Classroom Activities
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Meiosis and Genetics In this lab, students investigate how the events of meiosis relate to Mendelian genetics. View »
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Vinegar Eels In this lab, students observe vinegar eels. View »
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Testing for Segregation of Alleles In this lab, students test corn pollen for evidence of the segregation of alleles. View »
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Introduction to Drosophila: Phenotypes In this lab students compare phenotypes of mutant Drosophila to wild type. The activity is intended as a student’s first experience working with Drosophila. View »
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Investigating a Phenotype In this activity, students investigate a phenotype that is not so conspicuous, and they perform a simple chemical test to reveal the underlying basis of the phenotype. View »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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Introduction to Algae In this lab, students observe a variety of algae and record basic observations of them. View »
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Three-Point Linkage with Drosophila In this lab students investigate the effects of gene linkage and crossing-over on the inheritance of three traits of Drosophila. They use the data they collect to construct a linkage map of the gene loci. View »
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Two-Point Linkage with Drosophila In this lab students explore the genetic consequences of gene linkage using an F1 cross of Drosophila. View »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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On the Cutting Edge: Exploring Sheep Organs Sheep organ dissection offers an excellent opportunity for students to learn about anatomical structures and functions. View »
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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 »
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Periodic Table Mystery P is less dense than S. S is an alkali metal. E is a noble gas. In this activity, students generate a periodic table from clues and predict the missing properties of several elements based on the elements’ locations in the table. View »
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Plate Tectonics Activity Here is a fascinating activity that will help you give your students a better understanding of Earth's structure and how it creates tectonic plate movement. View »
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Gene Interaction with Drosophila How do genes interact in the inheritance of traits? Find out in this intriguing study of the inheritance of eye color in Drosophila. View »
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Genetics with Drosophila F1 Crosses Drosophila genetics labs without the the need to select virgin female flies for crosses. We ship F1 flies so your students need only to set them up in fresh vials to produce an F2. View »
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Genetics with Drosophila F1 Crosses: Sex-Linkage Drosophila genetics labs without the the need to select virgin female flies for crosses. We ship F1 flies so your students need only to set them up in fresh vials to produce an F2. View »
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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 »
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Introductory Genetics with Drosophila Use this LabSheet with a variety of our Drosophila cultures and sets for introductory labs covering monohybrid, dihybrid, and sex-linked crosses. View »
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Protista: Key to Algae Mixtures What are algae? In this lab students observe a variety of algae and record their characteristics. View »
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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 »
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Volcano in the Classroom Here’s a safe, easy, and vivid interpretation of a classic activity that won’t break the budget. All you’ll need are a few common items—a beaker, sand, water, a candle, and a hot plate. View »
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More Paper Clip Chemistry Who knew the common paper clip could be such a versatile teaching assistant? This activity uses several paper clip styles to help students understand empirical formulas and relative masses. View »
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Molecular Geometry with Balloons For some students, molecular geometry can be tricky to understand, but with this hands-on, engaging activity, it doesn’t have to be. View »
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Teaching Chemistry with Manipulatives Manipulatives can help students (especially visual and tactile learners) understand abstract concepts by allowing them to “see” a chemical structure or process. We offer 2 ideas for creating manipulatives and how to use them. View »
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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 »
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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 »
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The Dogfish Shark—Structure and FUNction! Use this simple guide to connect form and function during your next dogfish dissection activity. View »
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A New Approach to Teaching Atomic Theory For chemistry teacher Siobhan Julian, teaching the history of atomic theory by lecture “was dry and tedious and boring for everyone involved.” Then she took a fresh approach—one that focuses on doing science to learn science history. View »
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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 »
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AP® Biology: Statistics Worksheet A set of 4 problems focused on statistics and analysis. View »
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Human Body: Reproductive System Review Review information about reproductive methods with this graphic organizer. View »
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Human Body: Endocrine System Review Review information about the endocrine system with this graphic organizer. View »
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Human Body: Digestive System Review Identify the locations, enzymes, and functions of organs in the digestive system with this graphic organizer. View »
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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 »
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Wisconsin Fast Plants® Monohybrid Crosses Inquiry In this scientific inquiry activity, students germinate F2 generation Wisconsin Fast Plants® seeds and identify the phenotypes and possible genotypes of the F2 generation plants. View »
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Introduction to Wisconsin Fast Plants® Phenotypes In this inquiry activity, students investigate phenotypes using Wisconsin Fast Plants® seeds. After the seeds germinate, students identify the phenotypes and the possible associated genotype. View »
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Human Body: Urinary System Review Review urinary system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
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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 »
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A Visual Introduction to Ionic and Net Ionic Equations With this activity students explore the phenomenon of chemical precipitation and construct an atomic level model of precipitation using ionic and net ionic equations. View »
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Human Body: Nervous System Review Review nervous system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
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Chicken Wing Musculature Explore the structures and functions of muscle tissue and practice dissection techniques with this activity. View »
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Human Body: Skeletal System Review Review skeletal system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
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Human Body: Integumentary System Review Review the structure and function of the integumentary system with this graphic organizer. View »
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Cutaneous 2-Point Discrimination Explore the density of receptors in the skin on the hand with this activity. View »
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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 »
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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 »