This bundle of PD courses will take you from feeling uncertain (and maybe even a little overwhelmed) to equipped and empowered, as you learn tried-and-true practical systems and strategies for success in your secondary science classroom.
that walked you through everything you need to know about being a secondary science teacher?
serving as your personal teacher mentor to walk alongside you?
through 20 included support documents that you can grab and use immediately in your classroom?
Teaching requires making 1,000 different on-the-spot decisions every hour. With a set of core values you really believe in and are committed to, you will never feel “stuck” again.
You can’t do this job alone! We will establish systems and strategies for communication with students, parents/guardians, admin and coworkers, building valuable relationships to make your days easier.
Be prepared for any curveball thrown your way! We will write a procedure or system for everything from what to do when a student walks in your classroom, to what to do when they are absent.
Whether you are in a full laboratory or are a floating teacher with a cart, we will audit the space, resources, and budget available to you and make the most of it.You will know the essential supplies you need to have how to best utilize what you’ve got.
Lesson planning made easy - we will start from the ground up and walk through designing an entire unit of lesson plans that are standards aligned AND engaging for your students. Plus, I’ll teach you how to efficiently batch your lesson planning to save you time! No staying up until midnight the night before figuring out what you will teach the next day, or panic-fixing a jammed copier while you try to get your labs printed between class changes.
Everything you’ve ever wondered about grading fairly and assessing students in a way that truly demonstrates their understanding will be covered. You will have a set grading policy and a grading plan that will be fair and authentic for your students. I’ll share all of my best grading tips to majorly decrease the time you spend grading so that you never have to bring a stack of lab reports home.
We will conduct a thorough audit of your lab to determine the best way to work with what you have - even if it isn’t much. We will create a set of “day of” routines and systems that will set you up for stress-free lab days. Additionally, we will talk through how to make every lab experience meaningful - no more doing labs just for the sake of fulfilling a “lab science” requirement.
Let’s stack hands on never working on the weekends EVER AGAIN. You won’t get a reward for working 60+ hour weeks. We will make a plan so that you can thrive and not just survive in this career - not only in this next school year but for as long as your teaching career lasts!
“Rebecca has helped me to transform my teaching practice and simplify my life! I teach at an alternative high school and have five preps. ME and only me is the science department. My students struggle just to walk through the door each day, so she has been a life saver with helping me know how to keep myself (and them) organized. I love, love, love everything that she has created. I’d pay this money out of my own personal pocket again and again because what I’ve gotten from you has been more beneficial than any professional development day that I’ve ever attended. THANK YOU!!!”
To set the foundation for EVERYTHING ELSE we will do in this bundle of courses, we are going to establish a set of core values that will define who you want to be as a teacher and the type of classroom environment you want to have. To do this, we will reflect on past teachers, your own personality and natural gifts, and any goals and objectives you have for your students.
At the end of this unit, you will have clearly defined a set of core values that will become the baseline for all decisions that will be made and systems that will be established throughout the rest of the course. This is the target we will aim for in everything we do together, and will serve as a compass to guide you in every day to day decision you will make.
Unit Highlights:
In addition to your core values, nothing is as important as the relationships you have with your students, their parents and guardians, your admin, and your coworkers.
I will teach you all of my best strategies for building authentic relationships with your students – a critical foundation for classroom management, which comes later in Unit 3. I will also share my best techniques for building relationships and communicating with parents. Lastly, we will cover the importance of having solid relationships with admin and coworkers (like your department chair, facilities manager, school counselor, resource and ELL teachers, etc.) and HOW to do this in a way that feels easy/natural, and not burdensome.
At the end of this unit, you will have created manageable action plans for engaging and communicating with these key players on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Unit Highlights:
In this unit we will cover everything related to the culture of your classroom. We will start with covering classroom management techniques that fit your specific personality and core values – because the same techniques just don’t work for every teacher.
