I have way too much to do during the day teaching and grading to deal with all the extra stuff that happens in the classroom. I can’t waste any time on unnecessary questions, losing stuff, waiting, cell phones, extra talking, distractions, bad behavior, and unpreparedness. They all take away from my instruction time and learning.Continue reading “My Top 16 Classroom Management Strategies”
Category Archives: Teaching Tips and Strategies
5 Ways to Take Notes Without a Worksheet
In my job as a teacher, each day is about a new thing to learn and a new skill to practice. It’s good to keep students busy, but I don’t like to feel like I’m giving busy work. Multiple worksheets in one class period can feel disorganized, and overwhelming. Also I need to create theseContinue reading “5 Ways to Take Notes Without a Worksheet”
More Tips for Using Science Notebooks as an Organization System
I had so much to say about science notebooks in my last post, How to Set-up a Science Notebook, that I needed to start a whole new one. In my 7 years of teaching, I used science notebooks most of the time. I tried binders too, but ultimately I like using notebooks the best. OverContinue reading “More Tips for Using Science Notebooks as an Organization System”
How to Set-up a Science Notebook
Many teachers I know are organized people. You have to be in order to manage hundreds of copies, handouts, and pieces of student work every single day. Organization comes naturally to many teachers, but it doesn’t necessarily for students. We teachers all know the student with the crumpled up papers at the bottom of theirContinue reading “How to Set-up a Science Notebook”
My Go-To Lesson Structure and 8 Classroom Routines for Better Classroom Management
Over the years I figured out a lot of tips to streamline my classroom. In this blog post, I’ll share my favorite lesson structure and classroom routines for a typical day. I hope the ideas in this blog post can save you some time and stress! Keep reading to learn more about my go-to lessonContinue reading “My Go-To Lesson Structure and 8 Classroom Routines for Better Classroom Management”
Lab Safety Teacher Script
This Teacher Script encompasses many of my teacher-centered moments when learning Lab Safety. Just print the script, attach it to a clipboard, and you’re ready to go! Read my script below for ideas, download my PDF to use in your classroom, or make a copy of my Google Doc and customize it to your needs.Continue reading “Lab Safety Teacher Script”
How She Teaches Lab Safety
Labs are some of my favorite learning activities to do with students. Labs are hands-on, inquisitive, collaborative, and fun. I try to do as many labs during the year as I can, and they are an important part of my science instruction. Of course, there can be limitations such as my school’s science budget, andContinue reading “How She Teaches Lab Safety”
6 Of My Favorite Activity Ideas for the First Day of School
Going over the syllabus and class rules are important on the first day. Icebreakers are another standard activity for the first day of school. “Get to know you Bingo,” is a well known icebreaker. Nothing against Bingo, but there’s a good chance my students will do Bingo in one of their other classes. I wantContinue reading “6 Of My Favorite Activity Ideas for the First Day of School”
How I Use “Check-ins” to Check for Understanding and Inform My Teaching
Check-ins are one of my favorite classroom routines that I depend on year after year. A Check-in is a quick set of questions at the end of a lesson that tell me what students know and what they still need to know. It’s like an Exit Ticket, a popular formative assessment of many teachers, butContinue reading “How I Use “Check-ins” to Check for Understanding and Inform My Teaching”
Cellphones in Class. Arg! How I Manage Cellphones so I can Teach and Students can Learn
Cellphones are a relatively new phenomenon in the classroom. I graduated high school in 2005 when texting first started to make its way into our daily lives. Cellphones, texting, and social media have since taken hold of us, hijacking our time and brains around the clock. I see it in my students when they walkContinue reading “Cellphones in Class. Arg! How I Manage Cellphones so I can Teach and Students can Learn”
The Teacher Supplies and Classroom Systems I Can’t Do Without
Over years of teaching I have identified the essential supplies that I use in the classroom every day. A lot of my supplies support the classroom systems that I put in place, like how to turn in work, and organize lesson plans. Teaching is so fast-paced that I need to have good systems in place.Continue reading “The Teacher Supplies and Classroom Systems I Can’t Do Without”
Getting into the School Building in a Pandemic
How She Teaches during a pandemic: Safety measures for in-person learning The beginning of the school day is energetic and fast-paced. Students arrive by car, bike, skateboard, bus, and on foot. Sidewalks, hallways, parking lots, the cafeteria, and classrooms are busy with students greeting one another, eating breakfast, and scrambling to get something done thatContinue reading “Getting into the School Building in a Pandemic”
How to Teach Vocabulary With a Vocabulary Log
Science, especially Biology, is a vocabulary dense field. If vocabulary isn’t explicitly taught, students have a hard time understanding the complex concepts and processes. With Vocabulary Logs, students define, illustrate, and summarize, which are processes that help connect ideas and information in their brains. English Learners need and benefit from explicit vocabulary development, and allContinue reading “How to Teach Vocabulary With a Vocabulary Log”
Class Sizes and Cohorts in a Pandemic
How She Teaches during a pandemic: Safety measures for in-person learning Class Sizes An important component of returning to the classroom involved dividing students into smaller sized cohorts. Most years I have classes with between 30-35 students, but this year I am lucky to have around 25 students in each class (much easier for classroomContinue reading “Class Sizes and Cohorts in a Pandemic”
Transition to In-Person Learning and Week 4 of Digital Learning in a Pandemic
We’re currently in week 4 of Digital Learning. At this time, my head is swirling with different ideas, questions, and concerns. I have half a dozen or so half-written blog posts about the beginning of this year, and I find that I’m unable to finalize any of my thoughts. There are just so many thingsContinue reading “Transition to In-Person Learning and Week 4 of Digital Learning in a Pandemic”
How She Teaches 