Roots L.E.A.D. to Results

Lab In Every Lesson

Welcome to Roots L.E.A.D. to Results—a weekly podcast that brings soul-deep encouragement to educators who are tired of surviving and ready to serve from a place of alignment, clarity, and conviction.

I’m Lisa Karosas—science teacher, curriculum designer, and believer that classrooms change when teachers are rooted.

This podcast is my own accountability check-in: a chance to slow down, reflect on the bigger picture, and disciple through my daily work right alongside you.

Each week follows a simple rhythm—L.E.A.D.—

  • L: Let Go & Lead Yourself

  • E: Establish Rhythms that Sustain You

  • A: Align with What Actually Matters

  • D: Disciple Through Your Daily Work

Through scripture, storytelling, and reflections on the realities of teaching, this podcast will help you reconnect with your calling, rediscover your voice, and refocus your energy on what matters most—not just in your classroom, but in your life.

Whether you're a science teacher or not, if you're craving grounded leadership, grace-filled persistence, and a reminder that you're not alone—you’re in the right place.

Let’s grow the roots that lead to lasting results.

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Education

Episodes

Rooted in Science: Strengthening Student Connections to Inquiry-Based Learning
26-02-2025
Rooted in Science: Strengthening Student Connections to Inquiry-Based Learning
February is all about connection—but not just in relationships. In this episode of Deep Roots, Flowers, and Fruit, we explore what it means to truly connect students to science as a practice, not just as a set of facts. Too often, science instruction checks off the boxes—“I did a lab, so I included the science and engineering practices!”—but is that enough? We’ll dive into the real purpose of science education: helping students do science, not just memorize it. From integrating science and engineering practices into daily lessons to transforming assessments into meaningful demonstrations of learning, this conversation is all about weaving inquiry-based learning into everything we do. Join me as we discuss: 🌱 The roots of strong science instruction—consistent, meaningful, and inquiry-driven. 🌱 Why observation is the foundation of every science and engineering practice. 🌱 How assessments can go beyond multiple-choice to truly measure student understanding. 🌱 Simple ways to bring the awe and wonder of science into your classroom every day.   Stick around until the end, where I’ll tell you about my free lesson plan template—designed to make it easier than ever to keep science inquiry at the heart of your teaching. Plus, a sneak peek at next month’s theme: Curiosity! Let’s cultivate a classroom where science is more than just knowledge—it’s a way of thinking, exploring, and discovering. 🎙🌿
The Heart of Service – How Connection Fuels Our Impact
05-02-2025
The Heart of Service – How Connection Fuels Our Impact
February is the month of love, and in this episode, we’re digging into the root of SERVICE—specifically, how our relationships with stakeholders (coworkers, administrators, special ed staff, guidance counselors, parents) shape our work as educators. Let’s be real: Teaching is hard, especially when the very people who should be on our team don’t always feel like they are. So how do we stay grounded in our purpose? How do we show up with love and resilience, even when challenges arise? I’m sharing the one phrase that keeps me centered when the pressure feels overwhelming—my personal connection to service—and how you can discover yours, too. Because when we remember why we do this work, we don’t just survive the hard days—we continue making a difference. 💡 🔹 Why service is the foundation of meaningful connections 🔹 A simple mindset shift that helps navigate difficult situations 🔹 Real-life stories of service in action—both with students and colleagues 🔹 How to create your own personal service affirmation to stay rooted in your purpose   🎧 Tune in now, and before you go, grab my Classroom Core Value Creator to uncover the words that will keep you inspired and intentional every single day!   💬 What’s your guiding phrase for service? Drop it in the comments or add it to the Lab In Every Lesson Facebook Page —I’d love to hear what keeps you going!   #DeepRootsFlowersAndFruit #TeacherPodcast #ServiceInTeaching #ConnectionMatters #MakeADifference
Why Engagement and Achievement Aren't Improving In Your Science Classroom
09-07-2024
Why Engagement and Achievement Aren't Improving In Your Science Classroom
