The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Science
- 12 June, 2021 //
- Teaching Resources //
- Tags : science, STEM, teaching resources
- Comments Off on The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Science
Looking to invigorate your science curriculum and teaching this year? Help Teaching’s team of teachers understands the time and commitment it takes to prepare meaningful science classes and lab activities, not to mention stay up-to-date with the latest scientific advances. We’ve gathered links from across the internet to over 80 of our favorite resources to help support rookie and veteran science teachers and homeschooling parents alike. This year we’ve added several new science sites and a new category for our favorite engineering sites. Happy Teaching!
Our Guide To Teaching Science
| Next Generation Science Standards | Astronomy |
| Breaking Science News | Biology |
| Science Instruction | Chemistry |
| Science Activities | Earth Science |
| Collaborate and Explore | Physics |
| Engineering Design |
Next Generation Science Standards
Whether or not your state has adopted the new science standards, they have been released and are the talk of the science teaching community.
Bozeman Science provides a free series of NGSS videos on each of the disciplinary core ideas. The videos give a clear overview of each standard as well as suggestions on how to teach the core ideas at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
NGSS@NSTA provides current information about the implementation process and professional development opportunities, including free web seminars, to support science teachers looking to incorporate the standards into their curriculums.
NGSS is the primary resource for teachers looking to read and learn about the new science standards. Teachers may find the EQuIP Rubric overview page useful for identifying high-quality instructional materials that align to the standards.
The National Academies Press offers several NGSS-related publications useful for teachers, many of which can be downloaded for free after creating an account.
PBS LearningMedia NGSS links to a large collection of NGSS resources for professional development and classroom use.
Parent Q&A is a flyer designed to answer parent questions about the Next Generation Science Standards but is also a nice overview for teachers and administrators.
The Concord Consortium features a unique tool that allows educators to navigate the NGSS by core idea, practice, and crosscutting concept and locate high-quality digital activities that support the standards.
Breaking Science News
Check these sources regularly to stay current with scientific research. Better yet, have your students read them as well!
Newsela website and app keep educators and students alike up-to-date with current events, including a large selection of STEM news stories at different reading comprehension levels. Registering for the free version of the platform allows teachers and students unlimited access to articles.
Scientific American maintains a section dedicated to education that includes activities, information on their program connecting teachers and scientists, tips on improving science literacy, and more.
Live Science will help keep you up to date with science headlines across disciplines.
BBC Science & Environment is the place to go for breaking science news. Whether you are a busy science teacher or student looking for the hottest topics in science, BBC has coverage for you.
Science Daily offers a compilation of breaking news articles for those interested in the latest research.
ScienceBlogs hosts posts from over sixty blogs, presenting a wide range of science news and viewpoints.
HuffPost Science will help keep you up to the minute with breaking science stories.
NewScientist shares topical news stories on all things science-related.
Science Instruction
Like the scientific method, great science instruction takes systemic modifications. Read on for resources that will help invigorate your science teaching.
Good Thinking! The Science of Teaching Science by the Smithsonian Science Education Center houses a collection of must-watch videos for anyone who teaches science. These short, animated videos explore common student misconceptions on topics ranging from natural selection to chemical reactions.
NSTA Learning Center links science teachers with professional development resources by subject and grade. Be sure to peruse their collection of 4,000+ free articles, web seminars, podcasts, and modules available to support your professional growth.
What Works Clearinghouse reviews and summarizes education products and research to help educators make evidenced-based decisions when it comes to teaching.
SERC is working to improve STEM education by providing a rich assortment of professional development opportunities and resources for educators.
Understanding Science is a primer for teachers and students alike on what science is and how science really works.
BSCS Science Learning helps to transform science education by working with science educators worldwide to provide a variety of resources. They conduct research on improving science instruction, develop instructional materials, and offer professional development.
Baylor University put together a resource on how to identify effective stem resources for students to help make sure your teaching is effective.
Help Teaching’s library of printable science worksheets is ideal for practice and assessment. Our growing collection of self-paced science lessons for biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science are a great way to introduce topics and reinforce learning.
Science competitions and fairs can inspire students to pursue STEM careers while providing hands-on learning opportunities. Consider challenging your students to participate in a local science fair for one of these major science competitions: Young Scientist Challenge, ExploraVision, Regeneron STS, & Google Science Fair.
Science Activities
Science lends itself to hands-on activities that engage students in active learning. Save time and get inspired when preparing lessons this year by reading these links.
