Students are presented with information that will allow them to recognize that …
Students are presented with information that will allow them to recognize that yeasts are unicellular organisms that are useful to humans. In fact, their usefulness is derived from the contrast between the way yeast cells and human cells respire. Specifically, while animal cells derive energy from the combination of oxygen and glucose and produce water and carbon dioxide as by-products, yeasts respire without oxygen. Instead, yeasts break glucose down and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide as their by-products. The lesson is also intended to provoke questions from students about the effects of alcohol on the human body, to which the teacher can provide objective answers.
Students will use this activity to determine what keeps our bones strong. …
Students will use this activity to determine what keeps our bones strong. Soaking the bones in vinegar will remove the calcium from the bones causing them to become soft and rubbery. Students will find that when we age, calcium is depleted from our bones faster than we can restore it. They will then determine what complications can arise from it.
Developed for second grade. In this experiment students will learn about the …
Developed for second grade. In this experiment students will learn about the sugar content in foods and the detrimental effects sugar can have on teeth, as well as the importance of dental care.Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have been tried at least once by students from our partner schools. This wiki has been established to share ideas about teaching biology in elementary schools. The motivation behind the creation of this page is twofold: 1. to provide an outlet for the teaching ideas of a group of college educators participating in a workshop-style course; 2. to provide a space where anyone else interested in this topic can place their ideas.
The Science Centre has just launched a new science information project called …
The Science Centre has just launched a new science information project called Understanding COVID-19. This site provides information about viruses and provides links to more information about immunity and infections.
In a class discussion format, the teacher presents background information about basic …
In a class discussion format, the teacher presents background information about basic human genetics. The number of chromosomes in both body cells and egg and sperm cells is covered, as well as the concept of dominant and recessive alleles. Students determine whether or not they possess the dominant allele for the tongue-rolling gene as an example.
Students learn how to take blood pressure by observing a teacher demonstration …
Students learn how to take blood pressure by observing a teacher demonstration and then practicing on fellow classmates in small groups. Once the hands-on component of this activity is completed, the class brainstorms and discusses how blood pressure might affect a person's health. This activity acts as hook for the second lesson in this unit, in which blood pressure is presented in detail, as well as how variances in blood pressure can affect a person's cardiovascular system.
In this activity, students are provided with a list of supplies that …
In this activity, students are provided with a list of supplies that survived their plane's crash in the Amazon jungle. They will organize the supplies to classify which items are useful for surviving in the Amazon. Students will use estimation and basic math skills to determine how much they can carry and to decide on what items to bring with them to survive in the Amazon until they reach their destination.
The teacher leads a discussion in which students identify the physical needs …
The teacher leads a discussion in which students identify the physical needs of animals, and then speculate on the needs of plants. With guidance from the teacher, the students then help design an experiment that can take place in the classroom to test whether or not plants need light and water in order to grow. Sunflower seeds are planted in plastic cups, and once germinated, are exposed to different conditions. In particular, within the classroom setting it is easy to test for the effects of light versus darkness, and watered versus non-watered conditions. During exposure of the plants to these different conditions, students measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard measurement. After a few weeks, they compare the growth of plants exposed to the different conditions, and make pictorial bar graphs that demonstrate these comparisons.
Students use DNA profiling to determine who robbed a bank. After they …
Students use DNA profiling to determine who robbed a bank. After they learn how the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) is used to match crime scene DNA with tissue sample DNA, students use CODIS principles and sample DNA fragments to determine which of three suspects matches evidence obtain at a crime location. They communicate their results as if they were biomedical engineers reporting to a police crime scene investigation.
Developed for second grade. First the teacher will explain the 5 trophic …
Developed for second grade. First the teacher will explain the 5 trophic levels of a food chain to the students using the hand out with the sample food chain (Figure 1). Then once they have learned about trophic levels, autotrophs, and heterotrophs, each student can begin looking through the magazines and cutting out pictures of animals to create their own food chain. Once each student has completed his or her food chain, you can have them share them with the group.Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have been tried at least once by students from our partner schools. This wiki has been established to share ideas about teaching biology in elementary schools. The motivation behind the creation of this page is twofold: 1. to provide an outlet for the teaching ideas of a group of college educators participating in a workshop-style course; 2. to provide a space where anyone else interested in this topic can place their ideas.
