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Being a long-term sub

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-03-02

I’m starting a long-term substitute position teaching high school chemistry until the end of the year. I’ve subbed for this teacher before, so I’m somewhat familiar with the school. But do you have any suggestions for starting in the middle of the year? How can I get to know the students quickly? Should I continue the existing classroom management practices or come up with my own?
— Carrie from New Mexico
In the case of a teacher taking a leave of absence, some schools encourage (and might even pay for) the substitute to come in for a few days ahead of time to become familiar with the teacher’s classroom routines. It would also be helpful for you to meet with the teacher and discuss her grading practices, the lab safety contract the students (and parents) have signed, her use of science notebooks, students’ IEPs, and any questions you may have . Find out if she would like you to continue with class blogs, wikis, or other online projects (you’ll need passwords and account information). Ask the teacher or department chair to give you a tour of the lab and stockroom to see where and how materials and equipment are stored and for a refresher on the safety equipment in the lab.  You’ll also need access to the storeroom inventory and material safety data sheets. Ask the technology coordinator for a school email address and passwords to any programs needed attendance, grading, lesson planning, or communications.
The teacher or department chair should also share the curriculum you’ll be expected to address during your time. Ask the teacher if she can share resources for these topics (e.g., teacher manuals, assignments, assessments, suggested lab activities, and presentations). Find out if you’ll able to contact the teacher by email or phone if you have any questions or if she would like updates. Also find out if the school will assign you a mentor or go-to person if you have questions or concerns.
Stepping into the classroom in the middle of the year is challenging. Even though the students know you from your subbing experiences, you may not know all of them. Treat the first few days as if they were the beginning of the school year. Introduce yourself and share a little bit about your background. (In my school, the principal would introduce the long-term sub to the class, reinforcing the idea that the sub was now part of the faculty.) Ask the students to introduce themselves so you can note their nicknames and correct pronunciation of their names. If the teacher has an established seating chart, use it at least until you can connect names and faces. If the teacher did not have a chart, create one to help you learn the students’ names. Review the safety procedures and rules.

Ask each student to record data on an index card: name, birthday, interests/hobbies, school activities, out-of-school activities (e.g., jobs, community organizations, volunteer work), and other conversation-starters. (Use a different color card for each class.) Then for each class each day, choose a few cards and make a point to interact with these students. During the class period, greet these students by name at the door, call on them for answers or to share a thought, or interact with them during seatwork or groupwork. The cards can also be used to randomly select a student for an answer or a job, ensuring that it’s not just the hand-raisers or those in the front of the classroom who participate.
Some other ways to get to know students:

  • Greet all students at the door with a brief comment or word of welcome. I would stand right inside my door so that I could keep an eye on the students already in the room, especially if lab equipment was in place.
  • Get to know students in a different setting by attending school functions and events.
  • Consider having lunch with students or talking to them in the lunch line.

In terms of classroom management, I’d keep using the existing routines, unless there are those you cannot live with or those that are ineffective or unsafe. Be sure to discuss any changes with the students, and be prepared for when they say “that’s not the way we did this before.” You may need to model the changes you want to make.
Keep a diary or log of your experiences and reflect on these as you apply for other positions next year.
Good luck!
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/1410227652/sizes/m/in/photostream/

I’m starting a long-term substitute position teaching high school chemistry until the end of the year. I’ve subbed for this teacher before, so I’m somewhat familiar with the school. But do you have any suggestions for starting in the middle of the year? How can I get to know the students quickly?

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.
Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.

When it’s just not possible to take students out to explore the natural world, bring the natural world to the classroom. Clearly organized and easy to use, this helpful guide contains more than 50 science lessons in six units: Greening the School, Insects, Plants, Rocks and Soils, Water, and In the Sky. All lessons include objectives, materials lists, procedures, reproducible data sheets, ideas for adapting to different grade levels, discussion questions, and next steps.

When it’s just not possible to take students out to explore the natural world, bring the natural world to the classroom. Clearly organized and easy to use, this helpful guide contains more than 50 science lessons in six units: Greening the School, Insects, Plants, Rocks and Soils, Water, and In the Sky. All lessons include objectives, materials lists, procedures, reproducible data sheets, ideas for adapting to different grade levels, discussion questions, and next steps.

BOOK ONLY EVO Teachers Guide: Ten Questions Everyone Should Ask About Evolution

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.

