In this lesson, students watch a video of scientists finding, collecting, and dating fossils. They then answer questions about scientific processes and work with ratios and proportions to solve simple algebraic equations relating to fossil data. Recommended for middle school life/earch science, high school environmental science, or high school biology.
Material Type: Lesson
With this interactive resource, students read arguments for and against growing GM crops. Each time they are asked the question, "Based on what you now know, do you think we should grow GM crops?". The next argument students read is chosen for them based on their answer.
Material Type: Interactive
This is an encyclopedia entry for "keystone species," a plant or animal that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions. Text for this entry is appropriate for the middle and high school grade levels.
Material Type: Reference Material
For this unit plan, see the old unit calendar (link on left sidebar, click ALT7 tab at the bottom). Once we update this unit to the new Doc template, we will post it here. This is now unit 7, but it used to be unit 4 (we will update file and folder numbering as we continue to revise the units). Thanks for your patience as we work hard this year to update all of the materials to the new unit template and unit/standards arrangements.
Material Type: Unit of Study
Students use pennies to determine the traits for a smiley face, then use Microsoft Word to create the smiley face. Faces are displayed in the classroom and students use their knowledge of genetics to answer questions about smiley faces, traits, and probability. NOTE: Teacher notes and a "Wrapping It Up" analysis activity are separate complementary resources.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
We pulled together what was happening across three different systems (Addie, our Petri dishes, and the simulation). We identified additional objects and interactions to include in a revision to the simulation to help us explore some of the phenomena we still had questions about.
Material Type: Lesson
Individual bacteria that have an advantageous trait variation, like fewer pores, have a better chance of surviving exposure to antibiotics, than those without that variation.
Material Type: Lesson
In this biology lesson with math and ELA integration, students use real rock pocket mouse data to illustrate the Hardy-Weinberg principle.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations. The many specialties within ecology provide us with information to better understand the world around us. This information also can help us improve our environment, manage our natural resources, and protect human health.
Material Type: Curriculum, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plan
Students use marine organism cards and trophic level classifications to identify and describe food chains in several marine ecosystems.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
Students will use an online calculator to estimate their household's carbon footprint and explore various actions to reduce it.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students view a slideshow presentation with imbedded videos and images of the skeletal evolution of humans and chimpanzees. The fossil skeleton of Ardipithecus ramidus is compared with the skeletons of humans and chimpanzees to better understand the branching that took place during evolution.
Material Type: Interactive
This multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, describes how researchers at a biotech start-up at UNC-Charlotte are inserting key DNA codons into the protein-rich seeds of soybeans. This could revolutionize how we take medicines. Components of this resource include a video and a related blog article. Links to these components are provided on the page under the heading "UNC-TV Media."
Material Type: Lesson
In this lesson, students learn how cell specialization takes place in vertebrate embryos. They begin by viewing a gallery of different kinds of specialized cells and exploring how white blood cells are specialized to fight viruses. They will also learn about the role of master control genes in cell development. Finally, they learn about the significance of, and the controversy surrounding, stem cell research, and then analyze different points of view in the stem cell debate.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
In this lab activity, students react magnesium with hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen gas. The gas is collected by water displacement, so students will need to adjust the volume for the vapor pressure of water. Students will also perform stoichiometric calculations.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
In this interactive lesson, students will conduct two chemical reactions. In the first, the temperature will go down (endothermic) and in the second, the temperature will go up (exothermic). Students will view an animation to review the concept that it takes energy to break bonds and that energy is released when new bonds are formed. Students will use this idea to explain why a reaction is either endothermic or exothermic. Linked into this lesson is a student activity sheet, a video on thermite reaction, a video on Nitrogen triodide reaction, a White Phosphorus Reaction video, a Methane Combustion Energy animation, an image showing a baking soda and calcium chloride reaction, an image showing a baking soda and vinegar reaction, both an endothermic and exothermic reaction animation as well as an answer sheet for the student activity sheet and teacher background information on exothermic and endothermic chemical reactions.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
This clever and inventive video lesson reviews the 5 major ways to speed up chemical reactions and presents them in a way to which students can easily relate. Discussion/assessment questions and suggested supplemental resources are also included.
Material Type: Lesson Plan, Presentation
Students will create different concentrations of sweet tea and vote on which tastes best. The concepts of dilution, molarity and converting from grams to moles will be reviewed.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students will analyze aspirin tablets for the acetylsalicylic acid content, using titration.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
This brief video describes the laws that govern gas properties (Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, and Avogadro's Law). Assessments for the student to complete after viewing the video and suggested supplemental resources are also included.
Material Type: Lecture, Lesson, Presentation
