Search results for: “science graph”

  • Investigation:  Enzyme and Substrate Concentrations

    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…

  • Case Study – The Tired Swimmer

    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…

  • Mitosis – Internet Exploration

    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…

  • 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…

  • Cell Membrane and Transport

    Cell Membrane and Transport

    This reinforcement worksheet displays a graphic of the cell membrane showing the phospholipid bilayer and embedded proteins.    Students identify structures within the bilayer and use reasoning to determine how molecules are moving across the membrane in response to a hypertonic solution. Worksheet was designed for freshman level biology classes who are studying osmosis and…

  • Case Study:  Can a Virus Cause Diabetes?

    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”…

  • Cell City

    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…

  • Investigation: Comparing Plant and Animal Cells

    Investigation: Comparing Plant and Animal Cells

     This simple investigation asks students to view cells under the microscope and compare differences between plant and animal cells.   Students are instructed in the procedure for removing the epithelial cells of an onion and staining with iodine.  These cells are fairly easy to see and most beginning students will have no trouble locating the…

  • Investigation: Tools and Measurements

    Investigation: Tools and Measurements

    I designed this activity to help students become familiar with basic equipment found in the lab.  Students take volume measurements using a graduated cylinder, beaker, and a 3ml pipette.   Ultimately, they must determine how many single drops of water are in 1 milliliter by designing a way to test this given the tools provided.…

  • Feedback Loops: Insulin and Glucagon

    Feedback Loops: Insulin and Glucagon

    The Next Generation Science Standards includes feedback loops and homeostasis as a standard for life science.  While homeostasis is a theme for many units in biology, feedback mechanisms are fairly specific.  In fact, this is probably the most oddly specific topic found in NGSS.   If you are trying to include it, most younger students…

  • Article:  The Body Farm

    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…

  • Lab Report Guidelines and Template

    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.

  • Demo:  BTB and Carbon Dioxide

    Demo: BTB and Carbon Dioxide

    I have used this demonstration every year to introduce the scientific method.  The worksheet below is optional and includes instructions for writing a lab report and doing a more involved investigation, but for the beginning of the year, I prefer to just have students observe and give their suggestions for how to test various hypotheses.…

  • Investigation:  Why Are Cells So Small?

    Investigation: Why Are Cells So Small?

    This activity requires students to practice math skills by measuring the surface area and the volume of boxes.   Collect boxes for students to use, these can be any type of box, such as tissue boxes, food boxes, or shoe boxes.  Ideally, you want a range of sizes, with at least one box being overly…

  • Investigation:  What Factors Affect Seed Germination?

    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…