Nuffield Foundation
A Closer Look at Blood
Here is a lab that has teenage scientists examining samples of their own blood under a microscope. Learners carefully prepare slides, then make detailed observations and identifying different types of cells using a key.
Curated OER
Introduction to Conics
Just exactly where does the name conic come from? This brief hands-on exploration explains it all. Have your class cut cones to create their own conics, then assess their understanding with a few identification problems. Consider making...
WK Kellogg Biological Station
N2O: It’s No Laughing Matter!
While the layout of the lesson is not very detailed and the link to the PowerPoint is no longer valid, there are some great exercises to examine the role of nitrous oxide in the environment. For middle level learners, the resource listed...
Curated OER
Celery Lab
How do sugar and salt affect celery's mass, width, and flexibility? Using simple household ingredients, young scientists will perform a controlled experiment to find out. The lab is scaffolded through a worksheet, but there are no other...
Nuffield Foundation
Dissecting Lungs
Here is a lab activity where teens experience the respiratory system first-hand as they dissect lungs and identify key structures within the system. Although the website is written in British English with some slightly different verbiage...
Nuffield Foundation
Modelling the Human Ventilation System
Why is breathing so difficult for asthma sufferers? To find out, learners build their own lung models in the investigation (from a British website, hence the term ventilation system instead of respiratory system). Using different-sized...
Curated OER
Investigating Mitosis in Allium Root Tip Squash
Preparing the root tip samples is the most challenging part of the mitosis-viewing lab found here, but the directions help ensure you have everything you need. There is no worksheet included; however, there is a sample data table....
Curated OER
Testing Leaves for Starch: the Technique
Like good scientists, kids often want to see first-hand why things are as they are; they can do just that in the starch-testing photosynthesis activity found here. Depending on the age of your pupils, you may wish to do the investigation...
Curated OER
Investigating an Enzyme-controlled Reaction: Catalase and Hydrogen Peroxide Concentration
Are you looking for a way to measure cellular respiration? Try it with pureed potatoes. With some standard high school science equipment, biologists can perform an investigation and collect data surrounding byproducts of respiration. You...
Curated OER
How Do Plants and Animals Change the Environment Around Them?
If you have elodea and snails in your classroom aquarium, or if you have access to a pond with these organisms, your young biologists can set up a controlled experiment to determine how certain ecosystems respond in light and dark...
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
DNA Extraction
What does your DNA actually look like? Use simple materials with this experiment to find out! Geneticists of all ages can follow these instructions to extract their own DNA. For learners who are hoping to extend the activity, there are...
UT Southwestern
Osmosis Demonstration Lab
Even though they were written for upper-level high schoolers or college pupils, the labs herein are possible to use even in middle school. In the activity, kids observe osmosis in both potatoes and elodea plants, then record and graph...
Curated OER
Greenhouse in a Bottle
Young atmospheric scientists create models of an atmosphere with and without clouds to determine the effect of cloud cover on Earth's temperatures, as well as figuring out whether dark or light surfaces absorb more energy. You may wish...
Curated OER
Investigating the Response of Worms to Soil Improvers
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, but do they care what soil is all about? Find out in an easy and fun controlled experiment. Have your young biologists hypothesize, test, and draw conclusions about which type of soil worms...
Curated OER
Cloning a Living Organism
It's the attack of the clones! Not to worry; these are just plant clones. Teen horticulturalists will enjoy growing their own clone into a plant in an activity designed to be revisited after a few weeks. It is one experiment that kids...
Curated OER
Brine Date
Have you been wondering what to do with that aquarium full of brine shrimp? This activity has teens sea monkeying around with measurement, observations, and hypothesizing about the mating behaviors of these little critters. If you do not...
US Department of Energy
Solar Distiller
Explore the sun's ability to distill contaminated water with this simple set of classroom experiments. After filling two glass bowls, one with muddy water and the other with salt water, they are covered with plastic wrap and placed in...