science

Multiple hands-on, minds-on activities for teaching biology to high school and middle school students are available at http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/. 

Additional teaching resources presented here include:

• minds-on discussion/worksheet activities, games, and web-based activities for learning and review
• overviews of important biological topics, including major concepts, common misconceptions, and suggested learning activities.

The topics covered include biological molecules, cellular respiration and photosynthesis, cell structure and function,  cell division, genetics, molecular biology and human health, biological concepts, and scientific method. 

The overview at the beginning of each major section suggests a sequence of activities which can be used to help students overcome common misconceptions and develop a genuine, solid understanding of important biological concepts. 

In this worksheet/discussion activity, students compare aerobic cellular respiration and alcoholic fermentation and then interpret evidence to figure out why a micro-brewer’s beer has no alcohol.  The first attached file has the Student Handout and the second attached file has the Teacher Notes.

This discussion/worksheet activity helps students to understand the relationships between food molecules as a source of energy, cellular respiration, physical activity, and changes in body weight.  The first attached file has the Student Handout and the second attached file has the Teacher Notes.

The questions in this worksheet/discussion activity help students understand the relationship between cellular respiration, O₂, CO₂, and breathing. The first attached file has the Student Handout and the second attached file has the Teacher Notes.

This overview provides a sequence of learning activities to help students understand that proteins and DNA are not just abstract concepts in biology textbooks, but rather crucial components of our bodies that affect functions and characteristics that students are familiar with. Students learn about how proteins contribute to the digestion of food and to characteristics such as albinism, sickle cell anemia and hemophilia. Then, students learn about the relationship between the genetic information in DNA and the different versions of these proteins. The discussion, web-based, and hands-on learning activities presented are appropriate for an introductory unit on biological molecules or as an introduction to a unit on molecular biology. 

The attached file has the key concepts and suggested learning activities.

This game reviews introductory chemistry, including organic compounds and chemical reactions.