Chemistry Math Skills: Scientific Measurement, Calculations, and Problem Solving in Chemistry

You carefully explain a new chemistry concept. Your students seem to understand it. Then they begin working through the practice problems, and everything starts to fall apart.

One student cannot enter scientific notation correctly into a calculator. Another rounds an answer before the calculation is finished. Several students are unsure which unit to use, and dimensional analysis feels impossible because they do not understand how conversion factors work.

Before long, students decide that chemistry is simply too difficult.

But often, the chemistry is not the real problem. Students are struggling with the math and measurement skills that chemistry assumes they already know.

👉  Need the complete unit? See the Chemistry Math Unit with lessons, guided notes, practice, quizzes, six labs, and a final assessment.

👉 Chemistry Math Unit: Scientific Measurements, Calculations, and Problem Solving

In This Article

• Why Students Struggle with Chemistry
• Why We Cannot Assume These Skills Are Mastered
• The Chemistry Math Skills Students Need
• Teaching the Skills in a Logical Sequence
• Why Students Need More Than Notes
• Practicing Measurement Skills in the Lab
• A Complete Chemistry Math and Measurement Unit
• Related Science Skills Blog Posts
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why Students Struggle with Chemistry

Chemistry requires students to use several skills at the same time. They must understand the scientific concept, choose the correct equation, identify the information provided, keep track of units, complete the calculation, round the answer correctly, and decide whether the final result makes sense.

That is a great deal to manage if the students haven't mastered basic skills such as measurement, scientific notation, significant figures, graphing, and metric conversions.

Weak science process skills create a domino effect. Small mistakes in the beginning lead to much bigger problems as the chemistry becomes more complex.

Chemistry Teachers Cannot Assume These Skills Are Already Mastered

Students arrive in chemistry with very different backgrounds. Some have used the metric system repeatedly. Others still reach for a ruler and begin measuring at the end rather than at zero. Some are comfortable working with exponents, while others are intimidated as soon as they see a number written in scientific notation.

I learned very quickly that telling students, “You should already know this,” did not help them. Spending time reviewing and practicing these skills at the beginning of the course helped them and saved time later. It also allowed me to see where students needed more support before we moved into more difficult chemistry calculations.

This early review does not have to feel like repeating an entire middle school math course. The key is to focus on the specific skills students will use again and again throughout chemistry.

The Chemistry Math Skills Students Need First

These are the science process skills I want my students to practice early in the year.

1. Scientific Measurement

Students need to understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative observations and recognize that every measured value contains both a number and a unit. They also need practice reading laboratory equipment correctly and recording measurements with the proper degree of precision.

2. Scientific Notation

Chemistry is filled with extremely large and extremely small numbers. Students must be able to write numbers in scientific notation, convert them back to standard form, and use scientific notation in multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.

This is also a good time to make sure students know how to use the exponent or scientific notation function on their calculators.

3. Accuracy, Precision, and Percentage Error

Students often use the words accuracy and precision as though they mean the same thing. They need examples that allow them to compare the two ideas and practice deciding whether a set of measurements is accurate, precise, both, or neither.

Percentage error gives students a practical way to evaluate experimental results and consider why a measured value may differ from an accepted value.

4. Significant Figures

Significant figures are difficult for many students because they must learn several rules and then apply different rules during calculations. Students need practice identifying significant figures, rounding measured values, and reporting answers correctly after addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

This is not a skill that most students master after seeing three examples on the board. They need repeated practice and quick checks for understanding.

5. The Metric System

Students should be familiar with the basic SI units for length, mass, time, temperature, amount of substance, electric current, and luminous intensity. In a beginning chemistry course, they will especially need to work comfortably with units used to measure length, mass, volume, and temperature.

They also need to understand common metric prefixes such as kilo, centi, milli, micro, and nano rather than relying only on a memorized staircase.

6. Density

Density is often one of the first chemistry formulas students use. It gives them practice identifying known and unknown quantities, substituting values into an equation, including units, and checking whether an answer is reasonable.

Density also gives teachers an excellent opportunity to connect calculations with real laboratory measurements.

7. Dimensional Analysis

Dimensional analysis becomes the backbone of chemistry problem-solving. Students will use it for metric conversions, mole calculations, stoichiometry, gas laws, solutions, and many other topics.

I begin with simple one-step conversions and move gradually toward multi-step problems and conversions involving complex units. Students are much more successful when they understand that units are part of the calculation rather than labels added at the end.

8. Graphing and Data Analysis

Chemistry students must be able to organize data, choose an appropriate graph, label axes, select a useful scale, plot data accurately, and interpret the pattern shown.

