for people wishing to add on to their majors. Thanks!!

I’m also curious if people have strong opinions on College in the HS versus AP courses. Thanks!

Hello, could anybody give me advice on how to pace myself for the praxis. I took it today and got a 103 while only getting into 64 out of 125( in real life I did the whole test but just guessed on the rest of the questions). I’ve studied so hard and the only thing that I’m worried about is my timing and how to get over on timing. Please give me advice I would really appreciate it.

I know a Chicago area high school that teaches an organic chemistry class that covers around half of what would be in a typical college organic chemistry class. It is a second year elective chemistry course. The high school has been around a long time and has offered organic chemistry for at least 40-50 years.

I have checked around other local high schools and haven’t found another that offers organic. Do any of you know of a high school that teaches organic chemistry?

Hi,

I am a middle school/high school science teacher at a small Title 1 school. This is my second year teaching science and my third year overall. I have 6 preps: 5-8th grade general science, physical science, and biology. My high school textbooks are from 2008 and my middle school ones are from 2005. Most of the resources that come with them have been lost. I feel like I am drowning trying to come up with lessons and resources for all my classes. Honestly, I am thinking of not coming back next year because of all the stress.

Can anyone recommend free resources that I could try? Any help would be appreciated.

All my students have Chromebooks so the resources can be online only. Thank you so much in advance!

Research ideas

Hello, I am a college student and I need help with a research idea for one of my classes this spring.

Research must meet the criteria

**Be completed in one semester (planning now and must be finished by May with data collection done in March/April)

** relates to trauma and resilience (SEL, trauma informed practices etc )

** be able to do at home as I just got my bachelors and I’m working on my masters right now. I do NOT have my own classroom/currently teach as I have a baby due very soon!

**I prefer research to be done in a highschool level as that’s who I will be teaching once I graduate.

I appreciate any help or guidance! Thank you!

Help!! I am teaching my first sheltered Earth Science course. I currently have 30 students with limited English vocabulary. Does anyone have a good live translation caption program for presenting on a Promethean board. I tried presenting a PowerPoint and it was fine but I would ideally like something that works if I am using my document camera or viewing other tabs.

Hope this makes sense and someone and a solution!

https://youtu.be/Og6LEnygJQE?feature=shared

Hello All,

I am a 10th grade Biology teacher in a title 1 environment. Like many of us, I have some serious issues with attendance, especially my first period class.

In my pursuit of grasping at straws to increase student engagement, I decided to finally try out storyline teaching. I've done a lot of prep, and I'm starting off with Illinoise Storyline: Africa, and day 1 went really well. That being said, I am already becoming starkly aware of how big of a deal missing a day or two is which leads me to my question.

For those teachers who have used/are using storylines --> how do you handle absent students?

I am working on maybe doing a daily 'recap' post, where I link to any videos we watched and reference which parts of activities in our folders we accomplished but wanted to survey what others have done.

Also if anyone just has any advice or experience with the Africa storyline, I'm all ears for advice and warnings of rough spots. Thanks all for your help!

Hello,

Second year physics teacher. This year I am teaching 3.5 preps (Conceptual Physics, College Prep Physics, Honors Physics, and Earth and Space Science). The only other course I haven't taught before is Conceptual Physics, which is my cotaught physics course with many kids having math IEP's (even in a Conceptual physics course kids really need quantitative reasoning and to be able to solve F =ma.... I digress).

I feel like every Sunday it's a good week if I have until Tuesday planned and constantly feel like I'm making stuff over and over again... for the Conceptual it is borderline impossible to find resources that are reasonably scaffolded for so many kids with different needs. Is this normal? It this feeling the same no matter how many years you teach if you're creating a course from scratch. It's just so brutal at the moment.

I teach 5th and 6th grade science. I currently frontload the vocabulary for each lesson. I am looking to switch things up. What ways do you present vocabulary? Also, is there any literature you recommend for teaching science for middle school students?

