Classroom Activities

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Vinegar Eels In this lab, students observe vinegar eels. View »
Embryology with Rhabditis In this lab students observe cleavage of fertilized eggs of female Rhabditis. View »
Introduction to Planaria In this lab, students examine the anatomy and behavior of the planarian, a simple animal with bilateral symmetry. View »
Pill Bug Behavior This activity is an introduction to animal behavior. Students conduct an experiment to test the response of pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) to conditions of low and high humidity. View »
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 »
Lumbriculus: Contraction Rate of the Dorsal Blood Vessel In this introductory physiology lab, students determine the contraction rate of the dorsal blood vessel of the blackworm Lumbriculus. Students then design and conduct an experiment to determine the effect of temperature change or chemical exposure on the contraction rate. View »
Introduction to Blood Types In this lab, students are introduced to the human ABO blood groups. View »
Introduction to Hydra This lab introduces students to Phylum Cnidaria. The activity also serves as an introduction to animals. View »
Introduction to Invertebrates In this lab, students study representatives of several invertebrate groups. 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 »
Investigating Hatching of Brine Shrimp Eggs In this lab students study the hatching of brine shrimp eggs and design an experiment to see what factors influence hatching. View »
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 »
Two-Point Linkage with Drosophila In this lab students explore the genetic consequences of gene linkage using an F1 cross of Drosophila. View »
Food Calorimetry: How to Measure Calories in Food Help your students learn how to determine the calories in food with this hands-on lab activity. Using common, inexpensive materials, students construct a calorimeter and test several food samples to determine their energy content. Addresses selected National Science Education Standards for grades 9–12. View »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Mitosis Match Up: Student Activity Sheet With this activity, students identify and label pictures of plant cells in varying phases of the cell cycle. View »
Strawberry DNA Extraction Introduce students to DNA with this activity. A discussion of how this DNA extraction procedure works might also touch on the plant cell wall, the cell membrane, and DNA's lack of solubility in ethanol. Includes materials list and step-by-step instructions. View »
Two Quick, Easy Ways to Collect Insects for Diversity Studies Get your students outside and engaged with the world around them. In this activity, we’ll look at 2 techniques that make collecting insects in the field quick and easy. Use one or both to collect insects from microenvironments around your school and then examine diversity using Shannon’s or Simpson’s diversity index. View »
Biology in the Movies See how you can use movies to facilitate engaging learning experiences for your students. Each suggestion includes a brief synopsis and talking points. Here’s to making your biology lessons even better than before. View »
ChromoSock™ Meiosis What if understanding meiosis were as easy as folding laundry? In this activity, students use special socks to model chromosome behavior during meiosis. 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 »
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 »