Melissa Cocherell

Engage your high school biology students with this two-day interactive lesson bundle that brings macromolecules to life! Designed around the LS.Bio.1.1 standard, these lessons use hands-on, survival-themed activities to teach students how the structure of macromolecules determines their function in real-world scenarios. Day 1: Introduction & Big Picture Students explore the four major macromolecules—carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids—through interactive discussions and analogies

Help your high school biology students start the year thinking, questioning, collecting data, analyzing graphs, and using evidence like real scientists! This 90-minute “Thinking Like a Scientist” lesson is designed to introduce students to the science practices they will use all year long in biology. Students begin by reflecting on what scientists actually do, then move into an engaging mini lesson on data collection, qualitative vs. quantitative data, independent and dependent variables, graphi

Survive and Thrive: Day 2 – Structure → Function Deep Dive (LS.Bio.1.1)Take your students on an interactive journey into macromolecule structure and function with this high school biology lesson. Day 2 of the Survive + Thrive series is designed to help students understand how the structure of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids determines their role in survival and cellular function. This resource is fully ready to use, with engaging teacher instructions, student worksheets, warm-

Bring macromolecules to life with this engaging Survive + Thrive: Macromolecules & Survival lesson! In this high school biology activity, students explore how the structure of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids connects to their function in real-life survival scenarios. Students begin with a survival-themed lesson that introduces the big idea: structure determines function. Then, they rotate through 12 survival station cards where they analyze scenarios, identify the macromole

Start your school year with an activity that gets students moving, talking, and thinking like scientists from day one! This high-engagement lesson helps students build classroom community while introducing essential science skills like observing, comparing, and analyzing patterns in populations. This Lesson: Gets students interacting immediatelyBuilds positive classroom cultureIntroduces real scientific thinkingRequires little to no prepStudents will: Talk to classmates and ask questionsCollec

Make lab safety engaging, meaningful, and easy to teach from day one! This complete lesson gets students thinking like real scientists while learning how to stay safe in the lab. Tired of boring safety lectures? This lesson transforms lab safety into an interactive, real-world experience where students analyze situations, make decisions, and explain their thinking. This lesson: Builds critical thinking skillsEncourages student discussionsUses real-life scenarios students understandKeeps stude

Start your school year with an activity that gets students moving, talking, and thinking like scientists from day one! This engaging, low-prep icebreaker is a mini version of my full “Find Your Scientific Match” activity, designed to give you a quick, powerful preview of the full experience. Find Your Scientific Match