Science Friday partners with educators and scientists to create STEM activities, lessons, and resources for all learners. This site connects teachers with relevant, unique, and dynamic instructional materials, videos, stories, and more.
ScienceNetLinks brings together a large, searchable database of science lessons, interactive tools, news, and hands-on activities to support formal and informal science education.
Science Buddies is the place to look for science fair topics and activities. Not only does Science Buddies provide science fair project resources for students and teachers, but their growing collection of science activities are perfect for classroom and home use.
BIE maintains a library of science project-based learning units that encourage student inquiry and investigation.
Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 offers citizen science projects, hands-on activities, online games, and more for classroom and home exploration.
PBS LearningMedia has thousands of the best digital science teaching resources in an easily searchable platform by grade, subject, standard, and format.
Zooniverse brings together a collection of citizen-science or people-powered, research projects where everyday people can contribute to real science.
Science Kids has a nice collection of experiments, science fair project ideas, games, videos, and images designed to get kids interested in science.
Annenberg Learner brings together a collection of science interactives that can readily support any science curriculum.
Virtual Microscope simulates the use of various types of microscopes for students through the examination of set image samples.
PhET Simulations supplement classroom learning with a large array of well-designed science interactives.
The Science Spot contains a vast library of information and resources pertaining to all areas in science, including forensic science and astronomy. This is an essential resource of middle school teachers and students as well as for high school teachers. This website also provides tips for implementing interactive science notebooks in the classroom.
Hook your students on science by sharing videos from Veritasium, Science360, SciShow, It’s Okay to Be Smart, Untamed Science, and Help Teaching.
Collaborate and Explore
We teach our students that collaboration is an essential part of doing science. Practice what you teach with these links for connecting and sharing with teachers who have similar goals.
Teaching Channel is on a mission to create an environment where teachers can watch, share, and learn new techniques to help every student grow. Start by watching these science videos, then explore the entire site for more teaching inspiration.
Skype in the Classroom helps teachers connect with other educators and experts in their fields. Use Skype to bring your students on virtual field trips, interact with a virtual guest speaker, and collaborate with another class from across the country or around the world.
STEM on Google+, and STEM Educators are Google+ groups offering vibrant online communities of science teachers sharing resources and best practices.
Professional Learning Communities allow teachers to connect with others in their schools, districts, and communities who are dedicated to science education.
Google Educator Groups bring educators together, both online and offline, to share ideas on web-enabled learning.
AP Teacher Community connects and supports those instructing AP courses.
Astronomy
Don’t miss out on the latest discoveries about the universe with these links.
NASA Education for educators opens a universe of information about space science through lessons, videos, professional development, and more. Get started by browsing astronomy teaching resources in NASA Wavelength.
Google Sky does for the view of space what Google Earth does for the view of your neighborhood.
Air and Space Live webcasts from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum bring a world and beyond of learning opportunities for anyone interested in astronomy.
If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel dubs itself, “a tediously accurate scale model of the solar system,” but don’t be misled by the tagline. This interactive is beautiful in its simplicity and will engage your students on this virtual journey through our solar system.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory offers numerous space-based resources, programs, and resources for educational purposes.
Biology
From life science to AP biology, helping students develop an understanding of the nature of life is essential for science literacy.
BioEd Online from Baylor College of Medicine offers science teachers resources that include lessons, videos, classroom slides, and a full library of magazines and storybooks for use with K-12 students as well as professional development courses for teachers.
BioInteractive by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a free collection of virtual labs, films, animations, apps, and more that are ideal for biology education.
Encyclopedia of Life offers an extensive collection of free resources on just about any organism.
The Biology Corner offers a wealth of teaching resources for biology teachers, including classroom presentations and lab handouts.
Ask a Biologist not only allows K-12 students to submit questions for biologists to answer, but also offers a wealth of biology-related articles, activities, games, and more.
Solve the Outbreak is a free app by the CDC that challenges students to solve epidemiology mysteries. It’s fun, really!
Cells Alive brings microbiology to life through amazing photos, interactives, and videos.
BEN: BioSciEdNet managed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, helps teachers to engage their students with animations and lab activities.
Biology4Kids offers clear explanations of many topics for elementary and middle school reading levels or for teachers searching for material covering the basics, from scientific study to cell biology.
American Physiological Society supports education through student activities and curricula, education projects that link teachers and physiologists, and teacher learning resources.
Chemistry
Teaching the central science takes knowledge, skill, and a bit of wow factor. Use these links to help make your class preparations a little easier.
