Students will make a proportional model of blood out of red gelatin, a plastic bag, and rice. They will learn about the different components that make up blood and will investigate what happens when the arteries and veins experience buildup from cholesterol. They will then work in pairs to brainstorm ways to clean our clogged arteries.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this unit, students look at the components of cells and their functions and discover the controversy behind stem cell research. The first lesson focuses on the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. In the second lesson, students learn about the basics of cellular respiration. They also learn about the application of cellular respiration to engineering and bioremediation. The third lesson continues students' education on cells in the human body and how (and why) engineers are involved in the research of stem cell behavior.
Material Type: Full Course
Students set up and run the experiments they designed in the Population Growth in Yeasts associated lesson, using simple yeast-molasses cultures in test tubes. Population growth is indicated by the amount of respiration occurring in the cultures, which in turn is indicated by the growth of carbon dioxide bubbles trapped within the culture tubes. Using this method, students test for a variety of environmental influences, such as temperature, food supply and pH.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Cell Organelle Matching activity and assessment.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Diagram/Illustration
Students learn that engineers develop different polymers to serve various functions and are introduced to selectively permeable membranes. In a warm-up activity, they construct models of selectively permeable membranes using common household materials, and are reminded about simple diffusion and passive transport. In the main activity, student pairs test and compare the selective permeability of everyday polymer materials engineered for food storage (including plastic grocery bags, zipper sandwich bags, and plastic wrap) with various in-solution molecules (iodine, corn starch, food coloring, marker dye), assess how the polymer’s permeability relates to its function/purpose, and compare that to the permeability of dialysis tubing (which simulates a cell membrane).
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Throughout time, man has been curious about the world around him. As technology progresses, so too do the views of the scientific world. As we discover new ways to examine the world, we are forced to question our current theories and decide whether or not they are accurate or outdated. One invention, the microscope, was one of the most significant developments in scientific history. It allowed scientists a look at items so small they weren’t even believed to exist. From this invention stems the scientific theory of the cell. This activity allows students to explore the major players in the development of the cell theory.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
All biological cells require the transport of materials across the plasma membrane into and out of the cell. By infusing cubes of agar with a pH indicator, and then soaking the treated cubes in vinegar, you can model how diffusion occurs in cells. Then, by observing cubes of different sizes, you can discover why larger cells might need extra help to transport materials.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students use a simple pH indicator to measure how much CO2 is produced during respiration, at rest and after exercising. They begin by comparing some common household solutions in order to determine the color change of the indicator. They review the concepts of pH and respiration and extend their knowledge to measuring the effectiveness of bioremediation in the environment.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Student Biology Book covering the Biology Keystone Standards. Teacher feedback on student responses helpful.
Material Type: Lesson Plan, Textbook, Unit of Study
This 19-minute video lesson looks at diffusion and osmosis. [Biology playlist: Lesson 36 of 71].
Material Type: Lecture
Students color-code a schematic of a cell and its cell membrane structures. Then they complete the "Build-a-Membrane" activity found at http://learn.genetics.utah.edu. This reinforces their understanding of the structure and function of animal cells, and shows them the importance of being able to construct a tangible model of something that is otherwise difficult to see.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students learn how viruses invade host cells and hijack the hosts' cell-reproduction mechanisms in order to make new viruses, which can in turn attack additional host cells. Students also learn how the immune system responds to a viral invasion, eventually defeating the viruses -- if all goes well. Finally, they consider the special case of HIV, in which the virus' host cell is a key component of the immune system itself, severely crippling it and ultimately leading to AIDS. The associated activity, Tracking a Virus, sets the stage for this lesson with a dramatic simulation that allows students to see for themselves how quickly a virus can spread through a population, and then challenges students to determine who the initial bearers of the virus were.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan
Learn how flu viruses get into and out of your cells using Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase proteins on their surface.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lecture
How can you tell if harmful bacteria are in your food or water that might make you sick? What you eat or drink can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins—pathogens that can be harmful or even fatal. Students learn which contaminants have the greatest health risks and how they enter the food supply. While food supply contaminants can be identified from cultures grown in labs, bioengineers are creating technologies to make the detection of contaminated food quicker, easier and more effective.
Material Type: Lesson
The aim of this presentation is to expand the student knowledge about skin microbiology. The main skin microbes are bacteria, viruses and fungi, which normally are friendly without causing harms. However, the skin flora is constantly challenges by our every-day life activities.
Material Type: Lecture
This 23-minute video provides an introduction to viruses. [Biology playlist: Lesson 19 of 71].
Material Type: Lecture
In our increasingly globalized world, a single infected person can board a plane and spread a virus across continents. Mark Honigsbaum describes the history of pandemics and how that knowledge can help halt future outbreaks. A quiz, thought provoking question, and links for further study are provided to create a lesson around the 8-minute video. Educators may use the platform to easily "Flip" or create their own lesson for use with their students of any age or level.
Material Type: Lecture
The pork chops you buy in the supermarket neatly packaged in plastic and styrofoam may look completely sterile, but are, in fact, likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria - and not with just any old bugs, but with hard-to-treat, antibiotic resistant strains. In a recently published study, researchers with the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System bought meat from a wide sampling of chain grocery stores across the country and analyzed the bacteria on the meat. Resistant microbes were found in 81% of ground turkey samples, 69% of pork chops, 55% of ground beef samples, and 39% of chicken parts.
Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading
In this video collaboration from Khan Academy and 23andMe, you'll learn about the basics of cells, chromosomes, and the genes contained in your DNA.
Material Type: Lecture
