Category: Earth and Space

Best Moon Phases Demo for Middle School

When it comes to teaching moon phases, most activities are either too simplistic or fail to capture the real reason behind the phases we see from Earth. (Hot take: Playing with Oreos is fun, but it doesn’t cut it.) If you need something more accurate to get your students to understand why the Moon changes shape, this activity is the BEST moon phase demo for middle school I've found. It will be a game-changer in your classroom, I swear.
Best Moon Phases Demo for Middle School
astronomy activities for middle school

Astronomy Activities for Middle School

Despite the fact that this post is about astronomy activities for middle school... it’s time for a little confession... I’m not that into space. (I can hear the science teacher gasps from here!) In an effort to make astronomy a little more fun to teach, I developed lots of cool (and rigorous!) astronomy activities.

5 Cool Activities to Teach Plate Tectonics

Looking for activities to teach plate tectonics that are both rigorous AND engaging? Growing tired of the same ol'boring activities you've used in the past? I've got you! There's plenty of ways to add engagement to a plate tectonics unit. Here are my top 5!

Astronomy Project: Telescope Build

My science teacher husband is waaaaaay into the waaaaaay out there. He loves all things space (especially if you add in a little UFO chat). It’s one of his favorite subjects to teach, too. A few years back, he was teaching the NGSS MS-ESS1-3 standard, “Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system." He was lamenting that his usual bag of tricks was getting a little tired, and he needed a new “hook.” The astronomy project he came up with was kind of brilliant… a telescope build!

Climate Change Data Analysis Activity

“Climate change isn’t real,” the student said. I responded with “Scientists tell us there’s a lot of evidence for it.”  The student chimed back, “Well you haven’t shown us any.  I mean… where are your numbers?” Oof. In one time-stands-still moment, I realized he was right.