Cornell University
Extracting DNA
Uncover the basics of DNA structure through exploration activities. Collaborative groups build DNA models and recreate the process of replication. Then, using plant cells such as peas or strawberries, they extract a DNA sample.
Towson University
The Wildlife Forensics Lab
Can science put an end to the poaching of endangered species? Show your young forensic experts how biotechnology can help save wildlife through an exciting electrophoresis lab. Grouped pupils analyze shark DNA to determine if it came...
Towson University
Chestnut Tree Lab
What will your class learn in a curious tale of a fungus, a virus, and a chestnut tree? Biology scholars discover the world of viral biocontrols through a DNA restriction lab. Groups research the decline of the American chestnut tree at...
Towson University
Case of the Crown Jewels
Can your biology class crack the Case of the Crown Jewels? Junior forensics experts try their hands at DNA restriction analysis in an exciting lab activity. The activity introduces the concept of restriction analysis, teaches pipetting...
Towson University
Transformation Lab
Transform your class' understanding of genes and antibiotic resistance with the Transformation Lab. Junior geneticists create and observe their own resistant strains of E. coli through research, discussion, and experimentation. The...
CK-12 Foundation
Sex-Linked Inheritance
Sex-linked traits indicate a gene's location on a specific chromosome. Scholars learn about sex-linked traits and the specifics behind color blindness in the videos. Then they complete the online interactive to apply their knowledge...
CK-12 Foundation
Modern Genetics
Genetic counselors advise their clients on the chance of passing specific diseases on to their children. Pupils learn about genotypes, phenotypes, and genetics in the lesson. Matching activities, multiple-choice questions, and a...
CK-12 Foundation
Transcription of DNA to RNA: Making mRNA
Transcription means a written copy but how can DNA write a message? The video explains transcription and translation as they relate to DNA and RNA. Then in the interactive, scholars practice base pairing and answer analysis questions...
It's About Time
Is It Heredity or the Environment?
Himalayan rabbits are black when raised at low temperatures and white when raised at high temperatures. Young biologists participate in an experiment using seeds to demonstrate the ways the environment can influence an inherited...
US National Library of Medicine
Genetics in Harry Potter’s World Lesson 2
Can we find the phenotypes and genotypes of magical ability for the characters in Harry Potter? Of course, but first we need to understand incomplete or blended dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles, and regulatory genes. This...
US National Library of Medicine
Genetics in Harry Potter’s World Lesson 1
By the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we know Harry and Ginny get married, but what will their kids look like? This presentation introduces viewers to Punnett Squares and how to use them to determine both dominant and...
Virginia Department of Education
Levels of Cellular Organization
What an eccentric way to learn about each level of cellular organization! Allow emerging biologists to utilize white paper and create their own foldable charts to describe each level of organization in the body. You may also adapt the...
Virginia Department of Education
Osmosis, Diffusion, and Active Transport
No, it really is okay to play with your food! Emerging scientists manipulate popcorn, eggs, and other household objects as they demonstrate multiple cellular processes. The activity, capable of modifications, is designed to reflect the...
Virginia Department of Education
Cell Division
Searching for simple ways to teach mitosis to high schoolers? Using colored chalk and onion root tips, pupils visually demonstrate what they view when looking through the lens of a microscope. There are also various ways to expand the...
Scholastic
Back from the Dead
If you could bring back one extinct animal, what would it be? That is the question your class will ponder. Your budding scientists read a passage, follow a cloning timeline, and review a diagram about the process of reviving a woolly...
Gallantsbiocorner.com
The Cell
Help young biologists piece together an understanding of cell structure with a comprehensive review worksheet. Tasking students with describing the function of the organelles found in cells and their relationship with one another, this...
Cherokee County Schools
Dragon Genetics
It's alive! Turn young biologists into mad scientists with this engaging genetics activity. Using their knowledge of chromosomes and genes, students create dragons with unique sets of traits, eventually breeding them to make a new...
Rain Bird Corporation
Rain Forest Teaching Curriculum
Take young naturalists on an exploration of the world's tropical rainforests with this extensive collection of lessons and activities. Whether its creating leaf and flower prints or investigating the absorption spectrum of chlorophyl,...
Pearson
Transcription
Teach young biologists the language of life with this series of worksheets on DNA. By working through these pages, students expand their understanding of genetics as they learn about the process of transcription and the resulting mRNA...
BBSRC
Discovering DNA: The Recipe for Life
A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe for...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies
How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...
Curated OER
Allele and Phenotype Frequencies in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
In the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, some tiny creatures show just how quickly natural selection can turn a mutation into an advantageous adaptation. Watch a video about rock pocket mice, who show that one small change can make all...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Icefish Adaptations
What adaptations exist in order for icefish to survive the subfreezing temperatures of the Antarctic Ocean? Middle and high schoolers can find out through watching a related 13-minute video and performing a simple investigation to...
PBS
DNA 101: Life's Instruction Manual | UNC-TV Science
Unravel the DNA molecule in just over a minute! Future geneticists listen and watch a video exploring DNA's structure, function, and the interaction of the genes and proteins that decode and interpret the complex molecule. Scholars...