Download Minds-On Activities for Teaching Biology

Intro and Biological Molecules

• Characteristics of Life
• Levels of Organization in Biology (NGSS)
• Introduction to Proteins and DNA (NGSS)
• Enzymes Help Us Digest Food (NGSS; hands-on)
• A Scientific Investigation – What types of food contain starch and protein? (NGSS; hands-on)
• Coronaviruses – Introduction (NGSS)
• Who Took Jerell’s iPod? -- An Organic Compound Mystery (hands-on)
• Is Yeast Alive? (hands-on)
• Macromolecules Jeopardy

Cell Structure and Function

• Cell Structure and Function – Major Concepts and Learning Activities
• Introduction to Cells (NGSS)
• Structure and Function of Cells, Organs and Organ Systems (NGSS)
• Why do some plants grow in odd shapes? (NGSS)
• Introduction to Osmosis (NGSS; hands-on)
• Cell Membrane Structure and Function (NGSS; hands-on)
• Cell Vocabulary Review Game

Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis

• Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis - Key Concepts and Activities
• How do organisms use energy? (NGSS)
• Using Models to Understand Cellular Respiration (NGSS)
• Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis (NGSS)
• Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration and Plant Growth (NGSS; hands-on)
• Food, Energy and Body Weight (NGSS)
• How do muscles get the energy they need for athletic activity? (NGSS)
• Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast – A Bioengineering Design Challenge (NGSS; hands-on)
• Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration (NGSS)
• Where does a tree’s mass come from? (NGSS)
• Photosynthesis Investigation (NGSS; hands-on)

Cell Division

• Mitosis and the Cell Cycle (NGSS; hands-on)
• Mitosis and the Cell Cycle (NGSS)
• Meiosis and Fertilization – Understanding How Genes Are Inherited (NGSS; hands-on)
• Understanding How Genes are Inherited via Meiosis and Fertilization (NGSS)
• Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis
• What causes melanoma and other types of cancer? (NGSS)
• Mistakes in Meiosis – Down Syndrome or Embryo Death (NGSS)
• Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization Vocabulary Review Game

Genetics

• Genetics Concepts and Activities (NGSS)
• Genetics (NGSS; hands-on)
• Genetics Intro – Family Members (NGSS)
• Genetics Sickle Cell Anemia and Trait (NGSS)
• Genetics Probability – Sex Ratios (NGSS)
• Mistake in copying DNA & Dwarfism (NGSS)
• Soap Opera Genetics (NGSS)
• Were the babies switched? The Genetics of Blood Types (NGSS; hands-on)
• Dragon Genetics I (hands-on)
• Dragon Genetics II (hands-on)
• Learning about Genetic Disorders
• Genetics Vocabulary Review Game
• Genetics Jeopardy

Molecular Biology

• Molecular Biology: Major Concepts and Learning Activities (NGSS)
• DNA (NGSS; hands-on)
• DNA Function, Structure and Replication (NGSS)
• How Genes Can Cause Disease - Introduction to Transcription and Translation (NGSS; hands-on)
• How Genes Can Cause Disease - Understanding Transcription and Translation (NGSS)
• UV, Mutations and DNA Repair (NGSS; hands-on)
• What types of mutations cause more vs. less severe muscular dystrophy? (NGSS)
• Cell Differentiation and Epigenetics (NGSS)
• Genetic Engineering Challenge – Preventing Vitamin A Deficiency (NGSS)
• Gene Editing with CRISPR-Cas – Potential Sickle Cell Anemia Cure (NGSS)
• Molecular Biology Vocabulary Review Game

Evolution

• Resources for Teaching and Learning about Evolution
• Evolution by Natural Selection (NGSS; hands-on)
• What is natural selection? (NGSS)
• Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth (NGSS)
• How have mutations and natural selection affected fur color in mice? (NGSS)
• How Whales Evolved (NGSS)
• How Eyes Evolved – Analyzing the Evidence (NGSS)
• How does evolution result in similarities and differences? (NGSS; hands-on)
• What is a species? (NGSS)
• Coronavirus Evolution and the COVID-19 Pandemic (NGSS)
• Evolution and Adaptations (NGSS)

Ecology

• Ecology Concepts and Learning Activities (NGSS)
• Exponential and Logistic Population Growth Models vs. Complex Reality (NGSS)
• Some Similarities between the Spread of Infectious Disease and Population Growth (NGSS; hands-on)
• Stability and Change in Biological Communities (NGSS)
• Food Webs, Energy Flow, Carbon Cycle and Trophic Pyramids (NGSS)
• Food Webs (NGSS)
• Carbon Cycles and Energy Flow through Ecosystems (NGSS)
• Trophic Pyramids (NGSS)
• Introduction to Global Warming (NGSS)
• Food and Climate Change – How can we feed a growing world population without increasing global warming? (NGSS)
• Resources for Teaching about Climate Change
• The Ecology of Lyme Disease (NGSS)

Human Physiology and Health

• Negative Feedback, Homeostasis, and Positive Feedback – Examples and Concepts (NGSS; hands-on)
• Homeostasis, Negative Feedback, and Positive Feedback (NGSS)
• How do we Sense the Flavors of Food? (NGSS; hands-on)
• COVID-19 Vaccines (NGSS)
  
• How to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19  (NGSS)
• Molecular and Evolutionary Biology of HIV/AIDS and Treatment (NGSS)
• Resources for Teaching Cancer Biology
• Carbohydrate Consumption, Athletics, Health – Using Science Process Skills
• Vitamins and Health – Why Experts Disagree
• Regulation of Human Heart Rate (hands-on)
• Should You Drink Sports Drinks?  When?  Why?