Scholars become detectives and use science to solve a crime! A complete unit introduces DNA and includes hands-on activities that have learners model DNA and extract it from different food types. A culminating activity challenges...

As you work through Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, try out some or all of the 20 questions and activities included here. Useful for discussion questions, group assignments, or individual projects, this resource covers plot as...

Share their opinions on the use of DNA databases in criminal investigations. After reading an article, they evaluate the pros and cons of the databases and work in groups to answer discussion questions. They write a letter to a state...

Students explore biology by participating in a fun science experiment. In this DNA lesson plan, students discuss what DNA is and where it comes from. Students utilize two bananas, a blender and a microscope to view the DNA of a banana in...

Students explore issues surrounding DNA microarray technology. They focus on a single area of biomedical research to help them explain how science, people, ethics, and history all fit together. They analyze gene-expression data.

Students describe genetics as if they were explaining it to a young child. After reading an article, they discover new discoveries in the human genome project. Using the internet, they research a pair of genetic terms and develop a...

Third graders complete their KWL charts from the first lesson of the unit as a review for the summative. Then they decode a secret message using the four basic components of DNA, adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine.

Students explore physical science by participating in a science role-play activity. For this DNA structure lesson, students discuss the different parts of the code that makes up our DNA and instructs our cells. Students utilize the...

High schoolers explore issues surrounding death penalty debate and participate in a values-clarification activity to help them form their opinions on this topic. They create a talk show to discuss issues involved with DNA testing and the...

Pupils examine new vocabulary words from a news report about human DNA being implanted in rice and grown in Kansas. Students read the article and discuss the vocabulary terms as well as take a quiz and complete a worksheet to help them...

Students role play an honorary detective to assist in solving a crime committed. They investigate by a bank robbery and interview eyewitnesses using their Crime Investigation Notebook and clues from an eyewitness account from the...

After your biologists have learned about transcription, translation, and gene regulation, they work in a small group to create a poster of a system that serves as an analogy of the gene regulation process. They share their creations with...

Students investigate different purposes for manipulating DNA. After reviewing the structure and functions of DNA, students explore topics related to the use or manipulation of DNA and the potential benefits and problems, later making a...

Learners reflect on the role of DNA in society since its discovery in 1953 by creating works of art and poetry that metaphorically illustrate the importance, influence and concerns of DNA research.

In this biology activity, students identify and describe a number of easily observable genetic traits and compare the traits they have with other students. Then they identify and describe that some traits are common while others are not...

Students explore DNA microarrays. In this genetics lesson, students model DNA microarrays that are used by scientists. Students work to determine levels of breast cancer genes in patients. They will determine the treatment required based...

Students investigate the dangers of radiation by exploring recent nuclear tragedies.  For this scientific debate lesson, students define the idea of radiation "half life" and determine if low doses of radiation are truly damaging to...

Fifth graders explore food production by viewing DNA presentations. In this genetic engineering lesson, 5th graders discuss the foods they typically eat at home and how many common foods are engineered in a way that can produce a bigger...

In this DNA worksheet, students read information about DNA and messenger RNA. Then students complete 16 short answer questions and color 2 images.

Students read the article Blood Test Predicts When You'll Die. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read the article and complete a variety of activities. They work individually and in pairs to complete questions dealing with...

In this proofreading activity, students mark infinitives, prepositional phrases, subjects and verbs in a paragraph titled "The Twentieth Century,"then edit for missing commas.

Young scholars read a New York Times article associated with the issue of the decoding for genomes, the creation of life in scientific laboratories and various genetic engineering topics. They present speeches of the pro's and con's of...

Young scholars study the controversy surrounding the proposed Frederick Douglass Circle monument in Central Park. They review the notion of historical inaccuracy by reading and discussing the article, "In Douglass Tribute, Slave Folklore...

How exactly does a crime scene investigation work? The resource, a unit on criminology, covers everything from the deductive reasoning skills needed for detectives to DNA fingerprinting, all the way to how to gather evidence and bring...