Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tree of Life

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Students study genetics and evolution. They evaluate a group of organisms and estimate their genetic relatedness. Then they use an online program to check the accuracy of their estimations and make a branching phylogenetic tree which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who is the Sea Otter Related to?

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students examine the genetic relationships of different organisms. In groups, they discover the importance of genes and how different amino acids show various evolutionary relationships. They use an online database to continue their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mussel Ecology

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the marine environment of the mussel. The emphasis of the lesson is upon what human factors are present to influence the environment in positive and negative ways. They brainstorm in groups in order to conduct...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Arizona Hedgehog Cactus: Endangered Species or not?: Biology, Plants

For Teachers All
For this lesson students will study the: "Classification of Echinocereus triglochidiatus and Geographical Ranges of its Varieties." Students read background material and scientific literature to analyze the cactus populations and then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flesh Eating Bugs, Moldy Corpses, The Trail of a Killer

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners read about how forensic entomologists use maggots to solve murders. In this forensic science lesson, students read an article and answer questions. They go to different websites about evidence and fingerprinting. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geneticist for a Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars discuss and compose a document discussing the transmission of the Huntington's gene- dominant or recessive, sex linked, etc. Additionally, they ought to consider Dr. Wexler's own odds for contracting the disease.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Embryology as Evidence of Evolution

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students observe the two major developmental pathways (protostome and deuterostome). They analyze data regarding differences in nucleotide sequences and construct a phylogenetic tree. They observe the similar evolutionary history shared...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Electrophoresis of Human Hemoglobin

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze different types of hemoglobin. They use the technique of agarose gel electrophoresis to separate human hemoglobin molecules according to their electrical charge, size, and/or shape. Students relate the migration...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Aboard for Protein Synthesis

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders walk through the process of transcription and translation to demonstrate and explain protein synthesis. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their role play.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching Biotechnology With Models

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will construct models to obtain understanding about the scientific concept. The kinesthetic learners will benefit from the project. There is ample opportunity for all types of learners to be engaged in this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Cells

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students become familiarized with use of the microscope.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pollen & Pollination

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify the different ways things are pollinated and how to manage pollen.  In this pollination lesson students complete an experiment on how moths pollinate flowers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chloroplasts

For Teachers K - 12th
Students study chloroplasts, their structure and evolution.  In this photosynthesis lesson plan students experiment with polarized light and the production of chlorophyll.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientist Simulation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students imagine themselves working as research scientists completing the end-steps of a molecular research project and interpreting the data. They compare the gene sequences of normal and abnormal mice and evaluate the protein product...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genetic Disorders

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders discuss traits, traits that are inherited and how genes and chromosomes carry the code for traits. They research genetic disorders and their link to chromosome abnormalites and write a report on their findings. which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Molecular Evolution in Plants

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are using a paper chromatography study that is suitable for introductory biology. The absorption spectra studies and gel electrophoresis studies are appropriate for students who have complete both introductory biology and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lights On - We Have A Quorum

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students explore basic bacteriological techniques. They investigate cell to cell communication and become aware of the environmental and evolutionary implications of this communication.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

cDNA Sequencing By Restriction Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars try to confirm the sequence of a given cDNA clone using the WWW tools and traditional restriction analysis. They grow the clone, prep the plasmid, cut the plasmid with restriction enzymes and compare their results to what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Happens When A Cell Divides?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the cycle of mitosis. In this biology lesson, students discuss the different stages of mitosis through cell reproduction. They further their investigation through laboratory analysis.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Ultra-Violet Light on Yeast

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners work in small groups collecting and analyzing data as they learn how to best grow yeast. This lesson allows students to conduct several student-created experiments as they continually generate questions and hypotheses. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Uses of Backyard Bacteria

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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.
Activity
National Health Museum

Access Excellence: Dna Sequencing (Dry Lab Activity)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is an advanced level hands-on activity to explain the Di-deoxy sequencing of DNA.
Interactive
University of Utah

University of Utah: Genetic Science Learning Center: Dna and Verdicts

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a site on genetics, this page explores DNA as a forensic science. Explains how and why DNA can be used to convict or acquit a criminal from wrongdoing using forensic DNA analysis. Teacher resources too.
Unit Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Chem Collective: Dna Binding Dyes Scenario

For Students 9th - 10th
This activity explores the equilibrium of dyes that self-assemble into DNA templates. Students use knowledge of equilibrium and quantitative spectroscopy to explore different dyes that bind selectively to DNA molecules. In this activity,...