Use this PowerPoint to introduce yourself to the students on the first day of class! The slides give you an idea of what students should know about you, about the class, and your expectations for them academically and behaviorally. The slides encourage you to include pictures that relate to your life, that relate to former students, that showcase upcoming activities they will do in your classroom, and that relate to your teaching philosophy and vision for the classroom. Feel free to tweak the slides and background color to better suit you.

Evolution is a biological topic that many students find to be incredibly boring. This project helps to solve this issue by allowing students to show how our current actions will affect the way our species will look and act in the year 3000. The project helps to bust any misconceptions about evolution being a concept of the past. Students get to choose from several interesting topics: video games (teenagers today spend most of their waking hours playing video games) TV (teens can spend days binge watching their favorite shows) the internet or usage of phone apps (teenagers practically live on the internet and have their phones attached to them all the time!) fast/processed food (due to how busy our lives have become a large portion of our population relies on fast/processed food). . . . and they also get to choose how they want to present their information: an essay a video presentation an illustration a song When you download this free file you receive a do now that probes students’ background knowledge and thoughts on evolution, detailed explanation of evolution project, rubric for project, and sample student project examples. NGSS Biology Alignment NGSS.HS-LS4-3 NGSS.HS-LS4-4 NGSS.HS-LS4-5

On the first day of school, you want to get to know your students better by having them in engage in this brief activity. Begin by telling students to find someone in the classroom to interview. Once all of the students are finished interviewing one another, have them share their responses with the class. This is a great icebreaker activity that I have used with my students in three various schools.

On the first day of school, you want to get to know your students better by having them in engage in this brief activity. Begin by telling students to find someone in the classroom to interview. Once all of the students are finished interviewing one another, have them share their responses with the class. This is a great icebreaker activity that I have used with my students in three various schools.

This worksheet is part of a unit plan on decomposition (see below note). Students research various methods used to preserve food. They then choose the method they find the most interesting and elaborate on how the method works. They also include an illustration of the method. Note: It is recommended that you complete with your students the anchoring phenomena activity, modeling activity, and the lab before moving onto this “Elaborate” activity.

A Venn Diagram for you and your students to compare and contrast Darwin vs. Lamarck’s theories on evolution and natural selection. When you download this product you receive: A student Venn Diagram in pdf and word form A teacher Venn Diagram Key in pdf and word form **NGSS Biology Alignment ** NGSS.HS-LS4-1 NGSS.HS-LS4-3 NGSS.HS-LS4-4 NGSS.HS-LS4-5

This “anchoring phenomena” activity is meant to grab the students’ attention, develop interest in decomposition, and probe their background knowledge. The students begin by watching a time-lapse video of pumpkins rotting while answering questions that spark their curiosity of decomposition.

Students model in groups of 3-4 on large poster paper the decomposition process of a pumpkin. Download to see the requirements and details of this modeling activity. Note: It is strongly recommended that you download the anchoring phenomena video and questions on decomposition before moving onto this modeling activity.

This is the rubric for the Rotting Pumpkin Lab Presentation. You will need to download and have students complete the NGSS - Designing and Investigating Factors Affecting Decomposition Rate lab first before using this rubric. After students design and complete the investigation, they are to present their findings to the class in the form of Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, this anchoring phenomena with a sample key involves a video of a turkey making gobbling sounds and questions that have students thinking carefully about the turkey’s behavior. The students also come up with their own questions that they have about turkeys after watching the video and they explore in detail one of the questions. This leads us to the Turkey Informational Poster Mini Project found on my TES store. Be sure to check it out as both the turkey anchoring phenomena and informational poster go hand-in-hand together.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, this mini poster activity allows students to take learning into their own hands by exploring a question that interests them regarding turkeys. The goal of the mini poster project is to answer the question they developed in an informational and easy to understand manner. Attention- This poster project goes hand-in-hand with the Turkey Anchoring Phenomena activity found on my TES store. Complete the anchoring phenomena activity first before moving onto this poster project.

