Tag: experiment
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Use Beets to Explore Membrane Permeability
Students test the effects of pollution on membrane permeability using beetroot cores.
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What Causes Algae Growth in Ponds?
Students examine data on two ponds to determine what is causing the algae growth in the pond near a farm.
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Investigation: Determine Molarity of Unknown Solution
Students determine the mass of water beads after soaking them in solutions. They use the change in mass to determine the molarity.
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Virtual FlyLab (New!)
Virtual fruit fly genetics lab where students can explore phenotypes and genotypes of flies, design experiments, and perform chi square analysis
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Photosynthesis Virtual Lab
This lab was created to replace the popular waterweed simulator which no longer functions because it is flash-based. In this virtual photosynthesis lab, students can manipulate the light intensity, light color, and distance from the light source. A plant is shown in a beaker and test tube which bubbles to indicate the rate of photosynthesis.…
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Highlight the Manipulated and Responding Variables
This worksheet describes the difference between an independent (manipulated) and dependent (responding) variable and then asks students to practice by identifying variables in short sentences.
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Can Plants Learn?
An experiment to determine if plants could learn by association Identify key features, such as variables, controls. Based on a real experiment in Nature.com.
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Experimental Design
Students in most science classes start with an overview of scientific processes. For advanced students, I use this cheat sheet to remind them of the major features of the scientific method, such as a control group, dependent and independent variables. AP Bio students are also introduced to the concept of the null and alternative hypotheses…
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Fortune Telling Fish
This activity is perfect for a first day or as an introduction to the scientific method. Though there isn’t quite as much cooperation as the “Saving Sam” activity, the fortune telling fish allows students to explore the nature of science together. The handout linked can be given to students, or you can also project them…
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Investigation: The Effect of Salt on a Potato
Students observe how the mass of a potato slice changes when soaked overnight in salt water. The activity is intended to be done as part of a lesson on osmosis and hypertonic and hypotonic solutions. Students will need about 15 minutes to set up their cups, weigh their slices and make predictions about what they…
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Investigation: How Does a Water Strider Stay Afloat?
This lab was modified from the “Penny Lab” to focus more on the properties of water and how surface tension is important for aquatic organisms like the water strider. The instructions were designed for an intro (vocational) biology class that only meets for a semester.
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Investigation: How Do Enzymes Work?
This lab is fairly basic, but when given with guided instruction how enzymes catalyze reactions, students can have a hands-on experience into how proteins are related to function.
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Using Anchoring Phenomenon with Lessons
Start lessons on osmosis with an activity and anchoring phenomenon. View cells exposed to salt and observe how they change!
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Penny Lab: Soap and Surface Tension
Most science classes begin the year with an exercise on the scientific method. It can be difficult to plan a short activity that will reinforce the main ideas of developing and testing a hypothesis. This lab is simple and doesn’t require much in the way of materials: pennies, water, and pipettes (and paper towels for…
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Comparing the Ameba to the Paramecium
With the adoption of NGSS, I’ve had to make cuts to some of the lessons that biology classes of the past enjoyed. I was sad to see it go, but we no longer do a unit on the Kingdom Protista, but I still manage to fit a microscope lab into other sections.