They also need to understand interpolation and extrapolation and recognize the difference between a line graph, bar graph, and circle graph.

Teach the Skills in a Logical Sequence

The order in which these skills are taught matters. Students need time to build confidence with one idea before they are asked to combine it with several others.

For example, students should understand units and metric measurements before they begin multi-step dimensional analysis. They should practice scientific notation before they are expected to use it during more complicated calculations. Significant figures make more sense after students understand that measurements always have limits.

Students Need More Than Notes

Explaining the rules is only the beginning. Students must work through enough examples to become comfortable using the skills on their own.

I like to use a combination of direct instruction, guided notes, worked examples, independent practice, short quizzes, and laboratory investigations. Each type of practice serves a different purpose.

• Guided notes help students organize new information and follow the examples.
• Practice problems give students the repetition they need to identify and correct mistakes.
• Short quizzes reveal which students are ready to move forward and which skills need to be reviewed.
• Laboratory work connects measurements and calculations to real equipment and actual data.

Practice the Skills in the Laboratory

Laboratory investigations give scientific measurement a purpose. Students begin to understand why the markings on a graduated cylinder matter, why the last digit in a measurement is estimated, and why careless measurements affect the final result.

Simple introductory labs can also help students learn how to use laboratory balances, meter sticks, graduated cylinders, and thermometers before they are expected to complete more complicated experiments.

This is time well spent. When students know how to read the equipment and record the data correctly, later labs run much more smoothly.

A Complete Chemistry Measurement and Math Skills Unit

I created my Chemistry Math Unit: Scientific Measurements, Calculations, and Problem Solving to teach, review, and reinforce these foundational skills in one organized unit.

The unit can be used at the beginning of a high school chemistry or physical science course. It is also helpful for reviewing individual skills later in the year when students need additional practice.

The unit includes:

• A 138-slide editable PowerPoint presentation
• Teacher notes
• Printable and digital guided student notes
• Scientific notation practice and quiz
• Accuracy, precision, and percentage error practice and quiz
• Significant figures practice and quiz
• Metric system practice and quiz
• Density practice and quiz
• Dimensional analysis practice and quiz
• Graphing and data analysis activities and quiz
• Six laboratory investigations
• A final unit test
• Teacher answer keys
• A bundle teacher guide with sequencing and implementation suggestions

Many of the resources are provided in both printable and digital formats for use with Google Drive, Google Classroom, Microsoft OneDrive, or similar learning platforms.

The six labs include:

• Density of Metals
• Significant Digits
• Mass and the Laboratory Balance
• Length and the Meter Stick
• Volume and Temperature
• Graphing, Interpolation, and Extrapolation

Together, the lessons, guided notes, practice problems, quizzes, and labs give students several opportunities to use each skill before moving on.

Build Confidence Before the Chemistry Becomes More Difficult

Students are more willing to attempt difficult chemistry problems when they are not also worried about using a calculator, converting units, or deciding how many digits belong in the answer.

Teaching these skills early does not eliminate every mistake, but it gives students a system they can return to throughout the year. When a student struggles with stoichiometry or gas law calculations, you can identify whether the problem is the chemistry concept or one of the underlying math skills.

That distinction matters. Students who believe they are “bad at chemistry” often need practice with a specific, teachable skill.

Teach the foundation first. Give students time to practice scientific measurement, calculations, graphing, and problem-solving before those skills are buried inside more advanced chemistry topics.

You can see the complete Chemistry Math Unit here .

Strong science skills help students succeed in every science course. These related articles include more classroom-tested ideas for teaching measurement, graphing, laboratory skills, critical thinking, and scientific problem-solving.

• The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Science Process Skills
• 17 Essential Science Skills All Students Need
• Science Process Skills Activities for the Beginning of the School Year
• 5 Skills Your Science Students Need and How to Teach Them
• Graphing in the Science Classroom

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I teach chemistry math skills?

I recommend teaching or reviewing these skills near the beginning of the course. Students who are comfortable with scientific measurement, scientific notation, significant figures, graphing, and dimensional analysis are better prepared for topics such as density, stoichiometry, gas laws, and solutions.

Is this chemistry math unit only for chemistry classes?

No. The unit also works well in physical science classes because students practice the same scientific measurement, graphing, metric conversion, density, and problem-solving skills.

What topics are included in the Chemistry Math Unit?

The unit covers scientific measurement, scientific notation, accuracy and precision, percentage error, significant figures, the metric system, density, dimensional analysis, graphing, data analysis, interpolation, extrapolation, and scientific problem-solving.

Are the chemistry math activities printable and digital?

