What? Are You New Here?

So this is my first attempt at blogging... might as well be new at that, too.

I see a need for science teachers to be able to connect with others, so that we don't feel so isolated. It's tough to be the only secondary science teacher for 20 miles, and it literally felt like I was on a deserted island, making everything up as I went along. Sometimes it went well, and sometimes I cried after multiple class periods in a single day. It's my hope that in one small way, I can offer real honest experiences (and struggles), so that other people who have to fight through their first years during this shift in teaching methods won't feel quite so alone.

Today, I just wanted to share some resources that I use, so that folks can feel like they have a starting point.

1. The physics classroom:   https://www.physicsclassroom.com/
   1. This will take you right to the concept builders page, most are for physics, but there's also a page full of chemistry concept builders: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Concept-Builders
   2. This is the page for Physics Interactives, which are simulators.... most of them also have suggested lab worksheets to go with them that lead students to discover the connections between concepts:  https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives
   3. The labs:  https://www.physicsclassroom.com/lab#vp
   4. You can also purchase ($25) the question bank, which comes with loads of questions on each of the sections:  https://www.physicsclassroom.com/testbank/Digital-Download-Option
2. Biology: iHub from UC-Boulder:  https://www.colorado.edu/program/inquiryhub/curricula They are in development on a chemistry curriculum this year, so this is the place where you can find the chemistry curriculum once it is released.
3. I recommend Argument Driven Inquiry:  https://argumentdriveninquiry.com/science. This is the resource that I used to get myself started on the NGSS journey. I do at least 2 of these a year. They have books for most of the sciences and ranging from 3-12 grade. If you are a member of NSTA, these books are offered at a discount on their website (~ $10 off per book).
4. This is a customizable online textbook:  https://www.ck12.org/ I'm just getting started with it, so I can't offer much advice yet, but I do know that they have videos that will help you get started here:  https://www.ck12info.org/about/ck12-webinars/?_ga=2.58082796.778298459.1569177331-2014229248.1562081416
5. If you teach anatomy, Biology Corner is hands-down my favorite resouce: https://www.biologycorner.com/anatomy/index.html. I have emailed this teacher several times to ask questions. She is very knowledgeable and responsive. I am not an expert in anatomy (never took an anatomy class in my life before I started teaching it), so I would definitely recommend addressing your questions directly to the expert.
6. If you have been asked to "unpack" your standards, they are done and published here:  https://www.oercommons.org/ in the Nebraska Hub on the Science page. Other resources are being added as well, this was just started by NE-DOE this summer, so it doesn't have a lot in it yet, but more is coming.
7. I don't have many good resources for the middle grades, but OpenSciEd is a great resource that will be getting better every 6 months for the next few years: https://www.openscied.org/access-the-materials/