This exit-slip is a quick way to assess how well the students understand the lesson. It could be used in any subject with any topic in any grade level. The exit-slip has students explain which topics they understand really well, which topics they somewhat understand, and which topics they are completely lost on. They also outline what steps they will take to ensure they are very comfortable with all of the topics covered in the lesson.

Students learn how medicine is processed in the body after watching a short video. Students then apply their understanding by modeling the different phases (i.e. Administration, Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) that occur in the body after medicine is consumed. Video link located at bottom of worksheet. Sample student models included Great for a biochemistry course!

This bundle is here just in time for Thanksgiving! It includes an engage “anchoring phenomena” activity with a sample key. This anchoring phenomena involves a video of a turkey making gobbling sounds and questions that have students thinking carefully about the turkey’s behavior. The students also come up with their own questions that they have about turkeys after watching the video and they explore in detail one of the questions. The explore activity in this bundle is a mini poster project that allows students to take learning into their own hands by exploring a question that interests them regarding turkeys. The goal of the mini poster project is to answer the question they developed in an informational and easy to understand manner.

This document allows students to design and investigate a factor (light, air, water, etc.) that accelerates the decomposition rate of pumpkins. Students collect data for 30 days, and present the results at the end to their class in the form of a presentation and final lab report. Note: It is strongly recommended that you download the Anchoring Phenomena - Decomposition video and questions and it is recommended you also download the Decomposition Modeling Activity before moving onto this lab activity. Doing so, will give your students the necessary background and foundation needed to succeed in designing and implementing this lab activity.

Your students will love this assignment! They get to listen to different genres of their choosing and see how their heart rate changes in the process to learn more about homeostasis.

Get your students excited about climate change, methane gas, and pollution with this interesting article and student questions. Students in their day-to-day lives do not think about cows and the possible harms they contribute to the planet. After reading the article and answering the questions, students will never look at cows or order a hamburger the same way again! This product in pdf and word form comes with: the article student questions answer key to student questions NGSS Chemistry Alignment NGSS.HS-ESS3-2 NGSS.HS-ESS3-6 NGSS.HS-ESS3-4

Want a lab that will be the highlight of your students’ school year? Then you need to download this lab. Students are mesmerized by the reaction that takes place and they will ask you to repeat the lab over and over again. This lab activity can be used in the middle and high school classrooms. At the high school level, this lab activity teaches students about endothermic/exothermic reactions, as well as, identifying if a decomposition, synthesis, double replacement, etc. reaction took place. This lab comes with: a procedure observational and thinking questions a teacher’s key a pdf and word version NGSS Chemistry Alignment NGSS.HS-PS3-4 NGSS.HS-PS3-2 NGSS.HS-PS1-4 NGSS.HS-PS1-5

Ants are simple insects with complex lives and evolutional histories. This is the most interesting documentary on ants that explores everything from how they behave, what they do in case of emergencies, what insect they evolved from, the symbiotic relationships they have with other organisms, and more. Your students will never look at ants the same way again after watching the documentary and answering the questions. Many students are surprised to learn that there are scientists who study ants for a living. When you download this product you receive: 16 students questions on the Ants Documentary in pdf and word form Answer key to the documentary questions in pdf and word form Link to ants documentary NGSS Biology Alignment NGSS.HS-LS4-2 NGSS.HS-LS4-3 NGSS.HS-LS4-4 NGSS.HS-LS2-6 NGSS.HS-LS2-8 NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Introduce students to equilibrium with this cool lava lamp lab! The students absolutely enjoy making lava lamps and love trying to figure out how equilibrium relates to this cool experiment! They will ask you to repeat this experiment again and again and again! When you download this file . . . you receive it in pdf and word form you receive an answer key you get picture examples of students completing the lab so that you can have a clearer idea of how to carry out this lab activity with your own students This lab aligns with NGSS Chemistry. NGSS.HS-PS1-6