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Hands-on Activities for Teaching Biology to High School or Middle School Students

by Drs. Ingrid Waldron and Jennifer Doherty, University of Pennsylvania

The expression "hands-on, minds-on" summarizes the philosophy we have incorporated in these activities -- namely, that students will learn best if they are actively engaged and if their activities are closely linked to understanding important biological concepts. For example, it is helpful to use hands-on models to engage student interest and foster multiple modality learning, but it is crucial to closely link the modeling activity to student understanding of the actual biological processes. To accommodate limited budgets, most of our activities can be carried out with minimum equipment and expense for supplies.
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Additional resources for teaching biology are available at http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/bioactivities. These teaching resources include discussion activities, games, web-based activities and overviews of important biological topics, including major concepts, common misconceptions, and suggested learning activities.

Introduction to Biology

Is Yeast Alive?

Students evaluate whether the little brown grains of yeast obtained from the grocery store are alive by testing for metabolism and growth.

Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast (revised, October, 2011)

Students learn about the basics of aerobic cellular respiration and alcoholic fermentation and design and carry out experiments to test how variables such as sugar concentration influence the rate of alcoholic fermentation in yeast. In an optional extension activity students can use their yeast mixture to make a small roll of bread.

Moldy Jell-O

Students design experiments to determine how substrate and environmental conditions influence growth of common molds.

Enzymes Help Us Digest Food(new, December, 2010)

Students learn about enzyme function and enzyme specificity and the molecular basis for lactose intolerance.

Who Took Jerell’s iPod? -- An Organic Compound Mystery(revised, October, 2010)

In this activity, students learn how to test for triglycerides, glucose, starch, and protein and then use these tests to solve a mystery. The activity reinforces students understanding of the biological functions and food sources of these different types of organic compounds.

Diffusion across a Selectively Permeable Membrane (revised, July, 2011)

Students investigate the effects of molecule size on diffusion across a synthetic selectively permeable membrane (dialysis tubing) and discuss applications to understanding the selectively permeable cell membrane.This activity includes a demonstration of osmosis (diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane).

Investigating Osmosis(revised, October, 2011)

Students make predictions about the effects of osmosis and design an experiment to test these predictions. The experimental approach is similar to the diffusion activity, but focused specifically on osmosis.

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Cell Division and Genetics

Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization (revised, August, 2011)

Students use model chromosomes (made from swim noodles or pairs of socks) to understand the processes of mitosis, meiosis and fertilization. Students are also introduced to the concept that understanding meiosis and fertilization provides the basis for understanding genetics and learn how a mistake in meiosis can result in Down Syndrome

Genetics (revised, January, 2011)

These activities help students to understand the basic principles of genetics, including Punnett squares and pedigree analysis. The understanding of meiosis and fertilization developed in the previous hands-on activity is linked to the understanding of basic principles of genetics.

Dragon Genetics -- Independent Assortment and Gene Linkage (revised, January, 2010)

Students learn the principles of independent assortment and gene linkage in activities which analyze inheritance of multiple genes on the same or different chromosomes in hypothetical dragons. Students learn how these principles derive from the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis and fertilization.

Dragon Genetics -- Principles of Mendelian Genetics

Students learn the principles of Mendelian genetics by using Popsicle sticks, each of which represents a pair of homologous chromosomes with multiple genetic traits. Pairs of students use their sets of Popsicle sticks to represent a mating and then identify the genetic makeup and phenotypic traits of the resulting baby dragon.

Using Blood Tests to Identify Babies and Criminals (revised, January, 2010)

Students learn the genetics and immunobiology of the ABO blood type system, using simple chemicals and logical reasoning to solve a murder mystery and to determine whether two babies were switched in the hospital.

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Molecular Biology

DNA(revised, October, 2011)

In this activity, students extract DNA from their cheek cells and relate the steps in the procedure to the characteristics of cells and biological molecules. Students learn key concepts about DNA structure and replication during the intervals required for the extraction procedure. Alternatively, students can extract DNA from split peas while learning about DNA structure and replication.

From Gene to Protein - Transcription and Translation (revised, March, 2011)

Students learn how a gene provides the instructions for making a protein, and how the gene for sickle cell hemoglobin can result in sickle cell anemia. Simple paper models are used to simulate the molecular processes of transcription and translation. This activity can be used to introduce students to these topics or to reinforce student understanding of these molecular processes.

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Evolution and Diversity

Evolution by Natural Selection (revised, March, 2012)

Principles of natural selection are demonstrated by a simulation involving different color pompoms on different color and texture habitats and student feeders equipped with different types of feeding implement. Students learn how different adaptations contribute to differences in survival and reproductive success, which results in changing frequencies of genotypes in the populations.

Some Similarities between the Spread of an Infectious Disease and Population Growth

A simple simulation demonstrates exponential spread of infectious disease in a population, and discussion questions develop student understanding of how human diseases spread. Additional discussion questions and a graphing activity develop an understanding of exponential and logistic population growth.

What Parts of a Plant Do We Eat?(new, December, 2009)

Students review the structure of angiosperm plants and learn about the diversity of plant form by using evidence from examination of fruits and vegetables to identify which part of the plant each fruit or vegetable is.

Invertebrate Diversity (revised, May, 2011)

Students compare the external anatomy and locomotion of earthworms, mealworms, crickets and crayfish, all of which can be purchased at low cost from local pet stores. Discussion questions help students understand the evolutionary basis of observed similarities and differences.

Human Physiology

Regulation of Human Heart Rate

Students learn how to measure heart rate accurately. Then students design and carry out an experiment to test the effects of an activity or stimulus on heart rate, analyze and interpret the data, and present their experiments in a poster session.

Breathing and Holding Your Breath

Students begin with interactive activities to develop a basic understanding of regulation of breathing and then carry out an experiment to test whether changing levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide influence how long they can hold their breath.

Studying Our Senses (revised, May, 2009)

Students investigate how a person identifies different flavors of jellybeans and explore the surprising ways the brain interprets the patterns of light and dark that reach our eyes.

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View and Submit General Comments

If you prefer, you can send a private message with comments or requests for additional information to Ingrid Waldron at iwaldron@sas.upenn.edu.

© 2003-2010 by Drs. Ingrid Waldron, Jennifer Doherty, Scott Poethig, and Lori Spindler, University of Pennsylvania Biology Department, Amy Dewees, Jenkintown High School and Bob Farber, Central High School, Philadelphia

Teachers are encouraged to copy and modify these labs for use in their teaching.

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