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How do we compensate for resources that are not available in order to teach a particular science lesson?

Hi Kirtis, 

You ask a very good question that highlights a struggle that many teachers have including myself.  First of all, you get creative.  If you find a lesson that you truly love, but you don't have the resources, you look for substitutes.  Could you substitute a particular chemical or living thing?  Could you build a piece of equipment from items that you might have at home or in your classroom?  Could you involve students in this process and make that part of the lesson?

Another suggestion is to see if you could borrow the resource. Do you have a local university with whom you could partner?  Perhaps if you teach middle school or elementary school, you could ask one of your high school teachers.  

Do you have a specific lesson that we could look at together and brainstorm ideas? It some times helps to have a concrete idea.

Thank you for your response. It is very insightful. I'm actually a prospective teacher, currently enrolled at Florida International University. I just thought I'd ask this question because I know it is a struggle for teachers but as a prospective teacher I wanted ideas on how to get through this particular struggle. 

Hi Kirtis, 

I love that you are planning ahead.  You are correct that it is a struggle that you will probably face. The lovely thing about this thread is it will be here when you start teaching.  If you or one of your colleagues finds themselves with limited resources, the NSTA community can brainstorm and respond here. :-)

Hi Kerri’s,

This is a very common concern. One thing I’ve done along with my colleagues is write grants. NSTA is a great resource. So is donorschoose.org and many others. I hope this helps.