You Want Me to Teach What? Sure-Fire Methods for Teaching Physical Science and Math

Problem: You feel shaky about being assigned to teach upper-level science and math and need to get up to speed—fast. Solution: Follow this concise book’s tried-and-true methods, which you can integrate into your classroom and lesson plans starting from the first day of class.

Problem: You feel shaky about being assigned to teach upper-level science and math and need to get up to speed—fast. Solution: Follow this concise book’s tried-and-true methods, which you can integrate into your classroom and lesson plans starting from the first day of class.

DVD ONLY EVO: Ten Questions Everyone Should Ask About Evolution

Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.
Draw on the wit and wisdom of brilliant scientists to inspire your students as you teach them about a challenging area of biology. This teacher’s guide, which accompanies the EVO DVD, is structured around 10 fundamental questions about biological evolution. The teachers guide explores the DVD’s commentary from some of the world’s most well-known biologists, who gathered on the Galápagos Islands during a World Summit on Evolution and were interviewed about everything from what evolution is to how it happens to why anyone should care.
 

Setting up lab activities

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-02-28

I’m a new teacher with six classes: four biology and two ecology. The teacher’s manual for my textbooks in these subjects have many interesting lab activities, but I am having difficulty selecting and organizing them. I feel like I live at school! Do you have any suggestions?
–Tony from Illinois
There’s no way around it—the first year is a challenge for new teachers. You’re dealing with content and curriculum, classroom management, lab management, assessments, technology, and developing your routines and your own style of teaching. But it does get better the second year and beyond.
In terms of choosing which activities to do, consult your school’s curriculum for the learning goals for a given topic. Some curriculum documents also include suggested activities. Then select activities that will help students meet the learning goals (and you’re not limited to the textbook—for example, NSTA’s SciLinks has teacher-oriented websites with activities on hundreds of topics.). Also look for activities that provide opportunities for enrichment and additional exploration.
Make sure the students can do the activity safely in your classroom/lab. I found it helpful to go through a new activity prior to class from a student’s perspective to identify any possible concerns. No matter how interesting it seems, you should not include any activity that cannot be done safely. For those, you could substitute a simulation or video.

In an ideal setting, your classes in each subject would meet back-to-back, with a planning period in between. But most of us who have taught multiple subjects rarely have an ideal setting. Rather than trying to take down and set up activities several times during the day, try to schedule your labs in each subject on different days.
On lab days, it’s helpful to establish routines for students to access and return needed materials. Plastic boxes, trays, or dish tubs can become your best friends for distributing and collecting materials. Have one for each lab group, label it (e.g., Group 1, Group 2), and require each team use the box with their label. Since you have two subjects, it would be helpful to have two sets, each a different color so it’s easy for you and your students to recognize which set is for which subject. Use these containers to organize the materials for an activity—thermometers, glass slides, calculators, handouts, rulers, markers, beakers. Prepare ahead of time so that one student from each group can get the box and they’re ready to go. I also included an index card “inventory” in each box so students knew what was to be returned. Save the cards to use the next time you do the lesson. I also put a summary of safety issues on the card as a reminder of what we discussed prior to the activity.
A few minutes before the end of the period, your routine should include the students referring to the card to organize the materials. Before dismissing the class, you can do a quick inspection to see that everything is in the box and determine if anything should be replenished. You may need to model these routines at first, but once students have internalized them, clean-up is much easier.
If the lab requires any equipment or materials that could be potentially dangerous if they were to leave the room, have the students return it to you in person. (My seventh-graders were very trustworthy, but I still collected any forceps, scissors, or scalpels myself.)
Take a photo of a box that is set up for class and save it with your lesson plan. Add a section at the beginning of your lesson plan in which you list the materials you need. Even if the lesson does not include a lab activity, knowing what you’ll need ahead of time is a timesaver. After the lesson, annotate your plan with any changes you would make.
Store any specialized materials for an activity in a labeled box or plastic bag, ready for the next time you do it. Be sure that any chemicals are returned to their designated places in the storeroom.
Even veteran teachers sometimes feel like they live at school, as they redesign lessons, try out new activities, or update their assessments. Science teachers already work hard; we also need to work smart with thoughtful planning, organization, and reflection.
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40964293@N07/4018106328/

I’m a new teacher with six classes: four biology and two ecology. The teacher’s manual for my textbooks in these subjects have many interesting lab activities, but I am having difficulty selecting and organizing them. I feel like I live at school! Do you have any suggestions?
–Tony from Illinois

