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Hi Leslie, I found a previous post in the New Teachers forum that discusses posters and other decorations for the classroom. Check it out at the link below: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/discuss/default.aspx?tid=/mCSJTMaXcc_E What level are you preparing to teach (elementary, middle, high)? Will you specialize in a specific topic (Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, Engineering, etc) or will you teach a variety of science topics throughout the year? I can continue to look for other resources based more specifically on what you plan to teach, just let me know! -Megan

Leslie, you can use the button at the top that is labeled, Explore All Resources, and narrow down each topic you are interested in. You can then add the articles, lesson plans, etc to your library, (My Library.) I highly recommend the books in the NSTA Bookstore titled, Picture Perfect Science. The Picture Perfect Series allows you to engage young learners with literature and design challenges. As a new science teacher, start small, don't try to everything at once. Start off with one or two science experiments every other week to determine the flow of your lessons. Always teach safety first! Try not to spend money on expensive items early on. I find a lot of good things at dollar stores. Good luck to you and you came to the right place for information and support.

Experiments in a science classroom/lab can be the most difficult to handle with any grade level. I think it is important to have all materials ready before any experiment and make sure to place them either somewhere not visible to the students during the lesson until they begin with the experiment or place them on a cart so they are easy to move around. Another thing that could help would be to have groups and assign roles to each student so there won't be huge amount of people getting materials at once. Finally, a bell could help grab the students attention when needed to explain instructions or assign another task. Hope this helped!