Many of the resources are available in both printable and digital formats. The digital files can be used with Google Drive, Google Classroom, Microsoft OneDrive, or similar learning platforms.

Do students need a scientific calculator?

A scientific calculator is helpful, especially when students are working with scientific notation and multi-step calculations. This introductory unit is also a good time to teach students how to enter numbers in scientific notation correctly.

Are teacher answer keys included?

Yes. Teacher answer keys are included for the resources in the bundle. A teacher guide with implementation tips and sequencing suggestions is also included.

Give your students the measurement, calculation, graphing, and problem-solving foundation they need before the chemistry becomes more difficult. Learn more about the complete Chemistry Math Unit on Teachers Pay Teachers .

20 Years on Teachers Pay Teachers: I Never Imagined Where This Would Lead

On September 29, Teachers Pay Teachers is celebrating its 20th anniversary! Since I joined TPT during its very first year, the anniversary has had me thinking about just how much has changed over the past two decades and how something I started simply to earn a little extra money became a much bigger part of my life than I ever imagined.

Twenty years ago, I was a full-time high school science teacher with two daughters who were 13 and 10 years old. Like most teachers with a young family, I was always looking for ways to stretch our budget a little further. There were piano lessons, French horn lessons, baritone lessons, and what seemed like a never-ending need for new shoes because my children kept outgrowing the ones they had.

Somewhere along the way, I stumbled across a brand-new website called Teachers Pay Teachers. TPT had been founded in 2006 by former New York City public school teacher Paul Edelman, and I joined during that very first year. I think I may have found the site through Craigslist, although after 20 years I can't say that for sure. I was looking for a way to make a little extra money, and I thought perhaps another science teacher might be interested in some of the activities I was already creating for my own students.

That was really the extent of my plan. There was no business plan and certainly no thought that I would still be doing this 20 years later.

Shop the Amy Brown Science TPT store  {{ CLICK HERE }} 

My First Teachers Pay Teachers Resource

The first resource I posted was a Flame Test Chemistry Lab. I had just finished using it with my chemistry students, so it was fresh in my mind. Flame tests certainly weren't something I invented; chemistry teachers had been doing them forever. But I had written my own analysis questions to go along with the lab, and I thought that if I cleaned everything up and added a teacher guide and answer key, maybe another chemistry teacher would find it useful.

My first sale wasn't actually the Flame Test Lab. On November 29, 2006, someone purchased my Conservation of Mass Lab, and I earned $2.55. I was absolutely thrilled! I wish I could tell you that sales took off from there, but they most definitely did not.

My second sale didn't come until January 2, 2007, when someone purchased my Determination of Empirical Formulas Lab. My third sale came on January 25 when someone finally bought that original Flame Test Lab. Then almost six months went by before my fourth sale, a Characteristics of Life Lab, sold on July 26. By the end of 2007, after more than a year on TPT, my grand total in earnings was $28.05.

Looking back at that number makes me smile because every one of those sales was exciting. TPT sent an email when something sold, and you can be sure I noticed those emails!

TPT Looked Very Different in 2006

It is hard to explain just how different Teachers Pay Teachers, and the internet itself, were in 2006. My earliest products were Word documents and PDFs, and some of the first ones didn't contain any graphics at all. PowerPoints were largely text on slides. There weren't thousands of beautiful science graphics readily available online, and we certainly didn't have all the tools teachers now use to create digital resources.

Even the Amy Brown Science logo has changed quite a bit during my 20 years on TPT!

As I began creating more materials, I sometimes drew the science images I needed myself. Cells, cross sections of stems, various invertebrates. You name it, I probably tried to draw it at some point. As online image and graphics sites became available, resources such as Deposit Photos and Adobe's image collections made a huge difference in what we could create.

Eventually, I learned to use Adobe Illustrator, and that was a game changer for me. Science teachers often need very specific diagrams, and I would spend forever searching for an image that was almost, but not quite, what I needed. Illustrator allowed me to create exactly what I wanted. Over the years, those old hand-drawn pictures have been replaced with much better images and diagrams.

When I look at some of my early resources today, the difference is pretty remarkable. The appearance has certainly changed, but the science behind many of those resources has stood the test of time.

Creating for TPT Made Me a Better Teacher

One thing I never expected was that creating resources for TPT would improve my own teaching. Once I knew another teacher might purchase something I created, I began looking at every resource with a more critical eye. Of course the science content had to be rock solid, but I also paid more attention to grammar, directions, organization, and the overall appearance of the document. I wanted another teacher to be able to pick it up, understand exactly what I intended, and use it successfully with students.

