How to Teach the Changes in States of Matter to Middle School Science Students

Maybe you’re facing a classroom full of middle school science students and you’re ready to teach the changes in states of matter (also called phase changes). Or maybe you’re a parent or caregiver who is looking to provide extra science support or a homeschooling science unit for your child. This blog post is designed to walk you through an age-appropriate unit on the changes in states of matter so you can successfully teach your 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade science student(s). 

What are the changes in states of matter?

When matter moves from one state to another it is called a change in state of matter or a phase change. Changes in state happen when the energy level increases or decreases. This can happen when the temperature goes up or down or when the amount of pressure on an object changes. Changes in states of matter are physical changes. The changes in states of matter include melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, sublimation, and deposition.

What prior knowledge do students need to have before beginning a unit on the changes in states of matter?

To understand the changes in states of matter, students need to understand the definitions of matter, mass, and volume. Even more importantly, they need to understand the particle movement and defining characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases. Here are the key things students need to know about each of these states of matter.

• Solids have a definite shape and a definite volume. That means they keep their shape and size regardless of where they are located. The particles in a solid are closely packed in a fixed position, which is why solids have a definite shape and volume. The particles in a solid vibrate but do not move around from place to place. 
• A liquid has a definite volume but does not have a definite shape. That means liquids take up a set amount of space but do not have a shape of their own—they either spread into a puddle or take the shape of their container. The particles in a liquid are closely packed. They vibrate, move around, and slide past each other.
• A gas does not have a definite shape or a definite volume. This means the size and shape of a gas can change. Gas particles can spread out far and wide or squeeze tightly together to fill a container. The particles in a gas vibrate and move freely at high speeds. 

Middle school students should already be familiar with the information about solids, liquids, and gases bulleted above. However, due to a whole host of circumstances, this isn’t usually the case. If you’re fairly certain you have a group of unicorn students who already know all there is to know about the states of matter, give them a quick states of matter preassessment. If they do well on the preassessment, then you know they’re ready to get down to business with melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, sublimation, and deposition. 

If your students are ponies instead of unicorns, read the next section for what you can do to learn or refresh those building blocks of states of matter information. 

How can I teach or review the states of matter?

A direct way to review or teach the basics is to provide a States of Matter Informational Text Reading Comprehension Passage and Worksheet. Sometimes that's all your students need to be refreshed and ready to rock. 

For your more movement-oriented students, you can do hand motions for each of the states of matter. A solid can be modeled with a student's fists pressed together at the wrists, gently vibrating and tapping each other. A liquid can be modeled with a student's fists doing close circles around each other. A gas can be modeled with a student's fists going way apart and coming back together and circling around and generally making a whole lot of movement. (Watch out classmates!)

Sometimes you need a practice assignment to reinforce the material. In that case, here are two easy-to-incorporate resources.

• The States of Matter Worksheet is a straightforward one-page assignment designed to review and practice the most important concepts.
• The Free States of Matter Odd One Out Worksheet is a critical thinking assignment that will challenge your students to dig deeper into the material and find similarities and differences between the three covered states of matter. It's awesome, and it's free. 

Assess whether or not your students are ready to get to the changes in states of matter by using the preassessment mentioned above as a States of Matter Quiz.

What do my students need to know about the changes in states of matter?

Here are some of the basics you will want to be sure to include in your changes in states of matter unit. You'll also want to include examples of each phase change.

• Changes in pressure and temperature can alter energy levels. The change in energy level can cause matter to change state.
• Melting is a change from a solid to a liquid. When something melts, the particles move faster and break free from their fixed positions. 
• Freezing is a change from a liquid to a solid. When freezing occurs, the particles in a liquid slow down enough to form regular patterns. 
• Vaporization is a change from a liquid to a gas. The particles in a liquid gain enough energy to form a gas. Boiling and evaporation are both types of vaporization, but they have key differences. Boiling occurs throughout the liquid and happens quickly. Evaporation takes place only on the surface of a liquid and is a slower process.
• Condensation is a change from a gas to a liquid. Condensation happens when the particles in a gas lose enough energy to form a liquid. 
• Sublimation is a change from a solid to a gas. Sublimation happens when the particles in a solid gain enough energy to form a gas. The liquid state is skipped in this change. 
• Deposition is a change from a gas to a solid. Deposition happens when the particles in a gas lose enough energy to form a solid. The liquid state is skipped in this change. 

I'm ready. My students are ready. How do I introduce the changes in states of matter?

