Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Code of Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study genes, DNA and medical research. They watch "The Code of Life" video and answer discussion questions regarding the transcription and translation of DNA and how errors in these processes and mutations in DNA can produce...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DNA Sequencing Model Lab

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students pretend they are each genetic engineers with a test tube of unknown DNA (PCR'd) possibly taken from blood cells of someone with a genetic condition.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Genetic Basis of Neurological Disorders

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers describe some aspects of known genetic defects on the human neurological condition. They participate in a variety of exercises including drawings, games, and analogies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to Conquer a Genetic Disease

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study the details of DNA restriction analysis and how RFLP's are used to locate genes on a map of DNA.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diversity of Life

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Students study the classification of viruses and describe their structure.  For this investigative lesson students complete an activity and answer questions about viruses. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carnivorous Plants: A Bugs Nightmare!

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research carnivorous plants and how they trap insects. They role play as botanists to write a research field guide about a newly discovered imaginary carnivorous plant.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DNA Fingerprinting through a Chemistry Lens

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils explore DNA and restriction enzymes using fragments of DNA separated by electrophoresis on an agarose gel. They analyze the results to see "whodunit".
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Extraction of Allicin: The Active Ingredient in Garlic

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct research to determine the structural formula for Allicin, a component of garlic. They participate in a lab to extract Allicin from garlic and complete a set of questions about their work.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Toxicology 2: Finding the Toxic Dose

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars brainstorm with group partners to decide upon a chemical they would like to test, and outline a procedure for their investigation. They then present in groups their ideas to the rest of the class as well as the chemical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison of Four-, Six-, And Eight-bp Cuts in Calf Thymus Dna

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the use of restriction enzymes to recognize a four-, six-, and eight-nucleotide sequence. They utilize restrictive endonucleases to cut Thymus DNA and compare results by viewing the DNA fragments on Agarose Gel...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cloning of Plasmid and Spinach DNA

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students will first extract genomic DNA from spinach and perform a restriction enzyme digestion on both the spinach DNA and the plasmid using the same restriction enzyme. They then ligate the cut plasmid DNA with the cut spinach DNA in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cell Cycle and Cancer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the cell cycle of frog eggs, normal cells, and cancer cells. They watch a video about early development of the frog embryo, generate a hypothesis in small groups, and listen to a teacher-led lecture. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Living Environment

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders study the work of Alice Huang and complete activities on mutations.  In this investigative lesson students complete several activities and discuss their findings at the end. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heat Transfer and Pollution

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Pupils perform computer simulations on air dispersion. In this chemistry lesson plan, students calculate energy transfer based on specific heat and temperature change. They explain the causes of smog.
Lesson Plan
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: Science of Atoms and Molecules: Nucleic Acids and Proteins

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Through this activity, learners work with macromolecules, proteins and nucleic acids. The focus is on the atomic structure of proteins, how linear polymers are made, and the surface charges of the resulting polymers. . Multiple-choice...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Building a Protein

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This hands-on activity is an assessment of the students understanding of peptide and disulfide bonds formed during protein synthesis, and the structure of an amino acid (R-group plus the common structure that all amino acids share)....