Science had always been a favorite subject of mine and throughout college I had tutored many high school students in the different branches of science. After I graduated college with my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education I landed a position at a school teaching 5th and 6th grade science. I was excited about science because I had loved biology as a student and had even pursued a degree in sports medicine before changing my degree to teaching. Throughout my first year teaching I really enjoying teaching science and found that the students and I had energetic and engaging classes as we learned about biology, meteorology, physics, and chemistry. My mind had been exposed to all types of science and at the end of the year I passed the AEPA Middle Grades General Science test so that I could teach 7th grade science as well.
As the small school I worked at continued to grow, I adjusted what I taught, expanding my knowledge up to 7th grade as well. Over my four years at that school, I helped our school transition into a Core Knowledge© school by planning our transition in science so that no student would have gaps in their knowledge. Along with two other middle grade teachers, I worked to align the new ELA standards with the science standards which were then adopted by the science teachers in my district. I’ve spent the last three years working on a national study. Throughout the study I worked alongside my district science coordinator as well as other people from the study to analyze the ways students learn science. In addition to participating in the study I facilitated the meetings for our district and another nearby teachers involved in one branch of the study.
This year, I find myself teaching seventh grade science. Again I find myself enjoying our science content and my seventh graders continue to love absolutely everything about science. I’ve fine-tuned my scientific