We all know students learn best by doing. But how can you cut down on teaching time and increase practice time in chemistry class while still teaching everything you need? There’s a lot to learn in a high school chemistry class and it seems like there’s never enough time to do it all. Move too fast and students fall behind. Move too slow and you can’t get through the content. Finding the “sweet spot” pace is a challenge every year. Students come in with different knowledge and skills each year meaning you start from scratch every September. With our classes becoming more and more heterogeneous it seems tougher each year to meet student needs.
I’ve authored a chemistry workbook designed to support this approach, which you can integrate into your classroom for even greater student success.
Focus on the Essential Concepts
One of the best ways to decrease teaching time is to streamline your lessons. You don’t have to explain every detail. Instead, focus on the big ideas and key concepts that students need to know. A clear, organized curriculum can make a huge difference. If you’ve already organized your unit plans, as I discussed in another post, this process will be even smoother. If you need help with that, I have two things that can help you. First is my free chemistry curriculum outline. It shows the details of each lesson that I teach my students with a one sentence summary of what is included in each lesson. Second, you can buy my entire chemistry curriculum, or buy the units and build what you need.
Shorten Note Taking
I specifically use guided notes in my lessons. This really helps to cut down on the amount of time that students are writing notes. Then they can spend more of their energy listening to what you have to say. I find it’s a GREAT way to shorten teaching time. Especially for tougher concepts like chemistry can often have. At this age students don’t often get guided notes and they really do see it as a relief during their school day. If we can’t lengthen the classes, the best way to get more time for chemistry practice is to decrease teaching time.
Utilize Self Assessment in Class
At the completion of each of my lessons, students work on “Show What You Know” questions. They’re self assessment questions that pertain to the lesson. I’ve written them very thoughtfully for students to be tested with questions of varying difficulty and concepts within the lesson. Students have the opportunity to work through problems, get the answers and assess their understanding. Then you can answer the questions students have as they come up. This gives real-time feedback meaning students can catch on to these tough concepts quicker. The quicker you assess, the quicker you can tailor your teaching.
Grapple with Content
After your students get some time to see if they actually understand, it’s great to incorporate even more practice. My chemistry workbook is specifically designed for this. The idea is that if your lessons are short, students already know where their difficulties are, they now get time to grapple with them. I like to squeeze as much of this in class time as possible. In my opinion, kids don’t do homework and it’s not worth the struggle.
I make sure to carefully structure problems that start simple and become progressively more challenging. While students are working, I circulate the room to assist and answer questions. This is my favorite way to use the practice worksheets I’ve created.
Group Work
I have my students work on their self assessment questions on their own. But once those answers are shared with students and they get a chance to ask their questions, they work together. The Quick Practice Workbook is just that. Full of quick chemistry practice. When students can work together they explain concepts to each other. Then they’re not only reinforcing their own understanding, but they’re also learning in ways that can be more relatable than hearing it from a teacher. This strategy frees me up to help the really struggling students while those in the “medium zone” can work together.
Squeezing in Labs
When I was teaching in New York, there were some days I’d only see my students for 41 minutes. And I’d still be able to squeeze in some labs. (Though to be fair, most of my labs were done on the 87 minute days!) By keeping my lab activities simple, students were able to get the labs done in class time, with very little going on after school. The idea is that I want students practicing in class. The labs I’ve written are short and sweet with plenty of post lab questions. Most students are able to complete the labs, including the conclusion paragraphs in class time.
Really when it comes to labs, you want them to be short, low maintenance and easy to set up/break down. But at the same time, make them rigorous and worth the class time. I have a lab book that contains 41 of these types of labs. You can read about some of my favorite labs in this post.
Have More Fun
By decreasing lecture time and increasing hands-on practice, you can help your students build a deeper understanding of chemistry and have more fun. Using these strategies, you can incorporate more practice time. Which is a great time for students to work together and for you to walk the room meeting with individual students instead of teaching to the whole class.
Ready to bring more practice into your classroom? Check out my chemistry workbook to give your students the extra support they need to succeed