To begin your unit on phase changes you need to introduce the new material (the information in the bulleted points in the section above). Depending on your style and your students needs, you can do this via video, interactive notebook pages, PowerPoint or Google Slides, or a Changes in States of Matter Reading Comprehension Passage.

I personally prefer to begin with a combination of PowerPoint, lecture, and interactive notebook pages. I've used this Changes in States of Matter Interactive Notebook and PowerPoint set with my students for years. Read about setting up and using interactive notebooks in your classroom.

Once you have introduced the changes in states of matter content, your students will need a LOT of practice to reinforce and absorb it all.

I need a change in states of matter worksheet. What's out there?

I think worksheets have a place in education, especially if they aren't the typical boring ones you know you did but can't remember from your childhood. Here's a list of changes in states of matter worksheets you may want to incorporate into your unit.

• This Changes in States of Matter Worksheet is two pages long and is composed of three different sections that hit on different styles of learning and understanding.
• The Changes in States of Matter Odd One Out is a critical thinking assignment that will really challenge your students' understanding. I LOVE Odd One Outs, and, honestly, my students do, too. They're more like a puzzle or game than a worksheet, and they promote great student discussions. Here's information about using Odd One Out style questions in all subjects.
• The Changes in States of Matter Coloring Worksheet is fun because it has coloring, but it also asks students important "How do you know that's the right answer?" kind of questions. 

I think worksheets are lame. What changes in states of matter ACTIVITIES can I use?

Yes, it's science. Let's do the fun stuff. Here's a list of activities you can include in your changes in states of matter unit. 

• Here is a detailed blog post with directions for a changes in states of matter experiment or demonstration you can do with your students. It has minimal (and easy-to-find!) supplies. Personally, I did this as a demonstration instead of a hand-on experiment because it involves boiling water and my seventh graders weren't always the most cautious or safety-minded. 
• Are you familiar with Boom Learning? If you care, here are some Changes in States of Matter Digital Task Cards you can use on the Boom website.
• Stations! My students and I love stations! Use this set of 22 Changes in States of Matter Stations to practice the material of this unit. If you've never used stations, or never used them successfully, please read this information to make stations run smoothly in even your wildest classroom.
• A Changes in States of Matter Card Sorting Activity is a fun and easy way for students to interact with the material. Going beyond sorting definitions and examples and particle drawings, have your students explain how each card represents its specific change in state of matter.

How do I wrap up my changes in states of matter unit?

Two ways you can conclude your phase change unit are a traditional written assessment or a creative project (or both).

• If you are short on time or just prefer a written assessment, you can use this quick Changes in States of Matter Assessment.
• If you have more time and/or like to mix some creativity into your science classroom, you can wrap things up with a student project. I like to give my seventh grade students the option of creating a Changes in States of Matter Poster or a Changes in States of Matter Comic.

I'm a classroom teacher. Is there a way to bundle the resources mentioned in this blog so I can save some dough?

Yes, you can get these resources in two different money-saving ways.

• The Changes in States of Matter Bundle is heavily discounted and contains many of the resources mentioned in this blog post.
• I offer Custom Bundles in my TPT store, where you can build your own bundle of the resources of your choosing. The number of resources you select determines whether you save 20%, 25%, or 30%.

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I need resources for homeschooling. Do you have anything specifically for students learning outside of a traditional classroom environment?

Yes! I published my Changes in States of Matter Workbook on Amazon. It is an entire homeschooling science unit designed with 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in mind. Learn more about my workbook in this blog post. 

Read Cathy Duffy's thorough review of my Changes in States of Matter Workbook and also my Physical and Chemical Changes Workbook.

Homeschool Science Curriculum for Middle School: Changes in States of Matter Workbook

During my years as a middle school science teacher, I spent a lot of time looking around for good science materials for my classroom. Unhappy with what I found, I began to create my own resources for my 7th graders. Once I became a parent, I searched for supplemental summer workbooks and found some ~okay~ books, but nothing like what I hoped for or envisioned. Which now brings me to this blog post telling you about my science workbook. 

Are you a homeschooling family whose child finds science challenging? Are you looking for a high quality homeschool science curriculum that will help your child actually learn and retain the content? Are you looking for a middle grade science workbook that isn’t dry and unoriginal? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then the science workbook I created was designed with families like you in mind. 

The Changes in States of Matter Physical Science Workbook is a fun, easy-to-understand, and unique homeschool science resource ideal for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students. It contains the necessary background information about solids liquids, and gases needed to understand the changes in states of matter (also called phase changes). With text that is relatable and straightforward, your student will learn about this important physical science topic. Condensation, deposition, freezing, melting, sublimation, and vaporization are all covered in detail. Particle movement and the causes of the changes in states of matter are emphasized.

