States of Matter Archives - Secondary Sparks

Halloween Science Activities for Middle School

Michelle Rudolph — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:19:21 +0000

As Halloween season is upon us, you may be starting to think about ways you can incorporate some Halloween science activities in your middle school science classroom. There are plenty of fun ways to throw in some of those spooky themes while still making sure that you’re either hitting those standards, staying in line with pacing or just simply just trying to have some science fun with your students! I’ve rounded up a couple of my favorite ideas and experiments that you may want to try this school year.

Pumpkin Dissection (Life Science)

Many of your students might hear the word “dissection” and cringe. But when it’s just a pumpkin, they may think a little differently. Carve a pumpkin with your students and explore the different parts such as the seeds, pulp, stem, skin, etc. Ask students questions about how pumpkins grow, the conditions needed, the importance of the seeds and structure of the pumpkin. Throw in those questions about ecology, reproduction in plants and photosynthesis to get students thinking. Add an extra layer of fun by making that mess worthwhile by carving your own class jack o lantern!

Glow Stick Thermal Energy (Physical Science)

Turn out the classroom lights for this lab! It’s easy, less messy and can cover a lot of topics! Have students crack various glow sticks and place them in different environments such as hot water or ice water. Ask them how the reaction speed changes with the differing temperatures. Ask them what they think is actually occurring in the glow stick and what signs tell them that a chemical change is occurring. How is thermal energy involved? There’s so much you can do with this simple lab! Many glow sticks come with connectors that students can use to make bracelets with their glow sticks once they’re done which is a fun little souvenir for them! You can find the glow sticks I use here: https://amzn.to/4egLDAN

Moon Phases with Oreos

Add food to a lab and you know your students will be HOOKED. They love labs and they love food so when you add the two together, you know you’ve got an activity they are 100% invested in! This is a simple lab you have probably already heard of where students work individually or in small groups to make oreo cookies to represent the lunar cycle. This helps them remember the individual phases and I like to have them predict what phase the moon would be on as an extra bonus. You can grab a freebie template below to get the same lab that I use. It even includes a short activity students can complete beforehand to review the moon phases as well as solar eclipses and lunar eclipses.

Dry Ice Fog (Physical Science)

Dry ice is always a hit with students on Halloween! It’s a great way to review changes in states of matter with students and give them a real life example of sublimation in which CO₂ turns directly from a solid to a gas, skipping the liquid phase when it is warmed up. This creates a fog that really gives off the spooky vibes in your classroom. If you coat the rim of the bowl with dish soap, soak a piece of string or fabric with the dish soap and then drag it across the rim to seal the opening, you can create fog bubbles!

Halloween Science Stations (Earth/Space, Life Science, Physical Science)

These Halloween Science Stations are the perfect way to review a bunch of standards in one day while still having that Halloween theme. These stations activities are perfect for spiral review in your middle school science class in that there are 9 stations that review Earth/Space, Life Science and Physical Science topics. They are low prep, engaging, and can be done in 1-2 class periods.

The 9 stations include:

Batty Limbs – Students will compare bat limbs to human limbs to describe homologous structures.
Ghoul’s Goo – Students will explore states of matter with oobleck.
Disappearing Candy Corn – Students will explore physical changes with dissolving candy corn in warm water,
Pumpkin Mass & Weight – Students will obtain the mass and weight of a mini pumpkin to explore the difference between both measurements in matter.
Spider Ecology – Students will discuss the ecology of spiders and their role in the ecosystem.
Sweet Erosion – Students will perform a mini experiment in which they simulate erosion with sugar cubes and a spray bottle.
Moon Phases – Students will identify different phases of the moon in the lunar cycle. Students will also research to see what phase the moon will be on Halloween night.
Monster Genetics – Students will create their own monster using Punnett squares.

9. Candy Rock Cycle – Students will simulate the rock cycle using candy.

These stations will help refresh your students on topics they have previously learned which, if you teach a class that is standardized tested in science, is something you need to focus on during the year. I find that these stations’ activities help jog my students memories about previous topics and allow me to address any misconceptions that students have. Learn more about how I utilize stations in my middle school science classroom here.

However you choose to celebrate Halloween in your classroom, remember that including those essential topics in your celebrations doesn’t have to feel like you are missing a day of instruction. There are plenty of ways to make Halloween themes fit into your science instruction!

The post Halloween Science Activities for Middle School appeared first on Secondary Sparks.

Valentine’s Day Science Activities for Middle School

Michelle Rudolph — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 19:35:01 +0000

Valentine’s Day in elementary school was always so fun. Sharing Valentines, stuffing your face with chocolates, a big class party and everything had a red and pink theme to it the whole day. Then, middle school comes around and it all comes to a screeching halt. A bit of a bummer, right? It doesn’t have to be that way! You can still celebrate Valentine’s Day in your middle school science classroom. “But what about the standards?! My pacing guide?!” Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Here are some Valentine’s Day science activities for middle school that you can do to spread the love and keep that holiday excitement alive.