From there we will establish a clear set of classroom procedures. Students thrive on structure, whether they like to admit it or not, and having explicitly stated procedural expectations for your students will help to prevent a lot of conflict and distractions.
Now to my favorite part – I’ll share all of my best classroom organization strategies – covering everything from how to organize your lab equipment to how to keep all of your paper files in order. We will do a classroom reset challenge and walk through each section of your learning space, auditing what you already have and coming up with a list of resources you actually NEED.
We will map out your learning space – whether it be a full laboratory or a cart you wheel to other teachers’ classrooms – in a way that will best maximize what you have to work with. Whether you are in a full laboratory or are a floating teacher with a cart, we will audit the space, resources, and budget available to you and make the most of it. You will know the essential supplies you need to have how to best utilize what you’ve got.
Finally, I will teach you how to facilitate discussions in the classroom in a way that gets students talking without getting out of control. I LOVE using discussions because they are a FREE way to engage students!
At the end of this unit, you will have established a clear set of procedures and management strategies. You will have completed an audit of your teaching space and resources so that you are completely prepared physically AND mentally to bring students into a learning environment that is safe, engaging, and fun.
Unit Highlights:
I will walk you through the EXACT process I use to create all of my units – from analyzing standards, writing objectives, and mapping out unit themes, to finding phenomena and resources that will engage your students. No step of the process will be left out!
We will cover how best to break up your class period into meaningful chunks (whether you teach shorter 50 min periods or longer 90 min blocks) and suggestions for differentiating your instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
Most importantly, I’ll teach you my batching strategy to do this as efficiently as possible!
By the end of this unit you will have outlined the entire sequence for each course you teach, created lesson plans for an entire unit, and systemized your lesson planning process for all future units you create.
Unit Highlights:
Have no fear, stress-free lab days are here!! Whether you find lab days intimidating or just flat out exhausting, this unit will equip you with all of the tools and techniques you need to feel empowered and excited for all of the lab days in your future.
We will start with an initial audit of all of the supplies, equipment, and budget available to you for your labs. You will know exactly what you have and what you will need for the year. I’ll also provide a list of lab materials that are “must have”, “nice to have” and “will get the job done” for those of you teaching with a non-existent budget (aka, buying everything out of your own pocket.)
You’re going to get my 5 best safety tips so you can prevent as many issues as possible and not get sued if an accident does happen (which it inevitably will at some point), plus a list of my favorite FREE lab safety resources.
Next I will teach you essential strategies for “day of” success. I’ll share systems for how to use time most effectively, set up your space to best implement labs, efficiently prep and clean them up, and minimize the time you spend grading labs.
Last but most certainly not least, I’ll share all of my 4 favorite alternatives to traditional labs so that you can engage students in hands-on, meaningful learning experiences regardless of the size of your lab budget and the amount of resources you have. Every lab should be intentional and not just for the sake of filling a quota for a “lab science” requirement. At the end of this unit, you will have thoroughly audited your resources and established practical “day of” protocols so that every future lab day is fun for you AND your students.
Unit Highlights:
What does it look like practically to assess our students in a way that is authentic and fair? This unit will answer the question and more as I walk you through everything you need to know about assessments.
We will cover grade book categories, points vs. percentages, types of assessments, extra credit, grading things for completion vs. accuracy, and my personal homework philosophy.
I’ll share the simple strategy I use for setting up my grade book and assessing students on a daily, weekly, and quarterly basis. Not only that , but I’ll teach you my secret method for getting students to actually show their work.
I will teach you how to minimize the time you spend grading so that you can (1) truly provide meaningful feedback when you do grade, and (2) never bring stacks of papers home to grade ever again.
Lastly, I will teach you the importance of including nontraditional summative assessments (aka, not tests) so that you are providing opportunities for every learner to show their understanding in a meaningful way.
By the end of this unit, you will have determined your overall grading strategy, you will have listed techniques to minimize the time you spend grading, and will have planned your summative assessments for the entire year for each course you teach.
