Do you need to review animal cell structure? Investigate the ways in which different types of cells interact in a common human reflex. Your students can explore the functions of stem cells, consider various illnesses and assess stem...

Identify the different cell organelles in prokaryotes. Modelling the cells using Jell-o and candies will be a fun way to experience the cell in a hands-on way (different to using play-doh!). They observe cells under a microscope and draw...

Liken a cell and its organelles to a tiny person and its organs. After gathering information on cell structures and their functions, small groups collaborate to come up with an analogy of their own. They produce a collage describing the...

Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...

Eukaryotes include humans, animals, and plants. Scholars learn about the parts of eukaryotic cells. They design models of a store and match the correct function of each part to the function of a part of the cell. They review their...

There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to...

This seventh grade life science quiz has a professional appearance and well-written multiple-choice questions. However, it seems to cover too broad a variety of biology topics for only 15 questions to fully assess. There is one question...

Seventh graders describe the processes involved in mitosis and meiosis. In this life science lesson, 7th graders create chromosome models using strings and beads. They play a jeopardy team game at the end of the unit to review concepts...

As an anticipatory set, biologists listen to the story of Ruth Patrick, a scientist who used algae to detect water quality. They observe a demonstration of osmosis and diffusion. In their lab groups, they place Elodea stalks in...

Jump into the classification of animal and plants cells, through this inviting lesson comparing Elodea leaves and Epithelial cells. Middle school learners will create wet mounts, write journal entries that compare specimens, and finally...

Middle schoolers measure the size of an epithelial cell and to estimate the number of epithelial cells in a given area of the body. After watching a video on cells, student groups perform an experiment using a microscope to view some of...

At one point, all mammals carried only two color receptors, but now most humans carry three. An informative presentation and hands-on activity demonstrate how this evolved through genetics. By participating in the activity, pupils...

Wouldn't it be great if you could produce your own food? Scholars learn about the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants. They consider how to use photosynthesis as a model of an efficient system and how to apply...

It's often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Young engineers learn about biomimicry, which uses nature to generate engineering ideas, in the fifth lesson of nine in a Life Science unit. Working in groups, they select...

Pupils research the process of mitosis and how it progresses to the finished result of cell division. They reflect upon how this causes organisms to grow larger and helps tissues to be renewed.

Students will be using Inspiration, which is a graphic organizer computer program, to create their own model community where they will label the community parts with the corresponding organelle. They will have prior knowledge of cell...

What characterizes a living thing? Scholars explore the concept during a differentiated instruction unit on living things. They perform lab experiments to determine how animals adapt to stimuli, watch videos and learn about...

Students use the Internet to discover information about human embryonic stem cells from the National Institutes of Health. They examine different sides of the debate to use or not to use stem cells. They can also listen to speeches given...

Students discover the differences in how stem cells develop and function depending on their source. They see how scientists are using stem cells - from a variety of sources - to study how they can be used to cure certain illnesses and...

Pupils examine cell division and the process of mitosis.  In this cell reproduction lesson students grow yeast and observe the results, and learn about the career of scientific illustration. 

Four different-shaped and dyed pasta types represent four different alleles. Following a guide sheet, young geneticists practice randomly selecting alleles and discover the traits of the resulting offspring. This is a fun and solid...

The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...

Students use a light microscope to observe the organisms living in a sample of ocean or fresh water. Students create a drawing of the organisms that they observe. Students then discuss the different body plans of the organisms and the...

The central video for this lesson is not available through the included resource link. However, the activity that simulates the passing of a virus through a population is impacting and the other resource links are invaluable. Use this...