MomentsofScience

Looking for a virtual replacement for your properties of water lab? Look no further! I designed this lab to simulate a stations lab I normally do which demonstrates each of the properties of water. In this version, students complete a Google Form where they watch videos and answer questions about the properties demonstrated in the videos. For example, one video shows a Basilisk Lizard running across the surface of water. Students must identify which property is being shown and justify their re

I use this lab with my lower level and on-level students to study acids, bases and changes in pH. Students use red cabbage juice, a natural indicator to test the pH of common household items including: baking soda, tums, alkaseltzer, ammonia, seltzer soda, lemon juice, vinegar, ethanol, tap water and distilled water. To prepare the indicator simply boil 5-6 large cabbage leaves in water and extract the resulting purple colored juice. The color scale I use is included with the lab ( I project i

I use this project in the beginning of the course to introduce students to the vast scope of biotechnology. This project is also perfectly adaptable for students to research the biotech industry's role in the current COVID-19 outbreak. 1. Students first find a news article highlighting a recent discovery or achievement made in the field of biotechnology. 2. Students research their current event. Focus is put on finding scientific journal articles. I bring my students to our librarian for a le

This is a digital adaptation of the "Pattern Matching" activity frequently used in Honors and AP level high school biology courses. I sourced material from a previously readapted print version to make this Google Slides version perfectly suited for remote or distance learning. Students first identify the elements present in each of the four biomolecules. Then, working in teams, students sort 45 molecules into 5 categories: Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic Acids and Unknowns. In this

This is the rubric I use to grade student generated CER responses. Students complete the CER using this graphic organizer. Every CER is graded using this rubric. I use CER to guide post-lab data analysis as well as a format for open-ended questions on tests. I adapted this rubric from several sources including Matthew d'Alessio's video on Youtube and the NSTA's CER Rubric. I prefer this format as it gives me a few key things to look for as I'm grading and makes the grading less subjective.

This bundle includes all of the resources I've designed for my high school Biotechnology elective course.

Perfect for distance or remote learning! I use this activity in my biotechnology class to reinforce and illustrate the process of DNA Sequencing. Before completing this activity I first have students watch the Khan Academy Video on Sequencing.Students first watch a " click-through" animation that guides them through the overall process of Sanger Sequencing. The animation is accompanied by fill-in-the-blank questions and higher-level analysis questions. Students then go to a virtual lab which

Includes resources for a mini-unit on the properties of water designed for a high school biology class

Are you looking for an engaging lab to introduce the scientific method and experimental design? Look no further! This fun lab allows students to identify variables, design their own lab, collect data and analyze the results. The lab culminates in a Claim/Evidence/Reasoning write-up. In this lab, students test the strength of your school's toilet paper versus store-bought name brands. They identify variables and write out their hypothesis. I've included two versions- one with the procedure writ

This is a lab report assignment to accompany the pGLO Bacterial Transformation Lab done in many AP Bio and Biotechnology classes. Instead of having students answer the "cookbook" pre-lab and post-lab questions where they can find the answers online, I have them write a formal lab report. The resources included in this bundle include a student instruction sheet for each section of the lab report. It is essentially a sentence-by-sentence guide. I do not have students write the methods section- b

*Please note that the virtual labs used in this activity used to run on Adobe Flash. MSU is in the process of updating the labs to run on HTML. I have reconfigured the assignment to use the modules MSU has already converted.*Perfectly designed for distance or remote learning!Looking for an activity where students identify unknown bacteria using morphological and biochemical characteristics? Look no further! This activity is a condensed version of the semester-long lab done in most college-leve

Are you looking to incorporate a cheese making lab into your biology or biotechnology course? Look no further! After years of trial and error, I've compiled this as my most successful cheese making lab that can be started, finished, cleaned up (and eaten) within one 88 minute block. Included: 3 PDF background readings on cheese makingPre-Lab Questions dependent on PDF Background readings (I post the pre-lab questions and PDF readings on Google Classroom to be completed as homework before the lab

I use this project in my Biotechnology elective course during our Pharmaceutical unit. Students choose a genetic disease and research its symptoms and treatment. The focus of study is on treatment using gene therapy with an emphasis on CRISPR. Students then create an educational video to present their research. This project can be done in class or virtually. This project reinforces research techniques such as using a database, analyzing scientific journal articles, and citing sources scientific

Perfect for remote or distance learning!I use this activity in my biotechnology class to reinforce and illustrate the use of microarrays. Before completing this activity I first have students watch the Khan Academy video on Microarrays Students first watch a " click-through" animation that guides them through the overall process of hybridization and microarrays. The animation is accompanied by fill-in-the-blank questions and higher-level analysis questions. Students then go to a virtual lab

Perfect for distance or remote learning! I use this activity in my biotechnology class to reinforce and illustrate the process of the PCR Reaction I use this as an introductory activity for students to learn the purpose and procedure of the Polymerase Chain Reaction. Students first watch a video that guides them through the basics of PCR. The animation is accompanied by fill-in-the-blank questions and higher-level analysis questions. Students then go to a click through animation which reinfor

Includes:Background Info Lab Procedure Data Tables Analysis Questions Key Pictures of Ingredients Indicator Color Chart Does not Include:CER HandoutThis is a honors or advanced level Biology Lab to study acids, bases, buffers and the pH scale. I accompany this with a CER graphic organizer to answer the question "Which antacid acts as the best buffer?" To complete the CER post-lab I provide students with pictures of the ingredients to include in their reasoning. This lab gives great results.

Looking for a lab to immerse students into the world of microscopy? Look no further!I believe learning to use a microscope is like learning how to drive a car- you have to learn by doing. This laboratory guides students through the correct usage of the compound light microscope. The lab write-up is designed for students to work at their own pace and independently. The lab in its entirety takes about 1.5 hours to complete (depending on student level. The instructions given are VERY specific.

This bundle includes all of the resources I've designed for my Organic Chemistry/Biomolecules unit. These resources are designed for on-level and honors level high school biology students.

Looking for a simple resource to have students match the organelles of the cell to both their structure and function? This worksheet can be used as a pre-assessment, formative assessment, practice worksheet or homework worksheet. Students match the given organelles to a description of the structure and function of the organelle. The worksheet is designed to be easy to grade; a key is included. This can be used for on-level or honors biology depending on the depth of your curriculum. Google doc

I use this CER Data Analysis Graphic Organizer with every lab I do! Each lab has a guiding question. That guiding question is answered in the claim. Students provide evidence from the experiment to support the claim. They then explain the evidence and connect it back to the claim. This is a foundational resource that can be applied to any lab for any discipline! It is scaffolded so that lower-level and high-achieving students can succeed. The Google Doc format is perfect for virtual or dista