I’ve routinely said that teaching is an impossible job. Keeping students engaged, maintaining classroom management, and meeting the needs of all learners – it’s a lot. Utilizing fun and simple middle school science activities is a must. Luckily, the better we keep students engaged, the easier the second and third tasks become. Here are some fun and simple activities to try in your middle school science classroom!
How do you teach students to make observations?
Making observations is a basic science skill students actually struggle with, so it takes practice. A simple, engaging activity is dissolving candy: give students colorful-coated candy, water, and a white plate, and have them watch and draw how the colors diffuse over 5 and 10 minutes. It's a surprising phenomenon that unfolds quickly enough to hold attention.
I like to begin the school year with some simple science skill-based activities. One of the most basic science skills students need to practice is making observations. While it seems easy to us, students can struggle with this skill. Like anything, it takes practice.
One middle school science activity I like giving students the opportunity to make observations is dissolving candy. The only materials required are candy with a colorful coating, water, and a white plastic plate. The coating slowly dissolves and diffuses through the water. The coatings will even interact in odd ways that may surprise students.
Using this activity is simple: give students three to five pieces of candy and fill the plate with a small amount of water. Allow the students to place their candy in any arrangement they wish. They must be careful not to move or tap the plate to avoid disturbing the water.
Have students carefully watch the water and look for changes. In particular, they should note how the colors diffuse away from the candy. They could draw a picture of the plate using the correct colors at the beginning, then after 5 minutes, and then 10 minutes.
I like this activity because it is a surprising phenomenon, it doesn’t happen all at once, and yet it occurs quickly enough to keep students engaged. Furthermore, students will need to think carefully about how to describe the movement in words. They will also see the benefit of using pictures to make observations.
What are good review games for middle school science?
Review games bridge the gap between students who know the material and those who don't. Three that work well: a science maze where students follow the correct-answer path, a self-checking game show built in Google Slides, and content-vocabulary bingo on a 5x5 board. Each keeps every student engaged and can be collaborative.
I used to dread test review days. Students who know the material are bored and students who don’t have difficulty participating. Using games is a great way to bridge the gap between these two groups. It can even be a collaborative activity allowing students with different strengths to assist each other. Try these middle school science activities for test prep!
Science Maze: I’ve recently been making science mazes. Students begin with a question and choose the path with the correct answer. They keep up with their progress by coloring in the questions and pathways. That pathway points them to the next question and so forth until they reach the end of the maze. Even though students are still just answering review questions, they are more engaged because it is a new way of participating.
Game Show: This is a very easy way to review as long as students have their own devices. They simply access a Google Slide file with questions and answer choices. The answer choices are pre-linked to a “correct” or “incorrect” slide. If they get the question wrong, they try again. If they get it right, they move on to the next question. This is great because it is self-checking and students can use it anytime without teacher assistance.
Bingo: This simple game goes a long way with my middle school classes. Students fill out a board with content-related vocabulary. Then, I read the definition of a word on their sheet. Just like in regular bingo, they will cover up the term and try to get five in a row.
I purposefully use a 5×5 board with a free space in the middle. Students fill in the remaining 24 spots with the content vocabulary words. This way, every student has a definition to fill in on their sheet for each clue to keep them engaged.
This strategy is helpful to students still working on understanding the vocabulary because they have a list of terms from which to choose. I also will have students pair up some days and work together on one board.
Purchase a set of my content review games from my TeachersPayTeachers store by clicking here!
Why use paper and tape STEM challenges?
STEM challenges engage students, but gathering materials is a hassle. Short paper-and-tape challenges are just as engaging as long-term projects—set a 10-minute timer to build, then test. A paper airplane distance contest and a paper bridge that holds weight both work great, and both let you build in measurement skills.
Students love STEM challenges but gathering all the materials can be difficult. I find that short challenges are just as engaging as long-term projects. I like to set a timer of about 10 minutes for students to collaborate and build their designs. Then comes the fun part – testing!
Paper Airplane: Challenge your students to a paper airplane distance contest and allow them to choose from a choice of styles. You could also let them add weights to different parts of the plane.
Paper Bridge: Give students a piece of paper and one foot of tape. Tell them they must make a bridge between two desks approximately 4 feet apart which can hold the most weight. I attach a plastic cup to a large binder clip and attach it to the middle. Then, I add one penny or other weight at a time until it breaks.
Be sure to incorporate measurement skills into any challenge you use. Students can measure the distance the plane traveled or the weight the bridge held through direct observations or calculations.
How do digital escape rooms work in a science classroom?
Digital escape rooms deliver content review, collaboration, and critical thinking at once, and they're great for introducing careers in science or famous scientists. All students need is a device and a link—no Google Classroom required. Students find hidden clues in a picture, and each correct answer gives a letter toward the final password.
I love using digital escape rooms in my classroom. They provide so many benefits – content review, collaboration, and critical thinking. They can also be great for introducing students to careers in science or famous scientists.
All students need to participate in this middle school science activity is a device and a link to the Google Slides document – no Google Classroom necessary! To make it even easier, I simply provide students with a QR code on my board for them to scan. Then, they are taken directly to the escape room.
Students proceed through the escape room by finding hidden clues in a picture. Clicking on a clue links to a question. Each question gives students a letter to the final password they need to escape.
I’ve made digital escape rooms that cover nearly every topic in middle school science. You can purchase them from my TeachersPayTeachers store. Also, you can have a FREE digital escape room by signing up for my email list in the form below!
What makes the pasta car a great STEM project?
The pasta car is a favorite end-of-year engineering challenge, though it's the messiest on the list. Students build a car entirely from pasta and non-toxic glue over about four days, then race it down a ramp to travel 24 to 36 inches. Work in pairs, use trays and sealed glue containers, and set clear cleanup expectations.
I’ve saved this activity for last because it is one of my favorites but also the messiest on the list. I like to use this project as an end-of-the-year fun engineering challenge. Students are required to build a car completely out of pasta and non-toxic glue. They choose from various types of pasta for each part of the car (the wheels, axles, and chassis).
The project takes about four days to build a car that can travel down a ramp and roll the required length. I suggest requiring pasta cars to travel 24 – 36 inches after rolling down a ramp. You can also give awards for creative or realistic designs.
Be warned: this project can be messy. Here are some tips. 1) I have students work in pairs so I don’t have to store too many pasta cars. 2) Each group gets a small tray to keep their supplies on. 3) I give students a small plastic container with a lid to keep their glue. At the end of the class period, they seal the top of the container to prevent the glue from drying out each day. 4) Set expectations about how to clean up after each class period.
I’ve made student sheets to track their progress, testing, and designs in a ready-to-use resource in my TeachersPayTeachers store! It gives students the structure to see how they are using the engineering design process.
Hopefully, some of these middle school science activities will bring some fun to your classroom. Students naturally enjoy the process of participating in science. I think we can use their curiosity to engage them and build skills they will need to succeed in their future courses.
Any way we can provide hands-on learning experiences to our students gives them new ways to interact with science phenomena. I used to think that all my learning experiences need to be complex experiments evaluating multiple variables. However, I’ve come to appreciate the value of informal scientific observations. Phenomena can be simple and easy-to-understand while providing all learners the opportunity to participate in the scientific process.