What Do The In-Person Classes Include?

• I begin each class with a review of the assigned chapter. Sometimes students will present their prepared summaries to the class. 
• We might play a review game to help us remember the material.
• After our review time, we will spend time answering chapter questions. The review and discussion usually takes about half of our class time. 
• We always use the second half of our class to complete an activity or conduct an experiment related to our chapter reading. 
• For middle school classes, we also include at least 20 minutes of free play, mostly outside in my large back yard. In winter months, we will have Legos, art supplies, robotics, board games, and other activities for students to do together. 

Learning so often comes from teaching. This is why in all of my classes, I encourage students to prepare and teach portions of the text to their classmates. 

I also will give each class a list of books they get to pick from during the fall semester. I encourage all students to read one book based on their interest. They will then work on creating a short presentation to share in the spring semester with our class.

One of the things my students love is our class activities and parties. This year I am planning an afternoon trip to a local lake in August where everyone will have dinner with their families and we will swim and play at the lake. I will also provide equipment to go sailing, kayaking, and paddle boating. 

In addition, I am planning a few class field trips based off interest and opportunities. Past activities include going to the mountains at night to use a telescope and look at the moon and constellations. I also have done an escape room with one class which was a lot of fun.

I also like to bring nature journaling, coloring books, poetry, and song writing into our classes. I've found that when I give opportunities for more creativity, my students surprise me in their abilities. 

 In high school, I do have tests and quizzes. As a college grad, I feel strongly that students need to be prepared for college entrance exams and I want them to become comfortable with testing techniques. 

Although I test high school students, I do not give them grades, but only feedback on their exams. If a parent wants grades, they will have to let me know.  

For my middle school students, I encourage parents to provide testing if they feel it is helpful to their student. They are then responsible for all of their own exams. I will provide fun review games to ascertain how well they have grasped the material. 

Most high school science courses require an average of 30-45 minutes per day. I would recommend every high school student spend 45 minutes to begin with and then see how quickly they progress through the curriculum. Often, I have found that students gradually need less time as their textbook reading and comprehension skills increase.  

For middle school, I recommend 20-30 minutes per day. This will vary per student and weekly assignments. I encourage my older middle school students to write out their answers to review questions while my younger students are allowed to do partial writing and partial oral narration to a family member. 

Lastly, all books I use are also available in audio format. I encourage any student who feels this is helpful to purchase a copy and listen while they review the text.

My high school students will be writing experiment notes in a journal every week. I will require that at least two experiments per high school year be polished and turned in for a review. This is to ensure that they learn and master proper lab report procedure. Of course, I will coach them as they work through this process. 

My middle school students will take notes in class during their experiments and they will learn how to do a simple lab report.  Since these students are just beginning the lab process, I will encourage them to use rulers for accurate lines, to have neat handwriting, and to write accurate descriptions. Often I will model on the white board some basic things they can include in their experiments to help them with their confidence as they develop as writers and scientists.