Middle School Education Resources

Compiled by: Chris Sargent

            This site is designed to assist middle school teachers in finding helpful tools to use in the classroom and lab. The data is divided into sections so it is easy to find the topic of choice. Sections include; general reference, provisions for better science teachers, lesson plans, lab safety and activities, and periodic table literature.

 

General Reference: This section contains some general references teachers can use to search for various educational materials. Includes some software and information on teaching the basics to middle school students.

Curriculum materials and other resources.

. Topics covered include: atoms, elements and symbols, word equations, valency, formulas, writing chemical equations, balancing chemical equations and the formation of ions.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/RayLec/atoms.htm

Includes matter, atoms, elements, math and reactions.

 http://www.chem4kids.com/

·        Science Resource Center This web site is for science teachers to share ideas. Provides labs, demonstrations and other information teachers can use.

http://chem.lapeer.org/

Provisions for better science teachers: These articles are geared toward the current measures being taken to improve science education in the middle school classroom.

The American Chemical Society’s Education Division has received a 3-year, $2.75 million grant from the NSF to implement this program. This program will better prepare elementary and middle school teachers to teach chemistry.

Source: Chemical and Engineering News v. 72 (Jan. 17 1994) p. 25

·        Chemistry for Pre-Service Middle School Teachers           Source: Journal of chemical education. 74, no. 5, (1997):522

·        Chemistry for Children: A Program in Precollege Chemistry for Elementary and Middle School Teachers.            Source: Journal of chemical education. 74, no. 1, (1997): 59

·        INTEC: The International Netcourse Teacher Enhancement Coalition

Features a web based NSF funded professional development project for middle school and secondary math and science teachers.

http://www.concord.org/intec/t3/edshse.html

·        Chemistry for Kids – The Chemistry Outreach Program: Women Undergraduates Presenting Chemistry to Middle School Students        

Source: Journal of chemical education. 76, no. 7, (1999): 917

 

Lesson Plans: The lesson plans listed in this section are useful to teachers who are interested in what curriculum other teachers in the nation are implementing. It may also be useful to new teachers who need some reference in compiling lesson plans.

·        Chemistry Lessons

The Southeastern Michigan Math-Science Learning Coalition offer chemistry lessons, created by various coalition partners.

http://www.eecs.umich.edu/mathscience/funexperiments/agesu

·        Science:

The Educator’s Network Inc. provides a collection of internet resources focused on the teaching of science, as part of its LessonPlans4Teachers service.

http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/lessons/step5science.ht

Science projects and lesson plans.

http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~kyle/edu.htm

The site hosts the Internet's largest collection of interactive multimedia exercises and animations especially created for middle and high school

·        Chemistry Homework

Links to web resources for middle, junior, and senior high school students in chemistry.

http://trfn.clpgh.org/Education/K12/homework/chem.html


Lab Safety and Activities: These links emphasize on such things as lab activities, safety and other projects that students can learn from and teachers can build upon them.

·        Sepup Modules

A series of related activities designed for grades six through nine. The units use commonly available household and classroom supplies to bring laboratory experiences to fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade classrooms.

·        Kinetic Molecular Theory with Popcorn

Cec Knight offers a lesson for middle and high school students that uses popcorn to demonstrate the kinetic molecular theory. Includes a list of materials needed, time required and procedure.

http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/91.html

Michael H. Edmondson presents a lesson for middle school students on observing chemical reactions.

http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/108.html

Source: Journal of chemical education. 72, no. 1, (Jan 1995): 49

Home of Science Enrichment, the hands-on science program for ages 9-13 that allows students to DO science in the home or classroom with the aid of parents or volunteers.

http://www.science-enrichment.com/

Great resource for safety in the general chemistry lab.

Many solutions to commonly encountered safety issues in the chemistry lab, this site includes many resources.

 

Periodic Table Literature: The periodic table can be a very complex piece of material, but with activities that simplify the chemistry involved, it becomes easier to understand. The following links are designed to help students to understand the periodic table while having fun in the process.

Features information about the periodic table intended for eighth grade students. Includes the history, how to read the table and more.

http://web.buddyproject.org/web017

Karen Lyn Jenkins presents a lesson intended to familiarize middle school special education students with the periodic table.

http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/1929.html

Links the K-12 Education Web Guide helps teachers, students and parents find quality educational resources, including periodic table resources..