Teaching High School Science

5 Free Science Study Resources for High Schoolers

• Kesha "Doc" Williams • Episode 19

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In this episode of Teaching High School Science, I’m breaking down my top five free study resources that will help your teen excel in science—without breaking the bank! Whether you're homeschooling your teen or supporting them in traditional school, these tools are game-changers for mastering science concepts. Tune in as I share resources that are both powerful and accessible, designed to help your teen succeed in subjects like chemistry, biology, and physics.

Key Concepts Covered:

  • Khan Academy: Full curriculum with interactive practice problems. Perfect for reinforcing topics like stoichiometry or genetics.
  • YouTube Channels:
  • Quizlet: The ultimate online flashcard tool that helps with memorization and quiz prep, perfect for vocabulary-heavy science topics.
  • PhET Interactive Simulations: Free, interactive simulations for exploring science concepts in real-time. Great for visual learners who need help understanding molecular structures or physics.
  • OpenStax: Free, high-quality textbooks for students needing comprehensive science references.
  • CK-12.org: Another excellent resource for interactive textbooks and science simulations.

Useful Links:

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Speaker 1:

Hey there and welcome back to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, and today's episode is going to be a good one, because I'm breaking down my top five free study resources that will help your teen excel in science without breaking the bank. So if you've ever felt as if you don't have enough tools to support your teen with science studies, or if you've been Googling free science resources in a panic, this episode is for you. Let's dive in. Welcome to Teaching High School Science. I'm your host, doc, a former biochemist, turned high school science teacher and private tutor. Whether you're homeschooling your team through high school science or teaching online, join me as I share tips and strategies I've learned over the years for at-home and online labs and activities, breaking down complex concepts and structuring learning in a way that makes sense. Now let's dive into today's topics. Listen, I'm a big fan of making sure you have what you need without spending a ton of money, and I know homeschooling can come with its own challenges, and science in particular, with all of the many tools and equipment we need to make it hands-on and engaging, can feel overwhelming, but here's the good news there are so many amazing free resources out there that can help your high schoolers stay on top of their science game. And, trust me, when used correctly, these resources can be just as powerful as the pricey ones. All right, let's jump into my top five free science resources that I go to whenever I'm teaching or tutoring science, that are not only easy to use, but are super effective with your team. Now, let me just preface this by saying, although I'm going first, second and third, they're not ranked in that order, because what works best for one teenager is not necessarily going to be the top go-to for another.

Speaker 1:

Now, with that said, the first one I'm going to talk about is Khan Academy. Now, if you follow me anywhere on social media, you will have heard me mention Khan Academy before. That is because they provide full curriculum, so they offer text and interactive practice problems, and all of this for free. Now, the best way to use it is to have your team watch the videos that correspond to whatever it is that they're learning in class. So if they're struggling with something like stoichiometry and chemistry or genetics and biology, they can search for a specific topic, watch that quick video and then tackle some of the practice problems. And another cool thing is that, with the practice problems, they have that immediate feedback to reinforce whatever they were thinking or to provide that remediation.

Speaker 1:

Now the second resource I want to talk about is YouTube, not just any channel on YouTube. I'm going to list some very specific ones and it depends on the student that I'm working with. One would be Crash Course Science, particularly Crash Course for kids. I like that because it breaks down the science concepts when I'm working with my middle schoolers in a very engaging way. Now for biology, I like Amoeba Sisters because it has a very cartoony, engaging type of way. Some of my kids may look at it like really, but they understand the concepts and I can pause the videos and go through it with them. Now for chemistry, I like Melissa, maribel, tyler, dewitt and, of course, bozeman Science. Now, all of these will be linked in my show notes for you to go back and look at and select the ones that you want to use with your team based on the topics that you're going through. So don't worry if I'm going too fast. And if we're getting more into physics topics, then Bozeman Science also deals with physics, biology and chemistry. So that's a great YouTube channel to go to for multiple subjects. Professor Dave is another one that goes through several topics, including physics and chemistry, and I have to mention my all time favorite is the organic chemistry tutor. He breaks down multiple topics from chemistry, physics, multiple math topics. If they're having challenges with that, in step-step processes to help them not only understand how to solve the problems but also the concept behind the problems. With any of these channels, I recommend that after your teen learns a concept in class or from their textbook, they go and watch the video and it will help them to have that second voice, that second way of looking at the concepts, to help them make those abstract concepts make more sense.

