One Teacher's Adventures

My Grade 8's have been learning about the respiratory system in science.  This week, we made models of the respiratory system using a pop bottle, a balloon, and a plastic shopping bag. I got the idea from Habits from the Heart and created a lab worksheet for my Grade 8's to follow.  I have guided the students through all the labs we've done up until this point, but for this lab, I stepped back and let the kids take the lead.   I told them that I would help if they got stuck, but it was their job to work with their partner to follow the instructions on the handout. Most of the kids followed the instructions very well, but the trickiest part was creating the handle on the bag, and securing the elastic band. Here is one of the finished models: I loved going around to the different tables to see the reactions from the students when they pulled and pushed the diaphragms (plastic bags) of their models and saw the lungs (balloons) inflate and deflate.  T...

Over the past couple weeks, my Grade 8 Science students have been learning about the structures of plant and animal cells.  The culminating project for this topic was to create a 3-D model of an animal cell, highlighting the organelles that can be seen with an electron microscope. For each organelle, the students needed to create something that looked accurate, and needed to label each structure.   Here are a few of the completed models: I think they turned out beautifully!    Looking for more great tips and ideas for middle school? Subscribe to my email list and receive an exclusive FREE sub plans resource. It includes plans for math, ELA, science, social studies, and Core French. Click  here  to subscribe.