Science surrounds us every single day. From shopping at the grocery store for probiotic yogurts and organically grown produce to news stories on earthquakes, climate change, vaccines, and toxic chemical clouds produced from a train derailment. As a result, it is more important than ever that we teach our science students how to read "science informational text." In today’s world, students must be able to read, comprehend, and analyze science informational reading passages! The science students of today will be the decisions-makers of tomorrow.  Students must be able to function in ..read more

Warm ups and bell ringers are definitely a "vintage" idea, but used in the right way they become an excellent classroom management tool! The bell has just rung for your next class. At your classroom door is a jumbled mass of students, some leaving the room, some entering the room. Some of the ones leaving have stopped at your desk to chat or ask questions. Some of the ones entering want to chat, too. The students who were absent the day before want to know what they missed. One student needs to borrow a calculator. One student wants to go to the bathroom. One student wants to know if you ..read more

  Have you had a student ask you any of these questions? Which one of these things is the graduated cylinder? How do I convert from decimeters to decameters? I can't do scientific notation on my calculator. What are independent and dependent variables and how do I put them on a graph? You wanted the graph to be on graph paper? I did measure exactly 5 grams of salt on my balance! ( ... with salt in a beaker that wasn't massed.) Percent Error? No need to do this; my data is perfect! You only have to be a science teacher for one single day to start getting these types of questions and com ..read more

It's probably been over a year since many (or most) of our science students have been in the laboratory.  Every single science teacher should teach a lab safety unit at the start of the school year, and for this year, it is even more important than ever.  Students have been at home looking at a computer screen for a year.  We need to get back to teaching science the way it needs to be taught, and that means lab work! Would you like to win either my "Lab Safety Chat" or my "Ultimate Lab Safety Bundle"? (Click red links to view in my TpT store.) Both of these resources will serv ..read more

Champions of Science Virtual Conference for Secondary Science Teachers August 12 and 13 Conference Ticket Giveaway! I've got two tickets to give away for the upcoming conference.  The conference is two jam-packed days with amazing speakers, outstanding educators, giveaways, freebies, and a lot of fantastic information.  Click this link to go to the conference web page so you can check out all the amazing speakers and sessions! Check out the video to see the speakers! Remember, you don't have to watch the sessions in "real time."  All sessions and handouts are available ..read more

Returning to school after summer break is stressful in the best of times.  I think we can all agree that this is pretty much the WORST of times and that this year's return to teaching will be unlike any other.  We teachers have faced many challenges before, but the challenges before us now are unprecedented.  Whether you will be teaching virtually, in-person, or somewhere in between, you will find yourself in need of digital resources to support your curriculum.  The reality of teaching in the days of COVID-19 means that student absenteeism will fluctuate wildly, many par ..read more

Hello everyone!  Wow, in just a few short weeks our teaching world has been rocked to the core.  If you had told me months ago that we would be in this shape today, I would have thought you had lost your mind. Unprecedented school closures have all of us scratching our heads and trying to figure out how to get through just one day at a time.  Both teachers and parents are scrambling to look for resources for our students that can be used digitally for distance learning.  Since it looks like schools are going to closed for some time, it's "all hands on deck" as we deal with the problems of ed ..read more

What types of organic compounds are contained in the foods we eat? Sometimes an old idea is still the best way to teach a concept.  That is how I feel about this lab, "Testing Foods for Organic Compounds."  I have been doing this lab for over 30 years, and I never tire of doing it.  Granted, it is a bit messy and the observed results are sometimes a little subjective, but my students always love these two days in the lab. This lab is best used during your units on Biochemistry and the Organic Compounds.  Teaching the characteristics of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids can be dry and ti ..read more

It's no secret that TpT (Teachers Pay Teachers) has a huge site-wide sale once each quarter.  Well, the first quarter sale is about to begin! Tuesday, February 26Wednesday, February 27Promo Code:  TICKTOCK Everything at Amy Brown Science will be 20% off. When you use the promo code TICKTOCK at checkout, you will receive an additional 5% off. Click image to view bundle. Check out my newest bundle.  It's a set of 10 hidden picture activities to align with each month of the school year. What are you looking for in your classroom?  Check out the following (clickable links) in my TpT store ..read more

Teaching the geologic time scale has always posed a bit of a problem for me in my Biology classes. My students don't need the depth of knowledge that they might get in an Earth Science class. On the other hand, the concept of geologic time and the appearance and evolution of life on Earth is VERY important to my class. One of my most favorite sayings, "Nothing in Biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" (Theodosius Dobzhansky, American Biology Teacher, 1973.) is a mantra in my classes. We can't teach cellular respiration without the concept of endosymbiosis, and we can't teach en ..read more