Middle School Physical Science Workbook

What's in the workbook:

• Directions for use with a suggested pacing guide
• Informational text for the student about the states of matter
• 4 states of matter worksheets in varying degrees of difficulty
• 1 states of matter assessment
• Informational text for the student about the changes in states of matter
• 6 changes in states of matter worksheets in varying degrees of difficulty
• A card sorting activity with 30 cards for students to cut out and use
• A stations activity with 22 cards for students to cut out and use in different ways
• Thorough directions for a demonstration that requires minimal and easy-to-find supplies
• A poster project
• A comic project
• A changes in states of matter assessment
• All answer keys

What you and your child will love about this workbook:

• A suggested pacing guide makes it easy for you by laying out ten days (two school weeks) of science lessons.
• The content is broken down in an interesting and easy-to-understand way. I promise, your child will have a deep understanding of the changes in states of matter by the time they complete this workbook. Plus, they won’t be shedding tears of boredom.
• The workbook contains a variety of engaging worksheets, starting with basic recall and working up to critical thinking.
• Multiple activities will keep your child learning without the workbook becoming a chore to slog through.  
• An easy demonstration makes it fun to see the changes in states of matter. Plus, you won’t have to shell out loads of money for hard-to-find materials. You likely already have everything you need for the demonstration. 
• There are two culminating projects followed by an assessment so you can accurately determine if your child mastered the content. 
• All answer keys are included and provide detailed answer explanations. 

Read homeschool curriculum expert Cathy Duffy's review of my science workbooks.

See a video walkthrough of this entire science workbook for middle grade kids.

àGet the workbook today!

Once your child has successfully completed this Changes in States of Matter Physical Science Workbook, they'll be ready for the Physical and Chemical Changes Science Workbook (here's the video walkthrough). Be sure to follow me on my Amazon Author's Page to find more workbooks as they become available.

I hope you’ll check out my workbooks. I really, honestly, and completely believe they will be a positive addition to your middle school homeschool science curriculum. 

Middle School Science Lesson for Teaching NGSS MS-LS2-1 and MS-LS2-4

Have you seen the news about Alaska's snow crabs??

A mass mortality event caused Alaska to cancel its 2022-2023 snow crab season. In 2018, snow crabs in the Bering Sea had a huge population of 11.7 billion, but their numbers dropped suddenly and dramatically to only 1.9 billion in 2022. The reason why? The Bering Sea's cold pool, the super chilly area on the ocean floor where snow crabs live, was almost nonexistent for two years in a row. But what exactly caused the crabs to die? Was it disease, crab cannibalism, new predators, stiff competition for resources, or something else entirely? Scientists are on a mission to find out. 

I love bringing important current events into my lessons in science class. This fascinating current event is a perfect way to teach the NGSS MS-LS2-1 and MS-LS2-4. I have created a lesson plan for middle school science teachers to easily and effectively teach these two standards using the present-day example of Alaska's snow crabs. 

What's in the lesson?

To save you time digging through the Internet and processing articles about Alaska's snow crabs, a thorough background information page will get you acquainted with what's going on with the snow crabs in the Bering Sea. A page providing teaching directions and outlining various lesson options will help you select the best way to present this information to your students. 

Snow Crab Info for Teachers & Lesson Directions

When you're ready to teach this lesson, you will provide your students with a snow crab information page that has graphs to analyze. Once students examine the graphs, they will complete a data trends reflection to understand what is happening to the crab population and start to think about why the population is declining. 

Student Pages

After students complete the data trends reflection, you will be ready to begin a discussion and really meet the MS-LS2-1 and MS-LS2-4 standards. This lesson will provide you with eighteen discussion questions. How you present those discussion questions is up to you. Will you give each student a discussion question and have them complete a written, video, or audio project? If you do, a grading sheet is included and ready for you to easily assess your students. Or will you post the discussion questions around the room in the form of stations that your students can complete in pairs or small groups? Don't have room for stations in your classroom? Then you can give groups of students a set of discussion cards to go through together while group members take turns recording answers. What if you don't have time for the extra step of cutting out cards, or what if a student is absent and needs to make up the lesson? Well, just use the discussion question page with all of the questions listed.

