Natalie Kopp

This is a paper lab where the students put together a flower based on a diagram. They then have to color the parts of the flower according to specific instructions. They have to label the parts. The fun part is that they use glue and colored powder to imitate the anther (or this step can be skipped). The students apply glue to the tips of the anthers of the flowers, and dip them into a bowl with either flour or colored powder (any kind) which can be easily ordered online or purchased in a pa

This is a reading written by me about the origin of life and the experiments which attempted to prove how life started. There is a reading, a do now that should be done prior to the reading, and questions that pertain to it. Included is the English version of all the activities; as well as the reading, questions, and do now translated into Spanish. Keywords: primordial soup, organic molecules, origin of life, evolution, reading, ELL, ENL, Spanish, reading, literacy.

Every time I teach reproduction, I always get the same question from students: how do twins form? I made this activity to help my own students understand this interesting natural phenomenon. In the activity, students will see how identical twins form, and how fraternal twins will form. They will use guided directions to cut and paste appropriate stages of development into boxes on their lab report and will finally see that identical twins are the product of a single sperm and egg and that fra

This is a reading about the exotic species called the zebra mussel that is now a presence in the Great Lakes and other waterways in North America. The reading highlights the negative effects of the zebra mussels on the ecosystem, economic impacts, and positive impacts are discussed as well. The file is a zip, so the word document version of the reading is fully editable, the pdf is not. Look at the preview, what you see is what you get. Key words: exotic species, introduced species, non-nat

This is an interesting reading written by me (but based on true events) about a case of selective breeding and how it attempted to prove whether personality is genetically determined or if it depends on how one was raised. It is about an experiment with Siberian silver foxes that started about 50 years ago and is still going on to this day. This reading is image rich with annotation prompts, and higher order thinking questions at the end of the article. This article can be paired well with my

This is a fun reading comprehension activity your students will love, plus an interactive notebook activity. In the reading, four types of vertebrates are explored: fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals. Discussed are fun facts, distinguishing features, and specifically their reproduction and development. Internal vs. External Fertilization. Internal vs. External Development. There is a fun interactive notebook activity as well. The reading is meant to be interesting and inviting to students

This is a set of forty word problems, one problem per task card, four task cards per page. You may see examples of the types of problems that are included in the preview. These are challenging, and not for struggling students. The skills needed to solve these include: setting up and solving a system of two or three equations, multiplication and division, fractions and percents, logic/trying out various numbers, and a few need to be solved via using the Pythagorean theorem. There are two set

This is a simulated gel electrophoresis activity created by me where students have to find out which primates or apes, and to what extent are more closely related to humans. Included in the activity: -Background information -The "DNA" of each primate as well as the human -The simulated gel template where students will have to shade in boxes -Data table and analysis questions -Answer Key Keywords: homo sapiens, apes, primates, gel electrophoresis, evolution, taxonomy, phylogenetic trees. Pleas

This is a great worksheet to use while teaching plate tectonics and plate boundary types. It deals with page 12 of the new Earth and Space Reference Sheet for NY State. The students use a simulation along with the reference sheet to answer questions on the worksheet. The zip folder contains a pdf version, and a word document version which is editable. The worksheet is two pages long, contains a link and a QR code for the simulation. There is also an answer key. Keywords: trench, ridge, geol

This is a great no prep lesson on northern lights. There is a reading with questions. There are optional discussion questions that students can do with a partner. There is a page which has a landscape with northern lights in the background, which students color by number to reveal a beautiful image with light green, brown, pink, black and magenta colors. The materials needed are the printed copy of the worksheets and magenta/purple, black, as well as green, pink and brown pencils. Keyword

This is a great worksheet that can go along with your lab on magnetism using bar magnets. The materials needed are two bar magnets and iron shavings. Students first make predictions and sketch what the magnetic field lines will look like. They then line up the magnets in directed ways and sketch what they really look like. They answer follow up questions, followed by an optional extension activity. The images of bar magnets are already on the worksheet this makes sketching easier. There are

There are two diagrams, the male and the female reproductive systems. Students themselves label each diagram, based on written prompts that are given to them. This is a great way for students to "teach themselves" about the parts and functions of each system.

These are great task cards that cover many topics related to moles. The exact topics present are: molar amount molar mass amount of particles moles to grams relations mass of one molecule amount of moles obtained from a chemical reaction average molar mass percent composition empirical formula molecular formula There are 20 task cards with problems to solveThere is an answer sheet and an answer key.Key words: AP chemistry, college chemistry Check out my other task cards on radioactive decay. ht

This is a great lab to teach students how to apply the formula F = G(m1)(m2) divided by r2. The students take two objects either provided by the teacher or that they bring, determine their masses and place them at a certain distance that they themselves decide. They then figure out the gravitational force that those two objects exert on one another. They then alter the distance and repeat the calculation. Last, they try this with two heavier objects. There are interesting pre-lab discussion

This product contains a worksheet which the students fill out as they watch the movie. There is also a sheet for the teacher with a guideline of times to pause the movie and have a class discussion with the students, it contains suggested discussion questions at suggested times. Keywords: NASA, space race, inspiration, African American Women, STEM, John Glenn, Civil Rights, segregation, Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, historical drama, race and gender equality.

Do your students struggle to understand carbon dating/nuclear half life? If so, this is a great introductory resource. As you can see in the preview, the questions asked deal with common household and kitchen items expiring, fading, etc. There are 12 questions/task cards The skills practiced are:working with percent determining the half life working with fractions There is also a PowerPoint with a do now, exit ticket, more sample problems. This is a no prep lesson. There are no actual carb

This PowerPoint explains the basic process of selective breeding and how it is done. contains a link to a video, and has writing prompts for students. It has two possible do-nows the teacher can choose from as a way to start class. It can be paired with my free reading about nature vs. nurture and the Siberian silver fox breeding program. Keywords: Selective breeding, dogs, foxes, personality, traits, heredity, genes, DNA, artificial selection, pets.

There are two sets of 20 task cards along with an answer key for the teacher and and answer sheet for the students. There are two versions, differentiated, and non-differentiated. So a total of 40 task cards. The differentiated task cards have a slightly different border as seen in the preview. The skills involved are: recognizing symbolic representation, multiplication, division, work with fractions, percent. There is one multiple choice question, the rest are all calculation/short answe

In this simulated gel electrophoresis activity, students determine who fathered several women's babies.  Is is the man they selected at the sperm bank clinic, or the clinic's owner?  Do this activity to find out.  This activity is exciting and educational.  Included with the activity are: -background reading -the gel electrophoresis activity where students have to shade in boxes on a template -questions to be answered at the end of the activity -detailed answer key There is a word version which

This is a fun food web building activity. There is a key to animal diets as well as labeled pictures of organisms, including decomposers. Students use a guide to figure out which organism consumes which and build their food web. There are higher order thinking questions about this food web which are included, as well as a graphic organizer where students have to identify the nutritional roles of the organisms involved. This activity includes a guide for the teacher. An answer key is provided.