Tweak Trad. Labs to Inquiry Excitement.

How to take a good idea for a lab and write a clear, inquiry-based lab sheet that will engage students, freeing you up to ciruculate and coach.

Plastic Trash Issue and Density

Plastic particles float like plankton, making up a huge proportion of the diet of filter feeders – from baleen whales to small fish. The possible impact on marine life is huge. What floats and what sinks matters – this engaging issue is used to add context to a unit on density and buoyancy.

Sorting Sources from Reliable to Rubbish

Battling the young to think about where information comes from, giving credit and figuring out if it’s credible. They hate it, I hated it, the tedium of looking up references blah, blah, and yet, in the end, a life and death of democracy skill.

Newton’s Apple Lab – Better this time.

The scene of basically a disaster the first time I did it, apples being tossed and impaled on pencils, yelling ‘sit down and shut up!’. This time, much, much better. Why? Here’s what worked much better this year, with pics and student sheet.

Kids Doing Demos, Running the Races: Switching Places

“Student centered classrooom” What does that really mean? It’s hard to move off the stage and let the kids at it, but so much better to engage them, respect them and frankly, give me a little break from bossing everyone around. Being a little pulled back gives them more space to expand, a powerful good thing I’m learning late in life.

Surprise!

A key element for more learning and laughs in science class.

Letting kids link concepts for themselves + 3 tips to start school student-centered

A lesson plan that worked for starting force and motion units + student misconceptions, together with some tips that work across the board.

ISTE: The Retro Grouch is Out

After a bit of skepticism, there’s still plenty to like at ISTE today, including the white sand beach in the evening.

Use Eclipse Photos to Get Kids Curious

Use intriguing photographs of eclipses to get kids curious about astronomy and light and optics concepts. Copyright is granted to you from me

Activities for Atomic Theory and Atomic Issues

Check out activities with sheets and pics of some engaging games to teach the concepts of ‘isotope’ and of radioactive decay and half life. Beans, pennies and dice on rainy days, fun.