Now is the time to get ready for fall courses. This fall I’m teaching Chem and Physics for the Middle School and Chemistry for the High School. Here are a few tips.
What do you already have? Apparently, I no longer have a poly density bottle. I ordered another one. Guess what? I found the safe spot where I had secured my density bottle. Now I have two. After I use the original as an intro, I might pull the new one and show kiddos the contents and make another. I already ordered the UV beads for the kiddos to make their own density bottles. Yeah! I found a bag of recycled, plastic bottles I had put in a safe spot. We tried making density bottles at science camp in June. One worked. The others didn’t. Now I’m determined. I’m buying different salts and concentrations of rubbing alcohol to try, try again. Here and here are density bead lab versions with additional tips. I ordered more marbles for Determining Density.
Look at the first month’s experiments and labs. Here are the Chem lab supplies needed; the list is located in the appendix of the textbook. What do you have? Is there enough? I’m going to need more alcohol and plain salt for the density labs. Make a list! Do you have all the equipment? Make a list of recycled materials you’ll need, such as bottles, aluminum cans, yogurt cups, or bottle caps. I keep boxes of craft sticks handy. We use them as stir sticks or to mark compounds in Chem.
(We also build catapults with craft sticks. Years ago all of us decided catapults were a better idea than sling shots for David and Goliath. Kids try to hit Goliath’s forehead. In addition to VBS, our church has a two-week Faith Camp for kiddos behind in the Sacraments. Yes, the teens sketch Goliath.)
Get ahead and make copies. Our library offers free copies. I print a pile of periodic tables to keep on hand. (Do you think my kids are organized? Ha!) I keep master copies of my favorite labs to copy, too. I have a giant folder marked Day One.
Pull out everything you need for Day One. Day One in Chemistry is about lab equipment and safety. I pull examples of all of the lab equipment and distribute copies of Common Lab Equipment and Flinn Safety Contracts. Yesterday, I pulled the lab equipment. I couldn’t find a watch glass and ordered a few more. I had to dig to locate my lab safety DVD.
The more you can do ahead, the less stress you’ll experience. Speaking of stress, I keep a list of consequences for misbehavior in class or lab. Misbehavior makes me cross. I find cleaning toilets, mopping floors, sharpening pencils, etc, deter misbehavior and reduce stress. This is all part of planning for Co-op.
When I taught professionally, I hired teens to help set up. I led VBS and Science Camp. Immediately after those two weeks, I hired two teens from my church to help clean, set up desks, and unpack the classroom. I used the copier in peace; there are few teachers two weeks early to school. I pulled sample equipment for Day One. I had surveys, puzzles, and activities for home-room, which ran for hours and hours Week One. Back to school was not stressful. I apply those same habits to Co-op. I check on supplies, make copies, and go on a scavenger hunt in the basement. Now is the time to get ready!
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