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Vinegar Eels In this lab, students observe vinegar eels. View »
Daphnia Heart Rate In this introductory physiology lab, students determine the heart rate of Daphnia magna and then test the effect of changing temperature on the heart rate. View »
Constructing a Cladogram with Hydra, Planaria, and Daphnia In this lab students compare the body structure and functions of three invertebrates to that of a vertebrate. They use their data to construct a cladogram. View »
Introduction to Ascomycetes This lab introduces students to the variation found in the fungal phylum Ascomycota. Students examine four representatives: Anthracobia muelleri, Eurotium chevalieri, Schizosaccharomyces octosporus, and Sordaria fimicola. View »
Introduction to Algae In this lab, students observe a variety of algae and record basic observations of them. View »
On the Cutting Edge: AP® Biology Mammalian Structure and Function Dissection Kit One of the best specimens to explore mammalian structures is the cat. Provide your AP® Biology students with a comprehensive survey of tissues, organs, and organ systems using the cat as a model organism. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Cat Dissection Cat dissection offers an excellent opportunity to explore mammalian anatomy using a large specimen with internal organs much like our own. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Extend Water Quality Studies Using the Yellow Perch Conducting a perch dissection lab gives students a hands-on understanding of the fish’s anatomy and how water quality affects its physiology View »
On the Cutting Edge: Rat Dissection The rat’s body structure and organ systems are relatively similar to those of a human. This similarity provides an interesting look into mammalian anatomy and allows students to make comparisons between humans, rats, and other mammals. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Starfish Anatomy Learn how to do a hands-on lesson that explores the starfish’s external anatomy, focusing on structures used for locomotion, protection, and feeding. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Understanding the Mammalian Kidney The Mammalian Kidney Dissection BioKit® offers your students the opportunity to dissect and understand this fascinating organ. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Rat Dissection External Exam In this activity, we’ll show you how to start with a thorough examination of the rat’s external anatomy that helps students gain insight about this animal’s habitat, behavior, and relatedness to humans. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Sheep Heart Dissection Dissection of the sheep heart offers students an excellent opportunity to learn about the anatomy of a mammalian heart. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Think Mink! This article explores how Carolina mink make great model organisms for introducing your students to general mammalian anatomy and physiology. View »
Grasshopper Dissection Explore basic insect anatomy with preserved grasshoppers. This dissection requires only dissecting scissors, and you can do it in a class period. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Exploring Sheep Organs Sheep organ dissection offers an excellent opportunity for students to learn about anatomical structures and functions. View »
On the Cutting Edge: Frog Internal Anatomy Exploration Frogs are excellent specimens for studying organ systems and for giving your students a hands-on appreciation of the complexity of a living organism. View »
Science Notebook: An Owl Pellet Inquiry This introductory owl pellet dissection is a springboard for teaching the techniques of using a science notebook while having students engage in the scientific practices. View »
Introduction to Lichens In this lab students observe basic lichen types (crustose, foliose, fruticose and fruticose pendant) and discover that lichens are composite organisms, consisting of fungal and algal components. View »
Protista: Key to Algae Mixtures What are algae? In this lab students observe a variety of algae and record their characteristics. View »
Survey of Protista Protists are highly diverse. In this lab students are introduced to this diversity through observing a selection of protists and recording their characteristics. View »
Osmosis Eggsperiment Is your osmosis lesson all it’s cracked up to be? Get it cooking with this fun, hands-on activity. Using a couple of fresh chicken eggs and a few household items, students can discover the hard-boiled facts about osmosis in animal cells—unscrambling an abstract concept by making it tangible. View »
Cow Eye Dissection: Examining Structure and Function Use this simple, engaging dissection to teach your students about the eye's structures and their functions. View »
Fun Butterfly Crafts Extend your study of butterflies with these engaging crafts. View »
The Dogfish Shark—Structure and FUNction! Use this simple guide to connect form and function during your next dogfish dissection activity. View »
Schoolyard Field Study Conduct a field study of your schoolyard with this activity. It’s an opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned throughout the year. Students work in groups of 2 to 3 over several class periods. View »
Optics of the Human Eye A cross-curricular lesson in biology and physics allows students to make a simple model of the human eye. Students investigate how geometric optics can be applied to this complex, biological structure in order to describe how the images we see are formed when special tissues in our eye, the cornea and the lens, refract the light entering the pupil to create an image on the back wall of the eyeball (the retina), like a miniature, organic movie projector. View »
Restriction Enzyme Road Trip: Enduring Understandings in DNA Biotechnology Employing an entertaining road trip analogy, students will model restriction enzyme digestion and demonstrate their learning by modeling the separation of the resulting “DNA” fragments by gel electrophoresis. View »
Human Body: Reproductive System Review Review information about reproductive methods with this graphic organizer. View »
Carolina Quick Tips®: Hunting for Prey In this activity, students investigate energy transfer among organisms by assembling a food chain energy pyramid and dissecting an owl pellet. Adapted from the Building Blocks of Science® unit Matter and Energy in Ecosystems. View »
Human Body: Endocrine System Review Review information about the endocrine system with this graphic organizer. View »
Human Body: Digestive System Review Identify the locations, enzymes, and functions of organs in the digestive system with this graphic organizer. View »
Digestion Activity: Pathway and Enzymes Explore the intricacies of digestion and the roles of enzymes with this fill-in-the-blank activity. Includes an answer key. View »
Force Awakens Magnetism is an example of a non-contact force that occurs when objects are not touching. In this activity, students investigate how magnets create a force field that can attract and repel objects. Includes a materials list and step-by-step instructions. View »
Human Body: Urinary System Review Review urinary system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
Developing and Analyzing Urine Samples as a Model of Kidney Function In this activity, students gain an understanding of urine composition by developing and testing models of urine samples. Includes teacher and student guides. View »
Human Body: Nervous System Review Review nervous system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
Chicken Wing Musculature Explore the structures and functions of muscle tissue and practice dissection techniques with this activity. View »
Amazing Bugs® Beetle Races: Observation Sheet Students can record their observations of the darkling beetle on this sheet. View »
Amazing Bugs® Beetle Races: Performance Standards Summary Review this summary for details on how the Amazing Bugs® Beetle Races kit helps students achieve performance standards. View »
Amazing Bugs® Beetle Races: Pre/Post Questions Guide inquiry and assess student learning with these questions. Students answer the questions before and after the activities in the Amazing Bugs® kit. View »
Human Body: Skeletal System Review Review skeletal system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
Maggot Michelangelos: Using Artwork to Gain Behavioral Insight In this activity, students use house fly larvae to answer morphological and behavioral questions—all while creating unique artwork! Students create and test hypotheses, and learn about the complete metamorphosis life cycle. View »
Human Body: Integumentary System Review Review the structure and function of the integumentary system with this graphic organizer. View »
Cutaneous 2-Point Discrimination Explore the density of receptors in the skin on the hand with this activity. View »
Owl Pellet Food Webs: A Model of Energy and Mass Transfer Explore the phenomenon of owl pellets and construct a model food web for barn owls with this activity. Guiding question: How do energy and mass flow through a food web? View »
Butterfly Life Cycle Activities for Elementary Students Work the study of butterflies into your curriculum with this e-book of activities (for grades K–5). Includes detailed instructions, reproducible student pages, and an answer key. View »
Frog Dissection Looking for an introductory frog dissection activity? This one requires only dissecting scissors, and you can complete it in 1–2 class periods. View »