Unit Highlights:
Last but not least, we will cover all of the boundaries you need to set at school and at home so that you can actually maintain work/life balance.
There is no reason why you need to be working over time. You don’t win teacher of the year by working 60+ hours a week. I will teach you everything I know about setting clear boundaries and creating margin so that you can work to live and no longer live to work.
At the end of this unit, you will have set clear boundaries that you will actually be able to maintain throughout the school year so that you can reclaim your weekends!
Unit Highlights:
“I have never been so confident and relaxed going into a new school year! The activities and homework assignments have really allowed me to suss out my goals and priorities, as well as classroom procedures and planning techniques to help me be efficient and effective. This course bundle is so well organized and concrete. I have learned so many strategies to allow me to be intentional and efficient in my work flow, communication, feedback, and classroom culture”
“Wow! What a life changing experience this has been for me. I wish this was a required course bundle for all new teachers. This has added so much needed structure to my classroom and routines which the students secretly love – whether they know it or not. I always knew that boundaries were important so that my passion of teaching doesn’t take over my life but was never successful at setting them.
SSS has given me tangible ways that I can start setting boundaries and still get everything done because I am more productive in my day! Grading methods have completely changed too and I feel so much better about how and when and what I am assessing my students on. I just cannot say enough good things about this course because it was all amazing. Hands down the best PD I have ever done!”
“Working with Rebecca through Secondary Science Simplified has been a life changer! I’m a seasoned educator (11 years) who really wanted to see how another teacher tackled science. Rebecca challenged me throughout the course units to think about my core values and center my teaching around these core values.
This allowed me to see that the only way I can be a great teacher is if I prioritize my students, which means giving 100% to teaching between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm. I have given myself permission to take off my “teacher hat” when I leave school.
Rebecca is such an encourager and motivator. I highly recommend this course bundle to anyone seeking to be the best teacher possible.”
“Rebecca was an excellent virtual PD instructor! She really thinks of everything and makes it relatable to classroom teachers. The Secondary Science Simplified bundle was one of the best learning experiences I have had in my 28 years as an educator! This course bundle should be used in every college and university to help education students with real world problems and solutions.”
I totally get this. If you are a new teacher, you may not want to “waste” your last summer before starting your first teaching job. If you are a veteran teacher, you are probably completely drained from this past school year. I HEAR YOU!
But what I can promise you is this – the systems and strategies you will earn in this course will save you so much time and energy that it will more than make up for the time you steward over the summer or in the evenings during the school year to work through the course material.
Best of all, you can work at your own pace! If you want to spend an entire week doing the course full time – great! You can do that. You immediately get access to all 7 units so you can dive in as soon as you are ready!
So that the content is digestible and manageable, I personally recommend doing 1 unit per week for 7 weeks. This will require anywhere from 30-min to 1 hour per day, 4-5 days each week.
“This course has increased my level of confidence. It’s given me great new ideas to implement immediately and make my teaching life easier and less stressful. I’m creating stronger relationships with students, parents, and admin. I’m already seeing the fruits of my labor. It is definitely a fair amount of work, but you can do it at your own pace. The time you’ll gain back later is exponential. Work smarter, not harder.” –John E.
I totally remember how ecstatic I was to get my first teaching job and to walk into my classroom for the first time. I was like you and definitely more excited than I was nervous or overwhelmed.
But oh my, how I didn’t know what I didn’t know! I was completely wiped out after my first few weeks teaching. I had an out of control 4th period class I couldn’t seem to manage and a stack of papers to grade as tall as I was. I was barely a day ahead of my lesson plans at a time.
Your first year teaching will be so much fun, but it will also be really hard and a whole lot like drinking out of a fire hose. If you had a really solid teacher certification program and are assigned an incredibly supportive mentor teacher, you will probably do fine. If that isn’t your case, I highly recommend this course. Help me help you be set up for the best first year you could possibly have! This summer, as you are preparing for your first “back to school” season, I can be your mentor teacher. Hit me with all your questions in the live support sessions, and I’ll answer them!
