Lessons That Engage

Having been a college student who failed biology five times, I was so thankful to be finished with the subject. However, upon graduation I stumbled into teaching and found myself teaching….BIOLOGY! (And a host of other science-based subjects) With a unique perspective on the subject, I could relate to my students who found the content difficult and so I began to design content that they could engage with. I grew as a teacher, gained strategies, and became familiar with several “tricks” that are common on Biology (and science) tests. I am a seasoned science teacher at a title one high school in the 8th largest school district in America. I’ve experienced data where 49% of my roster went from a level one or two, into a level three or higher on district and state tests. If you’re not familiar with that, it means that kids who could not read all of a sudden were scoring proficiently on the BIology tests. In 2021-22, I finished with 76% of my entire roster scoring proficiently on the state final exam. In a regular school, that’s average. In a title one school where 90% of your roster can’t read and 30% don’t speak English… that’s success! This content works, but it must be implemented and monitored and relationships must be formed in your class. You have to teach them in a way that they understand AND THEN practice translating that to a test-like setting. These resources will help you.