MS-LS2-1 and MS-LS2-4 Discussion Questions

The Next Generation Science Standards my lesson covers are as follows:

• MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
• MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Why you'll love this lesson:

I know you and your students will love this lesson about Alaska's snow crabs. You will love it because it will save you an enormous amount of planning time, allowing you to bring in an interesting present-day event that is well-aligned to the standards you need to teach your students. Although snow crabs are certainly not warm or fuzzy, your students will love this lesson because it's a real-life current event where students can see how a small physical change in an ecosystem can have a massive effect on an organism's population. 

Where you can get this lesson:

This lesson is available on several different websites so you can add it to your classroom today.

• Snow Crab Lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers
• Snow Crab Lesson on Etsy
• Snow Crab Lesson on Classful
• Snow Crab Lesson on Made by Teachers

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Free Middle School Science Activities, Worksheets, Interactive Notebook Pages, and More!

FREE Middle School Science Resources

Hello middle school science teachers! Are you looking for free science worksheets? How about some free science posters and activities? Here is my collection of free resources about the scientific method, genetics, the human body, physical science, measurement, data analysis, and more! I created them with seventh grade science in mind, but these resources will work perfectly for other grades as well. Look below to find some great resources for your science classroom. Click on the links to download. Enjoy :)

Data Analysis

• Free Analyzing Data and Interpreting Graphs Digital Task Cards Boom Deck: Use these digital task cards to practice interpreting data from pie charts, line graphs, and bar graphs. You can also use it as a fun way to assess what students understand about reading graphs. Unfamiliar with Boom Learning? Learn more about how to use Boom for free in your classroom.
• Free Analyzing Data Worksheet: Average Global Temperatures in the 21st Century: This worksheet will give your students practice analyzing data and interpreting a line graph. It uses temperature data about climate change available from NASA. Students will examine twenty years of real average global temperatures to answer the questions on the worksheet. It can be used in science, social studies, or math classes. Use the worksheet as an in-class assignment, homework, or a substitute plan.

Genetics

• Free Genetics Vocabulary Boom Deck: Students use these digital task cards on the Boom Learning site to practice the definitions of genotype, phenotype, dominant, recessive, homozygous, and heterozygous. All cards are multiple choice or click the correct response. Use this versatile deck as a preassessment, homework assignment, review, or assessment. 
• Free Halloween Genotype and Phenotype Punnett Square Worksheet: Celebrate Halloween in your science classroom with this fun Halloween monsters worksheet! Your students will create Punnett squares to determine the likelihood of certain genotypes and phenotypes in monsters.
• Free St. Patrick's Day Monohybrid Crosses Punnett Square Worksheet: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in science with this genetics worksheet featuring leprechauns. Your students will use monohybrid Punnett squares to find the percent chance of different genotypes and phenotypes. Students will need a working knowledge of words like heterozygous, homozygous, hybrid, and purebred. The questions on the worksheet are arranged from easiest to most challenging.
• Free Winter Holiday Genetics Punnett Square Worksheet: Students find the genotypes and phenotypes of the offspring of winter holiday characters like Santa and Mrs. Claus, Rudolf, and elves. This one page worksheet can be used as practice in class or as a homework assignment. A key is included.

The Human Body

• Free Body Systems Bell Ringers: This set has six warm-up cards, one from each of the following organ systems: nervous, circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, and digestive systems. Use these warm-up cards as bell ringers, task cards, or stations. They're perfectly sized to fit in science interactive notebooks!
• Free Body Systems Informational Posters: Use these colorful posters to decorate your science classroom during your unit on the human body. The organ systems included are the digestive, muscular, skeletal, nervous, respiratory, and circulatory systems.
• Free Homeostasis Worksheet: This one-page worksheet will introduce your middle school or upper elementary science students to homeostasis with a short reading passage and a question set about homeostasis. Get lesson plan ideas for teaching homeostasis. 
• Free Levels of Organization & Tissues Vocabulary Game Cards: Use this set of eight differentiated science vocabulary game cards in your human body unit to review and reinforce terms related to the levels of organization in the human body and the four basic types of tissue. The cards can be used in many ways throughout your lessons; nine ideas for use are included. The eight included vocabulary cards are cell, tissue, organ, organ system, epithelial tissue, nervous tissue, muscle tissue, and connective tissue. Learn more about vocabulary review activities.

Measurement

• Free Density Science Interactive Notebook Page: Students practice the relationship between mass, volume, and density in this INB page perfectly sized to fit in composition notebooks. An answer key is provided. 
• Free Liquid Volume Graduated Cylinders Worksheet: Give your students practice measuring liquid volume in 30 mL graduated cylinders. Students record the volume of liquid in graduated cylinders and shade the graduated cylinders to show specific volumes. The graduated cylinders in this worksheet show liquid with a meniscus instead of a straight line.

