Great activity on what makes a swamp a swamp. This activity will also allow students to learn about the swamp that is located in Virginia and North Carolina. This activity is designed to have students use technology, conduct research, and create a Google Slides presentation.

Learn about diurnal birds of prey -- a diverse group of birds across the globe which includes hawks, falcons, osprey, eagles, and kites. While these different families of birds have a variety of physical and behavioral traits, they are all specially adapted for daytime hunting. Today, most of these birds of prey are widely appreciated by the public, but they still face many dangers. Learn more about these amazing raptors and how to help.UNTAMED looks at the wild and often perilous world of wildlife, as seen through the eyes of the patients of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a non-profit teaching and research hospital for native wildlife.

Science Instructional Plans (SIPs) help teachers align instruction with the Science Standards of Learning (SOL) by providing examples of how the content and the scientific and engineering practices found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom.

Science Instructional Plans (SIPs) help teachers align instruction with the Science Standards of Learning (SOL) by providing examples of how the content and the scientific and engineering practices found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom. This lesson includes the WIDA English Language Development Standards for ELs and differentiation through additional supports for both ELs and other students. 

A simple assessment or question bank focused on helping students differentiate between the subtleties and functions of various cell types. These questions can be used in a variety of ways for a life science or biology classroom, e.g. as an assessment, a pre-test, or incorporated into a group activity or game.

Biomechanical engineering is an interdisciplinary field of science that applies the rules and principles of mechanical engineering to biological systems. It combines elements of many disciplines, including biology, engineering, physics, chemistry, and mathematics to better understand how physical forces influence living organisms. A biomechanical engineer may find work in the medical, scientific, industrial or governmental sectors. It is also sometimes considered a subset of Mechanical Engineering or Biomedical Engineering.

This is a review and introduction to climate change using videos from National Geographic. It includes a follow up research activity on the impact of climate change on specific biomes around the globe.

There are 3 parts to this project:How group works togetherA Google SiteA skit This is how it will work:Each group picks the name of an infectious disease at random.Group will designate the following roles: a doctor, a nurse, a scribe, and a patient. If you have a 5th member they can be a specialist.

Learn about semipermeable membranes. If you put eggs and sand through a colander, would they both fall through? Probably not. Only the sand would actually pass through the holes of the colander because the eggs are too large. The colander acts as a semipermeable membrane, allowing some materials through but not others. Let's explore some other semipermeable membranes -like what surrounds our cells to help keep our bodies working and healthy. And eggs are like giant cells. They are a perfect thing to use to explore the science of semipermeable membranes, osmosis, and diffusion. We'll even experience a cool chemical reaction when we place an egg in vinegar. What do you think will happen when this chemical reaction is complete? Developed for grades 6-8 and correlated with Virginia Standards of Learning.

This is an extension of an activity that uses socrative question to discuss whether or not viruses are alive. I extended the activity by including an easy way to introduce the characteristics of life to precede the virus discussion.

Original resource: https://goopenva.org/courses/are-viruses-alive-sample-socratic-questions/view

In this activity students will use methods of collecting data, other than visual, to determine the contents of a small sealed box. They will make connections between this procedure and the procedures scientists use to study evolutionary theory. This activity has been specifically adapted to align with the high school biology standards to explore the limitations of studying the fossil record in a hands-on way.

Students read about and explain the process of transgenic manipulation to produce crops resistant to herbicides and pests. Afterwards students evaluate the pros and cons. Next, students read various pro/neutral/con articles about genetically modified foods and evaluate the perspective of the author. Finally, students use evidence from the reading to write a CER stating their opinion on GMOs.

This two-minute clip captures the behaviour of cytotoxic T cells – the body’s ‘serial killers’ – as they hunt down and eliminate cancer cells before moving on to their next target. Transcription of the video is included.

Transcript added from YouTube subtitles. You can use this to write your own worksheet or quiz.

This lab safety quiz is in the form of a powerpoint presentation so it can be given to the whole class at once. I use the at the beginning of the very next class after we have gone over the lab safety agreement. There are 5 true/false questions and 5 short answer. Students can use their own lined paper to take the quiz. The first 10 slides contain the questions only. After students have finished the questions, have them trade papers for grading and then the last 10 slides contain the answers so you can grade together as a class.

Paul Andersen describes how free energy is used by organisms to grow, maintain order, and reproduce. A brief discussion of the first and second law of thermodynamics is also included. Worksheets and a transcript accompany this resource.

Transcript added from YouTube subtitles. You can use this to write your own worksheet or quiz.

Carbon and other elements play a key role in determining the structure and function of macromolecules needed to sustain life processes. Life processes include growth and repair, reproduction, gas exchange, metabolism, and response.  Cells make a variety of macromolecules needed for life processes from a relatively small set of monomers. These macromolecules include carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. This module was developed by Kristin Scheible as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

Biology students often struggle to understand how it can be that the same two parents will produce genetically different offspring. This lab exercise is a very visual way to demonstrate the "making of a monster" one gene at a time. The resources include a full sheet of vocabulary and instructions, plus a data table to record the crosses. For advanced students, you can take the activity further with a sheet of follow up questions.

In this 16 minute video, Paul Andersen explains simple Mendelian genetics. He begins with a brief introduction of Gregor Mendel and his laws of segregation and independent assortment. He then presents a number of simple genetics problems along with their answers.

Also included are a concept map, slideshow, worksheet and full transcript of the video.

Transcript added from YouTube subtitles. You can use this to write your own worksheet or quiz.

Students will participate in a 5E lesson. To ENGAGE, students will connect their understanding of the characteristics of life to the fundamental molecule of life: DNA. To EXPLORE, students will extract DNA from fruit in a hands on (or video of a) lab, and then, students will act as Watson and Crick and use clues to discover the structure of DNA. In the EXPLAIN section, students will use slides to fill out guided notes on the structure of DNA and RNA. To ELABORATE on their understanding of DNA, students can participate in the CRISPR-Cas9 interactive and the Regulation of the Lactase Gene click and learn. Formative evaluations of students's ability to model DNA include (1) using an online interactive, (2) using their bodies as a class, and (3) using a cut and paste model. Finally, the summative EVALUATE is a DNA Model FlipGrid in which students use various materials to construct and explain the structure of DNA.

This resource is the test I use at the end of the 10th grade Biology unit on molecules of life. The main topics are macromolecules, pH, and water. It consists of 40 multiple choice questions, mainly knowlege/vocabulary based.