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Middle School Science Classroom Procedures You Should Try Next Year

Michelle Rudolph — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 14:17:00 +0000

Having effective middle school science classroom procedures can make or break the overall dynamic of the classroom. Yes, the content is important but you won’t get too far without establishing procedures first. There are so many things to consider in your middle school classroom and how you want things to run so if you’re new to teaching or just want to be more effective next year, then here are some things you may want to consider.

Starting Every Class with a Warm Up or Bellringer

If your middle school students are like most, then you probably notice that most behaviors occur during transition times. This can include when students are first coming into your classroom and are waiting for something to do. Yes, you need to get settled in yourself and take attendance, so why not give yourself a chance to settle in and give your students a chance to do so too? Warm ups are the perfect solution for this.

Your students have an expectation from the moment they walk in the door that they know is a requirement and
Your warm up or bellringer question is the perfect opportunity to review content from last class period’s lesson.

I call that a win-win. While you’re taking attendance, your students are working on the day’s warm up. Once you are done taking attendance, you can quickly take a walk around the room to check students’ responses and then review the answer with the class.

Personally, I like to give my students a warm up template that either has the questions already on there or has a space where students can write the question and answer. This is something they can grab when they walk in and get started on immediately.

This is what they look like:

Here are five ways to use science warm ups in your classroom.

Using Daily Agenda Slides

The perfect blend of digital classroom decor and organization. Agenda slides provide a visual of what students can expect during the class period. If you make it a focal point in your classroom by using a projector or smartboard, it will be the first thing that students will see when they walk in.

Let’s face it, you have to write that objective or standard on the board, but how many students are actually going to look at it? By using an agenda slide, you have something students will actually want to look at that gives them information that they need.

Here are some things you can include on your agenda slides:

Objective
Standards
Agenda
Warm up or bellringer questions
Homework
Reminders
Supplies to have ready
Field trip reminders
Important dates to remember

Learn more about how using agenda slides changed my classroom management routine.

Having a Procedure for EVERYTHING

Yes, that may sound dramatic but you’d be surprised what happens when you don’t. Every teacher and every classroom is different but here are some things to consider.

What do students do if they need to go to the restroom? Do you have a pass system with a sign out sheet? Do they raise their hands and ask? Do they need to wait until after you are done giving instructions or a lesson before asking? Unless it’s an emergency, of course.
What if a student needs a pencil? Can they just grab one? Do they write their name on the board to sign one out? What if they need to sharpen that pencil in the middle of a lesson or activity?
Where do students turn in their work when they are done? The last thing you want is a student handing you work every few minutes throughout the period. Have a spot for that and tell them where it is. If it’s a digital assignment, show they exactly where and how they do that as well.
How will they enter and leave the classroom? Are you going with “the bell doesn’t dismiss you, I dismiss you” strategy or can they just leave when the bell rings? What should they do when they first walk in the room?
This one may seem obvious, but you still want to establish how students participate in classroom discussions. Even the big kids forget to raise their hand sometimes!
Lab safety. Don’t skip this unit! Even for the upper grades who you think should already know it by now. Remind them. Trust me on this one.
Have procedures for handling absences and make-up work. How will students get what they missed? Make sure this procedure is easy for you and them. You can read more about how I manage absent work in my classroom here.
Review emergency procedures and review them often. Where do students go when there is a fire drill? Or a lockdown? You don’t want to be scrambling during thes!
Set rules for using technology in the classroom and how they will return laptops and other materials when they are done. I recommend using a visual numbering system for laptops so students know exactly where to go and remember to plug their devices in to charge.
Establish guidelines for working in groups/pairs.
End of class routine. Will you use exit tickets? Will students have time to put things away in an organized manner? Will your last period help clean up and stack chairs?

Do what works best for you and your classroom. Most importantly, always review your procedures with your class to make sure everyone is on the same page.

The post Middle School Science Classroom Procedures You Should Try Next Year appeared first on Secondary Sparks.

How to Make Whole Group Google Slides Science Activities Engaging

Michelle Rudolph — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 18:37:49 +0000

Sometimes I hear educators pushing back against whole group instruction. Some people believe it doesn’t benefit our students, and it’s not engaging. But in my eyes, there is a time and a place for whole group instruction in the science classroom! You don’t have to put together elaborate labs or stations to have fun with science activities.

During whole group instruction, I am a big fan of using Google Slides, but that doesn’t mean simply lecturing at the board. I want to share some of my favorite ways to make whole group science lessons engaging, so you can have fun with science activities – no matter the format!

#1 Include Students in the Instruction

You might be thinking, “Well, duh, I should include my students.” But I don’t mean just asking them to answer questions. I mean really getting students involved in the whole group instruction.

Make it a requirement that students be active participants by requiring that they write their answers down on a whiteboard or piece of paper. Then, select students at random to come up with the board where your Google Slide is displayed and have them answer or solve for the class.

If they get stuck, let them “phone a friend” and get help from another student. This isn’t about embarrassing or punishing students but rather getting them engaged in the lesson!

#2 White Board Games

Another way to have fun with science activities and whole group instruction is by using whiteboards. Have students answer quick questions as you go through the Google Slide, and then raise their board so you can check for understanding.

You can also have students draw a visual representation of a concept or answer a quick vocabulary check. Have fun with it! Not every question has to be super serious but can keep students alert and engaged.

#3 Create a Review Game

What better way to have fun with science activities than to make it a game? Turn your Google Slides into an interactive challenge, such as playing trashketball, trivia, or Jeopardy.

There are a couple ways you can do this. First, you can tell students that you will be playing a team game at the end of the lesson and ask them to take notes during whole group. Then, they can use these notes during the game!

Second, you can actually repurpose your Google Slides into a game by taking the content and questions from the slides and using them in a new way.

Fun with science activities and google slides

Looking for some Google Slides to try these new whole group ideas and have fun with science activities? Check out these Google Slides:

Periodic Table Google Slides and Print Activities – Cover concepts like what is the periodic table, how to obtain information from the periodic table, the arrangement of elements, and more.

Interactions of Earth’s Spheres Google Slides and Print Activities – Cover key material for this unit, like geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and more.

Thermal Energy and Heat Google Slides and Print Activities – Help students master concepts like kinetic theory of matter, temperature, transfer of heat, conduction, and more.

Changes in States of Matter Google Slides and Print Activities – Cover key concepts in the unit like states of matter (solid, liquid, gas), thermal energy, changes in states of matter, and more.

Want more Google Slides activities? Check out these five activity ideas to make Google Slides engaging and interactive.

The post How to Make Whole Group Google Slides Science Activities Engaging appeared first on Secondary Sparks.