Physical Science

• Free Heterogeneous & Homogeneous Mixtures Winter Holiday Activity: Use this activity to introduce, practice, or review heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures while celebrating the winter holidays. Students classify candy into groups of mixtures and discuss why each candy is heterogeneous or homogeneous. The activity can be used with or without candy. If teachers choose to use the activity without candy, students can write their favorite candies on the included blank candy cards.
• Free Physical and Chemical Changes Worksheet Activity for Middle School Science: This middle school science assignment can be used as a review, homework, or introductory practice activity about physical and chemical changes.
• Free States of Matter Odd One Out Worksheet: This one-page worksheet will give your students practice with the states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). It involves critical thinking skills and will challenge your students. The questions are arranged from easiest to hardest. Learn more about how to challenge your students' critical thinking skills with Odd One Out Worksheets.

The Scientific Method

• Free Constants (Controlled Variables) Exit Ticket: Use this quick four question assessment to determine student understanding of what a constant is, why constants are important, and how to identify constants in experiments. The questions are all multiple choice. Multiple printing options are included. 
• Free Qualitative and Quantitative Observations Activity: This activity gives students a chance to review qualitative and quantitative observations and then work together to practice identifying each type of observation with everyday objects. The objects can be anything the teacher has available in the classroom. 
• Free Variables and Hypotheses Coloring Worksheet: Practice the scientific method with this sports-themed coloring worksheet. This worksheet gives your students practice with independent variables, dependent variables, and hypotheses. Students read scientific questions and identify variables by coloring stars. Then they write hypotheses. Get ideas about how to teach the scientific method to your students.
• Newsletter signup freebie: Become an email subscriber to get this exclusive scientific method freebie.

Miscellaneous—Use in any grade and subject area

• Writing Prompt—How You Can Make the World a Better Place: Have students write about the small, large, and everyday things they can do to improve the world, the lives of people, and the lives of animals.
• Creative Writing Prompt Pick Five: Use this entertaining writing prompt in an ELA class, as a sub plan, in a random advisory hour you're assigned, or whenever you want to get students writing.
• Free Homework Pass: Use these homework passes as a way to reward good student behavior. A black and white and colored version are both included. There are ten homework passes per page to reduce printing time and paper waste.
• Free Interactive Notebook Grading Rubric in English and Spanish: This quick and easy grading rubric allows teachers to grade interactive notebooks at a glance. Use it to grade students on their table of contents, completion of daily work, page numbers, completed glossary, and overall neatness and organization. Read about the best way to set up interactive notebooks in your classroom.
• Free Student Goal Posters: Use these student goal posters to get students thinking about what they want to be when they grow up and how your class can help them reach their goal.

Thank you for checking out my free science resources! I hope they help make your teaching life easier. Have a great year teaching middle school science! 

Homeostasis Lesson Plans: How to Teach Homeostasis to Middle School Students

I always enjoyed teaching homeostasis to my seventh grade science students. It was a quick unit perfect for including activities and projects. In the hopes of making your teaching life easier and saving you planning time, I’m going to break down my unit to give you some ideas for teaching homeostasis in your own classroom. Before you go, be sure to download the free homeostasis worksheet found in the homework section below.

Homeostasis Standards

Depending on your location and the grade level of the students you teach, you might be using one of the following standards.

NGSS HS-LS1-3

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis. Examples of investigations could include heart rate response to exercise, stomate response to moisture and temperature, and root development in response to water levels. Assessment does not include the cellular processes involved in the feedback mechanism.

TEKS SCI.7.13

Knowledge & Skill Statement - 7.13: The student knows that a living organism must be able to maintain balance in stable internal conditions in response to external and internal stimuli. The student is expected to:

• Student Expectation - 7.13A: Investigate how organisms respond to external stimuli found in the environment such as phototropism and fight or flight.
• Student Expectation - 7.13B: Describe and relate responses in organisms that may result from internal stimuli such as wilting in plants and fever or vomiting in animals that allow them to maintain balance.

Homeostasis Student Objectives

Below you’ll find some of the homeostasis objectives I have used in my seventh grade science classroom.

• Students will be able to define homeostasis.
• Students will be able to list examples of homeostasis and explain how those examples demonstrate homeostasis.
• Students will be able to analyze a graph or data set showing homeostasis.
• Students will be able to conclude what happens when an organism does not have homeostasis. 

