Here are some platforms and tools I use to find instructional strategies! Follow me to connect to a wider community, and comment your tools below!
Planning Resources
As a new teacher, I spent countless hours trying to create lesson plans and student-facing documents/worksheets from scratch. I quickly learned that there are already so many teachers who are willing to share what they have created so we don’t have to!
My Twitter – Follow for a stream related to STEM that include other science/math teachers, news/current events, STEM opportunities for underrepresented groups, hands-on learning, and ways to get students engaged!
Pinterest Science Teachers – I have found countless resources via Pinterest. Here is a tag for science teachers to get you started, but don’t stop there. You’ll have an account too before you know it!
Teachers Pay Teachers – Teachers Pay Teachers is an amazing tool that allows you to look at and use resources that other teachers have created (lesson plans, student worksheets, PowerPoints, assessments, you name it!). The link takes you to various science experiments idea, but again, don’t stop there!! I have personally found great tools for having scientific discussions in class, and have used lessons for improving scientific arguments with my students. There are both free options as well as resources for a fee for all subjects and grade levels.
Tech in the Classroom
Using technology in the classroom might seem like a scary idea for some of us, but can be an incredible tool if you have access to it and will better prepare our students with 21st century skills they require to be successful. Here are some resources to get you started.
CK-12 – CK-12 is a resource that allows you to incorporate more differentiation and personalized learning for each student in your classroom. In addition to science, there are also math and english resources. As a teacher, you can create a digital classroom for your students to allow them to watch videos, read texts, do practice problems, and apply their learning to real world situations for a countless number of topics. Because each student is doing this digitally, the student results for practice problems is also a quick way to collect data on student understanding! Yay data!
*Note: If your students do not have individual access to technology, fear not! I have also printed out texts and displayed videos from CK-12 from my own computer to show the whole class. If you have limited access to tech, using these resources in a rotation station format would also be worth trying.
Google Classroom – Google Classroom is a Google application that teachers can use to create digital classrooms to have students receive and share assignments. I started using Google Classroom after talking with my co-workers about how to avoid having to read sloppy student handwriting for larger writing assignments… Turns out, it’s a super effective tool! I have administered quizzes, surveys, shared links, and graded lab reports via Google classroom. If your students have access to technology at home, this can also be a way to share announcements or reminders about homework and upcoming assignments/quizzes.
PhET Simulations – Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET simulationss are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery. If your students each have access to tech, this makes for great individual or partner work. If not, use this as rotation stations. I have also projected a simulation on my computer to the whole class.
In addition to simulations, there are also lesson resources, and handouts that students can use to walk them through certain simulations. Check it out!
Ms. Ngo's Learning Network 