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5 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Biology & Biomedical Science Lessons This Summer

 


Perfect for High School Teachers Planning Ahead for Back to School

Are you a middle or high school biology teacher or biomedical science teacher looking for practical ways to plan and recharge this summer? Whether you're prepping for your first year teaching biology or are a veteran educator updating your curriculum, this post will give you ready-to-use, low-prep science activities and tips to make back-to-school smoother and more engaging.

Let’s make your transition into the new school year easier—with resources that save you time and boost student engagement.

🔬 1. Prep for Success with Science Lab Safety Activities and Posters

The first week of school is the best time to review lab safety and introduce students to science lab equipment.

🎨 Decorate and educate with Science Lab Tools Posters—perfect for your classroom walls or a science-themed bulletin board.

Teacher tip: Prep your safety contracts and print your posters now so you're not scrambling the week before school starts!

🧠 2. Spiral in Biology STAAR Review All Year Long

Worried about preparing your students for the STAAR Biology EOC exam? Don’t wait until spring—start spiraling key concepts in from Day 1.

📘 The Biology STAAR EOC 50-Question Spiral Review covers all tested TEKS and works perfectly for weekly bell ringers, exit tickets, or mini-quizzes. It's printable, editable, and Google Slides-ready.

Summer planning tip: Organize review questions by unit or standard now so you can easily plug them into your pacing guide.

🎃 3. Plan for October Fun with a DNA Forensics Halloween Lab

Keep the momentum going in October with an engaging, standards-aligned DNA forensics activity. Students take on the role of investigators in the Halloween Gel Electrophoresis Lab, analyzing DNA samples to solve a spooky mystery.

🧬 Need a primer? Pair it with the Gel Electrophoresis Biotechnology Intro Activity to build background knowledge and scaffold student understanding.

Bonus: Both resources are aligned with Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) topics.

🎮 4. Stock Up on Self-Grading Digital Activities for Back to School

Prepare for early finishers, sub days, or technology-based lessons with interactive biology Boom Cards and Google Slides science games. These self-checking activities reinforce concepts like biomolecules, cellular transport, and human body systems.

🎯 Easy to assign through Google Classroom or your LMS.

Tip: Bookmark these now and create a sub plan folder for emergency absences!

✏️ 5. Reflect and Reset Your Teaching Goals

Use the quiet moments of summer to think about what worked well this past year and what you'd like to adjust. Set small, realistic goals—maybe it's building in more hands-on labs, increasing student talk time, or improving content retention.

🌟 Browse your existing resources (and wishlist!) to see what tools you already have that support those goals—or visit the Teaching Biology is Fun TPT Store for high-quality, student-tested options!

🔍 Final Thoughts: Make This Summer Work for You

Whether you’re printing review worksheets, decorating your classroom, or saving new ideas for later, every little step helps. Planning doesn't have to be overwhelming when you use engaging, ready-to-use biology resources designed to support both teachers and students.

👉 Explore my full catalog of Biology and Biomedical Science resources here:
Teaching Biology is Fun TPT Store

📌 Popular Resources for Summer Prep:

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