For all the years I was still in the classroom, I never sat down and created a resource simply because I thought it might sell on TPT. I created something because I needed it for my own students. I taught with it, saw what worked and what didn't, made changes, and then decided whether it was something another teacher might find useful. That classroom-testing process became an important part of Amy Brown Science, and it is something I have tried very hard to continue even after retirement.

Working on TPT After Everyone Else Went to Bed

Those early years were busy. My daughters were young, I was teaching full time, and TPT had to fit into whatever time was left over. At night, I would get the girls settled, grade the papers I needed for the next day, prepare my lesson plans, and then spend a few more hours working on TPT.

My family thought I was a little crazy, and I'm pretty sure some of them thought I was wasting my time. Considering that I had earned only $28.05 by the end of 2007, I suppose they had some evidence to support their case! But I enjoyed creating the resources, I loved hearing from teachers who were using them, and I kept working.

Remember When We Mailed CDs?

Teachers who joined TPT more recently might have trouble believing some of the things we did in those early years. File-size limits were tiny, and if a large unit couldn't be uploaded, we sometimes put the files on a CD and mailed the CD to the buyer. Physical books and workbooks could be sold and mailed to buyers, too.

Getting paid was quite different as well. Seller earnings were paid only once every three months, and an actual paper check arrived in the mail. There was no TPT phone app giving you that familiar “cha-ching” when you made a sale. We had email, and that was plenty exciting to me at the time.

When TPT Became My Full-Time Job

I taught biology, AP biology, and chemistry for 31 years. Both daughters attended the same high school where I taught. When the youngest graduated, I decided to retire. I was sad that she would no longer be there with me, I was fully invested in our state retirement system, and the timing simply felt right. I could draw my teacher pension and finally find out what I could do with Amy Brown Science if I had more than a few late-night hours to devote to it.

Retirement gave me something I had never had enough of before: time. I spent a great deal of it going back through older products, updating them and improving them. I also created some new resources. Since I no longer had my own students to test everything with, I turned to colleagues who were still teaching and asked them to use new materials with their students. After 31 years of classroom testing my own resources, I didn't want retirement to change that standard.

Then COVID Changed Everything

When schools closed during the COVID pandemic, teachers suddenly needed digital resources, and they needed them immediately. My inbox filled with emails asking whether this resource or that resource was available in Google Slides or Google Forms. In most cases, the answer was no. Until then, I had not created resources for Google Apps and wasn't particularly familiar with them.

Fortunately, I had help. My daughter is a computer engineer, and she was furloughed from her job for a few months while COVID raged. She helped me learn how everything worked and helped me convert many of my resources to Google Slides and Google Forms. I am still so grateful for the time she spent helping me.

For months, I spent hours every day converting resources. I didn't want teachers who had already purchased a resource to have to buy it again just to get the digital version, so I added the new Google versions to the products they already owned at no additional charge. Today, many Amy Brown Science resources include both the printable materials and the Google Apps version in the same download. COVID forced that change much faster than I ever would have made it on my own, but it permanently changed the way I create resources.

More Than Music Lessons and Shoes

What began as a way to bring in a little extra money eventually became something I never could have imagined in 2006. As Amy Brown Science grew, the income did far more for my family than help with the everyday expenses that had first motivated me to give TPT a try. It helped provide opportunities for my daughters that I could never have anticipated when I uploaded those first three resources.

Over the years, the income from Amy Brown Science helped my daughters earn their college degrees and continue their education well beyond that. One daughter became a computer engineer and went on to earn a master's degree in computer science and an MBA. The other went on to medical school and became an OB-GYN. When I think back to those two little girls who were 13 and 10 when I joined TPT, I could never have imagined where all of us would be 20 years later. 

That is something I find very humbling. I don't think I'll ever forget that all of this started with a $2.55 sale.

The Part That Has Meant the Most

Of all the milestones over the last 20 years, the one that means the most to me has nothing to do with sales numbers. For three years, I set up an Amy Brown Science booth in the exhibit hall at the National Science Teaching Association convention. I expected to spend my time showing teachers my resources and talking about science education. What I didn't expect was to have teachers recognize me.

Teachers came to the booth and told me they had been using my resources for years. They told me which activities they loved and talked about using them with their students. Some of them hugged me.

I cannot adequately explain how humbling that was. These were teachers I had never met, teaching in classrooms I had never seen, and something I had created had become part of what they did with their students. After all those years of sitting at a computer creating and revising resources, I was suddenly meeting the real people on the other side of those downloads. That meant more to me than anything else that has happened during this journey.

To all of you ... thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your classroom!