Food Labs

Middle schoolers love food. They love snacks, candy and anything that involves food in class is usually a win. If you can find a food lab for a topic you’re teaching, Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to do it. Bonus points if the food is pink or red.

Cells: Edible cell models with candy representing organelles.
Mitosis/Meiosis: Oreos and sprinkles to model the division process.
Plate Tectonics: Model plate boundaries with graham crackers, frosting and fruit roll ups.
Teaching
Moon Phases: Model the lunar cycle with Oreos. You can grab a free lab here.
Changes in States of Matter: Make ice cream in a bag.
Heat Transfer (conduction, convection, radiation): Make s’mores with the three different types of heat transfer.

You can find more examples of food labs I love here.

Eco-Friendly Valentines

Have your students bring in recyclable materials and create eco-friendly Valentine’s for their friends or family. You can tie this into a lesson about human impact and how important it is to love the Earth and be kind to it. You could even have students make Valentine’s for the Earth and hand them around your classroom or hallway.

Cupid’s Catapults

Have students design catapults with supplies like popsicle sticks and bottle caps. You can discuss energy transformations that occur when using catapults. This STEM activity would allow for students to critically think about potential and kinetic energy in order to make sure their catapults are effective. You could even take them outside to test them out.

A day for the Heart

Dedicate the day to learning all about the heart and the circulatory system.

Have students make 3D heart models with play dough or modeling clay. Make it a STEM activity and have students try to create a working, pumping model of the heart using recycled materials.
Measure and compare heart rates during different types of activity.
Have students do a choice project about the circulatory system or the heart.

Valentine’s Day Slime

Yes, this one is messy but you can use this activity to teach concepts like density and states of matter.

Valentines Day Stations

Take the normal content you are teaching and find a way to make it Valentine’s Day themed with stations. Your students are probably going to be a little more excited than usual because of the holiday, so why not channel that energy into an activity that requires movement? These Valentine’s Day Science Stations Lab Activities include 8 different stations that spiral reviews middle school science content (life science, physical science and Earth/space science). Students spend 6-8 minutes at a station and then move on to the next at the sound of a timer. Each station includes a science topic with a Valentine’s Day theme. Check out the stations here.

The post Valentine’s Day Science Activities for Middle School appeared first on Secondary Sparks.

3 Reasons to Use Science Task Cards in Middle School

Michelle Rudolph — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 19:41:43 +0000

Task cards are nothing new, but they are a classroom resource that has stuck – and for good reasons! It’s common to see teachers use task cards in math and reading, but there is a place I love to use them the most: science! Science task cards have many possibilities, and they make teaching, reviewing, and prepping simple.

If you’re feeling a bit skeptical about the power of science task cards, let me convince you how awesome they can be!

#1 You can use them over and over again.

In the science classroom, many activities and resources that take lots of planning and preparation to get ready. Labs have to reset for each class and materials bought each year. With task cards, however, you can prepare them once and use them over and over again!

Print the task cards on sturdy cardstock or laminate them to make the task cards durable. Then, make sure to store them somewhere safe. I like to keep them in the photo storage boxes you can find at Michael’s or Amazon.

If you ever need a quick activity, you can pull out the ready-made task cards, and you are good to go!

#2 They can be used in a wide variety of formats.

While science task cards may not be the most inventive educational resource, the activities you can use them with makes up for it! You can have students simply select task cards and answer them, but you can also make it interactive. Here are a few ideas –

Science stations
Gallery Walk
Group discussion
Review or spiral material
Warm-ups and morning work
Enrichment and early finishers
Games, such as relay races, four corners, and team games

With just one deck of task cards, you can use it 12+ ways! That is certainly worth any time you spend preparing the cards.

#3 You can ask students various questions.

There are no restrictions on the types of questions you can have on science task cards. From multiple choice, short response, true/false, multiple choice, and more. Plus, you can include charts and graphics on task cards as well. With these various question types, you can assess students’ knowledge, challenge students, and present information in different ways.

The question type also impacts how you use the cards. Multiple choice is great for classroom games, while short answers can make for good stations or extension activities.

Want science task cards for your middle school classroom? This Physical Science Task Card Bundle includes both digital and print task cards.

The task cards cover topics from physical and chemical changes, forces and motion, scientific investigations, energy forms, and many more! There are 13 topics, each with 24 task cards.

This task card bundle is minimal prep. Simply upload the Google Slide digital task cards, or print and prepare the paper task cards. Either way, you’ll have task cards to review and use all year long!

Get the Physical Science Task Card Bundle

Want to get a free sample of my physical science task cards? Sign up below!

Want more activity ideas for your science classroom? Check out this blog on using warm-ups in science.

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