Interactive Notebooks Make Teaching Viruses and Bacteria a Snap

Do you need a new/better routine for your classroom?

Are you looking for a way to review and reinforce the volume of biology information you must cover?

Looking for quality warm up activities or homework assignments?

I use warm ups or bell ringers every single day as a method of getting my students settled, on task, and ready to learn.  These activities are short, and take only a few minutes to complete.  Once students are used to the routine, they will enter the classroom and get right to work.  I like that the first few minutes of class are spent "getting down to business."

There is such great versatility in how you can use these interactive notebook pages.  As already stated, they are perfect for turning the first chaotic minutes of class into a time of meaningful learning and reinforcement.  I also use them for homework assignments, and they are perfect to leave in my sub folder in case I am absent.

If students are required to keep them in a notebook, they have a perfect study guide for the unit test and semester exams.

This is the 7th set of warm up activities posted to my TpT store.  (Check out the blog archive in the right side bar to see previous articles.)  This set covers "Viruses and Bacteria."  The set of 23 student pages covers all the topics found in a typical first year biology textbook.

The student pages are printed landscape style.  The pages look best if printed in color, but also look great if printed in black/white.  Each activity is one-half page in size.  Two identical warm-ups are printed per page in order to conserve paper.  Simply print the pages and cut them in half.

All teacher pages are set up in this style.  The student activity is on the left, and the answers are on the right side of the page.  Print these pages for your teacher notebook.

Click here to view in my TpT store.

You can download a FREE sampler pack from my store.  The pack includes 1-2 warm ups from each of my warm up sets..

Previous sets include:

Introduction to Science

Cell Structure and Function

Ecology

Genetics

DNA, RNA and Protein Synthesis

Evolution and Classification

Holiday Recipe eBook

Funny and Yummy!!

The secondary teacher/authors of TeachersPayTeachers.com have teamed up to bring you the most fabulous (FREE!!) eBook for the holiday season.  Each participant submitted a favorite recipe that is ravenously consumed by our families during the holiday season.

What's included?  46 scrumptious recipes ranging from appetizers, main dishes, salads, desserts, drinks, and even dog treats!   Click the images below to download the free eBook.  You will not be disappointed!

This super idea was the brain-child of Karol Steele (Mrs. S on TpT).  Many thanks to Karol for organizing, compiling, and publishing this fun eBook.

Holiday giving ... With a Science Twist!!

Your students will have a blast with this dichotomous  classification key!

(It's educational ... sort of ....)

Very rarely in my high school biology classes do we have the time to devote to a holiday activity.  I make an exception each year for this fun, but very important activity.  I do this activity each year to remind my students of the importance of community service and “giving back” to our community. 

The purpose of the activity is very simple:  To put together stockings of candy and Ziploc bags of toiletries that can be donated to a local charity.

This is a free download from my TpT store, and is suitable for grades 5-12. Click here to download.

Just before Thanksgiving, I place a donation box in my room.  I explain to my students that I am collecting their spare change for a service project that we will do just before school is out for the holidays.  I talk briefly about being thankful for what we have, and that we have an obligation to help others who are less fortunate than us.  I ask them to place their donations in the collection box whenever they have a bit of change in their pockets to spare.  I encourage them to give what they can, and that all donations are a personal and private matter.   I accept the donations for about 3 weeks prior to the activity.  The students are not allowed to ask each other how much they donated, etc.  I use this change to purchase the items needed for the activity.  

Students will use the dichotomous classification key to identify each of the candies and each of the toiletries seen above.  Each item has been given a very special and unique name for this fun activity!  Ok, I'm going to admit that the science is a little "shaky" in this activity, but the students deserve a break from time to time, and they do love doing this activity.

The end result is that you have stockings of candy and bags of toiletries to donate to a food bank, a nursing home, a homeless shelter, or other charity of your choice.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your students and families!