Teachers' Work Has Value

There was some pushback when Teachers Pay Teachers began, and I still hear versions of it today. Some teachers believe that materials created by teachers should simply be shared freely with other teachers. I certainly believe teachers should help one another, and I have shared plenty of free resources over the years, but I have always looked at this particular issue a little differently.

If I spent months writing a novel, no one would expect me to give it away simply because I enjoyed writing it. Creating a quality teaching resource also requires knowledge, creativity, time, testing, editing, revising, and experience. I believe that work has value, and I am grateful that TPT gave classroom teachers a way to share that work with teachers far beyond their own schools.

I'm equally grateful to every teacher who looked at something I created and decided it was worth purchasing and bringing into his or her classroom. That trust has never been something I take lightly.

Twenty Years Later

Teachers Pay Teachers has changed tremendously since 2006, and so has Amy Brown Science. My store has grown from three resources in 2006 to 793 resources today. Word documents with few or no graphics evolved into resources with carefully created scientific illustrations. Text-heavy PowerPoints became much more visual. Printable activities were joined by editable files, Google Slides, and self-grading Google Forms.

What hasn't changed is the reason I create them. I still want teachers to have good science materials that make their jobs a little easier and help them teach their students well. For most of my career, those resources were first created for the students sitting in my own classroom. After retirement, I have continued to rely on classroom teachers to help me make sure new materials work. All new resources are classroom-tested in an actual classroom with actual students.

To every teacher who has purchased one of my resources, downloaded a freebie, read this blog, sent me an email, left a kind review, recommended my work to another teacher, or stopped by that NSTA booth to say hello ... and sometimes give me a hug ... thank you. I truly mean that. I could never have imagined any of this when that first $2.55 sale came through in 2006, and I am very grateful for the teachers who made the next 20 years possible.

Celebrating TPT's 20th Anniversary

Twenty years ago, I was hoping another science teacher might find one of my three little resources useful. Twenty years and 793 resources later, I am still incredibly grateful every time a teacher chooses something I've created for his or her classroom. Thank you for being part of this journey.

The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Science Process Skills

Science is much more than memorizing vocabulary words, labeling diagrams, or recalling facts for a test. Successful science students ask questions, design experiments, collect accurate data, analyze results, recognize patterns, draw conclusions, and think critically about the world around them. These science process skills are the foundation of every biology, chemistry, physical science, and environmental science classroom.

When students enter our science classrooms, we can't assume that they are already proficient in the science process skills. Too often, we expect students to know how to read graphs, measure accurately, use laboratory equipment, interpret data tables, design controlled experiments, and evaluate evidence before they have had enough guided practice to master those skills. As a result, many students struggle, not because the science content is too difficult, but because they lack the tools they need to be successful.

After more than 30 years of teaching high school biology and chemistry, I have found that students become much more confident when science skills are taught consistently throughout the school year. Every lab, classroom discussion, graph, data table, and problem-solving activity becomes easier when students already have a strong foundation in the science process skills.

That is why I created this Science Process Skills Resource Library.

Over the years, I've written quite a few articles about teaching science process skills. This page brings together my best blog posts, classroom ideas, teaching strategies, and ready-to-use science resources in one organized location.

Whether you are looking for help teaching graphing, laboratory skills, scientific measurement, data analysis, scientific vocabulary, or collaborative classroom activities, you will find resources here that you can immediately use with your own students.

Rather than searching through years of blog posts, you can use this guide as a starting point to explore the science process skills that are most important for your classroom. Each section includes practical teaching ideas, links to related articles, and classroom resources designed to help students develop the skills they will use throughout the entire school year.

Whether you are a brand-new science teacher building your curriculum for the first time or an experienced teacher looking for fresh ideas, I hope this collection saves you time, inspires new lessons, and helps your students become more confident and capable in your science class.

📚 In This Guide

Whether you're looking for ideas on teaching graphing, laboratory skills, scientific measurement, or another science process skill, this guide is designed to help you quickly find what you need. Use the links below to jump directly to the topics that interest you most, or simply scroll through the entire collection for new ideas, classroom strategies, and ready-to-use resources.

• Graphing and Data Analysis
• Scientific Measurement
• Scientific Method & Experimental Design
• Laboratory Skills & Safety
• Reading Informational Text
• Scientific Vocabulary
• Compare and Contrast
• Collaborative Learning
• Final Thoughts

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What Are Science Process Skills?

Science process skills are the tools students use to investigate, analyze, and understand the world around them. Unlike science facts that may be forgotten after a unit test, these are lifelong skills that students will continue to use throughout every science course they take and carry forward into their future lives.

Think about a typical week in your classroom. Your students might collect data during a laboratory investigation, measure the mass of an object, calculate density, create a graph, interpret a table of results, read an informational article, compare two biological processes, or explain why an experiment produced unexpected results. Every one of those activities depends on science process skills.

