Easy Middle School Science and Math Resources

In this fun and easy class activity, the students will check the physical characteristics of their own bodies and of their classmates to determine which traits they have that are dominant and recessive. This activity is extremely easy to implement, and no materials are required except the printout. Just give it to the kids and go! The kids love this one!

In this lab, students will use a marker to divide a petri dish into four quadrants. Then, the students will take q-tips to places around the school of their choice, swab those locations, and then smear the bacteria on agar. After incubating for some time, the students will observe the results of their swabbing and answer some questions. A good lab for beginning middle school microbiology students that really gets across the message that bacteria is EVERYWHERE. You will need agar and a an incuba

In this very informative and comprehensive PowerPoint, designed for the upper middle and high school level, students will learn all of the basics about STIs. This PowerPoint isn't needlessly racy, but still isn't afraid to just "come out and say it" about the various STI topics. Though photos are shown of disease, no photos of diseased sexual body parts are shown. Excellent for student learning, but also for first-time teachers who don't know much about how to teach the topic. In my class, I hav

This is a comprehensive 35-page PowerPoint that covers all of the main concepts relating to the relationships between the Earth, sun, and moon at the middle school level. Any adult should be able to take this PowerPoint and run with it, even if you don't know much about the topic. I usually have the kids write down the yellow words in their notes. Topics covered include: *Earth orbit, rotation, revolution *Seasons and Earth's tilt *Time zones *Moon orbit and phases *Eclipses *Tides

This highly comprehensive PowerPoint covers all of the basics of digital vs analog waves. Not only is it ideal for all middle school students, but is also excellent for a first-time teacher who needs to understand the material themselves. Loads of pictures and made in a high-visibility format. In my class, I have the students write down the yellow words, but up to you. Topics included are: What a signal is Digital signals Sampling rates Encryption (brief) Pros and cons of digital Pros and cons o

In this middle school-oriented PowerPoint, students will learn about nutrition, including: Glucose Calories Fats Carbohydrates Proteins Vitamins and Minerals Water Anabolism Catabolism The pages are extremely high-contrast and easy to see, even in the back of the classroom. The content is also excellent for people who have never taught this material before. In my classroom, students write down the yellow words, but that's up to you.

This is a PowerPoint on basic Mendelian genetics. It includes Gregor Mendel's first experiment in genetics, dominant and recessive alleles, and the difference between purebreds and hybrids. It is in an easy-to-read color scheme with large fonts.

In this extremely comprehensive PowerPoint, students will learn about all of the basics of electricity and magnetism. The PowerPoint is easy-to-read and high contrast so that even students in the back of the classroom can read it. Excellent for both student learning, but also for first-time teachers who don't know much about the topic. I typically have my middle school students copy down the yellow text in their notes. Topics include: Magnetism Earth as a magnet Magnetic poles Conductors Insula

This highly comprehensive PowerPoint covers all of the basics regarding the measuring of mass, volume, and density of objects. Not only is it ideal for all middle school students, but is also excellent for a first-time teacher who needs to understand the material themselves. Loads of pictures and made in a high-visibility format. In my class, I have the students write down the yellow words, but up to you. Topics included are: Mass vs. weight Measuring mass Measuring volume Calculating density

In this PowerPoint, students will be introduced to the levels of complexity in the human body. Topics included are cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. Also, homeostasis and stress is covered. This PowerPoint has a large number of pictures shown in a high-contrast format with lots of pictures. In my class, I have the students write the words in yellow. Perfect for grades 6-8. Also perfect for the new teacher who has never taught this content.

This PowerPoint focuses in specifically on human inheritance at the middle school level. Included topics are a very general overview of multiple alleles, blood types, chromosomes, a very brief introduction to mitosis and meiosis, the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction, nature vs. nurture, and pedigrees, all in a compact 17-page PowerPoint.

This is an introduction to limiting and excess reactant problems. It's very simple so that any student (or teacher!) can learn it. It is best for students who have never been introduced to limiting reactant problems before or students who don't understand.

This highly comprehensive PowerPoint covers all of the basics regarding the fossil record. Not only is it ideal for all middle and high school students, but is also excellent for a first-time teacher who needs to understand the material themselves. Loads of pictures and made in a high-visibility format. In my class, I have the students write down the yellow words, but up to you. Topics included are: Definitions and examples of fossils Molds and casts Petrification Preserved remains Fossil record

In this very informative and comprehensive PowerPoint, designed for the upper middle and lower high school level, students will learn all of the basics about the human reproductive system. This PowerPoint isn't needlessly racy, but still isn't afraid to just "come out and say it" about the various human reproduction topics. Excellent for student learning, but also for first-time teachers who don't know much about how to teach the topic. Colorful and high-contrast pages. In my class, I have the s

Introduce chemical bonding to your upper middle or lower high school students. This high-contrast PowerPoint can teach the students the basics on how ionic and covalent bonds work. In my class, the students write down the yellow words. Topics included: Chemical bonding definition Ionic bonds Anions and cations Ionic compounds naming Covalent bonds Covalent compounds naming Drawing covalent bonds - Lewis structures

Introduce your middle school students to chemical formulas and balancing of equations with this high-contrast PowerPoint. Topics included are: *What is a chemical formula? *How to read a chemical formula *Introduction to equations *Balancing equations *Brief introduction to synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, and double displacement reactions In my classes, the students write down the yellow words.

In this inquiry based activity, students will do their own research on an assigned or chosen sexually transmitted disease and then make a brochure, PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Canva on the topic. This is a great activity for your kids that, even in groups, will take at least 3-4 days for them to fully complete, and even more if you have them present (which I do)! Can be used as a major formative or summative assessment. Includes a list of assignable STDs, a set of links for research, and a th

With this short activity, your students can look at their own bodies to find their personal "number." With just these seven traits, most students will have a unique number. A few will share the same number, but with only a few exceptions. With 128 different combinations resulting from just seven traits, imagine how many different combinations there are from the millions of traits in the human body! This is why everybody is unique! This activity will really help the students understand how many

This easy-to-do lab sets up a number of stations around the room that the students rotate to. Each station has a set of directions for the students to follow, and then the students will fill out their data chart. Is each station a chemical or physical change? Let the students find out in this inquiry-based lab! Page 1 of the file is the student sheet - print one per group of students. Pages 2-5 are station cards that you print - just one per station. All materials for the lab are things that jus

This VERY fun activity causes students to experience how natural selection works, using a class-long, teacher-led game. Groups of five students model birds with slightly different variations of beaks to compete for food, in an actual competition that teaches students basic natural selection principles. In 25 years, this activity has never failed to entertain and educate! You will need access to some basic items to make the activity, such as plastic forks, spoons, and some other things.