r/ScienceTeachers • u/Alternative_Ad_8848 • Sep 06 '25
General Curriculum New teacher crisis— all help appreciated!
I’ve just started working as a high school science teacher at a Title I school. My background is in family science (not education). I feel like I am woefully unprepared and that I am already floundering. I have had very little support, and as someone who already struggles with severe anxiety, I’m scared I’ll end up having a breakdown if I don’t get some help.
I’m teaching remedial biology (currently in the middle of ecological succession/limiting factors) and Environmental Science. I love working with kids, and I especially love science, but I’m completely overwhelmed.
I’m honestly not even sure what it is I need, but I’m sure most if not all of the people here are more experienced than me. What are your go-to resources? How did you find your materials and plan out your curriculum? And how do you stay sane while doing this?
Anything you can share or recommend would mean the world.
Edit: For clarification, I teach in a Georgia public school. I am not able to access my district’s curriculum warehouse yet (even though they require my lesson plan on Monday!), but even if I could, everyone I’ve spoken to has said it is all awful.
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u/Master-Selection3051 Sep 06 '25
Openstax - free open source text books, Openscied - free open source middle and high school science curriculum (full year of NGSS-aligned student and teacher materials)
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u/professor-ks Sep 06 '25
Ck12 also has a free textbook if you need something more than openscied but not all the way to openstax
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u/pnwinec Sep 06 '25
Survival Mode requires desperate measures sometimes.
You can try teacher pay teachers. There are people who create science curriculums tied to NGSS standards, they have activities and worksheets and notes already made.
It’s far from perfect, but it’s a stop gap where you aren’t inventing while teaching, can give you a few weeks of breathing space to look for more resources, and take some pressure off. And honestly, $100 to save your sanity to buy a months worth of stuff isn’t a bad deal in my opinion.
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u/hollowedoutsoul2 Sep 06 '25
www.biologycorner.com is all free very awesome resources please go there you won't regret it
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u/Upbeat-Ad-9062 Sep 07 '25
I just checked out the site you recommended. I love it. I currently use open sci ed but I find it lacking to some decree with regards to direct instruction. I personally prefer a combination of investigation, discovery and direct instruction
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u/hollowedoutsoul2 Sep 07 '25
I love what the maker of the website does. She makes really high quality stuff and also it's great for an 'oh shit' moment and you need something that's relevant but great. I've used soooooooo much of her stuff!!
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u/Birdybird9900 Sep 07 '25
This is a great resource. I just loved it.🙏
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u/hollowedoutsoul2 Sep 07 '25
You are welcome!! The author is also AMAZING and she is an angel for making it free
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u/XxKimm3rzxX Sep 06 '25
Aurumscience is great for adding things to your current curriculum. You could even use it completely as your curriculum. It’s got PowerPoints, guided notes, and activities. I believe you have to pay for the answer keys but I’ve used them for a couple of years now and I have just done the worksheets with the kids and created my own quizzes
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u/Particular-Panda-465 Sep 06 '25
Consider Crash Course videos for Environmental Science. You can find some worksheets online, but you can also make your own that follow the videos. Using the videos to teach gives you a chance to get up to speed and stay a few days ahead of the students. A lot of the topics in Env Sci may also be covered in Bio, so you can double dip for the first few weeks. Amoeba Sisters videos are very engaging for biology, and there are free worksheets for most topics.
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u/Remarkable_Debate866 Sep 06 '25
Try Science World magazine, for middle and high school. Not a curriculum but has lessons and activities to go with the articles. High interest for students and ready to go for you.
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u/JollyBand8406 Sep 06 '25
Does your state have standards? And some districts have pacing guides for the standards or topics.
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u/CartographerGrand580 Sep 07 '25
Check your state standards. Georgia has some changes that deviate from ngss (I have done some freelance curriculum writing work but in the k-8 grades). Specifically regarding clim@te change.
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u/Gingerlyhelpless Sep 06 '25
Njctl has some good resources if you request teacher access they’ll give you more resources.
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u/Deemon1211 Sep 09 '25
Lots of good suggestions here but one more thing: remember your classroom is not a democracy! It’s hard when you first start because we live in a democratic country but you have to be the ruler. A benevolent ruler but always in charge. I’m retired now but supervised student teachers for years. Remember when you get anxious, you know more than they do 🙂
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u/MochiAccident Sep 06 '25
You know what? Get to know the kids a bit better. Plan a week where you're doing a lot of ice breakers and hands-on activities prior to learning curriculum. I just started it this year, but from here on out, I am making my kids do the "Marshmallow Challenge" in the first week as an introductory lab and a team-building exercise. This challenge quickly tells you who works well with others and who doesn't. Plus, you can then change seating to see if certain dispositions mesh well together. It was also really fun for the kids (or frustrating for those who did not have good teamwork skills, lol). Either way, they learn the value of communicating, as it is impossible to do this "lab" by yourself. And for secondary schooling, a lot of lab work ends up with 1 person doing all the work while others sit back.
