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Glowing Flowers

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Student teams learn about engineering design of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) and their use in medical research, including stem cell research. They simulate the use of GFPs by adding fluorescent dye to water and letting a flower or plant to transport the dye throughout its structure. Students apply their knowledge of GFPs to engineering applications in the medical, environmental and space exploration fields. Due to the fluorescing nature of the dye, plant life of any color, light or dark, can be used unlike dyes that can only be seen in visible light.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Christie Chatterley, Janet Yowell, Malinda Schaefer Zarske

Mutation Telephone

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Students perform an activity similar to the childhood “telephone” game in which each communication step represents a biological process related to the passage of DNA from one cell to another. This game tangibly illustrates how DNA mutations can happen over several cell generations and the effects the mutations can have on the proteins that cells need to produce. Next, students use the results from the “telephone” game (normal, substitution, deletion or insertion) to test how the mutation affects the survivability of an organism in the wild. Through simple enactments, students act as “predators” and “eat” (remove) the organism from the environment, demonstrating natural selection based on mutation.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Kent Kurashima, Kimberly Anderson, Matthew Zelisko

Curing Cancer

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Students learn about biomedical engineering while designing, building and testing prototype surgical tools to treat cancer. Students also learn that if cancer cells are not removed quickly enough during testing, a cancerous tumor may grow exponentially and become more challenging to eliminate. Students practice iterative design as they improve their surgical tools during the activity.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Chelsea Heveran

Meiosis and Fertilization – Understanding How Genes Are Inherited

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Students use model chromosomes and answer analysis and discussion questions to learn about meiosis and fertilization. As they model meiosis and fertilization, students follow the alleles of a human gene from the parents' body cells through gametes to zygotes; thus, students learn how a person inherits one copy of each gene from each of his/her parents. To learn how meiosis contributes to genetic variation, students analyze the results of crossing over and independent assortment. Students also compare and contrast meiosis and mitosis, and they learn how a mistake in meiosis can result in Down syndrome or death of an embryo. This activity helps students meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Ingrid Waldron

Drugs, Detectives and DNA

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Welcome to Chemistry Applications: Pharmacology, Biotechnology and Forensics, a high school curriculum. Included in this curriculum are many lesson plans that are aligned with the North Carolina Chemistry and Biology Standards, in addition to the National Science Standard. Students will learn to be critically thinking, problem solving individuals who will relate science to the real world.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Pat Ligon

A Day in the Life: Exploring Biomanufacturing Careers

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Students will explore the different careers found in Biomanufacturing by conducting a series of experiments that mimic the day to day operations found in industry. Students will use yeast cells as the basis the labs. They will conduct microbiology-type experiments by growing some of the yeast cells on petri dishes and examining the number of cells that grow both on the plates and under the microscope. Next, students will grow yeast cells in a similar fashion to what is seen in large-scale bioreactors. They will analyze the results of the experiment by applying computer skills to create graphs and charts of their results. In addition, Students will also design a filtration apparatus that will separate the cells from the product they are producing and calculate the yield percentage. These activities can be used as part of a microbiology or biochemistry unit or as an introduction to biotechnology.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Lori Stroud

Mutations

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Students learn about mutations to both DNA and chromosomes, and uncontrolled changes to the genetic code. They are introduced to small-scale mutations (substitutions, deletions and insertions) and large-scale mutations (deletion duplications, inversions, insertions, translocations and nondisjunctions). The effects of different mutations are studied as well as environmental factors that may increase the likelihood of mutations. A PowerPoint® presentation and pre/post-assessments are provided.

Material Type: Lesson

Authors: Kent Kurashima, Kimberly Anderson, Matthew Zelisko

Genetics

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This science resource covers a variety of topics; however, the specific URL is on Genetics. It has significant explanations on the basic Principles of Genetics, Co-dominance, Incomplete dominance, and Sex-Linked traits. The units have precise and manageable explanations, and there are numerous links and additional resources to support instructors and students to advance learning. The access to videos and online simulations enhances particular areas, and the diverse assessments support mastery of skills. This is a very purposeful resource on genetics; it is useful to make learning more effective either as an overall instructional method or as an individualized learning supplement.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Case Study, Diagram/Illustration, Game, Interactive, Lecture, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Reading, Simulation, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Textbook, Unit of Study

Plant Identification

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This unit on plant identification helps students prepare for their fieldwork by developing their observational skills and introducing them to resources that will help them with plant identification. It's designed to be completed in five or more sessions and has comprehensive curriculum materials information for teachers, including overviews of binomial nomenclature and dichotomous keys. Additionally, a guide to finding local specialists is available online. There are optional activites and information on supplemental resources available on line.

Material Type: Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

How to Work With Google Docs in Science; Animal Categorization

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This lesson demonstrates integration of technology concepts into an upper elementary to middle school science lesson plan. This lesson demonstrates the use of digital cloud tools such as Google documents to work collaboratively on student group projects and how to use these tools to classify animals in a manner to better understand and learn about them.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Jennifer Lowton, Jennifer Warburton

Classifying Animals by Appearance Versus DNA Sequence

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The topic of this video module is how to classify animals based on how closely related they are. The main learning objective is that students will learn how to make phylogenetic trees based on both physical characteristics and on DNA sequence. Students will also learn why the objective and quantitative nature of DNA sequencing is preferable when it come to classifying animals based on how closely related they are. Knowledge prerequisites to this lesson include that students have some understanding of what DNA is and that they have a familiarity with the base-pairing rules and with writing a DNA sequence.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Megan E. Rokop

Life Science (Natural selection And Adaptation)

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Lesson Plan Date:     01/29/18                     Grade Level: 8th - 9th  Concept: Life Science ( Natural Selection and Adaptation) Objectives:Condition: Students can relay information without notes.Behavioral: Students will be able to describe natural selection.Criteria: All students will be able to provide 2 positive and 2 negative impacts of natural selection. Introduction:Specific motivational device: Butterfly activity.Student’s color a paper butterfly and put it somewhere in the room. The butterflies that blend into their surroundings are better adapted to the environment while the ones that do not are likely to die out.Connection to prior learning: Test over comprehension of prior lessons that were over cell and molecular biology as well as genetics to understand what can allow an adaptation to occur. Vocabulary: EvolveTheory of EvolutionCharles DarwinAlfred Russel WallaceInherited TraitsAcquired TraitsNatural SelectionFitnessSpeciesMutationAdaptation Body of Lesson:Power points over the sections.Comprehensive worksheets.Video over Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.Real life examples of animals that have adapted over time. Accommodations/Modifications:Recordings of the lesson in another language for english second learner (ESL) students.Modified versions of the notes so the ESL students can follow along during class and begin to understand. Multiple Intelligence(s) Addressed: PracticalCreativeAnalytical Assessment:Worksheets over each section.Short quizzes daily.Final test over everything at the end of the chapter. Materials: Book:Ck-12 Life Science Concepts For Middle SchoolLink: https://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Life-Science-Concepts-For-Middle-School/section/4.0/   Standards: SC.8.10 Natural Selection and AdaptationsSC.10.5.A Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth Under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.SC.8.10.5.B Apply Scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.SC.8.10.5.C Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. SC.8.10.5D Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases  of specific traits in populations over time.  

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Lindsey Deaver

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