Why should students learn about homeostasis?

Something I always like to include at the beginning of a new unit is the rationale for learning about something. I find that including “why” increases student participation and engagement. For homeostasis, we discuss that each of our bodies use homeostasis all day, every day. Students should know about homeostasis so they can keep their bodies healthy and understand how their choices can directly impact their health.

Homeostasis Unit Length

I generally spend about a week on homeostasis. I’ve taught homeostasis in a variety of school schedules—90 minute block classes, 45 minute classes, 50 minute classes, etc. In order to give you a timeline of how I teach homeostasis, I’m going to break down how I teach homeostasis during a week of five classes that are each fifty minutes long.  

• Day 1: Homeostasis introduction and notes
• Day 2: Homeostasis activity and discussion
• Day 3: Homeostasis activity with graphing component 
• Day 4: Begin homeostasis project
• Day 5: Continue homeostasis project and assessment

A Detailed Look at Each Day

Homeostasis Day 1

I start almost all of my classes with a bellringer students complete on their own. It keeps students busy while I do things like take attendance and address matters with individual students. On day one of our homeostasis unit, my students complete a homeostasis bellringer to see what they already know. Example questions for day one’s bellringer might involve predicting the meaning of homeostasis and explaining whether or not they think shivering has a purpose. After quickly discussing student answers, we start our unit by sharing objectives and the rationale for learning about homeostasis. The remainder of the class period is spent taking notes about homeostasis. I use a homeostasis PowerPoint and guided interactive notebook pages. At the end of class, we glue our notes in our interactive science notebooks and have a quick review of the day’s material. (If you’re new to interactive notebooks, please check out this INB how-to guide and download a free INB check.)

Homeostasis Day 2

Once again, students complete a bellringer on their own (this time reviewing or reflecting on the previous day’s material) and discuss it together as a class. Then it’s activity time! My students and I love the two activities we do for homeostasis. Students love the activities because they can get out of their seats and make meaningful connections with the content. I love the activities because they don’t require any prep time and supplies are minimal and readily available. Perfect! On this day of our homeostasis unit, we complete the shorter of the two activities. It typically lasts between 20-30 minutes. This activity involves students balancing on one foot, discussing the experience as a class, and linking it with homeostasis. We finish the day with a homework assignment that students can begin in class and finish at home. (Check out the homework section below for ideas.)

Homeostasis Day 3

Students hand in their homework from the previous day. This is the rare day in class when we do not do a bellringer because we’ll likely need the whole class period for the day’s activity. This homeostasis activity involves finding resting heartrates and tracking the heartrate changes that come with and after exercise. One thing that surprised me the first time we did this activity was the struggle students had locating their pulse the first time, so be sure to account for that in your lesson planning. For the activity, students are up doing jumping jacks or running in place. Then they record, graph, and analyze how their heartrate changes in the minutes after exercise. (I love including graphing and data analysis in lessons as often as I can and have a whole lot of data analysis and graph interpretation resources in my store.)

Homeostasis Day 4

We start this day with a bellringer; this time I ask students to dig a little deeper into homeostasis. If your students are familiar with organ systems, now is a great time to tie in homeostasis with an organ system’s function. (For example: How does the respiratory system demonstrate homeostasis?) After we discuss bellringer answers, we begin a creative homeostasis project. I’ve tried two different projects with my students. My artsy students especially enjoy the homeostasis comic project. I provide clear guidelines and a rubric for them to follow so the comic is as rigorous as it is creative. Another thing I’ve tried with students is a homeostasis brochure project. The brochure has more in-depth requirements than the comic. I like to use the brochure with advanced classes or students who need a challenge. However, I make each project worth the same amount of points, so allowing students to make their own decision about which project they want to tackle can be a possibility. 

Homeostasis Day 5

Today’s bellringer asks students to consider when they’ve experienced homeostasis in their own lives. Once we’ve discussed answers as a class, the students continue working on the homeostasis projects they began the day before. We all know that students work at different rates. Students who need more than the two provided class periods are allowed to have the weekend to finish their projects. We finish the class period with a quick homeostasis quiz. 

Depending on the results of the assessment, we either move on to the next unit after the weekend or we may spend an extra day going over homeostasis. If an additional day is needed, students might spend time providing feedback on one another’s homeostasis projects and/or completing one of the homework options below.