That is one of the reasons I enjoy teaching science. The content changes throughout the year, but the skills keep building. Students may begin the year learning how to read a graph or use a graduated cylinder correctly. By the end of the year, those same skills help them design experiments, analyze complex data, and communicate scientific ideas with confidence. It is an amazing feeling watching students grow, mature, and develop new skills as the year progresses.

I have learned that these skills are not mastered during a single lesson. They need to be introduced, practiced, revisited, and practiced some more throughout the school year. The more opportunities students have to apply these skills in different situations, the better science students they will become.

The sections below organize many of the science process skills that I teach in my own classroom. Each section includes articles, classroom ideas, and ready-to-use resources that will help you teach these skills more effectively.

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Teaching Science Process Skills Throughout the Year

One mistake I made early in my teaching career was assuming that all of the science process skills could be taught during the first few weeks of school and then checked off my list for the rest of the year. It didn't take me long to realize the faults in my teaching strategy. Students may understand a skill during one lesson, but unless they continue using it throughout the year, many of them forget it or struggle to apply it in a new situation.

Today, I think about science process skills very differently. Instead of teaching them as a separate unit, I intentionally weave them into nearly everything we do. In all science classes, students graph data, collect measurements, analyze tables of data, compare and contrast scientific concepts, interpret diagrams, and design experiments all year long. Every time they practice one of these skills, they become a little more confident and a little more independent.

I also remind myself that every class is different. Some students arrive with strong science backgrounds, while others have had very little experience using laboratory equipment or analyzing scientific data. Taking the time to teach these foundational skills helps level the playing field and gives every student the opportunity to be successful.

Over the years, I've written quite a few blog posts about teaching these skills because they are simply too important to cover once and forget. Whether I'm teaching graphing, scientific measurement, laboratory techniques, vocabulary, data analysis, or experimental design, my goal is always the same: to help students become better scientific thinkers.

Related Blog Posts

• 5 Science Skills Your Students are Missing (And Easy Ways to Teach Them in Class)
• Science Process Skills Activities for the Beginning of the School Year

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Graphing and Data Analysis

If there is one science process skill that students will use over and over again throughout the school year, it is graphing. Whether they are studying enzyme activity, population growth, heating curves, the periodic table, or biochemistry, students are constantly collecting data and looking for patterns.

Unfortunately, graphing is also one of the skills that many students find intimidating. Over the years, I've learned that the problem usually isn't creating the graph itself. The problem begins with identifying independent and dependent variables. The next challenge is helping students understand what the graph is trying to tell them. A beautifully drawn graph isn't very useful if students can't explain the pattern, identify an outlier, or form a conclusion based on the data.

That is why I don't treat graphing as a one-day lesson.

Instead, I introduce the basics early in the school year and then continue using graphs in laboratory investigations, class discussions, homework assignments, quizzes, and review activities. Every time students graph a new set of data, they become a little more comfortable with the process.

I also encourage students to ask questions every time they see a graph.

• What pattern do I notice?
• Is there a trend?
• Are there any unexpected results?
• What conclusion can I draw from these data?
• If I repeated this investigation, would I expect similar results?

Those questions are far more important than simply drawing straight lines or choosing the correct scale.

If your students struggle with graphing, don't get discouraged. Like every science process skill, graphing improves with repeated practice. By the end of the year, students who were once nervous about graphs often analyze them without even realizing how much they've improved.

Below are several articles and classroom resources that will help you teach graphing and data analysis throughout the school year.

Related Blog Posts

• Graphing in the Science Classroom
• Science Graphing: Why Students Need to Learn Graphing by Hand
• Using a Graph to Find Area (Free Activity)
• Free Graphing Worksheet and Data Analysis Activity for Middle and High School Science

Related Classroom Resources

• Graphing PowerPoint and Notes Set
• Graphing and Data Analysis Worksheet & Quiz
• Enzymes Graphing Activities
• Graphing Practice Problems

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Scientific Measurement

One of the first laboratory skills I teach every year is scientific measurement. It doesn't matter whether students are using a balance, graduated cylinder, metric ruler, thermometer, or pipette. They need to understand that accurate measurements are the foundation of good scientific work.

Students often arrive in high school with very different backgrounds. Some have measured mass and volume many times, while others have had very little hands-on laboratory experience. I've learned not to assume anything. Taking a few extra days to teach measurement correctly at the beginning of the year saves a tremendous amount of frustration later.

