Science Essentials, Middle School Level – Lessons and Activities for Test Preparation

You'll find the lessons and activities at each level actively engage students in learning about the natural and technological world in which we live by encouraging them to use their senses and intuitive abilities on the road to discovery. They were developed and tested by professional science teachers who sought to give students enjoyable learning experiences while preparing them for district and statewide proficiency exams.

For easy use, the lesson and activities at the Middle School Level are printed on a big 81/2" x 11" lay-flat format that folds flat for photocopying of over 165 student activity sheets, and are organized into four sections:

I. PHYSICAL SCIENCE: MOTION AND FORCES (22 Lessons)

II. CHEMISTRY (34 Lessons)

III. ASTRONOMY (16 Lessons)

IV. BIOLOGY (12 Lessons)

Each section offers detailed lessons with reproducible activity sheets for teaching basic concepts and skills in one main area of science at this level. Each lesson includes:

• The Basic Principle underlying the lesson and accompanying student activity
• The specific science Competency students will demonstrate
• A list of Materials needed to complete the activity
• An easy-to-follow, illustrated Procedure for presenting the lesson and accompanying student activity handout
• Observations & Analysis describing the desired results and answers to the student activity
• A two-page, illustrated Student Handout with step-by-step directions for carrying out the activity and recording observations and conclusions

The lessons in each section are followed by sample test items focusing on the concepts and skills emphasized in that section. These will help students prepare for the types of questions they will be asked in actual test situations and are followed by answer keys.

All three grade level volumes--elementary, middle school, and high school--give you stimulating and effective ways to help students master basic science content and prepare to demonstrate their knowledge at the particular level.

"As a first year science teacher, I found these ready-to-use lessons and activities a life saver. They spared me hours and hours of planning and preparation. I didn't have to 'reinvent the wheel'. I just rolled right into the fun of teaching."
--Jim Jackson, math and science teacher, Earl Stanley Gardner Middle School, Temecula Valley Unified School District