Practice identifying hypotonic and hypertonic solutions and determining which direction water will flow with these slides. You can assign this activity on Google Classroom, and students can complete the activity on their own or in groups.
The activity features 4 slides with cells in various solutions of glucose or glucose + sodium. Next to each graphic is a chart where students answer questions about which water water will move. For example, if the solution in the bag is hypertonic, then water will move into the bag.
The final slide shows a graphic of a T-tube with a semipermeable membrane divider for students to label (drag and drop).
Google Slides
This topic can be challenging for some students, because they can’t quite visualize why water is moving toward the side with the most solutes. I teach them that the rule is “salt sucks” and then expand that to other stuff, like sugar.
The questions also require students to do a little math (add and subtract) to determine what percentage of water is in and out of the cell. This can also help them understand that water will flow toward the area with the lower percent of water. Like with regular diffusion, water will flow down the concentration gradient.
Student slides are available for free. The TpT link leads to the answer key plus a PowerPoint version of the activity.
Other Resources on Osmosis
Notes with Slides for Presentation
Modeling Osmosis with Deco Cubes
Diffusion and Osmosis Crossword Puzzle
