Do you have enough time to write lessons for your biology classroom?
I never did while I was teaching. There was a designated "planning" time before school that was filled with meetings, parent conferences, students needing help, grading papers, answering emails, and so on. The majority of my lesson planning was done at home on my own time.
Looking and looking and looking...
There are some very good free resources on reputable science education websites. I found things that I could use occasionally, but many of these resources weren't very practical or easily integrated into my classroom. I found myself using workbooks that came with the textbook when I didn't have time to create something.
Colleagues can be very helpful, but....
Many teachers I know share lesson plans, and this can be a big help to new teachers. New teachers can learn a lot from looking at experienced teachers' plans. Sometimes, though, the recipient may find that the plans do not fit their particular teaching style. Shopping around for lesson plans can help any teacher develop a collection that works for them.
What I really wanted was...
I wanted high quality lessons that were easy to implement and strong on standards. I wanted lots of diagrams and images to break up the text and draw student interest.
There is good news!
More and more teachers are posting their lesson plans. One website where teachers can find lesson plans written by other teachers is Teachers Pay Teachers. Writing lesson plans was one of my favorite parts of being a teacher. I used my experience as a laboratory scientist to design lessons that focused on important scientific ideas and made students think. I taught the scientific process, and used it in my lessons whenever it was possible. I loved making a plan, carrying it out, and assessing its effectiveness afterward.
Good reasons to buy lesson plans:
Family Time: I'm sure you want, and need, to spend time with your family. Writing lesson plans takes time. Buy a lesson (or downloading a free lesson) after a busy weekend can help alleviate the Sunday "scaries" because you know you'll be walking in Monday morning with a good plan. You can find these lessons anytime you feel unprepared or need something new.
Reliable Lesson Plans: It's important when searching for lessons online to make sure that the site or store is a reliable source with lessons created by experienced and qualified teachers. Look for information about the author(s), the standards covered by the lesson and make sure the lesson is good science.
Will this lesson integrate easily into your teaching practice?
My lesson plans are written to be practical and contain good science practices. I utilize NGSS (and other standards) as a starting point along with my 21 years of experience as a biology teacher to write better lessons. One of the things I enjoy about doing this is the feeling that I can help other teachers, especially those that are new to teaching.
Take some time to check out my store, Beebe's Biology.
It's kind of like online shopping, but cheaper and more helpful for your busy life. Here are just a few examples from my Teachers Pay Teachers store:
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