As an Enneagram Type 3 Achiever, I thrive on setting and achieving goals, sometimes to a fault. To balance this while using student-centered teaching strategies to a foster positive classroom culture, I’ve embraced two essential core values that I believe are perfect for science teachers.    In this video, I’ll share how these values guide my teaching practice, help me avoid burnout, and inspire my students to love learning.    I’ll discuss the importance of experimenting with teaching strategies to keep things fresh, connect you with your students, and build a thriving classroom culture.    I'll also share with you some of my tried-and-true positive talk for challenging the voices in your head that keep you feeling fearful about making changes.  00:00 Modeling Inquiry In The Science Classroom 03:17 Two Classroom Core Values To Complement My Personality 08:01 How Trying New Teaching Strategies Models Scientific Inquiry 11:14 5 Benefits To Always Trying New Teaching Strategies 16:47 The Role of Fear When Trying New Teaching Strategies 19:26 My Failure As A Teacher 25:59 FAITH Over Fear When Trying New Teaching Strategies ________________________________________________________   💻 I'm sharing my go-to resources for understanding my own personality and crafting classroom core values to complement it! Download the planner, "Purposeful Plans, Powerful Results: A Guide To Crafting Core Values That Can Totally Transform Your Science Classroom", here: https://labineverylesson.com/corevalues   ▶️ LISTEN NEXT: How CEO-Style Core Values Can Transform Teaching   ➡️ ARTICLES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO: https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/us-k12-education-market/   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 💥 The Active Learning Action Plan: https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan   💥 The Digital Instructional Design Studio: https://labineverylesson.com/studio   💥 Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum: https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons/   💥 My TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson#   CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com!
Create Custom Core Values For Your Science Classroom
27-06-2024
Create Custom Core Values For Your Science Classroom
Throw away that statement of teaching philosophy that you wrote in college or grad school!  Then, hang with me through this series where I share with you my own science classroom core values and how they connect to my unique talents and challenges when teaching science.   By defining core values for our classrooms that reflect our unique personalities, we can adopt instructional strategies in our middle school or high school classroom and create lesson plans for science that are easier to prepare, implement, and stick with because they reflect who we are – our strengths and ideals.     Sharing core values in our classrooms increases our authenticity which could enhance relationships with our students and have far-reaching effects on things like behavior, engagement, and even achievement.     I've even created a free resource for you to take action on what you learn in these videos and clearly define your own set of science classroom core values!   00:00  Take a quiz! 07:20  The Enneagram for Educators 11:11  Science Teacher Type 1-3 17:21  Science Teacher Type 4-6 26:33  Science Teacher Type 7-9  35:21  Why being UNIQUELY YOU is so important! ________________________________________________________   💻   I'm sharing my go-to resources for understanding my own personality and crafting classroom core values to complement it!   Download the planner, "Purposeful Plans, Powerful Results:  A Guide To Crafting Core Values That Can Totally Transform Your Science Classroom", here:  https://labineverylesson.com/corevalues   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 💥 The Active Learning Action Plan:  https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan 💥  The Digital Instructional Design Studio:  https://labineverylesson.com/studio 💥  Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum:  https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons/ 💥  My TpT Store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson# CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com!
When You SHOW OFF, Your Students SUCCEED.
25-04-2024
When You SHOW OFF, Your Students SUCCEED.
It's time for a little science teacher reflection!   We've been taught to use tools like Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth of Knowledge to think about and plan for how we'll require *our students* to make their learning visible.  But, I bet you've rarely (if ever) been encouraged to demonstrate your own mastery of TEACHING & LEARNING using the same sort of taxonomy.   If we could imagine a taxonomy like this, the lowest levels would so very simple and straightforward that a substitute could do it.  The highest levels, though, would require a command of our content knowledge and an in-depth knowledge of the students in our classrooms.   I've heard some other teachers express that they don't feel equipped to do curriculum design.  These teachers believe teaching and curriculum planning to be mutually exclusive.   