Synergistic Learning

Understanding the events along a membrane that lead to an action potential can be very confusing for students. I use this interactive hands-on activity as an introduction to what happens. It allows me to be more of a facilitator and help groups work through the concepts, like concentration gradients and the movement of charges. Key to the activity is also provided.

In my anatomy and physiology class, I have students follow this step by step activity to formatively assess their understanding of simple directional terms. They love it! I added extra directions this year to improve it even more!

In this activity, students use pipe cleaners and beads to model the structure of antibodies and how three different genes can produce so much variation in antibodies. A great, hands on activity for learning about the immune system!

In this group activity, students use information on how substances are moving in a nephron to construct an explanation of how a nephron can create concentrated urine from blood plasma. Materials needed include large butcher paper (you could modify it by using smaller paper though), colored pencils or markers and the directions. Students should have a basic understanding of the structure of the kidney and have already been introduced to the structure of a nephron. You could also give them the

In this DNA extraction lab, students extract DNA from their very own cheek cells! I love doing this activity at the very beginning of a unit on genetics to engage students and have them marvel at their very own DNA "snot". I've also included analysis questions at the end of the lab to get them thinking about DNA structure. After this activity, I will introduce more detail about DNA structure.

This is a fun experiment I do with my students after they have learned about negative feedback systems. I challenge them to test a way to bring their bodies back to "normal" after exercise. They get the option of testing blood pressure, temperature or heart rate. The directions instruct students to use Vernier probeware. If you don't have these available, you could change the directions to just using heart rate and have them take their own pulse. They are required to generate their own data

This is a great computer model of what factors affect natural selection. Students are "predators" and eat dots on the screen. They collect data on how the population changes over time and how variation, population size, and heritability of a trait affect how the population changes over time. The guide I've created here leads students through the simulation and provides embedded as well as summative questions to check for understanding.

In this project, students are challenged to design a working model of the heart and to engage in the engineering design cycle. Students must reflect on their process and present their finished models at the end. Rubrics and scaffolds are included. I give my students this project after they have learned about the general anatomy of the heart and blood flow through it. I give 3 periods (55 minutes) to build it in their teams. It's a great project!

In this student driven project, students either research and choose a current medical procedure and/or device to improve upon OR they come up with their own medical procedure/device to help with a disease/disorder of their choice! Students LOVE this and allows for a lot of choice! I love the ideas that students come up with and the models they create. It's a great project to teach and review the engineering design cycle as well! I have also attached a peer evaluation worksheet at the end of the

I created this activity to be used with the free 3D Brain app that can be downloaded to any device. This is a great interactive opportunity for students to use their knowledge about different parts of the brain in determining why certain symptoms would be exhibited with damage to certain areas of the brain. A key is provided as well. Enjoy!

In this two-fold project, I challenge my physiology students to create an electronic story book which documents the story of the travels of Mr. Asparagus through the digestive tract. Their story must incorporate parts and process of the digestive system. They must help to market their book by creating a to-scale model of the digestive system on a T-shirt. This is a great project to reinforce the "story" of food through the digestive tract. I give my students the choice to either Google Slide

I use this interactive group & class activity to formatively assess their understanding of not only the parts of the digestive system, but what HAPPENS in each major section. Students must model emulsification, mechanical digestion, chemical digestion and even defecation! It's so much fun and forces students to really think and apply their understanding to creating a 3-dimensional model.

In this project, students take on the role of a genetic counselor who will be counseling parents about the diagnosis of their unborn (or possibly already born) child. Students pick a disease (or you could assign them) and then research and present the symptoms and causes of the disorder. Students create an informational handout to give to the parents. A list of disorders to choose from is provided, as well a starting point resource for finding up to date information. There is also a rubric p

Learning about how the nephrons in the kidney maintain osmoregulation can be very challenging for students to learn. I use this chart to help students solidify their understanding of what is happening in each part of the nephron. Students explore the animations listed to fill in the chart and then answer the questions as a formative assessment of their understanding.

In this "hands-on" lab, students are given "samples" of fake urine to test and then determine which urine belongs to which patient. It's a fun way to formatively assess student knowledge of urine formation and how diseases affect the nephron. You can order fake urine from Carolina Biological Supply, but I make my own urine. The recipe for each "urine" sample is also included in the lab! You will need to order the following though: ph strips, glucose and protein strips, specimen cups (optional).

In this activity, students work to become an expert on a certain tissue type by collecting information from digital resources and microscope slides. If you don't have the slides, you can order them from Carolina.com or you can search for sources online for students to look up the information. After collecting information and becoming an "expert" on one specific type, students share the information with each other and then answer analysis questions.

I am using the Inner Balance (HeartMath) wireless devices to help my students understand how they can impact their nervous systems and heart rate with their moods and mindfulness practices. I could not find an activity guide on the HeartMath website that fit the grade level of my students (high school), so I created my own! This activity guide gives background information on the science of the devices and then provides detailed directions on how to use the devices , a data table and analysis

In this activity, students use their hands and pop-together beads to explore and model how enzymes work and what might affect them. I love using this activity after we have done a lab about enzymes and then I use this activity to help students explore the results of the lab and come up with explanations.

Students imagine they are very small and take a trip through human skin. Using data about the types of tissues found there, as well as substances and pH, they have to determine they have taken through the skin. This activity is best done in an introductory unit of anatomy/physiology after students have explored types of tissues and have been introduced to structures of the skin.

After introducing students to the concept of reflexes and learning about the divisions of the nervous system, I engage my students with this fun exploration of some of their reflexes, namely the knee jerk reflex and the pupillary reflex. After testing out their own reflexes and reflection with some post-activity questions, I have them design their own reflex labs.