NGSS Science Curriculum for Science Teachers
Exothermic or Endothermic? Background Information and Theory: Bond Energy and the Types of Reactions Endothermic and Exothermic: During a chemical reaction, energy is either transferred to or from its surroundings. Reactions which involve heat energy being released into the surrounding environment are called exothermic reactions. By contrast, endothermic reactions draw heat energy from their surroundings. This […]
Chemistry Magic Triangles Background Theory: In Chemistry, the measure the amount of a substance in a unit is called a ‘mole’. It is a convenient way of counting atoms and allows chemists to make predictions about the masses of different substances that are involved in reactions. Regardless of the element in question, one mole of […]
Physical and Chemical Changes Lab Worksheets Download and print the following to use with your Chemical and Physical Changes Lab Activity 3-1 Chemical and Physical Change - Student Lab Sheet (PDF) 3-1 Chemical and Physical Change - Student Lab Sheet (Doc) 3-1 Chemical and Physical Change - Lab (PDF) 3-1 Chemical and Physical Change - […]
VSEPR Molecular Geometry Candy Molecules This Chemistry Lab is meant for high school chemistry students. Be sure to download the lab sheet below before you begin. Molecular Shape and the VSEPR Theory Lab Sheets Download and print the following to use with your Molecular Shape and the VSEPR Theory Lab Activity 2-6 Candy Molecules - […]
Flame Tests – Identifying Metal Ions Atomic Structure Lab Activity Background and Theory Chemists are often required to test samples to find out if they contain specific ions or compounds. This lab allows students to practice these techniques and identify the different metal ions. When atoms are heated they become excited causing the electrons to jump into higher […]
The Human Body Systems – Where to Start? Students seem to be pretty clued up about their bodies these days, and so it makes total sense to use this to our advantage in the classroom when teaching the human body systems. As is the case with any new unit, extracting prior knowledge is good practice, […]
Veggie Babies is a fun group activity you can use to model monohybrid cross inheritance. Students can construct offspring for Ma Potato and Pa Onion and then create their offspring to see firsthand the random selection of alleles. This activity amplifies the use of those tricky genetics words and gets students thinking about why some […]
This activity uses candy to allow students to assemble and then compare and contrast the DNA and RNA Structure. Students often find the structure of these tiny molecules hard to visualize, let alone remembering what constitutes an individual nucleotide! Allowing them to construct a physical model is an excellent way for your kinesthetic and visual […]
A great way to demonstrate how different mechanisms of microevolution affect a gene pool is to use this M&Ms Evolution Lab. It allows students to actively learn about the concepts of microevolution in a memorable way (by eating them at the end of the activity). There are many different effects that you can simulate with […]
As is the case with many topics in Biology, species interactions contain a lot of new vocabulary which students don’t typically use as part of their everyday talk. So how do you familiarize them with the vocabulary so that they can proficiently discuss the interactions without them getting lost or disengaged in the process? One […]
The phrase “cellular respiration” can make even the most experienced Biology teacher shudder. When it comes to teaching this all-important topic, there is one question that every Biology teacher asks themselves – “how can I make aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration enjoyable, while still making sure that students understand these tricky processes?” In short, animations, […]
In a digital age where almost every teenager has a smart phone, tablet or both, incorporating “apps” into your biology lessons where appropriate seems to make sense. There is a great app to help you teach Carolus Linnaeus’ System for Classifying Organisms. The app Classify It! is a great little add-on to use when teaching […]
Before your students even sit down in your very first Biology class, they are already experts in play (they have after all been doing it for 15-16 years by the time they reach high school). So why not channel that energy and expertise into acting out some biological concepts like Passive Cellular Transport? Role-playing abstract […]
An excellent way to engage your students when teaching them about macromolecules is to look at the different food groups and relate it to what they eat. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats take on a whole new level of interest when you bring food into the mix...especially when it involves a Big Mac. If you haven’t […]