It's one of my favorite things to do in this job!   In this episode, I'm presenting the argument -- AND A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN TEACHER TAXONOMY! -- explaining how teaching and curriculum planning are SYMBIOTIC STAPLES to student-centered, secondary science classrooms.     Use it as part of your reflective teaching practice to set actionable goals for your own professional growth and the academic, personal growth of your students.   HERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT:  00:00 Why Leaning On Lecture To Teach Science Isn't Ideal  00:55 The Potential Effect Of AI On Education  01:47 Our Value As Teachers  02:54 How We Use Our Teacher Hearts To Be Effective Educators  04:32 Hello! (from Lisa) & How This Connects Specifically To Teaching Science  05:38 Review Of Taxonomies That Inform Our Planning For Students' Higher-Order Thinking  07:29 A Taxonomy Of Teaching Practices! (3 Levels)  08:58 Dictate  09:45 Demonstration  12:00 Delegate  13:56 Design  19:11 Reflection Round Up & Goal Getting!  20:45 What To Watch Next  ________________________________________________________    Start your trek from talk to tech with my EdTech Essentials guide to active learning in science: https://labineverylesson.com/essentials    LISTEN TO NEXT:  Turn To Tech For Seemless Science Routines  https://youtu.be/EUM-4XBVJYo    YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:  One Day, AI Will Make Teaching Obsolete. As Educators, We Have a Different Role to Play (Sachin Pandya):  https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-09-20-one-day-ai-will-make-teaching-obsolete-as-educators-we-have-a-different-role-to-play    The Active Learning Action Plan: https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan    The Digital Instructional Design Studio: https://labineverylesson.com/studio    Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum: https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons /    My TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson#    CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com !
Turn to Tech for Seamless Science Routines
18-04-2024
Turn to Tech for Seamless Science Routines
Integrating *the right edtech tools* into your middle school or high school science curriculum and instruction -- everyday lesson plans for science -- can make active learning a realistic routine, enhance student-centered culture in your classroom, and make students' thinking visible by providing a means to collect regular, reliable evidence of learning.   In this episode, I'll share exactly what I mean when I say "TRADE YOUR TALK FOR TECH"!  And, I'm not limiting this discussion to designing inquiry-based lesson plans for science ... together, we'll consider the role of edtech in every aspect of teaching science:   💥BEFORE instruction (planning lessons) 💥DURING instruction  (delivering lessons) 💥AFTER instruction  (providing feedback and analyzing outcomes)   This video has three distinct parts: ✅🧑‍💻⛔ In Part 1, I present the pros and cons of teaching with technology and its unique role as a facilitator of guided inquiry and instructional design.   📝 In Part 2, I'll demonstrate my process for sourcing free science simulations online to develop guided inquiry activities.     🎓 In Part 3, I'll show you around the edtech products, SeeSaw and BookWidgets. These are critical components of my student-centered system for teaching science as a practice!  You'll get a sneak peek at the backend of these tools while I share soooo many best practices to help you realize their potential for transforming your workflow as you show up to serve every student everyday. 💯   WHAT TO EXPECT:   ‼️INTRODUCTION ‼️ 00:00 Consistency helps create classroom culture. 03:19  Pros and Cons to Teaching Science With Technology   ⏱️ BEFORE Instruction ⏱️ 06:46  Planning Lessons for Guided Inquiry   ⏱️📝 BEFORE Instruction | Planning Lessons ⏱️📝 08:41  Types of EdTech for Guided Inquiry 10:29  Search For EdTech With Me! 17:01  Sourcing EdTech Best Practices Recap   ‼️ 14:52  What You Can Do When You Can't Find Any Suitable Edtech For Guided Inquiry!   ⏱️ DURING Instruction | Delivering Lessons & Follow-Up ⏱️ 22:17  In-Person Instruction 22:45  About SeeSaw 23:49  SeeSaw, 3 Important Areas Tour 31:01  Fantastic Features of SeeSaw (Why I Wouldn't Want To Teach Without It!) 35:53  Reasons for Asynchronous Instruction 37:23  About BookWidgets 39:49  BookWidgets, Examples of Worksheets I've Built 44:49  Fantastic Features of BookWidgets   ‼️ 48:16  The EdTech Essentials Guide to Active Learning in Science | How To Get It!   Add an hour of do-not-disturb time to your calendar, open up some browser tabs, and work alongside this powerful professional development session to get one step closer to a work life you'll love! 