University of Minnesota
C. elegans and Alcohol
Investigate experimental design through a hands-on exploration. A creative lesson allows learners to design an experiment to monitor the effects of alcohol on the C. elegans worm. After conducting the experiment, individuals analyze...
University of Minnesota
Whose Choice Is It Anyway?
Your taste buds may be saying Pepsi, but your brain is saying Coke! By analyzing experimental research, learners discover ways in which our brains impact decision making. They conclude with a discussion of neuromarketing and how it...
University of Minnesota
Balance: The Ears Have It
Don't go around and around with the same concept! A hands-on activity explores the vestibular system and circular motion. After spinning a group member, lab partners examine their eye movement. Making observations allows the group to...
University of Minnesota
Manduca sexta Wax Model
Caterpillars' and moths' most obvious change is physical, but what happens to their nervous systems as they complete metamorphosis? Through a hands-on investigation, young scholars construct the nervous system of a caterpillar. They then...
University of Minnesota
Manduca sexta: Caterpillar Dissection
Caterpillars have an amazing, yet tough job to perform in their short lives — eat much, avoid predators, and try not to let all those comments about being the unattractive stage of the life cycle get to them. How do they handle it all?...
University of Minnesota
Neuropathfinding: Kinesthetic Model
Playing follow the leader has never been so interesting! Get the class up and moving while they take on the roles of nervous system components. Through trial and error, they learn the importance of the "pioneer" growth cone that leads...
Curated OER
Mirror Image
Why does practice make perfect? Give your class insight into procedural memory, where we learn to do new things — then continue to improve through repetition. By attempting to draw shapes while looking in a mirror, learners observe their...
Curated OER
What Exactly Is Food Sovereignty?
Something is happening here, and what it is is becoming increasingly clear. Middle schoolers investigate the connections between processed foods and health issues and the movement back, especially by Native Americans, to other food choices.
Curated OER
How Will We Create a Future without Waste?
Many young people act globally by reducing, reusing, and recycling, Now they take it to the next level by upcycling. Middle schoolers design a proposal to eliminate waste by exploring the new material cycle and applying their knowledge...
K20 LEARN
The Parched Plains: Weather And Climate
How do meteorologists differentiate between droughts and dry spells? Introduce the concepts of weather forecasting and prediction with an insightful research-based lesson from the K20 series. Partners synthesize individual research from...
K20 LEARN
Leaning Plants: Plant Adaptations, Growth, And Tropisms
Young scientists examine pictures of plants, then explore plant reactions found on the Missouri Botanical Gardens website. Scholars investigate why plants lean, then observe a plant of their own for six weeks to make new claims,...
K20 LEARN
Ecosystems, Human Activity, And Interactions, Oh My!: Human/Environment Interaction
Word clouds about ecosystems hook learners into a lesson that explores Yellowstone wildlife. Young scientists create cause-and-effect relationships after examining data and recommend solutions to their observed problems. More data...
K20 LEARN
Rules Of The Mogwai: Lab Safety And Chemical Properties
When you don't follow the rules, bad things can happen! Kick off your next lab safety lesson using a resource from the K20 Center. Pupils partner up to decipher MSDS for common lab chemicals, brainstorm common safety rules and their...
K20 LEARN
Water We Going To Do? Floodplains And Watershed Management
How has human activity affected Earth's watersheds? An action-packed lesson plan, part of the K20 Center, examines water's ability to go with the flow regardless of what is in its path. Scholars build model watersheds, examine time-lapse...
K20 LEARN
What's My Purpose In This Life? Intro To Cell Theory/Organelles
Why are we here? Well, if you happen to be a Golgi body, the answer is simple! Young biologists embark upon a journey through the tiny world of cellular organelles with an engaging lesson from the K20 Center. The activities open with an...
Beyond Benign
What is Biotechnology
Examine the sequence of key events in the history of genetics. An engaging instructional activity asks scholars to sort events to create a timeline of biotechnology milestones. Arranging the events gives learners a perspective on the...
Beyond Benign
Great Expectations Through Modification
Explore the changes genetic modifications make just to make it in our world. Scholars track the production of insulin over time and discover how genetic modifications make the treatment of diabetes possible.
Beyond Benign
Crossing Hairs
Can you breed the perfect cat? Scholars study how to control genetic traits through breeding. The 15th lesson in a 18-part genetics unit considers the process of cross-breeding to develop a cat with a specific set of predetermined traits.
Beyond Benign
Kitten Creation
Your pupils become geneticists as they create cat offspring. The next lesson in a series continues an exploration of genetic makeup as scholars consider parent traits to build their offspring. Using household items, they create kittens...
Beyond Benign
Lucky Brand Genes: Chromosome Cookies
Mutations are not just deformed creatures we see in movies—they happen every day! Scholars study the different types of genetic mutations in the 12th installment of a series of 18 lessons. A creative activity uses candy and other food...
Beyond Benign
Lucky Brand Genes: Genetic Traits
Explore single-gene traits in humans. After viewing a video introducing genetic vocabulary, individuals identify their phenotype and possible genotypes of specific traits. They consider both dominant and recessive traits. This is the...
Beyond Benign
Who’s Your Daddy? Finding the Father
Time for the reveal! The nineth lesson of the series of 18 has scholars compare DNA fingerprints of cats to their samples to identify the father of Sparky's kittens from previous lessons. They analyze the DNA bands to determine the match.
Beyond Benign
Gelin’: Gel Electrophoresis Simulation
Take a look at a DNA fingerprint. Scholars run a gel electrophoresis simulation to examine the DNA of potential father cats in the eighth installment of an 18-part series. The lesson continues the series that explores DNA and its...
Beyond Benign
Diagnosing Sparky
Be a vet for a day! Scholars test their veterinarian skills by assessing symptoms and making a diagnosis. They then evaluate biotechnology tests to verify the diagnosis.