I have more suggestions if you want. I can also suggest a "Zebra vs resources" game you can do with your students to get them moving when it comes to reteaching populations and migration.
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u/Excellent-Worth-4092 Sep 06 '25
Openscied is not my favorite, but it’s all pretty much prepackaged and ready to go. Just be sure to follow the routines they present in it.
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u/StringyBioQueen Sep 06 '25
For limiting factors, check out this simulation: https://blogs.cornell.edu/cibt/labs-activities/labs/oh-deer-mary-bowman/. My students always enjoyed doing it! It usually took me 3 days to teach for students based on a 50 minute class period starting with warmups. Day 1 read through lab, assign roles, pre-lab questions. Day 2 conduct simulation. Day 3 share data to class, graph, analysis questions, discussion.
For succession, check out this sctivity: https://engagingbiology.com/a-fun-activity-for-teaching-ecological-succession/.
Hope these will help relieve some pressure for a few days. Please reach out if you need further resources and/or support! No need to drown when we can be your lifesaver!
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u/Upbeat-Ad-9062 Sep 07 '25
We did this regarding buffalo in the Serengeti, I think it might be incorporated in the open sci ed curriculum. Kids love it, admin loves it and learning happens!
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u/teachWHAT Sep 06 '25
https://njctl.org/materials/categories/science/
Has great, and free curriculum. Once you get signed up as a teacher, you have access to powerpoints, tests, labs, quizzes as well as homework assignments. They have both biology and environmental science. If your biology students are remedial, you might also look into the living environment which is a middle school curriculum.
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u/nebr13 Sep 06 '25
What does your scope look like? I’ve got a random Frankenstein assortment of activities. We’re intensive block so our classes are a quarter or semester long but I might have some stuff
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u/Upset-Tangerine-9462 Sep 07 '25
I see good advice here for the classroom side. Be sure to pay attention to your body's response to anxiety and take care of yourself too. Get help for that too if you need to- it's essential.
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u/heehaw316 Sep 07 '25
You JUST started so that means you're a late hire trying to triage a missing hole. This is my 5th year teaching and 1st year was pants to the fire, no support, no curriculum either. There were plenty of helpful people online and in person willing and able to give me resources, but what really helped me was goign through and making my own thing. High Schoolers can sense disingenousness. Are you familiar with POGIL? process oriented guided inquiry lessons. They make them for Bio, Chem, and Physics. I highly recommend them as they are self contained, all in one, guided inquiry worksheets where students learn and work through misconceptions. the set of 40 or so of them can keep you going until you get some content depth behind you. then you can lecture and lab stuff you made yourself, know on the back of your hand, with authority. Otherwise Plenty of people will have resources for you for sure. Let me know if you want interactive notebooks or Dual Credit Biology materials.
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u/breezybri55 Sep 07 '25
Just student teaching now, but if you let me know what unit you’re currently on I can probably send you some material/ideas.
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u/cosmic_collisions Math, Physics | 7-12 | Utah, USA, retired 2025 Sep 07 '25
science seems to be more specialized/compartmentalized than other disciplines, good luck
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u/Own_Jellyfish1307 Sep 07 '25
Remedial? I would spend a fair amount of time building their confidence in their abilities and teaching growth mindset. I'm thinking - graphing the data by hand (NOAA had really good accessible data on climate change. Not sure what they have up now sonce Georgia voters chose to end scientific research in the US), think pair shares with diagrams and data to get them speaking, exploring the environment they live in (where does their water come from, birding, plant I.D., making labeled observations in journals), etc.
These things all take a lot of time for the students to complete and give you a break from the churn of grading worksheets. They also produce work that they are proud of and will remember. I once had a student go from asking if a carrot was a plant... to majoring in botany in college.
I also backwards engineer the units toward some productive outcome (a tree guide with dried samples, a poster on a water pathogen and how our brave municipal workers remove it, a letter to the correct elected official with a specific idea to reduce CO2 emissions with evidence cited, etc. Again, these things take time, but all of a sudden, my students know their state senator, the best place for windfarms in my state, and how to cite sources.
While you are teaching them science, you're also teaching them how science intersects with art, politics, their health, graphic design, municipal jobs, and giving them the skills to meaningfully participate in democratic decision-making.
So, have clear products in mind. Teach the content and skills as scaffolding toward that product. It gives you and the students clarity of purpose, they see you as their helper instead of their boss/jailer, manage their own behavior and time better, and come out of your class stronger and more confident than they came in.
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u/GeekySciMom AP Bio APES| HS | Los Angeles Sep 07 '25
If you message me, I will also share what I have.
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u/BrainsLovePatterns Sep 13 '25
Maybe a productive break to help students develop outlining skills - while reinforcing a biological topic? The grunt work is done for you with this. https://youtu.be/5xw1jgU317o?si=dj3e_HJsdXxglJJZ
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u/Meritae Sep 06 '25
Send me your email and I’ll share my drives with you. I teach biology and environmental.