American Chemical Society’s education page is the place to find materials for teaching chemistry, professional development opportunities, and reports on chemistry education.
ScienceGeek.Net is chemistry teacher Andy Allan’s personal website where he shares his collection of presentations, labs, and more.
Evan’s Chemistry Corner provides worksheets, transparencies, and lab activities for Regents Chemistry in New York State, but these resources can be used in any high school chemistry classroom.
Kent Chemistry contains instructional pages covering topics in chemistry, along with accompanying videos, practice questions, worksheets, and lab activities. Both high school-level and AP chemistry are covered.
Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry catalogs 1,500+ terms and is an essential resource for any organic chemistry course.
Periodic Videos from the University of Nottingham features videos and experiments on each element. Check out their 500 videos on YouTube as well.
Crash Course Chemistry contains a playlist of YouTube videos covering various topics in chemistry in a short amount of time.
Chemmy Bear contains a multitude of resources for AP chemistry, from handouts and activities to study cards and practice tests. This site is especially helpful for newer AP chemistry teachers and for teachers of honors chemistry courses.
Seasonal science “holidays” offer fun and engaging ways to incorporate STEM activities into your classroom. Celebrate science this year with these theme days and weeks:
World Space Week Stellar Activities October 4 – 10, 2018
Earth Science Week Fun Daily Activities October 14 – 20, 2018
National Chemistry Week – Chemistry & Forensics October 21 – 27, 2018
America Recycles Day Activity Guide November 15, 2018
Earth Day Activities for Kids April 22, 2019
World Oceans Day Activities June 8, 2019
Earth Science
Developing student understanding of the earth’s structures and processes helps nurture an appreciation of the natural world.
EarthLabs supplies rigorous units on earth and environmental topics that focus on hands-on laboratory activities and data analysis. Each unit provides all the information, resources, and lessons necessary to elevate earth science and environmental lab instruction to the next level.
NOAA brings together a wonderful collection of resources about the oceans and atmosphere.
USGS Education compiles a wide variety of videos, maps, images, and interactives ideal for use in the earth science classroom.
ClimateChangeLIVE engages students with two electronic field trips for the classroom as well as supplemental materials and support for teachers.
COSEE is dedicated to helping build collaborations between students, teachers, and scientists interested in ocean studies.
Physics
Physics is daunting for many students. Great physics teachers actively engage students with the study of the interactions between energy and matter.
The Physics Classroom supplements physics instruction with tutorials, animations, teacher toolkits, and lab activities.
The Physics Front is an extensive collection of materials, including online tools and lesson plans for K-12 physics and physical science instruction.
PhysicsCentral shares everything from articles to posters to home projects to support those educating physics students at all levels.
APlusPhysics contains helpful video tutorials and web pages for students to learn from, covering topics ranging from high school physics to AP physics. The site also contains worksheets for teachers to print and distribute to students as well as activities that teachers can implement.
Burrows Physics‘ playlist contains a multitude of videos covering various higher-level physics topics. These are helpful in providing instruction to students outside of the classroom.
Practical Physics offers a wide array of experiments that enable students to get hands-on experience with concepts in physics, enriching students’ understanding and refining students’ ability to visualize the forces and science at play in the real world.
ComPADRE is a digital library of teaching resources for physics and astronomy educators.
American Association of Physics Teachers will keep you posted on conferences, projects, and competitions as well as just about everything you need to stay up to date with teaching physics.
Engineering Practices & Design
Today’s science students must understand engineering practices and design solutions to help them prepare for everyday life and career paths. Enrich your STEM curriculum with these engineering resources.
TeachEngineering is a website that guides teachers in nurturing students’ abilities to create innovations to challenges in any subject. Some activities include how-to videos on YouTube.
NASA Engineering Design Process aids teachers in helping students to understand that engineers must imagine and plan before they begin to build and experiment in a variety of challenges for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. The site also provides plenty of guidance for supporting students in the engineering design process.
Science Buddies offers educators an exhaustive description of the engineering method with a side-by-side comparison against the scientific method.
TryEngineering has 100+ engineering lesson plans for teachers. Students interested in pursuing engineering careers will find the university and career portals useful.
EngineerGirl by the National Academy of Engineering offers a wealth of information on engineering professions for girls and women.
Although this list is by no means comprehensive, we hope it will inspire and energize your science teaching and classroom this year. Be sure to visit HelpTeaching.com and utilize our growing library of K-12 science worksheets, lessons, and questions!
