Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Your Incredible Memory

For Students 5th - 12th
Test the efficiency of your memory! Scholars test each other's memory as they explore factors that affect memory retrieval. Through experimental analysis, they discover there are different types of memory, which has an impact on the...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Whose Choice Is It Anyway?

For Students 5th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Balance: The Ears Have It

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Manduca sexta Wax Model

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

How Will We Create a Future without Waste?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
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...
Activity
Carolina K-12

Revolutionary War Era Tick-Tack- Toe

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
So many fantastic activities on the American Revolution! From drawing political cartoons illustrating events of the Boston Massacre to writing a diary entry as a shopkeeper during the Boston Tea Party, your young historians will...
Lesson Plan
Albert Shanker Institute

Who Was Bayard Rustin?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Who was Bayard Rustin? Pupils analyze a series of primary source documents to learn about this important figure in the civil rights movement. The lesson contains a short film to watch along with guiding questions and other resources...
Lesson Plan
Albert Shanker Institute

The March on Washington Logistics Then and Now

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
I have a dream ... that all pupils will be able to organize a march of their own after learning about how Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington for civil rights. Young reformers work collaboratively examining informational...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

What is Biotechnology

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Examine the sequence of key events in the history of genetics. An engaging lesson asks scholars to sort events to create a timeline of biotechnology milestones. Arranging the events gives learners a perspective on the development of...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Great Expectations Through Modification

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
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.
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Crossing Hairs

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Can you breed the perfect cat? Scholars study how to control genetic traits through breeding. The 15th instructional activity in a 18-part genetics unit considers the process of cross-breeding to develop a cat with a specific set of...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Kitten Creation

For Students 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Lucky Brand Genes: Chromosome Cookies

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Who’s Your Daddy? Finding the Father

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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.
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Gelin’: Gel Electrophoresis Simulation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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 activity continues the series that explores DNA and its...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Diagnosing Sparky

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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. 
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Cats and You: DNA Doubles?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What do cats and human DNA have in common? The second lesson of a series focuses on the mapping of mammal genomes. Scholars learn about the structure of DNA as they compare the chromosomes of humans and felines.
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Real Cats Wear Pink

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Does your cat sneak up on you in the middle of the night? Maybe it would help if he glowed in the dark like Mr. Green Genes, the first fluorescent cat in America. In a fun and engaging lesson about genetic engineering, high school...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Urine Jeopardy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Urine can tell us a lot about what is happening in our bodies. In a hands-on activity, scholars administer pH, glucose, ketone, and protein tests to a sample of "urine" solution made from household ingredients. Their results lead them to...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

ACNE (Another Cat Needs Exfoliation)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take solace, teens ... cats get acne, too! After making a diagnosis in the previous lessons in the series, learners must now decide on a treatment to complete the sixth installment of this biotechnology unit. The typical treatment for...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Beyond Benign

E-Factor: Environmental Impact Factor

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Explore how chemical processes reduce production waste. The 19th lesson in a 24-part series has learners explore the impact of green chemistry techniques on waste in production scenarios. They consider petrochemicals, bulk chemicals,...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Beyond Benign

SLS Today

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lather is not necessary for an effective shampoo. After learning of the industry created consumer misinformation, individuals investigate the toxicity of the most popular additive in shampoos to create lather. They use their results to...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Beyond Benign

Shampoozled—Part 2: pH Neutral

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Who doesn't want balance in shampoo?!? The second of a two-part lesson continues the preparation of a shampoo formula. This time, individuals focus on how to control the pH of the product. This is the 12th installment of the overall...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Beyond Benign

Shampoozled—Part 1: Formula Calculation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Time for your classes to show off what they've learned! The 11th installment in the series of 24 uses concepts learned in the previous 10 lessons to create the perfect shampoo formula. Their formulas consider both sustainability and...