One mistake I see over and over again is that students rush through measurements. They estimate instead of carefully reading the scale, forget to record units, or are just sloppy using pieces of lab equipment. Those may seem like small mistakes, but they can completely change the results of an investigation.

Rather than teaching measurement as an isolated lesson, I intentionally build it into laboratory activities throughout the year. Students measure volume, mass, temperature, length, collect quantitative data, and practice using metric units in dozens of different situations. Before long, using metric measurements becomes second nature.

Scientific measurement also gives us the opportunity to reinforce other important science process skills. Students learn to organize data in tables, calculate averages, identify sources of error, calculate the percentage error, and decide whether their measurements are reasonable. Those conversations often become just as valuable as the laboratory investigation itself.

If your students need extra practice with metric measurement, don't wait until they struggle during a laboratory investigation. Giving students opportunities to practice before they need the skill builds confidence and makes later labs run much more smoothly.

Related Blog Posts

• Science Skills: The Metric System
• Essential Skills Every Student Should Master
• Measurement Madness Reinforcement for Science Students

Related Classroom Resources

• Science Skills Chat
• Metric System SI Units Practice Worksheet and Quiz Set
• Metric System Color By Number Activity
• Metric System PowerPoint and Notes Set
• Metric Measurements Lab Bundle

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The Scientific Method and Experimental Design

Ask ten science teachers what the scientific method is, and you'll probably get ten slightly different answers.

For me, the scientific method isn't about memorizing a list of steps. It's about teaching students how to APPLY the scientific method. It's about teaching students how to think.

Students need to learn how to ask good questions, make careful observations, develop logical hypotheses, identify variables, design controlled investigations, collect reliable data, and draw conclusions that are supported by evidence. Those are skills they will use long after they forget the details of a particular biology or chemistry unit.

One challenge I see every year is that students often want the "right answer" before they have collected any evidence. Science doesn't work that way. Good scientists gather evidence first and allow the evidence to guide their conclusions. Helping students become comfortable with uncertainty is one of the most important lessons we can teach.

I also spend quite a bit of time teaching students to distinguish between independent and dependent variables. It is the foundation of a controlled experiment, and for some reason, students need to practice this over and over.

As the year progresses, students begin applying the scientific method without even thinking about it. They naturally identify variables, recognize weaknesses in experimental design, suggest improvements, and explain unexpected results. Watching that growth is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching science.

Remember that students don't become skilled at experimental design after completing one worksheet. Like every other science process skill, it improves through repeated practice in many different contexts.

Related Blog Posts

• Science Skills: Applying the Scientific Method
• Student Designed Experiment Lab for Teaching Experimental Design
• How to Teach Experimental Design in High School Science
• 5 Science Skills Your Students are Missing (And Easy Ways to Teach Them in Class)

Related Classroom Resources

• Scientific Method Task Cards
• Scientific Method Worksheets
• Scientific Method Color by Number Activity
• The Scientific Method: Student Designed Controlled Experiment
• Scientific Method PowerPoint and Notes Set

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Laboratory Skills and Safety

When I think back to my first few years of teaching, one thing stands out very clearly. The laboratories that ran the smoothest were not necessarily the most exciting labs. They were the ones where students knew how to work safely, use equipment correctly, and think through each step before they started.

Laboratory skills are much more than learning the names of equipment. Students need to know how to read a graduated cylinder, use a balance correctly, focus a microscope, handle chemicals safely, dispose of materials properly, and work cooperatively with their lab partners. Those skills don't happen automatically. They need to be taught, modeled, and practiced.

I also remind my students that making mistakes in the lab provides opportunities for learning. If a balance isn't zeroed correctly or a measurement is recorded incorrectly, we talk about how that affects the results. Those conversations help students understand why careful laboratory technique matters.

One of the biggest changes I've made over the years is slowing down during the first few weeks of school. I used to feel pressure to get into the "real biology" or "real chemistry" as quickly as possible. Now I know that investing time in laboratory skills early pays dividends for the rest of the year. Students become more independent, ask better questions, and require much less individual assistance during future investigations.

Another lesson I've learned is that students enjoy labs much more when they feel confident. If they understand how to use the equipment before beginning an investigation, they spend less time worrying about making mistakes and more time thinking about the science.

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• Lab Stations: How to Make Them Work for You
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• Lab Safety Chat
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• Free Science Lab Equipment Skills Lab with Graphing and Data Analysis
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Reading, Writing, and Thinking Like a Scientist

Science teachers have to be reading teachers.

Every year my students read laboratory procedures, scientific articles, graphs, diagrams, tables, textbook passages, and science-related articles. If they struggle to read scientific information, they will struggle with nearly every science topic we teach.

