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Activity
Exploratorium

Life Size - Explore the Size and Scale of Microscopic Biology

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Compare sizes of microscopic items. Given a set of labels of microscopic objects, pupils try to place them in order from smallest to largest. Scholars then compare their lists to the actual comparisons along with the measurements of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Viewing Bacteria

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Have you ever wanted to know the true structure of E.coli? Does the thought of peering into its "small world" sound exciting? Here is a instructional activity that allows pupils the ability to do just that. Blossoming microbiologists use...
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Lesson Plan
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National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Big vs. Little - Macro to Micro Lesson 2

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
The big world is full of tiny surprises. Classes discover all things big and small while completing the second lesson plan of a five-part series comparing macro- and micro-objects. Learners collect items from around the room including...
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Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Let’s Get Theoretical About Cells

For Teachers 6th Standards
Get up close and personal with cells in a hands-on journey to discover what makes up living things. Scholars learn valuable microscope skills, delve into the Modern Cell Theory, and gain insight into how cells reproduce. The included lab...
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Lesson Plan
University of Connecticut

More Than Just Dust Bunnies

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Teenagers will never complain about cleaning their rooms after this activity. In the first lesson of a four-part series, budding scientists collect samples of dust, chalk, and other particulates from various areas of the classroom. They...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Close-up of the Nervous System

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Be a Scanning Probe Microscope

For Teachers 3rd - 9th Standards
Extensive reading is done in order to learn about scanning probe microscopy and nanoscale. Afterward, individuals use a pencil to probe an unidentified object that is inside of a box so that they cannot see it. Using only what they could...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

What van Leeuwenhoek Saw

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
When van Leeuwenhoek saw cells and single-celled organisms for the first time, he knew these small things were a big deal! Share his discoveries with young learners through a narrated video, model-building activity, and scale study....
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Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Drawing Diatoms like Ernst Haeckel

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Why do scientists rely on drawings rather than just photographs of their research studies? The lesson introduces drawings of microscopic organisms and the importance of accuracy. Young artists draw organisms and learn why focus and...
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Lesson Plan
Nuffield Foundation

Observing Water Moving Through Plants

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
We know plants assist in the water cycle, but how do plants get water from the ground into the air? Through a series of demonstrations or labs, scholars observe the movement of water through plants. They microscopically view the cells...
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Lab Resource
Pingry School

Isotopes and Atomic Mass – Determination of the Average Atomic Mass of Pastium

For Students 9th - 12th
Sometimes modeling is the best approach to working with microscopic particles. A lab investigation models a fictional element using pasta. The setup uses three different pasta types to represent three different isotopes. Learners...
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Lesson Plan
University of California

Plankton

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...
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Lesson Plan
Science Friday

Termite Symbiosis

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
What happens to the wood a termite eats? Pupils learn about the three types of symbiosis with pictures of symbiotic pairs. Afterward, they determine whether there is a symbiotic relationship with a termite by dissecting termites and...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Balancing Equations

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Make the microscopic world of chemical reactions come to life. An engaging video demonstrates a methane-oxygen reaction. Learners see the reaction take place and observe the chemical equation being balanced. 
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Cell Diffusion and Permeability: The See-Thru Egg Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Create a model to study a microscopic phenomenon. The seventh of 12 lessons uses an egg (without its shell) to represent a cell membrane. Using different solutions, learners explore the concept of cell diffusion. They monitor...
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Activity
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American Chemical Society

Mentos and Diet Coke!

For Students K - 5th
Let the bubbles tell the story. Using a hands-on lesson, budding scientists learn how carbon dioxide in soda interacts with objects placed in the soda. The lesson explains how the gas adheres to the surface of the objects based on the...
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Unit Plan
2
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Curated OER

The Science of Microbes

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Looking for an interesting text to share the world of microbes with your middle school classroom? The edition contains explanations, worksheets, experiments, discussions, and links to outside sources for a true and complete microbiology...
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Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

You Can’t Sneeze On This Tissue

For Teachers 6th Standards
Take your class' understanding of cells to the next level... or levels! Demonstrate the levels of organization using a variety of engaging methods. The teacher's guide includes the materials you'll need to execute a flower dissection,...
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Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Plankton Parents

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Plankton are so abundant in the ocean they outweigh all of the animals in the sea. In this three day activity, groups discuss and become familiar with plankton, capture females, and look for egg production on day three. 
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Activity
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Lincoln Public Schools

Cell Exploration Activities

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Engage young biologists in exploring the mysteries of life with this collection of hands-on activities. Enlisting the help of numerous digital resources, students get an up-close look at the structure of plant and animal cells as they...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Are All Plants Created Equal?

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Photosynthesis requires energy and produces food, and cellular respiration produces energy and requires food. An interesting lesson analyzes the factors that affect the rates of photosynthesis and respiration. Classes spend one day...
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Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

The Right Tool for the Job

For Students K - 5th Standards
Is a saw a tool? What about a thermometer? Discover the applications of various tools with a worksheet that accompanies a matching card game. Learners search for tools from a stack of cards and circle its match on their worksheet. 
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Lesson Plan
Odell Education

Plant and Animal Cells

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Incorporate multiple facets of the cell into your next high school lab! Through an introduction to cell organelles, class members observe each cell type and draw visuals to further demonstrate understanding of cellular processes in both...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Magnifying and Observing Cells

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Though it isn't a novel activity to prepare onion cell and Elodea plant cell slides as examples of cells in a microbiology unit, this resource will leave you thoroughly prepared. As pupils examine the slides that they prepare, they draw...

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