Hi There!

I'm wanting to study something scientific to go on to a career in science, but I have always struggled Academically and especially Mathematically (ADHD/Autism/Dyscalculia).

I have an interest in:

- Biology/Brains/Cells/Genes ✬
- Space/Black Holes/Stars ✬
- Programming/Machine Learning
- Immortality/Henrietta Lax/Hayflick Limit ✬
- Video Games/Film ✬
- Character Design/Fashion/World Building ✬
- Human/Animal Behaviour ✬
- Psychology ✬
- Space ✬
- Languages a bit
- Philosophy (sadly, the only job in this degree is "Philosophy Teacher" and being Abigail Thorn) ✬
- Chemistry ? Maybe?
- Volcanoes (but not really rock formations. Sorry Geologists, you guys are always cool though)
- Dinosaurs
- Mysteries

(✬) - Favourite things
I can handle a bit of algebra and statistics just fine, but as soon as anything starts getting into fractions and decimals and multiplying negative numbers, my brain flees the country.

I have a natural and high level of curiosity and I love problem solving and rabbit holing in topics to the point I am a walking encyclopaedia for friends and family.
It really sucks because I feel like I have the brain to do something really cool in the Sciences because of my innate curiosity but I don't have the brain to jump through the hoops required to make it a career. Is there any field of science I could study if I really struggle with a lot of Maths and academics, or should I just pack it in because the hoops are too rigid?

Edit: Side note, I have tried my hand at JavaScript. JS made me want to explode. I spent most of my "study" time with my head on the desk sobbing in frustration. I'm not sure if Python is much better, but I feel as though anything to do with C#/C++/etc. will be mind numbing if I'm struggling with JS.

I'm a first year 7th/8th science teacher and I have made it my mission to make science more digestible to my students. I came in for the 2nd semester as they had subs the 1st. I have already noticed that many of the 0% Fs are actually turning in work and putting in effort in my class. I'm not strict at all with the spelling as I'm more concerned with them understanding the scientific concepts.

For example, I have been teaching my 7th graders about food webs/chains and the trophic levels. When answering "What is the tertiary consumer in the food chain?" Some would answer "Kobra" or "snakee" and I still gave them full points because they understood the concept and vocabulary.

I was made aware that I may be doing a disservice to them by not being strict about spelling but my fear is that I'm potentially discouraging them from wanting to learn science by focusing on that. I figured that I would be boosting their confidence and that would encourage them to read and learn more and the spelling would fall into place through that constant exposure. TBF I didn't learn the difference between the "theirs" until I was constantly exposing myself to more reading in late high school...

My school's history club does a historical reenactment of the town's founding, specifically in 1853. I thought it'd be really fun to get involved and to have some sort of information or do some demonstrations about the science that was common or emerging at the time. Anyone up for helping me brainstorm?

Hi everyone!

I am a Bio and Chem teacher at a small rural district and this is my first year teaching Physics. We use Hewitt’s conceptual physics. There wasn’t really anything left for me other than the teachers edition and a flash drive with powerpoint slides on them. I like the slides and all and so do the students, but they seem dated. Is there any source to get a newer version of the slides? Do they exist? I love teaching the class but I won’t lie it is a struggle some days.

Thank you!

I am out for a week, kids are going to be learning about covalent bonds. They just did ionic and I feel like they're doing pretty well with the idea of transferring electrons and they're getting their feet wet with Lewis structures.

What are some good resources to put in front of them recognizing effort will likely be low, but I still want to give them something.

Any good video resources or simulations? I am not opposed to online research projects either

Having a fever induced brain fart over if I taught porosity and permeability correct today. Can someone explain it the comments like I'm in middle school again😭That's how my brain feels today

Does anyone do like chapter or unit packets that you give out in advance and they have to complete within certain time for middle schoolers? I have block schedules so I only see them every other day, but do they hold onto these??