Secondary Science Simplified™

It’s almost Valentine’s Day so I knew I needed to share with you all about love at first sight! It may be a bit cheesy, but when I was first introduced to teaching with packets, I knew it was love at first sight and I’ve never looked back. In this episode, I am sharing all the information you need to decide if teaching with packets is something you want to try with your classes. I am diving into what packets are and what is included in these packets, what teaching with packets looks like, ten reasons I absolutely love teaching with packets, and what resources can help you to create your own packets. Be sure to grab your FREE Valentine’s Day themed high school science activities! These activities are perfect for engaging your students in a fun and worthwhile learning experience. There is one activity specifically for each subject - biology, anatomy, physics, and chemistry. Grab them today and send me a DM or email me at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com when you use them with your students! I love to hear from you all when you use these free resources! Resources Mentioned: Join the Secondary Science Simplified virtual professional development course waitlist FREEBIE: Valentine’s themed high school science activities  A category in my store of ALL my complete units Send me a DM on Instagram: @its.not.rocket.science Send me an email: rebecca@itsnotrocketscience.com  Grab your Classroom Reset Challenge Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode60

We hear about teacher burnout all. the. time. You may even be feeling burnout and exhaustion right now. You are not alone, teacher friend! Whether you feel completely burned out or if you’re just feeling a little blah at this point in the year, our guest, Amber Harper of the Burned In Teacher is here to help!   We’ve been talking about scheduling rest and aligning your expectations with your current season of life but maybe you are still feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. You are not alone and there are ways that you can navigate your way out of burnout.   Amber is so encouraging to those of us feeling burnout and really challenges us to think more deeply about where we are. She is sharing her burnout story, what led her to leave the classroom and come back, what it means to be a Burned-In teacher, and advice for how to take action to change yourself and navigate your way out of burnout.   Amber Harper is a long-time educator, author, speaker, and podcaster. She’s the founder of  www.burnedinteacher.com and author of Hacking Teacher Burnout which gives struggling teachers a path to follow as they navigate their way out of burnout. Amber is a Teacher Burnout Coach working with educators to help them grow through their burnout and take their next, best steps toward what they want from their career in education and in life.   If you find yourself feeling burned out and overwhelmed, join the Secondary Science Simplified virtual professional development course waitlist. I created this course specifically for the overwhelmed and burned out teacher and would love to have you next time the course opens so we can help you reduce the overwhelm.   Resources Mentioned: Join the Secondary Science Simplified virtual professional development course waitlist Grab your Classroom Reset Challenge Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.   Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode59 

Oh, the second half of the school year. Making it to the end of the school year may seem like a daunting task to you. I get it! But what if you spent the next few months thriving instead of just surviving? Today, we are doing some midyear reflections by taking a look at the expectations we have for ourselves as teachers and digging into four areas of our work life that we can reset to make the rest of the school year the best it can be. In this episode, we are talking about why you need to be reflecting on your current season, how to look at your classroom procedures and revamp them if needed, why you should give your teaching space a reset, what a time audit is and why you should do one, and how to look at your grading practices and determine if they need to be changed. Now is a great time to make changes in your work life and I challenge you to reflect on what you are currently doing and see if it aligns with your current season of life! Don't forget to download the free Classroom Reset Challenge to help you make the most of your midyear reflections! Resources Mentioned: Grab your Classroom Reset Challenge Episode 4. Engaging Your Students - In the First 5 Minutes of Class Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode58 

As we are getting into the second half of the school year, are you noticing a difference in your energy and priorities compared to the beginning of the school year? Maybe there’s something new going on in your life or you’re entering a different phase with parents or your children. As we move from season to season, it is so important to recognize where we’re at and respect how living in that season may look different than just a few months before.   You know I love “The Lazy Genius Way” by Kendra Adachi and have shared some great takeaways from the book in previous episodes. One thing she really focuses on is living in your current season and giving it all your attention without rushing through. This really hit home last year as me and my family went through new seasons every few months as we added another baby to the family. This idea is something that really helped me and I knew I needed to share it with you! Whether you are moving, pregnant or coming back from maternity leave, having a spouse start a new job, or are going through other changes within your family, taking a look at your current season will help you determine reasonable expectations for living in this season. In this episode, we are looking at what to consider in your current season, how to live with respect to nature’s seasons, and why it’s so important to match your expectations with your current season.  Resources: “The Lazy Genius Way” Book The Lazy Genius Podcast The Lazy Genius on Instagram @thelazygenius The Marriage Journal Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode57