Available February 15, 2012
Available February 15, 2012

Connecting With Nature: A Naturalist's Perspective

One of my earliest memories is of a warm day, a field with many grasshoppers, a shallow creek with cold water, and the joy of a day in the hills with my parents. My dad had gone fishing and I was free to wander about nearby. It was summer in the Gray Pines foothills of the Sierra Nevada, near Chico, California, where I was born. Along the creek I found a turtle! I had hoped someday to have one as a pet. I ran with the wondrous creature cradled in my hands to show my mom.
One of my earliest memories is of a warm day, a field with many grasshoppers, a shallow creek with cold water, and the joy of a day in the hills with my parents. My dad had gone fishing and I was free to wander about nearby. It was summer in the Gray Pines foothills of the Sierra Nevada, near Chico, California, where I was born. Along the creek I found a turtle! I had hoped someday to have one as a pet. I ran with the wondrous creature cradled in my hands to show my mom.
 

Astronomy

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2012-02-22

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February 20, 1962 – Many of our NSTA members and colleagues weren’t even born then! But it was an unforgettable event as my friends and I watched John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. There was no Internet at the time and no live Tweets—just classrooms of students huddled around black and white television sets to watch this historic event in real time. The potential of space travel became more real, and many of us dreamed of becoming astronauts, astronomers, or engineers. (John Glenn made his second space flight in 1988 at age 77!)
In this issue of Science Scope, there are many ideas to build on students’ interest in the solar system and astronomy.
Some interdisciplinary activities I’ve seen appear superficial or contrived. But the authors of Exploring the Solar System: Let the Math Teachers Help (three of whom are math teachers) show that big ideas in math, science, and engineering can be addressed in a study of distance and scale in the solar system. There is a day-by-day schedule and examples of data sheets. [SciLinks: Solar System, Inner Planets, Outer Planets] The vast distances in space are hard for students to comprehend. Outward Bound to the Galaxies—One Step at a Time has suggestions and resources for activities that help students with this concept. [SciLinks: Galaxies, Telescopes]
The “reasons for the seasons” is one of the misconceptions that students (and many adults) have. Springing Into Inquiry–Using Student Ideas to Investigate Seasons describes how to use student ideas and curiosity to deal with misconceptions through inquiry. The authors describe the before-and-after thinking of students and note that “inquiry does not mean giving students an activity; rather it involves their mental immersion into the science curriculum.” [SciLinks: Seasons, Science Misconceptions] Reflecting on Students’ Misconceptions About Light also provides suggestions for dealing with student misunderstandings.  [SciLinks: Light, Light and Color]

The moon and its phases are another source of student misconceptions. The author of  A Sun-Earth-Moon Activity to Develop Student Understanding of Lunar Phases and Frames of Reference has suggestions for getting students up and moving to explore frames of reference and to clear up misunderstandings. [SciLinks: Moon Phases]
During a lunar eclipse a few years ago, I set up a telescope on the pavement in front of my house. Within a few minutes, there was an impromptu party as neighborhood kids (and adults) were intrigued by a close-up look. National Astronomy Day (This year on April 28, 2012) suggests 24 learning stations that focus on the sun, moon, and planets and are appropriate for students and their families. [SciLInks: Astronomy]
Science Teachers, We Have Digital Academic Liftoff! describes the many resources provided by NSTA Learning Center to improve teacher content knowledge and process skills. The article includes a description of the resources of NSTA Learning Center, NSTA publications, and a list of resources from NASA. Speaking of NSTA publications—check out the January edition of Science&Children and its articles related to Earth, Moon, Sun.  Many of the ideas in these articles could be adapted  for middle school.
In a recent email to the EarthScience Listserve, Bob Riddle, who writes the monthly Scope on the Skies column, gives us a heads-up about a citizen science project that integrates technology with sky watching:

Given the mild winter weather that we have been enjoying will make it even easier to participate as a citizen-scientist in the GLOBE at Night project to preserve dark skies. The GLOBE at Night project is a global effort to raise awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness by counting the visible stars within the constellation of either Orion the Hunter or Leo the Lion. The observation should be made during the evening hours and only during certain weeks including this week and two other weeks this winter and spring. The star count observation is then reported to the Globe at Night website from a computer or smart phone. Last year participants made more than 66,000 observations from 115 countries.

I encourage the readers to join others around the world by participating in the Globe at Night campaign this year. Not only will you contribute relevant data to this global investigation but you may also find that spending some time outside looking at our starry sky is a rather pleasant past time. For more information about the project or light pollution please visit the Globe at Night web site. 

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