Superworms and Darkling Beetles
Superworms and darkling beetles are great tools for the classroom. With the right care, these insects can help students observe numerous biological concepts in action.
Examples of Chemical Change
By exploring the basics of this topic, students will build an understanding of the molecules that make up the world around them. In this article, we will provide you with the basics on the topic, as well as examples of chemical change that you can share with your class.Â
Synthetic Blood
Carolina® Synthetic Blood has several advantages over other suppliers’ products, which usually depend on chemical reactions producing insoluble salts that precipitate from solutions. These products do not give visually realistic results. In actual blood typing, red blood cells form clumps (the agglutination reaction) that separate from the blood plasma. When mixed the appropriate synthetic antiserum, Carolina® Synthetic Blood forms clumps in the same way, for a realistic blood typing result. It’s the closest to authentic blood typing that you can get without using real blood.
Fermentation by Yeast
A study of fermentation by yeast is an interesting extension of AP* Biology Lab 5 Cell Respiration. It also offers possible tie-ins to Lab 1 Diffusion and Osmosis and Lab 2 Enzyme Catalysis. In this activity, students measure the rate at which yeast ferments solutions of differing sucrose concentrations and apply the results to common […]
Ecology: Ecosystem Structure and Process
Carolina has everything you need to teach ecology. Ecology is the foundational study of how organisms interact with each other and the planet. A complete study of ecology may include investigating the biotic and abiotic factors of biomes, the structures of ecosystems, the processes at work within ecosystems, interactions among species in an ecosystem, and ecosystem sustainability. This complex topic is broken down into three sections: ecosystem structure, ecosystem interactions, and ecosystem sustainability.
Demonstrations with a Vacuum Pump
Every physics and physical science student will eventually encounter gas laws or equations of state. These are the familiar Charles’s Law, Boyle’s Law, the Ideal Gas Law and others. Understanding these concepts and solving problems based on these laws is a significant part of many physics and physical science courses. There are several activities and […]
Introducing the Chi-Square Test Through Inquiry
Adapted from a creative statistics lesson taught by master science educator Mark Krotec, this pre-lab investigation introduces the value of statistics, the inherent qualities of uncertainty, and data interpretation. Students are asked to discredit the claim that their teacher possesses psychic ability by using a clever card trick, a careful experimental design protocol, and the application of the chi-square test.
The Oft Misunderstood Crosscutting Concepts
How 3-D science’s powerful second dimension informs instruction over time. Ask teachers which of the Next Generation Science Standards* (NGSS) dimensions they struggle with in integrating three-dimensional science into their teaching, and they will most likely respond, “crosscutting concepts.” Crosscutting concepts (CCCs) are a way of linking different domains of science together (NSTA, n.d.). These […]
Cell Structure and Function
Carolina has everything you need to teach cell structure and function. Cells are the building blocks of all organisms. The properties, organelles, and characteristics of a cell determine its role within the organism. Understanding the relationship between the cell’s structure and its function is an important topic in any biology course.
Squash an Onion and Learn the True Age of Your Cells
Sure, you know your birthday. You’ve huffed and puffed harder every year to blow out the candles on your special day. But do you know your physical age? Fifteen, you say. Look at your arm; nothing you see there is 15 years old. Those skin cells are only 2 to 4 weeks old. Had a […]