Do you actively schedule time for rest or are you running at full speed 24/7? We often get so caught up in doing as much as possible and having everything scheduled out that we don’t leave any time to rest. Let’s be honest, that isn’t healthy or sustainable. So today, we’re talking about why you need to schedule rest and how to actually do it when you feel like you have absolutely zero time.   I’ve previously shared how much I took away from reading “The Lazy Genius Way” by Kendra Adachi. One thing she discusses is scheduling rest and I think this is so, so important! We aren’t meant to be going nonstop with no time to recharge. I want to be sure you’re taking the time you need to rest so I am sharing why it is so important to actually schedule rest, how to schedule rest, and what to consider when you are scheduling time to rest into your schedule.   “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” Book “The Lazy Genius Way” Book The Lazy Genius Podcast The Lazy Genius on Instagram @thelazygenius The Marriage Journal Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.   Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode56 

New year, new goals! That’s what we always hear, right? For some, this goal setting energy is exhilarating but for others, it’s just exhausting! Whatever your feelings are about new year goal setting, I have a three step approach to goal setting for this year that will make it seem much more manageable. I recently read “The Lazy Genius Way” by Kendra Adachi and it totally inspired me! I used what I took away from that book to create a realistic approach to setting goals so that I actually follow through with them and I am sharing that approach with you.  I am sharing the importance of focusing on what really matters to you when you set your goal, why you should start small, and how focusing your goals on your life instead of your job is the best way to go about setting goals. Resources Mentioned: Join the email list for access to the Cheer for the New Year event! “The Lazy Genius Way” Book The Lazy Genius Podcast The Lazy Genius on Instagram @thelazygenius Grab your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge! Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode55

We are one year into the Secondary Science Simplified podcast and I am SO GRATEFUL for each and every one of you! To wrap up year 1 of the show, I wanted to do a recap of favorite episodes from 2022.  We’ve covered so many different topics this year and have had some amazing guests on the show! There were a few episodes that were my absolute favorites that I knew I needed to share with you all again and, luckily, my favorites were listener favorites as well! Today, we are looking back at five personal and listener favorite episodes of Secondary Science Simplified. We are revisiting the “Best Episodes of 2022” including episodes on the importance of Prime Times, advice for new science teachers, mistakes to avoid at the beginning of the year, keeping things in perspective when teaching, and a beginning of the year pep talk.  I absolutely love hearing from you about the show and getting requests on topics to cover. Please keep the feedback and requests coming by sending me a DM on Instagram! Be sure to join my email list because next week starts the Cheer for the New Year event! This is a week of daily deals on It’s Not Rocket Science resources EXCLUSIVELY for my email list. It is the only sale I do outside of the quarterly sitewide TpT sales and this event gives you the biggest discounts of the year. So join the list and be sure to watch your email every day starting January 1st for some incredible deals on resources. Resources Mentioned: Join the email list for access to the Cheer for the New Year event! Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode54

Did this year fly by for anybody else? I cannot believe it’s winter break and we’re already at the end of 2022! Winter break is a time to rest, recharge, and have fun. One of my best friends, Lauren Tingle of the Counselor Clique, is here today and bringing great advice and some laughter to all of us to wrap up the year. She is talking life hacks, self-care, teacher-counselor partnerships, and so much more!  You know how much I love giving you tips to help simplify your life inside the classroom so I thought it would be perfect for us to share ways to simplify your life outside of the classroom as well. In this episode, Lauren and I are talking a bit about school related topics like what it’s like working with friends, why teachers should partner with counselors, Lauren’s best and worst experiences with teachers, and the importance of setting boundaries.  Since most of you are on break right now, we wanted to share tips to help you rest and recharge during breaks, life hacks that will serve your future self, and 3 things that are saving our lives right now and may help simplify your life as well! Resources Mentioned: Lazy Genius Podcast Beef Liver Vitamins Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode53 

Confession time: One of my biggest regrets from my time spent in the classroom is assigning homework over school breaks. Not only did I assign homework over breaks, but sometimes I would even assign projects to cover things we couldn’t get to in class (cringe!). As I spent more time in the classroom, I started to really reflect on my teaching practices and realized assigning work over breaks was not beneficial to me or my students. Today, we’re digging into why you should not assign work over breaks.  Resources Mentioned: FREEBIE: Winter Activities for High School Science Genetic Disorder Research Project Grab your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge! Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode52

Winter break is quickly approaching! Unfortunately, that means that midterm exams are as well. Most of us are required to give some sort of midterm exam and although scantrons are fast and easy, as we’re thinking of all the exams we have to grade, there may be alternatives that better serve our students. Today, I am sharing 5 ideas for using an alternative midterm exam with your secondary science students. At this point in the year, you (and your students) are likely feeling pretty burned out. The thought of a long midterm exam is exhausting to everyone. This is the perfect time to try an alternative midterm exam that will assess your students’ learning in a fun and authentic way!   Resources Mentioned: FREEBIE: Winter Activities for High School Science Biology Midterm and Final Exam Anatomy Midterm and Final Exam Physical Science Midterm and Final Exam FREE Design a Children’s Book Project Teach the Class! Project Biology Independent Research Project Anatomy Independent Research Project Physical Science Independent Research Project Energy Flow Unit Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts. Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode51