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Why I don't teach lab safety the first week of school... and other back to school science teacher tips

6/26/2017

13 Comments

 
Blog Post: Why I don't teach lab safety the first week of school
Why I don't teach lab safety the first week of school
It's almost time for me to start planning out my first week of school (yes it's crazy, I go back end of July). When I first started teaching, I spent the first week reviewing the syllabus, class rules, and (duh duh duh duhhhhh) spent time reviewing all the lab safety procedures. It just felt like the responsible science teacher thing to do. What I soon realized is the students were just plain bored... or nervous about finding their next class.... or thinking about who has the same lunch period as them... but they were NOT memorizing all those nice lab safety rules I was so carefully explaining. They are also reviewing rules in almost every other class and the chances of them remembering what you said those first few days are slim.  So I decided to throw the "let's front-load all the rules that they will forget anyway" out the window and find more exciting activities for that first week.

I know some of you science teachers reading this are thinking "But I have to review rules the first week, because they need to sign a lab safety contract!" Yes, they do. (And if you don't have one handy, I recommend Flinn Science's contracts which you can download free here.) But is it really necessary the first few days? Here is my main argument on why you are wasting your time: Why are you teaching students to wear goggles and keep scalpels pointed down during dissections if you aren't actually getting to the dissection until April? Or why are you teaching them the proper way to carry and store a microscope when the microscopes don't come out of the cupboard until your cells unit in December? Students will just forget, and you will have to review the rules all over again anyway. Instead, wait until you get to the lab and then review the necessary rules. As far as the contract goes, have students read through it during class or at home with a parent and sign it. If they have any questions feel free to discuss them, but don't waste too much time on it. Here are a few ideas to do instead:

  • Do a fun lab that doesn't have hazardous materials. For biology, a great lab to start with is a characteristics of life lab, or have them plant popcorn kernels and see if they grow (even high school students will be amazed by this simple little kernel.... trust me).
  • Find a fun activity where you can get to know your students better. Maybe it is a "find someone who" activity, fun icebreakers, or a questionnaire, but I've found that students really appreciate it when you get to know them on a personal level.
  • Set up interactive notebooks. If you have a team of teachers that teach the same subject as you, make sure you set them up the same way in case students get the inevitable schedule change.
  • If you teach biology, bring in some living organisms (such as pill bugs or meal worms) and have students look at them under the stereoscopes.
  • Another fun non-hazardous lab is the firework milk lab. Here is a video showing the lab and you can also find the worksheet in my TpT store.
  • Find a memory/perception activity from this website or show this Monkey Business Illusion video. A lot of the time science is based on observations, but how good are we at actually making those observations?
  • For younger grades, you might enjoy this freebie demo from my store. All you need is a 2L bottle, water, and tape. Easy!
  • If you teach high school, don't spend too much time on the scientific method. They should already know it! Instead, focus more on the nature of science. Here is a great freebie from Utah Root's store about identifying bias and "how to spot bad science."
Long story short: front-loading material too early is a waste of your time. Have fun the first week! Get your students excited about science! (because let's face it, we teach the best content area!)

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13 Comments
Emily
7/11/2017 01:28:44 pm

I had never thought of it this way. Good ideas. Thank you for this post.

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Becca
7/13/2017 01:21:16 pm

You're welcome! Thanks for checking out my blog!

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Melissa
7/11/2017 07:54:50 pm

Thanks for the new ideas. Teaching 8th grade and always looking for new ways to keep the students and myself from being bored.

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Becca
7/13/2017 01:21:33 pm

You're most welcome!

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Paula
7/12/2017 07:47:03 am

Yes we DO teach the best content area🤗 Good mindset for plunging in and setting up for the next year.

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Tahquetta link
7/13/2017 08:59:41 am

Would a classroom scavenger hunt (where things are) be in this category also?

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Becca
7/13/2017 01:23:01 pm

Hi Tahquetta,
I think a classroom scavenger hunt is a great idea! It gets kids up and moving and you can also slide in a few safety items if you want (like the eyewash or shower) without it feeling like a boring safety lesson. I've done this before, but not on the first day. Maybe something I'll try!

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Rose Scherer
7/24/2017 04:15:55 pm

I am so guilty of trying to knock out the BORING lab safety rules right away! Thanks for the great ideas. ❤️

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David W
7/29/2017 12:31:20 pm

Awesome blog post...even for non-science teachers. You never get a second chance to make a first impression in the classroom. Don't bore your students in week one. They'll never get over it! You have great advice for someone who teaches the second best subject!

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Rebecca
1/14/2018 10:31:59 am

I felt the same as you...so now I do a few slides of the Olympic symbols and how they are universal so everyone should know the sign without knowing the language...just like safety symbols! The kids have fun (I teach 7th) trying to figure out the sport! Then I review as we hit the lab during the year.

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Sarah
3/22/2018 11:47:49 am

While I agree that the first few days need to be more engaging and memorable, I try to mix the fun with the rules.

At my school all the days are 90 minute blocks, so it is a lot of time to spend with students on day one. So my day one starts with the get to know you activities, but then I go over my basic rules and the evacuation routes. We watch a silly lab safety video and I give them the contract. But then we spend the last 30-45 minutes exploring phenomena (things like oobleck; ice cubes in isopropyl alcohol; sealed bottles of oil and water with food coloring; already microwaved ivory soap; etc)

I do a large poster paper or oversized white board that they divide into 4 quadrants for the phenomena. First the make observations, and we talk about what that means, Second they write down any questions they have about the phenomena, Third they get a chance to do more observations or measurements to give explanations to their questions; and finally they provide evidence of their explanations.

And I end with the whole class doing one phenomena together (which is me performing the whoosh bottle).

Then the next day we watch another silly video, and they do the safety POGIL, which has them go around the room and find various safety equipment and map out exits, etc. Then they go around the room and practice using and learning various lab equipment (balances, tongs, beakers, graduated cylinders, meters, etc) where they read a brief instruction, take notes, make 2 measurements, and sketch the equipment. Also, everyone who brings back the safety contract on day 2 gets a candy reward ;)

Day 3 we do a lab in order to practice all our new safety knowledge -- usually we do the Alchemy of a Copper Penny, it incorporates lots of safety rules, we use chemicals, and glassware, and hot plates, and bunsen burners, and tongs. For those that did not bring back their safety contract, they have to read an article about famous lab accidents in history and answer questions on the importance of lab safety.

By this point they have gotten up and "done science" for three days in a row, learned, reinforced, and used safety rules for three days in a row, and now we are ready to move on to full content instruction. Of course we have to reinforce or remind students of some things as we go, but it makes a big impression that first week of school to start with small explosions and end with making a penny turn silver and then gold!

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Betsy link
8/24/2018 03:52:16 am

Can you share the process for the popcorn kernel planting lab? I think that is a great starter lab that my 7th graders would love to do. Thanks!

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Becca
8/25/2018 12:20:10 pm

Hi Betsy,
I don't have a lab write up for this, we just discuss the characteristics of life and what makes something living or nonliving. I ask students if they think popcorn kernels are alive and most will predict no. They plant them in dixie cups with soil and we observe for about 2 weeks.
Hope your students enjoy!

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    Becca 
    The face behind Science Lessons That Rock

    I'm a teacher, blogger, and curriculum writer.
    I've been teaching science for 12 years at both the middle and high school levels.

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