This pandemic has brought on a whole new set of challenges for both students and teachers. I’m sure you are aware of the challenges our students face. It’s not easy for them, and we know that. I give our students a ton of credit for being able to take on a whole new way of learning. As teachers, we have had to change everything that we have ever learned about teaching.
But how do you teach middle school science during a pandemic? Science is supposed to have lab experiments. So how does that work if 90% of a teacher’s students are virtual? I’m sure you have probably wondered if it is possible to have students complete lab experiments at home. To answer that, I first want you to watch this Southwest commercial: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/n0qG/southwest-airlines-wanna-get-away-class-dismissed. When my husband and I saw it the first time, we laughed so hard until we were crying. You never know what could go wrong- even in something as simple as a baking soda-vinegar volcano.
Conducting chemistry science experiments at home with middle school students would unfortunately not be safe. Our curriculum uses chemicals and materials that I would not feel comfortable having students use without me present in the same room. (This is also why when I am absent, I do not leave science experiments for a substitute to conduct.)
So how do students still get to participate in lab experiments? What I have been doing throughout our entire chemistry unit is using my document camera to film myself preforming every single lab. I follow the same procedures that students would be following, and I talk throughout the video to explain what I am doing. As I show the lab video to students in class, I press pause so that students can fill in their data charts and answer analysis questions. Consequently, whether students are learning in a hybrid or virtual environment, they are able to strengthen their science skills by engaging in the same lab experiments. And because this is 100% safe, it also prevents me from having that “Wanna Get Away” feeling that the science teacher in the Southwest commercial had!