Nuffield Foundation
Microbes Ate My Homework
Now you have a new excuse not to do your homework. A long-term experiment has learners explore cellulose-digesting enzymes. They simulate how paper breaks down in a compost bin. There's no need to blame your dog for eating your homework...
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Coffee & Chocolate: Knowing Healthy Foods
An article relaying vital information about health and nutrition are the backbone of this lesson on eating the right foods. A series of activities are used to help upper graders understand the science supporting our understanding of what...
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Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Heredity
Tenth graders discuss their physical features, and why they look the way they do. They listen as the teacher discusses DNA, alleles, and dominant or recessive genes. Students perform an experiment with different colored markers...
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Ethical Decision Making in Biology
Students explore a model that illustrates the spread of HIV through an adolescent population. Acting in the role of epidemiologists, students explore the dilemmas of HIV infection presented by a simulation. Students produce a play, skit,...
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Bats - Endangered Mammal
Students complete question sheet on Bats and research information using a list of websites provided by the teacher. They work with peers to complete a scavenger hunt worksheet about bats.
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Evolution and Genes
For this psychology worksheet, students complete 5 short answer questions about traits, mutations and the theory of natural selection.
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A PRICELESS Collection
Middle schoolers read a story about the life of Russian plant breeder Nikolai I and Vavilov and the national seed bank he established. They research the Irish Potato Famine of the late 1840s and identify the cause for this famine and...
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Why do we need Vitamin C in our diet? Or Why do we carry old inactive genes in our genome?
Students explore and explain how mutations in the DNA sequence of a gene may be silent or result in phenotypic change in an organism and in its offspring. They analyze how evolution and biodiversity are the result of genetic changes that...
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Variation in Human Skin Color
Students classify themselves according to the six skin types. In this biology lesson, students explore the causes of human skin variation. They present their findings in class.
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Water Molds (Oomycetes)
Students explore a group of fungus-like organisms; the Oomycetes, by baiting them from natural sources (water and soil) and observing them.
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Make Way for Wild Migrants
Students discuss the threats facing migratory species and track the seasonal journeys of wildlife in real space and in cyberspace. Once they have gathered information from several sources, they create a portfolio to share with others...
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Living by the Code
Students explain why new drugs are needed to treat cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammation, and infections. They infer why some marine invertebrates are promising sources of new drugs, explaining the process in which cells...
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"Chips" Off the Old Block?
Students study using analogies between common items or occurrences and science concepts. They use the analogy of cookie recipes to that of the DNA "recipes" for living things to help us explain more about mutations.
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Most Troublesome Exotic Invasive Plant Species Web Quest
Students participate in a Web Quest activity in which they identify common exotic invasive plant species of the Southern Appalachian Region. After identifying the top 10 exotic invasive species, they choose one to research in depth.
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Tracking Down Traits
Sixth graders list traits that all sixth graders share. They receive worksheets "Tracking Down Traits," working in groups to complete the chart. Students share results with the class and a class summary is tallied. Students discuss the...
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Numbers in Art
Students choose a number from one to twelve and tell a number story about it. They listen to the teacher read "Numbers in Art" by Lucy Micklethwait. Students choose three numbers from one to twelve and view works of art while looking for...
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Animals and Humans Say the Darnedest Things
Students explore and analyze human and animal communications and create a short film that illustrates their findings.
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How To Make Yeast Cells Thrive
Students set up and run the experiments they designed in the lesson, 'Population Growth in Yeasts,' using simple yeast-molasses cultures in test tubes. They demonstrate understanding that several environmental factors can contribute to...
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Social Darwinism and American Laissez-faire Capitalism
Learners investigate Social Darwinism. For this government systems lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on the details of Social Darwinism and American laissez-faire capitalism. Learners respond to discussion...
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Creative Ways To Teach Evolutionary Concepts
High schoolers explore evolutionary concepts in cartoons and lab activities. They describe and explain evolutionary concepts featured in a cartoon and participate in laboratory activities.
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Managing Wildlife
Learners explore the relationship between wildlife and humans in northern New England. They also brainstorm ideas on why they think some species are greater in population than others in a given area.
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Wetland Plant Detectives
Sixth graders identify plants in the wetlands. For this plant detectives lesson, 6th graders complete a scavenger hunt on a local reserve, record observations, and respond in their journals.
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Plant Structure and Growth
This plant structure and function PowerPoint addresses the main organs and the factors that affect its development as well as going into detail about the specializations at a cellular level. The cell functions and system...