NASA
Is It Alive?
Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or...
Curated OER
Semipermeable Membranes and Bioaccumulation
Beginning biologists place a drop of food coloring into water of differing temperatures to observe the effect on the diffusion rate. They remove the shells from raw eggs and then experiment with osmosis over the remaining membranes....
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Classroom Aquaponics: Exploring Nitrogen Cycling in a Closed System
Students investigate nutrient cycling in a simplified desktop ecosystem involving aquarium and hydro-ponically grown plants. They set up an aquarium with 10 gallons of water at least a week before the lab is planned and place...
Cornell University
Discovering Enzymes
Explore the function of enzymes through a series of lab investigations. Learners use household enzymes such as hydrogen peroxide to model the role of enzymes. The enzymes break down proteins with and without a catalyst.
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Light and Starch Production in Photosynthesis
Students are given the unique opportunity to see the contrast between parts of a leaf that have photosynthesized and parts of the leaf that have not. This visual image helps students see the results of this biological process. At the...
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Circle of Life
Students consider why we eat and where our food obtains its energy. They illustrate food chains that might be found on an open field, dissect owl pellets, identify the remains of animals in the pellets, watch videos and participate in...
Curated OER
There's Always Room For Jell-O
Students explore the breakdown of proteins. They cut wells in Jell-O and observe as the detergent digests the Jell-O. Students record their observations and take measurements.
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Molecular Biology and Primate Phylogenetics
Pairs of high school biologists compare amino acid differences in the beta hemoglobin of different primates. They use the information collected to construct a phylogenic tree. Follow-up discussion questions are provided. This is a...
Curated OER
Strawberry Smoothies
Biologists extract the DNA from a strawberry. After completing the procedure, learners write answers to a few questions on the lab sheet provided. This is ideal lab practice during a DNA unit in your general biology course.
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Enzymes in Action
Students explore how enzymes are important in the chemical reactions of all living things. In this enzymes and catalysts activity students complete an activity to see how enzymes change living things.
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From One End to the Other
Seventh graders trace a piece of food through the digestive system. They describe the functions of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, etc.
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Standard 4-Photosynthesis, Diseases and the Immune System
In this photosynthesis, disease and Immune System worksheet, students fill in the blanks with key terms to complete sentences about the transfer of energy from the sun to plants, enzymes as catalysts in reactions, homeostasis, the immune...
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Proteins
Students conduct a variety of experiments to explore protein. In this biology lesson, students solve a mystery by testing for the presence of glucose, protein starch and triglycerides. They explain how DNA transcription and translation...
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Plankton / Phytoplankton
Students discuss the importance of plankton in the ocean ecosystem. For this biology lesson, students identify the different types plankton by observing them under the microscope. They explain how plankton population affect global climate.
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The Physical Behavior of Matter
Learners distinguish between three phases of matter: solid, liquid and gas, on the molecular level. They compare and predict the relative compressibility of the three phases of matter through journal writings and drawings.
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Glucose
Students conduct various experiments on glucose. In this biology lesson, students differentiate the process of diffusion and osmosis. They test different foods for the presence of glucose and starch.
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Putting on Mass: Just how do Trees grow?
Students articulate an explanation of photosynthesis. They identify problems they have with comprehension of how a plant gains mass. Students describe a historical experiment.
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Investigating the Uses of Backyard Bacteria
Students discover that the answers to some of society's waste and clean-up problems may be no further than the soil beneath their feet. They perform a Gram stain on the colonies to determine some of their characteristics.
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Food Safety Unit Exam 1
Students complete seventeen question test about food safety which includes matching vocabulary terms, short answer questions and fill in the blank questions. Test is part of the Food Safety Unit produced by the College of Agricultural...
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Is There Really Life on Mars?
Students examine the work of scientists and determine how they test their theories.
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Amino Acids
Students explore what amino acids are, their history and how they are used in technology. In this protein lesson students identify the properties of proteins and amino acids.
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DNA
Students explore the basics of DNA and its history. In this DNA lesson plan students extract DNA from fruits and understand how it is used in forensics.
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Chloroplasts
Students study chloroplasts, their structure and evolution. In this photosynthesis lesson plan students experiment with polarized light and the production of chlorophyll.
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Necessary Nitrogen
Students view a video that presents the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. They compare types of soils and consider how different fertilizers affect soil composition.