Speaker 1:

Now the third one I like is Quizlet. Quizlet is the ultimate online flashcard tool. Your team can create their own flashcards or they can use a pre-made set. But be careful using a pre-made set, you want to make sure you know the source, so just be mindful of that. Another thing that Quizlet will do is it will let them create a quiz and it will create quizzes in different styles from matching games. Multiple choice, even fill in the blank question. Multiple choice, even fill in a blank question. The best way to use Quizlet is to first create those flashcards, especially for those vocabulary heavy topics, and I help my students to do this when they're prepping for big quizzes or tests. For example, a big test on a periodic table has a lot of vocabulary and a lot of memory. There are several pre-made sets in Quizlet, or they can make element names, atomic numbers, properties, because here repetition is key.

Speaker 1:

Now, the next one I want to mention is FET Interactive Simulations. That's P-H-E-T. Fet is an amazing and underrated resource and it is completely free. It has a lot of interactive simulation of all kinds, from math to science. We're talking chemistry, physics, biology and many math topics. So your team can not only explore the concepts, but they can actually see how the science concepts work in real time. See how the science concepts work in real time. If you set up a free account, then you will be able to. As a parent, you will be able to look at teaching resources, and many of these simulations have videos that you can watch and it will help you to pull out ways to use the simulation with your student to help them grasp the concept.

Speaker 1:

Now, how do I use FET? I like to use it whenever there is a concept that is difficult for them to visualize. For example, if they're confused about molecular structures, then we will go to the FET simulations and I will have them manipulate the different structures and be able to understand how the different arrangements of electron pairs around a central atom affects the molecular geometry, and it is important to allow them to play around with it to see what it can do, see what it can't do and how the different changes affect the concept. Now the last one will be OpenStax, that is, openstax S-T-A-X. It offers a free, high-quality textbooks that are perfect for students who need a reliable reference for science topics, because, while we have a lot of visual learners, I'm the type of learner where I need to go through all of the learning styles, where I need to see it in a textbook written out. I need to manipulate however many times in ways I can interact with that concept. That's what I need to be able to understand it.

Speaker 1:

So when we're talking about high quality textbooks, then OpenStax is a great resource for this. Whether it's chemistry, physics, biology, you will have comprehensive textbooks right there for you, made by experts. Another resource in this textbook realm, while we're talking about it, is ck12.org. Not only do they have high quality interactive textbooks, but they also have simulations that can go along with those textbooks. So now wrapping it all up, my top five resources Now remember this is not ranked in any type of order, but they are my top five go-to. That will be Khan Academy for self-paced high quality video lessons with embedded practice. Youtube the channels that I mentioned are going to be linked in the show notes. Quizlet for interactive flashcards and to allow them to make their own quizzes. Fet simulations that make those science concepts that are hard to visualize more understandable, and then OpenStax or CK12 for that.

Speaker 1:

Free detailed textbooks, and when I say textbooks, I mean interactive textbooks.

Speaker 1:

And here's the thing you don't need to use all of these.

Speaker 1:

Like I mentioned before, I pick the ones that best fit my students, so pick a couple, try them out, see which one meets your teen's learning style, and just by doing that you will be giving them a huge advantage.

Speaker 1:

I hope this episode was helpful. These are just five of the many free resources that are out there and ready to make science easier for you and your high schooler, and if you're looking for more advice or support, feel free to reach out to me through my contact page on my website, or if you're looking for more support for your team. I do still have a few slots left as of this episode on OutSchool for one-on-one tutoring. Let me know if you have any questions, ideas or other experiences that you'd like to share. Head on over to my podcast page, which you can access by visiting my website at thesciencementorcom. Then select podcast from the menu and subscribe now to the Teaching High School Science podcast for your regular dose of motivation and just-in-time science ideas, and together let's make high school science a journey of exploration and achievement. Until next time, remember curiosity leads to endless possibilities.