💗 ________________________________________________________   💻 Start your trek from talk to tech with my EdTech Essentials guide to active learning in science:  https://labineverylesson.com/essentials   EDTECH TOOLS TAUGHT IN THIS VIDEO: *BookWidgets:  https://www.bookwidgets.com/ **SeeSaw:  https://seesaw.com/ *I do not receive compensation from BookWidgets to promote their product.   **I am a SeeSaw Pioneer, which means that I have been using their product for more than a year and I complete an annual refresh training.  I am gifted a free PRO licence for keeping my Pioneer status active, but there is no expectation in that agreement for me to promote the product.   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 💥 The Active Learning Action Plan:  https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan 💥 The Digital Instructional Design Studio:  https://labineverylesson.com/studio 💥 Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum:  https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons/ 💥 My TpT Store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson# LESSONS USED AS EXAMPLES IN THIS VIDEO: ⚛️ LEWIS STRUCTURES FOR SMALL MOLECULES ➡️Complete interactive lesson PowerPoint: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Science-Lesson-for-Teaching-Lewis-Structures-for-Small-Molecules-7193826 ➡️BookWidgets worksheet: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Interactive-Notebook-for-Learning-Lewis-Structures-for-Small-Molecules-7193834   ⚛️ MOLECULE POLARITY ➡️Complete interactive lesson PowerPoint: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Science-Lesson-for-Teaching-How-To-Determine-Molecule-Polarity-7476567 ➡️BookWidgets worksheet:   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Interactive-Notebook-for-Learning-How-To-Determine-Molecule-Polarity-7476569 ⚛️ TYPES OF INTERMOLECULAR FORCES ➡️Complete interactive lesson PowerPoint: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Science-Lesson-for-Teaching-Three-Types-of-Intermolecular-Forces-7525290 ➡️BookWidgets worksheet: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Interactive-Notebook-for-Learning-Three-Types-of-Intermolecular-Forces-7525294 📧 CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com !
Your students CAN overcome obstacles.
11-04-2024
Your students CAN overcome obstacles.
Let's create a culture of curiosity in our classrooms by adding COMFORTABLE STRUGGLE to all the lesson plans in our science curriculum! This episode will refresh what you remember about depth of knowledge and why it's important to our instructional design.   Then, I'll explain exactly how the scientific method -- especially observation and inferences in science --  perfectly complement traditional hierarchies of understanding.   My hope is that, when you're finished listening, you'll feel inspired to increase student engagement through active learning that's rooted in scientific principles and skills.  WHEN YOU TAKE ACTION to make that transformation toward a more student-centered culture, you'll make thinking visible in your middle school or high school science classroom.   Here's what to expect: 00:00  A familiar story from *your* classroom! 01:52  A *personal* story about higher-order thinking and DOK 04:03  What is higher-order thinking?  (a review of taxonomies) 12:11  Why higher-order thinking and science go together like PB&J 16:45  Science practice as a taxonomy  _______________________________________________________________ Start your trek from talk to tech with my EdTech Essentials guide to active learning in science:  https://labineverylesson.com/essentials   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Blackburn-response article referenced in this video:  https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-response-thoughts-on-the-meaning-of-rigor/2012/03 The Active Learning Action Plan:  https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan The Digital Instructional Design Studio:  https://labineverylesson.com/studio Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum:  https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons My TpT Store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson# CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com!
NGSS doesn't have to be such a nightmare!
10-04-2024
NGSS doesn't have to be such a nightmare!
The CROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS listed in the Next Generation Science Standards aren’t our enemies!   They make active learning possible because they create a list of basic scientific practice we can lean on to ensure our activities are designed to leverage and develop the skills related to scientific investigations and make thinking visible.  When we include them as a critical part of our instructional design process, students will be able to discover the core ideas of our science lesson content using fundamental scientific principles and practices. In this episode, I'll compare and contrast the “core ideas” and “cross-cutting concepts" we find in the NGSS, describe the scientific significance of each cross-cutting concept in detail, and provide prompts you can use to thoughtfully design activities as part of your lesson plans for science in your science curriculum.   Here's what to expect: 00:00  Let's talk NGSS and cross-cutting concepts! 03:03  PATTERNS, a summary 04:30  Prompts to use when planning to include PATTERNS 05:42  CAUSE & EFFECT, a summary 07:07  Prompts to use when planning to include CAUSE & EFFECT 08:27  SIZE, PROPORTION & QUANTITY, a summary 10:00  Prompts to use when planning to include SIZE, PROPORTION & QUANTITY 11:54  SYSTEMS & SYSTEM MODELS, a summary 13:53  Prompts to use when planning to include SYSTEMS & SYSTEM MODELS 15:05  ENERGY & MATTER, a summary 17:30  Prompts to use when planning to include ENERGY & MATTER 18:17  STRUCTURE & FUNCTION, a summary 19:23  Prompts to use when planning to include STRUCTURE & FUNCTION 21:45  STABILITY & CHANGE, a summary 23:53  Prompts to use when planning to include STABILITY & CHANGE ____________________________________________________________________ Start your trek from talk to tech with my EdTech Essentials guide to active learning in science:  https://labineverylesson.com/essentials   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Active Learning Action Plan:  https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan The Digital Instructional Design Studio:  https://labineverylesson.com/studio (This membership includes a pdf version of the cross-cutting concept summaries and each of the prompts I outlined in this video!  I designed it as an oversized bookmark so you can make hard copies and share with your students to refer to in an effort to lesson their analysis paralysis!) Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum:  https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons My TpT Store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson# CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com !
Engage students with science activities like these.
09-04-2024
Engage students with science activities like these.
By creating lesson plans for your science curriculum that focus on the beginning of all science practice -- observation and inferences -- you can increase engagement in a way that makes student thinking visible so that you know *exactly* how to support them. Don't believe the myth that we have to separate "lab" from "lecture" in our science classrooms. Instead, embrace the FACT that we can leave lecture behind FOREVER and still ensure our students are achieving their personal best! In this episode, I'll highlight how the active learning principles we rely upon for "lab day" are the exact same that we can rely upon everyday to replace our boring lectures.  I'll provide examples of popular lesson planning approaches or student-centered models that would help you achieve these goals, with a focus on inquiry-based learning (because it's my personal favorite!).   Finally, to illustrate that this IS possible, I've included three examples of activities included in lesson plans for my own science curriculum. Here's what to expect: 00:00  INTRO 01:22  What is active learning? 03:12  YOUR VOICE!  What's the last thing you could've only learned by doing it? 03:56  Why is active learning perfect for science class? 10:26  Side-by-side comparison of characteristics of teacher-centered teaching approaches and student-centered teacher approaches 17:53  Popular student-centered learning models 18:02  Problem-based learning 19:01  Project-based learning 20:43  Collaborative-based learning 24:38  Inquiry-based learning 33:07  *a word about differentiation* 34:59  Examples of my own inquiry-based activities that require careful observation and inference science skills ________________________________________________________ Start your trek from talk to tech with my EdTech Essentials guide to active learning in science: https://labineverylesson.com/essentials   LESSONS DESCRIBED IN THIS VIDEO: Three Types of Chemical Bonding:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Science-Lesson-for-Teaching-Three-Types-of-Chemical-Bonding-6499621   Intermolecular Forces: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Science-Lesson-for-Teaching-Three-Types-of-Intermolecular-Forces-7525290   Chemical Reactions & Equations:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chemical-Reactions-Equations-Complete-Inquiry-Based-Chemistry-Lesson-5851603   YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The Active Learning Action Plan:  https://labineverylesson.com/activeplan The Digital Instructional Design Studio:  https://labineverylesson.com/studio Done-For-You micro2MACRO Chemistry Curriculum:  https://labineverylesson.com/5-free-chem-lessons/ My TpT Store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lab-In-Every-Lesson# CONTACT ME by email at lisa@labineverylesson.com !