"It's So Easy, Yeah, So Doggone Easy" Thing #2 to Make Teaching Life Easier

Using every minute possible in the class period has always been important to me, but it will be even more important this year, as the JH is going down from 46 minutes to 40 minutes.  As a science teacher, I do many hands on activities with students, but I think more time needs to be spent on the learning activity so that students can make sense of the phenomenon.  Most times before we do an activity, more likely the night before,  I pull out the common supplies that each group will need and put them into baskets and then place them in an area that will work for higher traffic flow.  Students can quickly grab the supplies and get to work.  I number the baskets and label supplies, so this also makes it easier to keep of things that are missing or damaged.  Clean-up is simplified as well because students put the supplies back in the basket and then return it to the starting point.