Teach Life Cycles with the Tobacco Hornworm
Bring in something new and different–something that may be the highlight of your semester. In the spring, many teachers and students look forward to studying life cycles because the accompanying hands-on activity is a highlight of the semester. This unit generally involves classroom observation of the metamorphosis of butterfly larvae or tadpoles. This is an […]
The Genome Age: Detecting Transgenes in Genetically Modified Food
Capitalize on students’ interest in forensic science as they use polymerase chain reaction to detect foreign genes in important food plants. Molecular genetic techniques have been used to add transgenes into the genomes of a number of important food plants, and these foreign genes can be readily detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The experiment […]
Mole Day (October 23) Celebration
Mole Day Celebration Happy Mole Day. It’s party time! Break out the . . . the . . . the what? How do you celebrate the value of the Avogadro constant and why would you want to anyway? Keep reading and we’ll give you all kinds of ways to commemorate the big day. As for […]
Investigating Enzyme Reaction Rates Using Toothpickase
A dry lab activity Objectives At the end of this activity, students should be able to demonstrate their understanding of the vocabulary describing an enzyme reaction, including the following terms: enzyme, quaternary structure, active site, substrate, products, V-max, substrate concentration, competitive inhibitors, and enzyme concentration. Background The vocabulary needed to describe an enzyme reaction can […]
12 Safe Practices for the Microbiology Laboratory
These best practices will help you safely contain microorganisms in your lab. Treat all microorganisms as potential pathogens. While the majority of microorganisms are not pathogenic to humans and have never been shown to cause illness, under unusual circumstances a few microorganisms that are not normally pathogenic can act as pathogens. Treat all microorganisms–especially unknown cultures–as […]
Derivation of the Kinematics Equation
High school physics courses usually begin with a study of classical mechanics. Early in the course students are introduced to the equations of motion, the kinematics equations. Kinematics Kinematics is the study of the motion of objects without concern for the forces causing the motion. These familiar equations allow students to analyze and predict the […]
Wisconsin Fast Plants Resources Seeded for Success
Wisconsin Fast Plants® are ideal for demonstrating plant concepts. These resources can guide you for a successful experience. Wisconsin Fast Plants® are model organisms perfect for allowing students to experience a broad range of plant-related concepts. From plant growth and development to plant growth requirements to genetic inheritance and artificial selection, a small package of […]
Fox Domestication and Poison Resistance in Rodents
Examples to Use When Teaching About Selection and Evolution: Fox Domestication and Poison Resistance in Rodents Evolution and the role that natural selection plays in evolution can be difficult to teach. Evolution occurs over many generations and generally over long periods of time, increasing the abstraction of the concept for many students. Using concrete examples […]
Trickiest Anatomy and Physiology Lab Techniques
3 Explainer Videos One of the reasons anatomy and physiology are challenging subjects for your students is the enormous amount of new material and information they just have to find a way to memorize. There are also a considerable amount of fundamental techniques to master, and you probably remember how hard it was to get […]
Rock Candy: An Edible Study of Crystallization
An Investigation of Supersaturated Solutions Making rock candy is a safe way to introduce students to solutions and crystal growth–and you can make it a tasty treat at the same time! This activity helps students visualize how a supersaturated solution grows the extra-large crystals of sucrose needed to make rock candy. Table sugar (sucrose) and […]