What do our brains have to do with reaction timing? Everything! In a hands-on learning activity, young scientists participate in four card activities that measure reaction timing. Each activity gets progressively more complex, and...

Make sure your class gets on your nerves! Learners of all ages practice peering into the nervous system to see what's inside. Groups examine prepared slides of mammalian nervous system tissues, all while gaining microscope skills. The...

Ever wondered how your brain manages all of the information it receives every second of every day? The sights, the sounds, the smells ... each one filed away for later use or moved to the front of the line so your body can react. Through...

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...

Never let them see you sweat ... unless you can't help it! Scholars design an experiment to determine the effects of stress on the body. They monitor sweat production under different conditions and relate the response to the function of...

What do you call a skull without neurons? A no-brainer! A hands-on activity asks scholars to build a model of a neuron using beads. They use their models to study the parts of the neuron and their functions.

Investigate experimental design through a hands-on exploration. A creative activity allows learners to design an experiment to monitor the effects of alcohol on the C. elegans worm. After conducting the experiment, individuals analyze...

Cycles exist throughout nature, and the cell cycle compares to a life cycle of any other living being. A worksheet and presentation discuss the concepts of cell reproduction through the cell cycle. They cover each phase individually and...

Young engineers turn poets with a hands-on activity that challenges them to apply the concept of rhythm to crafting a poem.

Control a ball with your mind! Using a headset with an electrode, learners adjust the movement of a ball. They develop an experiment that tests the involvement of the central nervous system in controlling the ball. The activity helps to...

Use apples as a way of thinking about models. Young scientists consider how the word apple, a two-dimensional drawing, a three-dimensional image, a photograph, and plastic apples all model real apples in preparation for developing models...

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?...

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...

Ever wondered what motivates a roundworm? Introduce your biology class to C. elegans, a non-parasitic model organism that can help them understand behavioral stimuli. Paired pupils design an experiment to test the worm's reaction to...

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,...

So much science in one tiny fish! Introduce young biologists to the zebrafish, a common aquarium inhabitant. The small, unassuming organism presents an opportunity for learners to study habituation using an easy-to-care-for species. Lab...

Here's a lab that may make you rethink that morning cup of coffee. Biology scholars test the effects of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine on the behavior of zebrafish through an intriguing experiment. Learners observe fish...

With all the stuff available online, good essays are just a click away. But talk about tracking! Writers beware! New tech can now identify plagiarism, and the consequences of presenting someone else's work as your own are severe. Here's...

Queen Victoria, of England, carried the hemophilia gene, and her children passed it on to the ruling families of Russia, Spain, and Germany. Scholars learn how hemophilia passes from generation to generation—usually undetected in women....

Bioenergetics strives to describe how living things gain and transform energy for biological purposes. First, pupils learn about the types of energy before exploring the importance of energy in biological processes. Next, they discover...

Are you a mutant? Learn about multiple types of mutations with a presentation to discover the answer. Both genes and chromosomes mutate at various points in their life cycles. Slides describe each type and the resulting impact on...

Over the course of seven years, Gregor Mendel grew more than 28,000 pea plants. The large amount of data he collected led him to postulate the rules of genetics as we understand them today. Scholars learn about Mendel, genetics, and...

What happened when the chemistry teacher told a bad joke? There was no reaction! A creative take on the traditional reaction types lesson invites learners to draw their own conclusions about how compounds and elements combine. Groups...

It's better to be safe than sorry ... just ask Timmy! Engage learners with a hilarious lab safety review activity. The lesson, part of the K20 series, revolves around identifying, describing, and remediating disastrous lab practices.