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Estimating Populations Using Mark-Recapture Mark-recapture is one of the most common methods used by ecologists to determine population size. Engage your students with this exciting activity to get hands-on experience with the Mark-recapture method. View »
Embryology with Rhabditis In this lab students observe cleavage of fertilized eggs of female Rhabditis. View »
Bacterial Growth on MacConkey Agar In this lab students culture three bacteria on nutrient agar and MacConkey agar and record the results. View »
Introduction to Prokaryotes: Archaea In this lab, students are introduced to Halobacterium, a representative of the Archaea, one of the three domains of life (along with Bacteria and Eukarya). View »
Introduction to Fungi This lab introduces students to the Kingdom Fungi through study of two phyla, the zygomycetes and basidiomycetes. 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 »
Basic Mold Showplate Set This introduction to fungi focuses on the production of asexual spores by three fungi: Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Rhizopus. View »
Animal or Not? In this lab students compare an animal to an animal-like protist, or protozoan. 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 »
Plant Biodiversity Field Activity This field activity introduces students to biodiversity through the study of plants and animals in a designated area. But here’s the twist—instead of using a quadrat to designate the area of study, students use a Hula Hoop® instead. 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 »
Teaching with Ecosystem Aquariums By creating and maintaining an aquarium ecosystem in the classroom, students can understand the web of relationships that link organisms to one another, and they can develop a growing sensitivity to living things and what they need to survive. View »
Introduction to Prokaryotes: Bacteria What are bacteria? In this introductory lab students make smears of bacteria on microscope slides from pure cultures, perform a simple stain, and observe their stained slides under a microscope View »
Investigating Seed Germination The story of how a seed becomes a plant is fascinating to young students. These activities for grades K-4 will help your students explore the process of germination, seed structure, and early seedling growth. View »
Isolating Bacteria from a Mixture How does a microbiologist isolate bacteria from a sample? In this lab students practice streaking a plate to isolate a single species of bacterium from a known mixture. View »
Seed Germination In this inquiry activity students in grades 5-10 design and conduct an experiment to investigate factors that may affect seed germination. View »
Wisconsin Fast Plants® and Product Testing In this inquiry activity, students conduct experiments to determine if a commercial product effects the germination of Wisconsin Fast Plants® seed. In doing so they practice basic science skills including collecting and graphing data, interpreting data, and doing serial dilutions. View »
Copying Nature’s Success: Teaching Students About Biomimetics Ready to create a model home that draws on biomimetics? In this activity, students research, design, and build structures that incorporate ideas inspired by the natural world. View »
The Dogfish Shark—Structure and FUNction! Use this simple guide to connect form and function during your next dogfish dissection activity. 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 »
End the Year with an Outdoor Classroom Everything’s better in the great outdoors. Celebrate the warmer weather and engage your students during the final stretch of the school year with these fun activities. View »
Ballistics: Student Investigation Sheet How do holes left by projectiles help forensic investigators? This activity asks students to calculate the angle of incidence of several perforations. View »
Bloodstain Analysis: Student Investigation Sheet Like other physical evidence, blood often links a scene, perpetrator, and victim. This activity describes how to determine the angle of incidence of a blood drop. View »
Five Photography Terms Every Arson and Crime Scene Photographer Should Know Despite its advantages, photography remains the least understood and developed skill for arson and crime scene investigators. Learn about key terms and techniques and try a fingerprint distortion activity. View »
Making Algae Beads In this activity students create spheres of green algae for use in experiments that explore the metabolic processes of plants. Includes a materials list and step-by-step instructions. View »
Human Body: Reproductive System Review Review information about reproductive methods with this graphic organizer. View »
Human Body: Endocrine System Review Review information about the endocrine system with this graphic organizer. View »
Human Body: Identifying Endocrine Tissues In this activity, students identify 6 of the major glands and organs of the endocrine system. View »
Urban Stream Syndrome Urban streams often suffer from urban stream syndrome, which is characterized by changes in nutrient levels, hydrology, biodiversity, and other factors. In this activity, students learn how to identify streams that suffer from urban stream syndrome based on visual evidence. View »
Invertebrate Biodiversity and Abiotic Factors Understanding the relationships between biotic diversity and abiotic factors in an ecosystem can be a difficult task. Using soil invertebrates, students can identify both the number of species present in a soil sample and the number of individuals within a species. View »
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 »
Which Leaf Shape Can Hold the Most Butterfly Eggs? In this elementary-level activity, students investigate the relationship between leaf shape and the number of butterfly eggs that can be laid on a leaf (grades K–5). View »
Comparative Metamorphosis In this investigation, students observe development of 3 different insects from the larva or nymph stage through the adult stage. They also complete a comparative development study of metamorphosis, observing complete and incomplete metamorphosis. View »
Pill Bug Behavior Choices This introductory investigation into animal behavior uses pill bugs and choice chambers. Students begin with an experiment to test how pill bugs respond to humidity and can go on to design an inquiry to test another environmental factor. View »
An Inquiry into Seed Germination This NGSS-aligned activity is a student inquiry into factors that affect seed germination.Use it as an introduction for plant studies in biology or as an environmental impact investigation in earth science, environmental science, or agricultural science. View »
Constructing and Testing a Dichotomous Key Model for Fruit This investigation requires students to create and test a model for fruit classification. Use it as an introductory inquiry into taxonomy for life science classes or as an NGSS Dimension 1 Practice in life science, botany, or agricultural science classes. View »
Hydroponic Nutrient Solution After a structured investigation of a hydroponic technology, students design an experiment to test different nutrient solutions. View »
Human Body: Nervous System Review Review nervous system structure and function with this graphic organizer. View »
Human Body: Skeletal System Review Review skeletal system structure and function with this graphic organizer. 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 »
Calorimetry: Measuring the Energy in Foods In this investigation, students determine the calories, or heat content, of 3 different foods. View »