Secondary Science Simplified™
Secondary Science Simplified is a podcast specifically for high school science teachers that will help you to engage your students AND simplify your life as a secondary science educator. Each week Rebecca, from It's Not Rocket Science, and her guests will share practical and easy-to-implement strategies for decreasing your workload so that you can stop working overtime and start focusing your energy doing what you love - actually teaching! Teaching doesn't have to be rocket science, and you'll learn exactly what you need to do to simplify your secondary science teaching life so that you can enjoy your life outside of school even more. Head to itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/challenge to grab your FREE Classroom Reset Challenge.
Episodes
203 episodes
202. What to Do When Your Students Fail the Test
Raise your hand if you've been called “the mean teacher” for holding firm on test policies! In this episode, we dive into what to do when students fail a test, from deciding on retakes or corrections to analyzing trends in student performance a...
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22:56
201. AI Literacy for Science Teachers With Guest Amanda Bickerstaff of AI for Education
AI is everywhere right now, and if you’ve been feeling both curious and overwhelmed, you’re not alone! In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Bickerstaff, a former high school biology teacher and co-founder of AI for Education, for a conversatio...
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40:09
200. Ask Me Anything! Going Over Work, NGSS, Labs, and MORE!
Can you believe it?! We’ve officially hit the 200th episode of Secondary Science Simplified AND crossed over 200,000 listens — what a milestone! I’m so grateful for every teacher who tunes in and makes this community so special. To celebrate, I...
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42:16
199. How to Not Take Work Home (In Your Head, or in Reality) This School Year
Work-life balance…it’s the unicorn we’re all chasing, isn’t it? In this episode, I’m sharing the practical strategies and mindset shifts that have helped me finally keep work at work. From being ruthless about what you grade, setting up overflo...
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17:58
198. The Most Important Thing You Need to Hear This School Year
It’s September, which means it’s time for your annual pep talk, teacher friend! In this episode, I’m sharing the one message every secondary science teacher needs to hear as the school year kicks off. We’ll talk about the unique challenges you ...
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21:35
197. Motivating the Unmotivated - 4 Practical Tips to Help Students Care
August is wild because some of you are squeezing out those last drops of summer, while others are already knee-deep in grading. Wherever you are on that back-to-school spectrum, one thing is for sure: at some point this year, you’ll be staring ...
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18:44
196. Grading Game Changers: 6 Ways to Grade Differently This School Year
Grading doesn’t have to take over your nights and weekends! In this episode, I’m sharing six practical grading game changers that helped me simplify my workload without lowering my standards. You’ll learn how to define your grading philosophy, ...
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19:02
195. A Simple and Effective Process for Parent Communication With Guest Mandy Farrar
Confession time: I’ve been gatekeeping this conversation with Mandy Farrar because it’s that perfect for the start of the school year. Mandy, a high school chemistry and physics teacher, shares her simple yet highly effective system fo...
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48:50
194. The Importance of Inquiry-Based Learning - And How to Implement It Practically
Back-to-school season is the perfect time to breathe new energy into your classroom, and one of the most powerful ways to do that is through inquiry-based learning. In this episode, I’m sharing why inquiry matters, why students often push back ...
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31:58
193. First Year Teacher Reflections With Cienna Domke
What if you could hit pause after your first year of teaching and really process what just happened? That’s exactly what we’re doing in this episode with Cienna Domke. Cienna just wrapped up her first year teaching high school biology and chemi...
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42:00
192. Teaching Biology, Managing 6 Preps, and EOC Review with Macee Huseman
What would you do if you were the entire science department at your school? That’s the reality for my guest, Macee Huseman, a powerhouse high school science teacher from Texas who juggles six preps, engaging labs, and family life with ...
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37:29
191. Engaging Students, Serving ELLs, and Teaching Earth Science With Becca of Science Lessons That Rock
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to make earth science engaging and hands-on, this episode is for you! I’m joined by Becca from Science Lessons That Rock, a veteran teacher with over 15 years of experience and a passion for turning abstra...
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32:49
190. Student Mastery, Switching Schools, and Teaching Chemistry with Heather Bonanno
Have you ever met a teacher who just gets it—who knows how to challenge students, meet them where they are, and do it all with purpose and empathy? That’s exactly who you’ll hear from in this episode. I chat with Heather Bonanno, a high school ...
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43:22
189. True Life: I Grade Everything and Because of It, I Have No Life
If grading has taken over your life, this final episode in the True Life Teacher Confession series is here to help. I’m unpacking the hidden costs of grading everything, challenging the belief that every assignment needs a grade, and sharing mi...
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18:00
188. True Life: I Teach a Course With a High-Stakes Test and Don’t Care About It
“Help! I teach a course with a high-stakes test that I do not care about at all, but I need to care about it. How can I make myself care?” If you've ever felt this way, this episode is for you. In this True Life: Teacher Confessions ep...
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15:32
187. True Life: I’m Drowning
Are you juggling multiple preps across several grade levels, trying to run labs every week, and still show up for your family? Feeling overwhelmed by unrealistic admin expectations and a lack of student accountability? If it all feels like too ...
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19:36
186. True Life: I Am a Science Teacher Who Hates Labs
Do you find yourself absolutely dreading lab days? If so, you’re in good company. I’m kicking off a new series of Teacher True Life Confessions, and today’s episode is inspired by several of you who were brave enough to admit that you HATE lab ...
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22:32
185. When Is Preparation Worth It, and When Is It a Pipe Dream?
Feeling torn between getting ahead on lesson plans and fully embracing summer break? That’s exactly what we’re diving into in this episode. Inspired by a thoughtful listener question, I’m sharing a realistic and flexible approach to summer plan...
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30:32
184. End the Year Organized: Your Methods for Management
In this final episode of the “End Your Year Organized” series, we’re wrapping up by reflecting on the classroom management methods you used this year. I’m walking you through six simple but powerful reflection questions to help you evaluate wha...
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16:46
183. End the Year Organized: Your Classroom
Feeling buried in classroom clutter? Let’s fix that, before summer break hits! Last week, we talked all about organizing your digital and paper teaching resources so you’re not d...
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23:28
182. End the Year Organized: Your Resources
Feeling overwhelmed by a mountain of digital files, paper stacks, and half-used lab materials? In this kickoff episode of the “End the Year Organized” series, I’m sharing practical strategies to help you wrap up the school year with intention a...
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25:27
181. What to Do When Your Job Feels Stale (And Maybe Even Boring)
Teaching can feel like driving on autopilot - same route, same scenery, same old routine. So what happens when that journey starts to feel monotonous and uninspiring? In today’s conversation, I dive deep into a feeling that every teacher experi...
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28:35
180. Unpacking the NGSS With Christina Agurcia of Make Them Think
Over the past few episodes, we’ve been diving into all things NGSS, and it’s time to wrap up the series with someone who’s not only in the classroom but has been using the NGSS for the last decade! The Next Generation Science Standards are all ...
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31:10
179. Unpacking the NGSS: Phenomena and Storylines
Ever feel like your students are just going through the motions - memorizing facts without really connecting to what they're learning? I think we can all agree that we want our students to be able to apply their learning to real world context! ...
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26:44