Homeostasis Homework Options

• Free Homeostasis Reading Worksheet: Here’s a free worksheet I use with my students. It is perfect to introduce homeostasis or reinforce the material at the beginning of the unit. It also makes a great homework assignment for students who were absent on the day you introduced homeostasis. 
• Homeostasis Practice Sheet: This is my favorite homeostasis homework assignment because students answer with both writing and drawing, plus it’s at a level that works for most of my students. It asks students to identify examples of homeostasis, draw those examples, and explain why they are examples of homeostasis. 
• Analyzing Data Heart Rate Worksheet: Remember when I said I like to bring in data analysis whenever I can? This is a line graph worksheet I use with homeostasis, the circulatory system, or around Valentine’s Day.
• Homeostasis Odd One Out Worksheet: I reserve this worksheet for my more advanced classes or students. You may choose to go into more detail in your homeostasis unit by including internal and external stimuli. If so, then this worksheet will likely be a good fit for your students. My Odd One Out Worksheets promote critical thinking by asking students to examine four options and consider which option isn’t in line with the others. (Click here to learn more about how to use this questioning strategy in your classroom.)

Where to Get Homeostasis Resources

I hope this blog post helped you plan your homeostasis unit. All of the resources I mentioned can be purchased in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. My discounted Homeostasis Bundle has everything you need to teach your unit and will save you so much planning time. Check it out! And thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. 

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Middle School Science Vocabulary Activity: A Fun and Effective Strategy to Practice Science Words

Let’s face it: middle school students must tackle a lot of science vocabulary words if they are to fully grasp what they’re learning in class. And learning new vocabulary words can be…dry. How do you teach vocabulary in middle school science? How do you make science vocabulary fun? One of my most effective strategies for teaching middle school science vocabulary is with game cards. They are easy, require little prep from the teacher, and can be used in tons of ways to fit different needs and timeframes. Plus, they are perfect for differentiation. Read on to learn how you can implement this vocabulary activity in your classroom (and get a free middle school science vocabulary PDF).

What do the vocabulary game cards look like?

Each card has a word or phrase in a box on the top of the card. Related words and phrases are listed under the box. Seem familiar? The game Taboo has a similar layout.

How do we play this game?

The objective of the game is for card-readers to get the players to guess the word or phrase in the box at the top of the card. The rule is that the card-reader cannot say any form of the words listed under the box. (Some people call these listed words the “taboo” words.) Other rules can be added if you want. Some rules you might consider are adding time limits, deciding whether or not skipping a card is allowed, prohibiting all gesturing, or seeing how many cards can be correctly guessed within a certain amount of time.

How can you use these cards as a vocabulary activity? 

There are so many ways you can use these game cards beyond just the typical Taboo game you've likely played in the past! Here are some ideas for how to use them with your students:

• Pull out these cards in the spare minutes at the end of a lesson to review as a whole class. You can provide the clues to the students as the card-reader, or students can volunteer to be the card-reader. In most classes you will have plenty of volunteers who love having the role of card-reader. (This is my favorite way to use them with my students.)
• Review content by using a few cards as a warmup or bell ringer at the beginning of class. 
• Go through the whole deck before a test for a fun review game.
• Students can work with a partner to play the cards in the deck together.
• Use these cards as a science center option.
• Students can work with their tablemates or in small groups to play the cards in the deck together.
• Show a card with only one or two listed "taboo" words and have students list additional words in their interactive notebooks. Then discuss their answers. 
• State the boxed vocabulary word on a card that has four or five listed "taboo" words. Have each student write a list of "taboo" words for the word you stated. Students who correctly list the "taboo" words that appear on your card get a small prize. 
• Students can be assigned a vocabulary word and make their own cards.

How can these cards be differentiated?

Make these cards more challenging by adding to the list of “taboo” words under the boxed word. Four or five listed words is an appropriate amount for your more advanced students. Reduce the difficulty level by removing some of the listed words. Try three “taboo” words for students who have a fair understanding of the topic or just one or two words for students who need more support.

I’ve created many vocabulary game cards for my students, and I now offer the card sets in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Each of my cards comes in four levels of differentiation so teachers can choose the level of difficulty best for their students and print accordingly. 

Where can I get a free set for my classroom?

Want to see if this science vocabulary activity will be a hit with your students? Here is a free middle school science vocabulary PDF.

Save yourself time and get premade game cards!

I have many differentiated vocabulary game cards in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Check out all of my vocabulary game cards. Here are some of the available topics below:

• Human Body Organ Systems
• Genetics and Heredity
• Physical Science
• Measurement Tools and Metric System
• Scientific Method

Thank you for reading my blog post! I hope you and your students enjoy using these cards in your classroom as much as I do!