“This course covers everything you need to become a successful science teacher! If you are a new teacher, this course will teach you more than all of your college courses combined! A lot of PD and webinars focus on the younger grades, so it was nice to take a course for secondary students and just for science!! Well worth the investment!” – Robin L.
This course was written with newer high school teachers in mind. However, if you have struggled to come up with practical systems for all of the parts of our job outside of teaching students, then I think you would really benefit from this course.
If you feel like you never had solid practical courses in your certification program, or never had a good mentor teacher, this course would be a great fit for you!
However, if you feel like you are extremely organized, you have symptoms down for lesson planning, assessments, classroom management, and communication, and you have a healthy work/life balance, this course probably isn’t something you need.
“SSS is perfect for newer teachers trying to put everything together and fill gaps in their practice, but it’s also great for more experienced teachers wanting to upgrade and revitalize their teacher approach (and maybe actually achieve better work-life balance!)” – Jerry S.
All of my teaching experience has been as a high school science teacher (with the exception of a few sections of 8th grade physical science a few years at the small private school I taught in.) Because of this, all of the information taught in this course will be delivered from that perspective. I can’t honestly tell you this will be good for you since I’ve never been a middle school history teacher or whatever else you may be.
However, if you are a middle school science teacher, I will say that the majority of the content should translate to your age group, but you may need to make some adjustments based on what is appropriate for younger students. About half of the teachers who have taken SSS previously were middle school science teachers, and they felt like the course material was helpful for them!
For non-science high school teachers – all of my illustrations and examples will be science specific. Also, all of Unit 5 is labs, so that entire unit would be irrelevant for you. Because of this, I can’t in good conscience recommend this course for you.
If you feel this way, I am SO SORRY for the unhealthy example that has been set for you. Working over 40 hours a week, on the weekends, and being the last car to leave the parking lot are NOT the characteristics that define a good teacher. Those are the characteristics that define a really tired and overworked one.
I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve balanced having 5 preps (one of which was AP bio), running student council, mentoring several students, and chairing the prom committee…and I was still able to protect my weekends and evenings. I did all of this working 40 hours a week and won teacher of the year. You can too, and I will do everything in my power to teach you how to in this course!
Maybe. But most likely not. Most schools do have some sort of teacher mentorship program for new teachers – but those partnerships only last a year and you are paired with another teacher that most likely already has a ton on their plate.
I can also just about promise you that the district provided PD trainings won’t lessen your loads, they will only add to them.
This course was written BY a teacher FOR a teacher. Everything in it is PRACTICAL and MANAGEABLE. No theories or hypothetical examples that are completely unrealistic. Every example will be from my own experiences, with my own unpredictable students. Every strategy and system will be one I have actually used myself – both in a public high school and in a private school. I’ve been in your shoes and thus you can count on this course to be authentic and practical.
YES! As soon as you purchase the course bundle you will immediately receive a link that you click to download a zip file. The zip file contains a folder for each unit that holds all of the workbooks, support docs, and a PDF with links to the private YouTube video lessons.
This allows you to work at your own pace, although I highly recommended doing 1 unit per week. This will require 30 min to 1 hour a day for 4-5 days each week. Some lessons will have a bit more “homework” than others, but this is a reasonable estimate. I also recommend working through each unit in the order of the course (as each unit builds on the last, thus they need to be done sequentially).
Absolutely! Each teacher taking the course bundle (in part or whole) will need to purchase their own license in order to use the bundle. All licenses are nontransferable, and good for 1 teacher for personal use. However, I do offer a multiple license discount!
Email me at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com with your name and email, and the names and emails of your coworkers and I will send each of you a 10% off coupon code to use at checkout.
