Food & Chemical Reactions Activities for Middle School Science

The Kesler Science Digestive System unit is a comprehensive, editable middle school lesson with presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments. It follows the 5E Model, focusing on engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation to facilitate student-led, differentiated learning. The unit includes multimodal activities such as station labs, where students engage with the material through reading, videos, hands-on demos, and research. Output stations allow students to show understanding through writing, categorizing, and drawing.

The lesson covers essential questions about the digestive system's structure and function, with differentiated materials and Spanish translations for accessibility. Editable PowerPoints and interactive notebooks, available in both digital and print formats, cater to different learning styles. The unit also includes student-choice projects for deeper exploration and assessments aligned with STAAR 2.0. Designed for both classroom and virtual settings, this unit requires minimal prep while offering maximum flexibility for teachers.

The Kesler Science Balancing Chemical Equations 5E Lesson is designed for engaging middle school students in learning how to balance chemical equations. It includes editable PowerPoints, worksheets, choice projects, assessments, and student-led activities with minimal prep required. The lesson is aligned to TEKS and NGSS standards.

Students will explore essential questions such as the parts of a chemical equation, how to determine if an equation is balanced, and how this relates to the law of conservation of mass. The lesson features differentiated materials and multimodal learning for various learning styles. The station lab introduces nine stations, including hands-on demos, reading passages, research tasks, and video discussions. Students will organize, write, illustrate, and assess their understanding at different output stations, with additional challenge activities for early finishers.

The lesson includes editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks in English and Spanish, and templates for note-taking. It also offers student-choice projects, updated STAAR 2.0 assessments, and review questions for class discussions. The lesson is flexible for both in-person and virtual learning environments.

The Kesler Science Physical and Chemical Changes 5E Lesson is designed for middle school students to explore how evidence of chemical reactions shows that new substances with different properties are formed. It includes editable presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments, offering maximum flexibility for classroom or virtual use. This student-led, differentiated lesson follows the 5E Model: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation.

Students engage with vocabulary and class activities, followed by a student-led station lab with nine stations. The stations allow students to explore physical and chemical changes in different ways, such as through hands-on demos, readings, research, and videos. Output stations help students demonstrate their learning through card sorts, writing, and illustrations, with bonus challenges for early finishers. 

The lesson also includes editable PowerPoints, interactive notebook templates, and student-choice projects to extend learning. Evaluation tools include STAAR 2.0 aligned assessment questions and review materials. With options for both in-person and virtual environments, this comprehensive lesson meets diverse learning needs.

This student-led station lab on the digestive system engages middle school students by guiding them through interactive activities to explore the function of the digestive system and its organs. Designed to be both comprehensive and easy to implement, the lab provides a variety of learning experiences that allow students to take ownership of their learning. The teacher's role is to facilitate rather than direct, promoting student independence in understanding key concepts.

The lab consists of nine stations, each offering differentiated tasks that cater to various learning styles and levels. Students can engage with the material through hands-on demonstrations, reading passages, video analysis, and research activities. The stations also include tasks where students organize, illustrate, and write about what they have learned, reinforcing their understanding through multiple forms of output. A bonus challenge station is available for advanced students, offering extension activities to deepen their learning.

This station lab is adaptable for both in-person and virtual learning environments, with digital versions of the tasks available through platforms like PowerPoint and Google Slides. Whether in the classroom or online, this activity supports personalized, student-centered learning, making it a flexible and effective resource for teaching the digestive system.

This student-led activity on balancing chemical equations is designed to keep middle school students engaged and promote independent learning. Through eight differentiated stations and a ninth challenge station for early finishers, students explore key concepts related to the law of conservation and balancing chemical equations. The stations are modular and can be done independently or in small groups, with minimal preparation required by the teacher, allowing for a more student-centered learning experience.

The stations offer a variety of input and output activities to engage different learning styles. Input stations include "Explore It!", where students apply information through images and text, "Research It!", which uses a website for deeper learning, "Read It!" for differentiated reading passages, and "Watch It!" where students view a video and answer questions. Output stations provide hands-on activities like "Organize It!" with manipulatives, visual representation in "Illustrate It!", written responses in "Write It!", and assessment using task cards in "Assess It!". The "Challenge It!" station offers extension activities for advanced learners.

This flexible station lab can be used both in the classroom and virtually. With all necessary resources and task cards provided, students are able to take ownership of their learning, allowing them to master the concepts of balancing chemical equations at their own pace.

This student-led activity on physical and chemical changes engages middle school students with nine modular stations, offering differentiated, hands-on tasks. Students learn to identify chemical changes through activities like reading, researching, watching videos, and performing hands-on experiments. The stations include “Explore It!” for hands-on demonstrations, “Research It!” with a website-based learning task, “Read It!” with differentiated reading passages, and “Watch It!” with a video and related questions.

Output stations focus on students showing their understanding by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and assessing their learning with task cards. A bonus challenge station provides extension activities for early finishers. This modular, student-centered approach promotes independent learning, with the option for virtual adaptation, making it flexible for both in-class and online learning.

The Digestive System Student Choice Projects allow middle school students to select a project that matches their preferred output style. The project page features six student-led options and a “design your own” project. An editable grading rubric is available for teacher, peer, or self-assessment, and can be adjusted to meet specific grading needs. The projects offer multimodal choices, enabling students to creatively demonstrate their understanding.

Differentiated for various needs, the project page includes two versions: one with modified options to support students needing remediation and another that challenges advanced learners while using the same rubric. The projects require standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion.

The Balancing Chemical Equations Student Choice Projects lesson allows middle school students to select a project that matches their preferred output style. The project page outlines six options plus a "design your own" project. An editable grading rubric supports assessments by teachers, peers, or students themselves.

These flexible projects offer creative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. Teachers can adjust the rubric to fit grading needs, and the projects are designed for both hands-on and digital completion using standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors. For students needing remediation, three project options are available, while advanced learners can combine projects for a challenge.

The project also includes teacher directions and editable rubric pages that assess vocabulary, concepts, presentation, clarity, and accuracy.

The Physical and Chemical Changes Student Choice Projects lesson provides middle school students with a variety of project options, allowing them to choose an approach that aligns with their preferred output style. The project page includes six different student-led options, along with the opportunity to design a custom project. A grading rubric is included for assessment by teachers, peers, or students, and teachers can adjust the rubric to fit specific grading needs. The flexible nature of these projects supports creativity and personal expression, offering multiple ways for students to demonstrate their understanding.

This lesson is designed to be adaptable for a wide range of student needs, with modified options available for those requiring remediation and advanced challenges for students seeking a more rigorous experience. The projects rely on standard classroom supplies such as paper, markers, and scissors, and many can be completed digitally. This flexibility allows teachers to cater to diverse learning styles while maintaining clear expectations for assessment and presentation.