Curated OER
Ice Mummies: Frozen in Heaven
Students conduct an experiment to investigate the rate of microbial growth at different temperatures. Students predict what will happen to the food at various temperature and test their hypotheses. Students describe the differences in...
Curated OER
Lesson 2: the Cell Cycle
Young scholars explain how cells reproduce. In this biology lesson, students explain the different stages of the cell cycle. They calculate the number of new cells produced.
Curated OER
Making Regolith
You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate...
Virginia Department of Education
Viruses
Germs, parasites, and viruses, oh my! Facilitate a lesson on viruses as individuals explore functions of Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. They learn how viruses compare with other organisms in nature and how they contribute to health...
California Academy of Science
What's on a Penny?
As a lesson on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information. This is an...
Curated OER
The Scientific Search for the Loch Ness Monster
Students gain an understanding of the real world applications of the scientific method. They design their own experiments to prove or disprove the existence of other modern legends, and they design and carry out an experiment to test a...
Curated OER
Ecosystems and Remote Sensing
Students obtain remote sensing data to compare and contrast global biomass data with global temperature data.
Curated OER
Bubble and Boyle
Even middle schoolers still enjoy experimenting with bubbles! They execute a series of experiments enabling them to distinguish between convex and concave surfaces, explore the properties of buoyancy, surface tension, and density,...
Curated OER
The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
Curated OER
Evidence of Photosynthesis
Hands on science is the way to go! Learners conduct a lab experiment to help them explain how plants make food through photosynthesis. They test for the presence of starch in leaves using iodine solution and identify the basic things...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Withering Plants - Stressing Over Lost Water
Expectant earth scientists examine the bottom side of a leaf and learn the role of the stomata. They consider the gas exchange that occurs through these structures and relate how the climate is changing to its impact on food crops. This...
Curated OER
Cell Division
High schoolers describe the cell cycle. They make a connection between DNA replication and cell division. Students describe the parts of the cell that participate in cell division and the steps of cell division.
Teach Engineering
Microfluidic Devices and Flow Rate
When you have to flow, you have to flow. The activity introduces class members to microfluidic devices and their uses in medicine. They watch a short video on how the diameter affects the rate of flow. The worksheet has individuals...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Introduction to Nanotechnology Using the Creative Problem-Solving Model
Should we continue to spend money on nanotechnology? Groups engage in a problem-solving unique process around the newly emerging research field of nanotechnology. In order to propose a solution, the groups must research nanotechnology...
Curated OER
What's The Big Deal About Accutane?
Young scholars take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth...
Curated OER
Black Death Biology
Young scholars in pairs explore the transmission of the Plague, through experimentation. Cooperative groups use the scientific method to solve the fictional problem of a bacteria spreading in the Amazon. Groups also create a vector to...
Curated OER
Sensational Seaweed
Students compare kelp and land plants. In this sea plant lesson, students look at the role of algae in aquatic environments. They research the properties of kelp and explore seaweed.
Curated OER
Invertebrate Diversity
Comparative anatomy prevails in the lesson exploring diversity among invertebrates. Biologists examine physical characteristics of an earthworm from phylum annelida and a meal worm from phylum insecta. They also inspect a cricket and a...
Re Energy
Build Your Own Biogas Generator
What is biogas and how is it made? After examining background information about the sources of biogas and biogas generators, class members follow the provided information and build a biogas generator that can be used in the...
Curated OER
Preparation and Staining of Mammal Cells to View Sister Chromatids
Observation of sister chromatids is possible as students culture and stain mammal tissue cells.
Curated OER
An Introduction to Microbes - Biology Teaching Thesis
Students are able to define microbes and identify the five main groups of microbes. They are able to give examples of ways in which microbes have impacted or currently impact human life. Students are able to explain that not all microbes...
Curated OER
Coal Science Fair Ideas
Learners select one of the ideas for a science project reflecting their knowledge about coal. They then choose a catchy title to spark interest that describes their project. They use the scientific method to explain the process.
Curated OER
Habitat Assessment
Third graders demonstrate the effects of varying environmental components on plants and animals: chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a habitat. They find chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the lake at...
Curated OER
Monterey Bay
Students read background information about Monterey Bay, California, and conduct related experiments. In this ocean in motion lesson, students read information about the location, wildlife, and characteristics of Monterey Bay. They...