Additionally, if you have a group that would like to do a Zoom Q&A with me while taking the course and/or after completing, email me at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com and we can discuss further!! There are packages we can put together for multiple Q&As after each unit, or one at the completion of all 7 units. There are also varying price points for pre-recorded vs. live but I’d LOVE to work with you and your team!
Click here to read all of the terms & conditions of this course bundle. If you want the abbreviated version, below is a summary of what you may or may not do.
You may:
You may NOT:
I cannot wait to share these systems and strategies with you that have been so successful in simplifying my own life as a high school science teacher – both from my time in a large public high school and my time teaching in a small private Christian school.
However, I totally get that everyone’s teaching circumstances are completely different. You can send me any follow-up questions you have via email!
Due to the nature of digital resources, I cannot accept refund requests for any courses or resources that have been downloaded. This is because you cannot “return” the resources you purchased once you’ve downloaded them (like you can return a shirt you purchased and decide you don’t like.)
This is why I urge you to email me at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com with any questions you have prior to purchasing so that I can help you determine if this mini-course is a good fit for you or not.
To read my full refund policy and the terms & conditions for this bundle, click here.
First, remember that I was a teacher, too. I know how much (or maybe I should say, how little) you are being compensated for all of the work you are doing. Because of that, I work extremely hard to give you the best value and bang for your buck.
You can always purchase one unit of the course to test out. Then if you decide to purchase the full course bundle, email me your order number for the unit and I can make you a custom coupon code, prior to purchase, to take off the price of the unit when you buy the bundle. Here are each of the individual courses included in this bundle:
Lastly, I do accept school and district purchase orders! You can find more information here!
“Secondary Science Simplified has helped me to become more confident as a new science teacher and helped me to SIMPLIFY my life! Rebecca has been such a blessing because of all the work she has put into her curriculum and she does a great job answering any and all questions! This course is an absolute must! It is perfect for beginning science teachers, each unit is incredibly detailed and there are so many great resources that go along with each unit. This course is 100% worth the money and the time.” – Rachel C., SSS 2021 course member
YES!! I specifically wrote the Labs When Limited FREE mini-course to serve as a sample of my style and organization so you can see if my teaching style is a good fit for you prior to making an investment.
I also have a free podcast for secondary science teachers you can check out as well!
At this time, I am not able to travel to do live PD.
However, I am available to book for live virtual sessions. I also am available to book for live Q&As for a group of teachers who’ve taken the SSS course bundle. Reach out to me at rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com with what you are looking for and we can discuss further!
YES! If you sign up today you get:
The complete Secondary Science Simplified™ course bundle, that includes:
“Thanks to your Secondary Science Simplified course bundle, I NEVER brought work home this past school year. It was marvelous and I got to the finish line at the end of the year NOT exhausted, NOT sleep deprived, and NOT burnt out. I am forever grateful to Rebecca for sharing her expertise and making this a career that is sustainable for me and my family!”
Since I started creating resources for high school science teachers, I have had the opportunity to connect and speak with thousands of you from across the world.
I cannot tell you how many emails and direct messages I have gotten from teachers who are overwhelmed, overworked, and exhausted from their jobs. I never planned to write a course like this. But the fact of the matter is this – I hate seeing how many teachers have been made to believe that working 60+ hours a week is the only way to manage this job.
This is why I was so excited to write this course. I did the whole 60+ hour work week, wheels always spinning, running around like a chicken with my head cut off my first few years in the classroom.
But then I realized I would never last in this career unless something changed. So I implemented the systems and strategies I share in this course and was finally able to reclaim my weekends, be home at a reasonable hour, and leave work at work.
If you are ready to experience this same kind of freedom, I invite you to join me in Secondary Science Simplified®. I guarantee that I will give you every ounce of practical knowledge and strategy I have. I believe it is worth the investment or I wouldn’t have written this bundle of courses for you!
Rooting for you!
Rebecca Joyner
The teacher behind It’s Not Rocket Science®
