Author: Shannan Muskopf
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Data Analysis – Stature and Bone Length
Does the length of a person’s legs and arm bones correlate to the height of the person? The following graph shows a scatterplot of lengths of the humerus, tibia, femur and tibia. Examine the graphs shown below. What CLAIMS can be made to answer the question? Summarize the EVIDENCE shown in the graphs. Develop a…
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Investigation: Enzyme and Substrate Concentrations
Students who complete the Enzyme Investigation lab can further explore enzymes with this lab on how concentrations of the substrate (hydrogen peroxide) and the enzyme ( catalase) can affect the rate of reaction. In the first experiment, students simply made a judgement about the amount of bubbling to indicate reaction speed, though this is a…
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Case Study – The Tired Swimmer
This case study was modified from the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science so that it is more appropriate for basic high school students in anatomy and physiology. This case is intended to be used during the chapter on muscles as it requires students to examine how the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine is used…
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Mitosis – Internet Exploration
This assignment can be a stand-alone activity to help students learn to identify the phases of mitosis by viewing various animations. There are several sites to visit, where students perform tasks, such as labeling and making comparisons. Site 1: Bioman Mitosis Mover This is a game site where you progress through levels. Students can print…
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Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) Science Topics
A list of topics and articles for students to use to practice claim, evidence, and reasoning.
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Macromolecules: Sketchnotes
In the past, I’ve had students create concept maps to help them organize the four macromolecules and related details. This year, I modified the assignment to try to encourage the use of sketching to help students remember the details. Students were asked to focus on one of the four macromolecules: lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, or…
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Case Study: Can a Virus Cause Diabetes?
This case asks students to examine data on children diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes after reading a short story about a young girl who was losing weight and feeling thirsty. The content looks at a possible connection between diabetes and infection by the coxsackie virus, a virus that is responsible for “hand, foot, and mouth”…
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Cell City
This popular activity asks students to read a story about a fictional town where each part of the city is compared to the parts of a cell. For example: “Widgets are generally produced in small shops around the city, these small shops can be built by the carpenter’s union (whose headquarters are in town hall.)” In this…
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Article: The Body Farm
This article has been adapted to model standardized test questions students, where the article is divided into columns and each paragraph is labeled with a number. Students are required to find information in the text and analyze text structures. Readers are asked to used context clues to understand difficult vocabulary. Students must also make…
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Lab Report Guidelines and Template
Help students organize a lab report for any experiment, includes basic layout: title, introduction, hypothesis, materials and methods, data, and conclusions.
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Investigation: What Factors Affect Seed Germination?
This activity can be used as part of a unit on plants or as an activity to illustrate the scientific method. The materials are cheap and can be obtained from the grocery store. Students design an experiment to determine what factors affect seed germination. They are given a list of variables that are appropriate…
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Bone Matrix Anatomy (Coloring)
Anatomy students learn about the skeletal system, where they examine bones and how the bones fit together to make up an entire skeleton. In addition, some course also explore bone tissue and how bone is formed, repaired, and even broken down to release minerals. The bone matrix is composed of cells called osteocytes…
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Investigation: What Organisms Are Found in Ponds?
Does your community have ponds, streams, or lakes? Students enjoy working with real biology, and though it may not be possible to take students to a lake, you can bring the lake to the student. This open-ended activity gives students the opportunity to explore pond water and compare the types of species found in…
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Investigation: Stride Length and Bone Lengths
This activity is intended to introduce students to spreadsheets while also reinforcing concepts learned in the unit on the skeletal system. While graphs may be easier to create using google sheets, student can still create graphs by hand using graph paper. Your class will need a set of meter sticks or rules to…
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Analyzing Graphics: The Carbon Cycle
This graphic illustrates how atmospheric carbon dioxide is produced during cellular respiration and combustion and then taken up by plants. Students apply what they have learned about the processes of photosynthesis and respiration to label parts of the graphic an answer questions. This activity is probably best done as a pair-share activity or a…