How can you tell if harmful bacteria are growing in your food? …
How can you tell if harmful bacteria are growing in your food? Students learn to culture bacteria in order to examine ground meat and bagged salad samples, looking for common foodborne bacteria such as E. coli or salmonella. After 2-7 days of incubation, they observe and identify the resulting bacteria. Based on their first-hand experiences conducting this conventional biological culturing process, they consider its suitability in meeting society's need for ongoing detection of harmful bacteria in its food supply, leading them to see the need for bioengineering inventions for rapid response bio-detection systems.
Developed for second grade. Each group of students will be constructing their …
Developed for second grade. Each group of students will be constructing their own worm ecosystem in a 2 liter soda bottle. They will be combining soil, gravel and sand in the bottle and then adding a bunch of worms to the material. The students will be planting a seed within the soil to observe how the plant shall grow over time. We will have six 2 liter soda bottles with worms and six 2 liter bottles without worms. The students will be examining how the worms affect the growing of the seed.Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have been tried at least once by students from our partner schools. This wiki has been established to share ideas about teaching biology in elementary schools. The motivation behind the creation of this page is twofold: 1. to provide an outlet for the teaching ideas of a group of college educators participating in a workshop-style course; 2. to provide a space where anyone else interested in this topic can place their ideas.
Whales are a large diverse group of animals which belong to the …
Whales are a large diverse group of animals which belong to the clade Cetacea, which also includes porpoises and dolphins. Whales are charismatic creatures, who have captured the attention of millions around the world. Still, the world of whales is shrouded in mystery. One of the biggest challenges to studying whales is that they are hard to find. Less than 5% of the ocean has been explored, and it covers 71% of the surface of our planet. This makes whales challenging to research under wild conditions. It is thanks to dedicated researchers, explorers, and educators, that we are now beginning to understand just how incredible whales are, and how important they are to sustaining life in the ocean.
Developed for third grade. This activity will explore the uses of birds …
Developed for third grade. This activity will explore the uses of birds beaks in the wild. The activity features 8 stations in which students will hypothesize, test, and record the data they observe. This is a hands-on and interactive experiment that the students are sure to enjoy.Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have been tried at least once by students from our partner schools. This wiki has been established to share ideas about teaching biology in elementary schools. The motivation behind the creation of this page is twofold: 1. to provide an outlet for the teaching ideas of a group of college educators participating in a workshop-style course; 2. to provide a space where anyone else interested in this topic can place their ideas.
Learn what happens on a mink farm during the course of a …
Learn what happens on a mink farm during the course of a year and throughout the various production cycles. Student reflection questions included as a fillable PDF.
Students set up a simple way to indirectly observe and quantify the …
Students set up a simple way to indirectly observe and quantify the amount of respiration occurring in yeast-molasses cultures. Each student adds a small amount of baking yeast to a test tube filled with diluted molasses. A second, smaller test tube is then placed upside-down inside the solution. As the yeast cells respire, the carbon dioxide they produce is trapped inside the inverted test tube, producing a growing bubble of gas that is easily observed and measured. Students are presented with the procedure for designing an effective experiment; they learn to think critically about experimental results and indirect observations of experimental events.
This site invites students to examine clues and determine what life was …
This site invites students to examine clues and determine what life was like for a family that lived in New Castle, Delaware, during the 1700s. Students also discover what historians in the next century might learn about us if they found our homes the way they are today.
Hank tells us about the team of deadly ninja assassins that is …
Hank tells us about the team of deadly ninja assassins that is tasked with protecting our bodies from all the bad guys that want to kill us - also known as our immune system.
Developed for third grade. This activity is fairly straightforward and simple. Each …
Developed for third grade. This activity is fairly straightforward and simple. Each student will grow one to three plants from various beans that are placed in a bag. As the plants grow, students will observe how the appearances change daily, and then again over a longer period of time, such as two weeks.Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have been tried at least once by students from our partner schools. This wiki has been established to share ideas about teaching biology in elementary schools. The motivation behind the creation of this page is twofold: 1. to provide an outlet for the teaching ideas of a group of college educators participating in a workshop-style course; 2. to provide a space where anyone else interested in this topic can place their ideas.
boclips - the world’s video uniquely curated for education You can access …
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