Scientific reading is different from recreational reading. Students need to slow down, examine diagrams, study captions, interpret graphs, and connect information from multiple sources. Those are skills that improve with practice.

One strategy that has worked well in my classroom is teaching students how to actively interact with scientific text instead of simply reading words on a page. I encourage them to highlight unfamiliar vocabulary, write questions in the margins, summarize sections in their own words, and constantly connect new information to concepts we have already studied.

Writing is equally important. Asking students to explain their thinking often reveals misunderstandings that multiple-choice questions never uncover. Short written explanations, laboratory conclusions, CER activities, and open-ended questions help students organize their thoughts while strengthening both science and literacy skills.

Helping students become stronger readers and writers doesn't take time away from teaching science. It helps students understand science more deeply.

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• Informational Text in the High School Science Classroom

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• Science Reading Task Cards
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Building Scientific Vocabulary

Science vocabulary! The gargantuan volume of new science terms and definitions can be overwhelming for students.

I still remember students telling me that biology felt like learning a foreign language. After hearing that enough times, I realized they weren't exaggerating. Every chapter introduced dozens of new words, many of which looked intimidating before students even attempted to pronounce them.

Instead of asking students to memorize endless vocabulary lists, I spend time teaching prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Once students understand that "photo" means light or "hydro" refers to water, they begin recognizing patterns instead of memorizing isolated definitions.

One of my favorite moments is when students start figuring out unfamiliar vocabulary on their own. They begin breaking words apart and using what they already know to predict meanings. That confidence carries over into every unit we study.

Vocabulary instruction shouldn't end after the first week of school. Students continue building their scientific vocabulary all year long, and every new term becomes easier once they recognize the patterns behind the language.

Related Blog Posts

• How to Teach Science Vocabulary Using Prefixes and Suffixes
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• Biology Prefixes and Suffixes Worksheet and Quiz Activity
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Compare and Contrast

One skill that doesn't receive enough attention is comparing and contrasting.

Science is full of similarities and differences. Students compare mitosis and meiosis, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, physical and chemical changes, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, dominant and recessive traits, and countless other concepts throughout the year.

Many students naturally notice differences but struggle to identify meaningful similarities. Others create long lists of facts without recognizing the important relationships between concepts.

I have found that graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, comparison charts, and guided questions help students organize their thinking. Instead of memorizing isolated facts, students begin seeing connections across units and recognizing recurring scientific themes.

Compare-and-contrast activities also encourage higher-level thinking. Students move beyond remembering information and begin analyzing, evaluating, and explaining relationships. Those are the types of thinking skills that prepare students for more advanced science courses.

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• Compare and Contrast in the Science Classroom
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Collaborative Learning Lab Stations

Some of the best conversations in my classroom happen when students are working together.

For many years I relied heavily on traditional worksheets when introducing science skills. Students completed the assignment, I graded it, and we moved on. While that approach certainly has its place, I eventually realized that students learned much more when they had opportunities to discuss, question, and solve problems together.

That realization eventually led to the creation of my Science Chat activities.

Rather than sitting quietly and completing another worksheet, students move around the classroom, discuss ideas with their classmates, solve problems together, and help one another master difficult concepts. The room becomes much more active, and students become much more engaged.

Science Skills Chat has become one of my favorite beginning-of-the-year activities because it introduces many of the foundational skills students will continue using throughout the year. Students practice graphing, laboratory equipment, scientific notation, measurement, data analysis, and scientific thinking while working collaboratively.

Collaborative learning isn't just more enjoyable for students. It also encourages communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that scientists use every day.

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• Science Skills Chat
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Final Thoughts

If there is one piece of advice I could give to new science teachers, it would be this: don't rush through science process skills.

It can be tempting to jump straight into cells, genetics, chemical reactions, or ecosystems because those are the topics students often associate with science class. But the time you invest in teaching graphing, measurement, laboratory skills, vocabulary, data analysis, and scientific thinking will make every one of those content units more successful.

I've watched thousands of students grow as scientists over the past three decades. The students who experience the greatest success are rarely the ones who memorized the most facts. They are the students who learned how to ask questions, analyze evidence, communicate their thinking, and solve problems.

Those are the skills that last long after students leave our classrooms.

I hope this Science Process Skills Resource Library gives you new ideas, saves you planning time, and encourages you to keep teaching these foundational skills throughout the school year. Feel free to bookmark this page and return whenever you're looking for fresh ideas, classroom activities, or new resources. I'll continue updating it as I publish new articles and create additional science process skill activities.

Happy teaching!

Planning your biology course? Download my free 189-page Biology Curriculum Teacher Guide to see exactly how I organize an entire school year.