Hands-on Biology Activities

First, students analyze a hypothetical example of exponential growth in the number of infected individuals.

Then, a class simulation of the spread of an infectious disease shows a trend that approximates logistic growth.

Next, students analyze examples of exponential and logistic population growth and learn about the biological processes that result in exponential or logistic population growth.

Finally, students analyze how changes in the biotic or abiotic environment can affect population size; these examples illustrate the limitations of the exponential and logistic population growth models. 

In this minds-on, hands-on activity, students develop their understanding of natural selection by analyzing specific examples and carrying out a simulation. The questions in the first section introduce students to the basic process of natural selection, including key concepts and vocabulary.

The second section includes a simulation activity, data analysis, and questions to deepen students' understanding of natural selection, including the conditions that are required for natural selection to occur. 

In the third section, students interpret evidence concerning natural selection in the peppered moth and answer questions to consolidate a scientifically accurate understanding of the process of natural selection, including the role of changes in allele frequency. 

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format

In this hands-on, minds-on activity, students extract DNA from Archaea or from their cheek cells.

In addition, students learn or review key concepts about the structure, function, and replication of DNA. For example, students learn that the genes in DNA give the instructions to make proteins, which influence our characteristics.

They also learn how the double helix structure of DNA and the base-pairing rules provide the basis for DNA replication.

This activity includes multiple analysis and discussion questions and hands-on or online modeling of DNA replication. (NGSS)

 Download Student Handout Archaea: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes Archaea: PDF format or Word format

Download Student Handout Cheek Cells: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes Cheek Cells: PDF format or Word format

In this minds-on, hands-on activity, students learn about the genetics of ABO blood types, including multiple alleles of a single gene and codominance. Then, students use chemicals to simulate blood type tests and carry out genetic analyses to determine whether hospital staff accidentally switched two babies born on the same day.

Next, students analyze the genetics of skin color in order to understand how fraternal twins can have different skin colors. In this analysis, students learn about incomplete dominance and how a single phenotypic characteristic can be influenced by multiple genes and the environment. (NGSS)

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format

In the simulation activity, Dragon Genetics – Understanding Inheritance, students mimic the processes of meiosis and fertilization to investigate the inheritance of multiple genes and then use their understanding of concepts such as dominant/recessive alleles, incomplete dominance, sex-linked inheritance, and epistasis to interpret the results of the simulation. This activity can be used as a culminating activity after you have introduced classical genetics, and it can serve as formative assessment to identify any areas of confusion that require additional clarification.

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

In the lab, Dragon Genetics: Independent Assortment and Gene Linkage, students learn the principles of independent assortment and gene linkage in activities which analyze inheritance of multiple genes on the same or different chromosomes in hypothetical dragons. Students learn how these principles derive from the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis and fertilization.

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

This hands-on, minds-on activity helps students to understand basic principles of genetics, including (1) how genotype influences phenotype via the effects of genes on protein structure and function and (2) how genes are transmitted from parents to offspring through the processes of meiosis and fertilization.

Students use model chromosomes to demonstrate how meiosis and fertilization are summarized in Punnett squares.

In the coin flip activity, students learn about the probabilistic nature of inheritance and Punnett square predictions.

This activity includes two hands-on experiments and numerous analysis and discussion questions to help students understand how the characteristics and organization of the molecules in the cell membrane result in the selective permeability of the cell membrane.

In the hands-on experiments, students first evaluate the selective permeability of a synthetic membrane and then observe how a layer of oil can be a barrier to diffusion of an aqueous solution.

Students answer analysis and discussion questions to learn how the phospholipid bilayer and membrane proteins play key roles in the cell membrane function of regulating what gets into and out of the cell. Topics covered include ions, polar and nonpolar molecules; simple diffusion through the phospholipid bilayer; facilitated diffusion through membrane proteins; and active transport by membrane proteins.

An optional additional page introduces exocytosis and endocytosis.

In the lab, Moldy Jell-O, students design experiments to determine how substrate and environmental conditions influence growth of common molds. Students carry out their experiments, analyze and interpret their evidence, and prepare a report.

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format