Category: Worksheets
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Evolution and the Peppered Moth Game
Based on experiments showing moths evolve in response to pollution. Play a game where you try to catch moths in different environments
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Label Digestive System
This worksheet was designed for anatomy students to practice labeling the organs of the digestive system. It is a little more advanced than what is typically seen in health or basic biology classes because it includes the three sections of the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) and the three sections of the colon. (Note: I…
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Investigation: Heat Loss and Insulation in a Jar
This simple experiment can be used as a way to introduce the scientific method. Students design an experiment to test which materials are the best insulators by measuring heat loss. The materials are simple, and the experiment doesn’t take very long. They will need two beakers per group, a thermometer, and hot water. Also, a…
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Jim Allison: Breakthrough
The film, “Jim Allison: Breakthrough” can be streamed through online platforms, like PBS or from Amazon Prime Video. Teachers can sign up for a free license at https://www.breakthroughdoc.com/for-educators The film is 1 1/2 hours long, which is longer than most class periods, and many teen attention spans, so I split the worksheet into two halves.…
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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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Population Genetics in a Fishbowl
Students learn about Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by exploring a virtual population of koi fish. This virtual lab allows students to run experiments where they can change variables, like population size, migration rate, mutation rate, and fitness of two separate alleles. The alleles being studied control the coloration of the fish. Fish can either be white, gold,…
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Understanding the Evolution of Limbs in Snakes
Where did snakes come from? There’s a popular story about snakes in Ireland and how they were lead away by St. Patrick. From a science perspective, snakes likely never were in Ireland to begin with. Many islands don’t have snakes. Why? Because they haven’t had time to evolve there. The activity is adapted from Understanding…
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Urinary System Label
This image was modified from a wikimedia file so that students can fill in the answers. I have made four versions within a Google doc for either practice or differentiation. One version just has boxes for students to name the structures, and a second version has a word bank for developing learners. The other versions…
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How Can Changes in a Population Lead to New Species?
This lesson explores the two models of speciation: allopatric and sympatric. You can also assign a simple print version that explores speciation modes. Students first read about allopatric speciation and apply it to the finches on the Galapagos islands. Each finch species became isolated on its own island, which resulted in each island having a…
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Biome Viewer
This activity asks students to explore an interactive globe at HHMI . This interactive allows students to zoom in on areas of the globe and learn details about its climate and the types of animals that liver there. A button can be used to compare two biomes for features such as precipitation and temperature. The…
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Hardy Weinberg Squirrels
This activity was created for students to complete on their own during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hardy Weinberg equilibrium can be a difficult concept, even with class guidance, so I’ve attempted to break it down into small bite-sized pieces. The Hardy-Weinberg equation is a fundamental principle in population genetics that describes the relationship between allele frequencies…
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Bear, Species, & DNA
This activity was created during the Covid-19 pandemic for students to complete at home using the interactive explore at Learn.Genetics. The activity is probably best for 2nd year biology students or AP Biology, but it could potentially work with first year students. The questions aren’t hard, but the concepts can be difficult to grasp. The…
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Case Study: Diaper Drama
A case study on the urinary system. Students learn about a baby with recurring urinary tract infections due to a duplicate ureter.
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Investigation: Villi Height
Use a Netlogo simulation to observe how different heights of villi within the intestine affect absorption rate. Change the height of villi or size of food.
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Human Population Growth
This activity was designed for home school during the Covid-19 pandemic. Students were completing a unit on ecology and had already done activities on trophic cascades. In this activity, students explore an interactive map and timeline that showcases major events in human history that impacted human populations, events like plagues or the development of new…