Beautiful Biology

Solutes suck! And so does teaching diffusion and osmosis online, hybrid, and even in person. Use this virtual activity to introduce your students to the concepts of diffusion and osmosis or use it to review what you have already taught them. Packed with drag and drop mini-activities, your students are sure to learn the concepts of equilibrium and the three osmotic solutions: hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic. To use this activity in your classroom, all you need to do is assign it through you

Originally a cutting and pasting assignment, this updated virtual activity allows students to learn about the structure and function of DNA right on their computers! It works well for virtual and hybrid instruction as well as in-person. This activity includes multiple drag-and-drop activities to engage students in the creation of DNA. Nucleotide composition, base pairing, and the function of DNA are also discussed.  To use this activity in your classroom, all you need to do is assign it throug

If you are looking for a way to teach macromolecules in an online or hybrid setting without scissors, look no further! Created to replace cutting-and-pasting paper labs, these activities are a great way to teach your students how macromolecules are built and broken down. Each activity has mini-activities where students drag and drop molecules and bonds to represent dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis. There are also 20-25 questions per activity to test your students' knowledge as they go. A lis

Originally a cutting and pasting assignment, this updated virtual activity allows students to not only learn about DNA replication, but to practice it too! It works well for virtual and hybrid instruction as well as in-person. This activity includes multiple drag-and-drop activities to engage students in the replication of DNA. Semiconservative replication, replication bubbles, and replication enzymes are also discussed.  To use this activity in your classroom, all you need to do is assign it

This is the second worksheet that I give my students on dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis (the first worksheet is called Making and Breaking Polymers). They always struggle with these two reactions. This worksheet dives into more detail about what happens during each reaction and how water is involved. In addition to the two reactions, monomers, polymers, and enzymes are also covered. Check out the preview for a complete view of the activity. Much like your classroom, your purchase comes i

Trying to figure out how to teach the cell membrane and cellular transport online, in a hybrid setting, or just looking to spruce up your classroom activities? Look no further! This bundle offers an in-depth look into the components of the cell membrane and how they help the cell transport materials across it. Diffusion and osmosis are thoroughly covered in several virtual activities. By the time your students are finished they will have no problems telling you that a solution is hypertonic and

This activity covers the phases of the cell cycle and the checkpoints that regulate it. Each slide teaches students the right amount of information for each phase and then asks them questions about it. Additionally included is one drag and drop labeling slide and a drag and drop function slide. Also covered are apoptosis and cancer. To use this activity in your classroom, all you need to do is assign it through your school’s LMS and have it make a copy for each of your students. Then, all your

The differences between silent, missense, and nonsense mutations can be quite challenging for my students to master without some practice. I use this worksheet to cement the differences between each type of mutation and the effect that it will have on the resulting protein. In addition to the three mutations mentioned above, this worksheet also asks your students to identify what type of mutation occurred in the DNA sequence: substitution, insertion, or deletion.  To use this worksheet, you ca

Carbohydrates will be created and destroyed in this drag and drop activity. Created to replace a cutting and pasting paper lab for virtual and hybrid learning. Students will use the processes of dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis to create disaccharides and polysaccharides from monosaccharides. Review questions are built in every few slides to make sure that students are learning. Time to Complete: 20-30 minutes Topics Covered: Dehydration SynthesisHydrolysisMonosaccharides (3 types)Disaccha

Designed as a way to teach the similarities and differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, this activity will engage students in learning whether they are virtual, hybrid, or in-person! Included in the activity is a labeling section where students label the structures that are found in both cells. Also included is a Venn diagram where students drag and drop characteristics of the cells to their correct classification.  I usually assign this activity after I start off class showing a

Substitutions can bring on silent and missense mutations, but your mutation lessons don’t need to be nonsense! With this mutation activity your students will learn about the different point and chromosomal mutations and their effects on proteins. Everything from frameshift mutations to chromosomal inversions are discussed. Included in the activity are some practice mutations that your students can use to practice their identification skills. Additionally, diseases such as sickle cell anemia and

Originally a cutting and pasting assignment, this updated virtual activity allows students to answer questions, arrange parts of the cell, and create a cell membrane all within Google Slides. It works well for virtual and hybrid instruction as well as in-person. Your students will learn the different parts of a cell membrane and how they work together. Phospholipids, protein channels, glycoproteins, and cholesterol are all discussed in this drag and drop activity.  To use this activity in your

Macromolecules is usually one of the more difficult concepts for my students to master in biology. This activity helps the students (and myself!) to see where they might not have achieved mastery or where some misconceptions might be lingering. To complete the activity, students take a card off the top of the pile and place it where it belongs on the table. They continue to drag and drop the cards from the pile to the table until they run out. When they are done, we go over it together as a clas

This 3-in-1 drag and drop activity covers 18 organelles found in plant and animal cells. Your students will match the function with the correct organelle in the first part of the activity. This part also has “cards” with ways to remember each organelle that they will match with the organelle as well. In the second part your students will label the 18 organelles in plant and animal cells. The last part of the activity has your students compare and contrast plant and animal cells with a Venn Diagr

My students struggle with dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis. This worksheet is the easier of two worksheets that I use in my classroom to help them. Compared to the other Dehydration Synthesis and Hydrolysis Worksheet, this worksheet is more of an introduction to the concepts. In addition to a vocabulary and labeling section, there are six reactions that students must analyze and answer questions about. Monomers and polymers are also covered. Check out the preview for a complete view of the

The cell membrane is a fluid mosaic filled with many structures. Allow your students to learn the various structures by coloring and labeling them with this cell membrane coloring activity. After they have completed the coloring on the front, there are some additional review questions on the back. Check out the preview for a more detailed view!  Time to Complete: 30-45 minutes  Topics Covered: Cell MembranePhospholipidPhospholipid BilayerCholesterolGlycoproteinProtein ChanelIntegral ProteinC

This 30-question assessment will test your students knowledge on the cell membrane and cellular transport. The test comes as an editable Google Doc file with a link to an editable Google Form. You get both versions of the test so that you can assign it to wherever your students are: virtual, hybrid, or in person! The majority of the test questions have four answer choices (some have three) and there are images throughout. Take a look at the preview to see more!  The Google Form is already set

This enzyme Pear Deck activity was created as a way to engage students in both virtual and hybrid settings. Replacing a cutting and pasting activity, this enzyme review covers topics ranging from substrates to inhibition. As the teacher, you can decide to let students work at their own pace or control the flow of the activity with an instructor-paced review. Either way, this activity will help students brush up on their enzyme knowledge before their upcoming test.  This Pear Deck presentation

Trying to figure out how to teach cells online, in a hybrid setting, or just looking to spruce up your cells unit? Look no further! This bundle offers an introduction to prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells as well as 18 organelles found in eukaryotic cells. Once your students know their organelles, they can apply their knowledge to the Practicing Plant and Animal Cells Organelle activity. Before you’re ready to test them, give them the Cell Structure and Function Study Guide to prepare them for you

Organelles can be tricky to teach, whether in an online, hybrid, or in-person environment. Instead of sending your students hunting and sifting through countless websites looking for information on organelles, have them complete this activity. No need to have multiple tabs open. They won’t even need to use their textbook! All they need to do is read the paragraph of information about each organelle to learn the location, structure, and function of that organelle. Then they write what they learne