Data in the Classroom

Data literacy is a hot topic these days. Students are expected to become familiar with concepts and techniques for data visualization and analysis both in mathematics and science. This brings a number of new challenges to classrooms in supporting students as they do more work than ever before with graphing and data. Although graphing with […]
Ant Zombies and Other Mind Control Parasites

Add interest to your discussion of parasites and their relationships with hosts with these examples of parasites that change the behavior of the host organism. Example 1 Host: carpenter ants (Camponotus leonardi)Parasite: fungi (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) The fungus infects the ant, causing it to move to the forest floor and latch on to the underside of a leaf. […]
Getting Ready for Butterflies

The painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui), commonly found throughout North America in open deserts, fields, and roadsides, is one of the most popular insects for classrooms. It is frequently referred to as the “cosmopolitan” because of its wide distribution. In this article, we’ll discuss the painted lady’s life cycle and care and feeding. You’ll see […]
Introduction to Planaria

Carolina LabSheetsâ„¢ Overview In this lab, students examine the anatomy and behavior of the planarian, a simple animal with bilateral symmetry. The activity does not cover regeneration.For that, see our 132900 Carolina BioKits®: Planaria Regeneration or our Carolinaâ„¢ Protozoa and Invertebrates Manual. Download Student Lab Sheet Download Planarian Anatomy Sheet Needed Materials Planaria (132950 or similar culture) for […]