If you are a middle school science teacher, you might be interested in my email list. Click here to subscribe. Just for signing up you'll receive an exclusive freebie you can't get anywhere else. 

Three Ways to Use Boom Decks for Free Without Paying for a Subscription

Teachers are learning about all sorts of distance learning options in 2020, and many teachers are discovering BOOM Learning for the first time. BOOM is a great distance learning option and a fun way for your students to practice and assess what they know about a topic. For teachers who haven’t yet been introduced to Boom Cards, they are digital task cards that can be used on any device that is connected to the internet (interactive whiteboards, iPads, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, etc.). 

Since Boom Decks are used on the BOOM Learning website, teachers are encouraged to buy a yearly BOOM subscription. Understandably, not all teachers want to shell out money for this. Well, I’m here to explain three ways to use Boom Decks without paying for a subscription. 

Three Ways to Use Boom Learning for Free

Teachers can use their Boom Decks for free using Fast Pins, a free trial subscription, or on interactive whiteboards. To use BOOM, you do have to have an account on the BOOM website, but this is just so you can access your Boom Decks. There are different membership levels you can choose, but you can still use your Boom Decks without paying for one of the upgraded memberships.

Option 1: Fast Pins

My favorite free way to use Boom Decks is what’s called “Fast Pins.” To use Fast Pins, you create a link and give that link to your students. It is quick and easy and gives an unlimited number of your students access to play a deck. 

Directions to Create a Fast Pin:

1. Sign in to the Boom website.
2. Go to the Library tab.
3. Find the deck you want and click on the blue Action button.
4. From the list of options, click on Fast Pin.
5. Click on Generate Pin.
6. Copy the link that you created. 
7. Give that link to your students. They can open the link and play through the Boom Deck immediately. 

Here is a How To video showing how to create Fast Pins. 

Pros:

• It’s free!
• It is quick and easy. 
• You don’t have to spend time creating student accounts or keep track of student usernames/passwords. 
• Students can use it wherever, whenever, and on their own devices at home or in centers/stations in class.

Cons:

• Your created link expires in fourteen days, so after that amount of time you will have to create a link again. It’s not a big deal, but it can be annoying.
• The scores of your students are not recorded for you as they would be if you had a subscription. However, you can have your students record their own scores and report their scores to you. Or students can keep track of their own progress in their interactive notebooks. 

Option 2: Free Trial

BOOM offers a free trial for new users. So, if you have never used BOOM before, you can have a three month* free trial of a premium account. More information about the free trial is on the BOOM Learning website. *Note: When I made this blog post the free trial was for three months. The length of the free trial has varied in the past, so it may change again. Click here for the most up-to-date information about Boom’s free trials.

Pros: 

• You have full access to what BOOM has to offer.
• Your students can have their own accounts and their scores will be recorded for you whenever they use a Boom Deck. 

Cons:

• Eventually, your free trial will expire. At that point you’ll either have to start paying or delete your student accounts. 
• There is a limit to the number of students you can have. Last time I checked it was 150 students. I don’t know about you, but most years I have had 200+ students so this option doesn’t work for me.

Option 3: Interactive Whiteboard

If you are teaching in-person classes, you can play through the Boom Decks together as a class on your interactive whiteboard. Just open the Boom Deck you need and use it as a bell ringer, review, pre-assessment, or whatever. 

Pros: 

• It’s free!
• Your students can all learn together at the same pace.
• Interactive whiteboards can be used in a variety of ways.

Cons:

• It’s not individualized for the students, and they can’t work at their own pace.
• Hello? We’re in a pandemic and not much in-person learning is taking place, so students obviously aren’t clustered together staring at the same interactive whiteboard.

Do you use BOOM in your class?

How do you use Boom Decks with your students? Do you have a paid BOOM subscription or do you prefer to use one of the free methods listed above? Share how you use BOOM in the comment section!

Middle School Science Teachers: Are you looking for Boom Decks?

I have a variety of science Boom Decks in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Currently, there are scientific method topics, physical science topics, and data analysis Boom Decks. I make new decks often, and if there is a topic you are wanting, please let me know in the comments section. Here is one of the Boom Decks in my store:

***Try out this Data Analysis and Graph Interpretation Boom Deck for free!

If you are a middle school science teacher, you might be interested in my email list. Click here to subscribe. Just for signing up you'll receive an exclusive freebie you can't get anywhere else. Thanks for reading my blog!