Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Survival of the Fittest - Variations in the Clam Species Clamys sweetus
It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative...
Curated OER
Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back
Explore nutrition and healthy eating habits with a study on youth obesity. Learners watch a PBS documentary on the obesity epidemic which discusses government programs aimed at healthier choices, as well as more localized efforts. Kids...
Bonneville
Simple Solar Tracker
Let the solar cells fight each other for supremacy! Given a functional solar tracker that moves toward light, groups copy the design to build their own devices. They use two sets of solar cells that have reverse polarization, so that the...
NASA
Earth’s Energy Budget
Take the time and energy learn about Earth's energy budget. An engaging unit of four lessons focuses on the components that make up Earth's energy budget. Future scientists come up with a formula for the energy budget, then use software...
NASA
Future Temperature Projections
No one knows what the future will bring, but it's likely to be warmer than before. Pupils first learn about the NASA GISS ModelE2, a global climate model, and about representative concentration pathways that estimate the global output of...
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Innate Immune System
My body is my castle. Pupils learn about the innate immune system in the second lesson plan of a three-part unit on the immune system by comparing the innate immune system to a castle and moat. Groups conduct a simulation where they try...
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Adaptive Immune System
Attack the pathogen from within. Learners delve deeper into the immune system and find out about the adaptive immune system such as T and B cells. Groups create graphical models of the adaptive immune system along with a multimedia...
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Organs and Tissues of the Immune System
It's virus-fighting time! Pupils learn how viruses attack and reproduce and how the immune system works to protect the body. They identify unfamiliar terms and tissues and organs of the immune system. Working in small groups, scholars...
Learning Games Lab
Logarithm Calculator
Support your young scientists' knowledge of logarithms with a quick video lesson. The instruction first presents the relationship between a base-10 logarithm and an exponential equation. It then demonstrates how to use a calculator to...
Learning Games Lab
The Magic of Reading Graphs
Making conclusions from graphs doesn't need to seem like magic. Learners explore an interactive lesson on reading graphs to strengthen their skills. The content discusses how to read the axes of a graph and draw conclusions based on the...
Learning Games Lab
Scientific Graph Reading
Interpreting graphs is an essential skill for young scientists. An interactive online lesson gives individuals an opportunity to review the components of a graph and learn to read and interpret the shape of a graph. The lesson includes...
New York City Department of Education
Grade 9-10 Literacy in Science: Using DNA to Solve a Crime
Scholars become detectives and use science to solve a crime! A complete unit introduces DNA and includes hands-on activities that have learners model DNA and extract it from different food types. A culminating activity challenges...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Color Variation Over Time in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
Simple characteristic changes can have a significant impact on species survival. A hands-on activity has learners investigate the color variation in pocket mouse populations in different environments. They connect the timing and number...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Pulse Chase Primer: The Meselson-Stahl Experiment
Experimental design can make or break an experiment. Young scholars analyze the pulse-chase analysis procedure by studying the Meselson-Stahl experiment. Using a video presentation, they discover how the pulse-chase analysis led to the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
West Nile Virus: Vectors and Hosts Game
The spread of an infectious disease can be a complicated process. Using a game approach, learners reenact the spread of the West Nile virus. They learn the need for the vector in transmitting the disease and how different organisms react...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Pedigrees and the Inheritance of Lactose Intolerance
What, exactly, causes lactose intolerance? Scholars view a video describing a Finnish study that determined why some people are tolerant while others are intolerant. They then use the data from the study to reenact the experiment and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Color Variation Over Time in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
While many mutations are neutral, those that appear advantageous increase in frequency in a population. Scholars use illustrations to make predictions about populations of mice. They follow it up with a video to confirm or refute their...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Molecular Genetics of Color Mutations in Rock Pocket Mice
Can you identify mutations just by viewing DNA sequences? Scholars apply prior knowledge of DNA sequences to do just that in an engaging activity. They transcribe and translate genes, thus identifying the locations of mutations. Then,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Biochemistry and Cell Signaling Pathway of the Mc1r Gene
How do mice have so much fur color variation over generations? Scholars illustrate protein structures based on amino acid sequences. Then, they analyze the signaling pathway in different-colored mice populations. This allows them to...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Natural Selection and Evolution of Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
Can evolution repeat itself? Scholars analyze amino acid data in two separate populations of mice. They learn that evolution repeats itself, but natural selection prefers some mutations over others in different environments. Analysis...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Molecular Evolution of Gene Birth and Death
More than 90 percent of humans' DNA doesn't code for anything! Scholars watch a presentation as they answer questions relating to gene mutations. They read details, watch videos, and view animations supporting the concepts. The questions...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Population Genetics, Selection, and Evolution
The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that alleles and genotypes remain constant in the absence of evolutionary influences. Scholars complete a simple hands-on activity applying the Hardy-Weinberg principle to sample data. They observe how...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction Part 2: On Land
What can fossils tell us about periods of extinction? Young scholars interpret fossil layers to make conclusions about changes in life during different geological time periods. They analyze the fossils for abundance and diversity as well...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Get Shuffled When Chromosomes Exchange Pieces
Some genes link to others that have implications for inheritance. A set of resources lead pupils through the history of this discovery. They explain how chromosomes recombine and which parts are more susceptible to this linkage....