Category: Cell Biology
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Virtual Diffusion Lab
The diffusion lab has been a yearly activity in my biology class as part of a unit on cells and cell transport. Students fill a bag with starch and water and then submerge it in a solution of iodine and observe what happens. The iodine diffuses across the plastic bag and turns the starch purple.…
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Cell Labeling (Remote)
Can you ever have too many cell labeling practice worksheets? This one uses Slides for students to drag and drop labels to the image.
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Biomolecules – Guided Learning
This lesson was inspired by a POGIL lesson on proteins. Like other process oriented guided learning activities, students examine graphics and information. Then they perform tasks to build their knowledge and understanding of the topic. The slides start with the basic structure of an amino acid, where students identify the carboxyl and amine groups. Then…
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Medical Errors – Don’t Use Pure Water Intravenously
I created this mini case study from a story about a patient given sterile water instead of saline in an intravenous drip solution. Students should probably have a learned about tonicity (hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic) before attempting this activity. The worksheet describes a scenario where a patient was hyperglycemic and the doctor ordered water be…
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Label Cell Diagrams Using Google Draw
Label a cell using PDF form fields or google draw. Can be assigned on chromebooks or remotely.
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Virtual Microscope
This worksheet can be used with the Virtual Microscope where students can place specimens on a stage and use coarse and fine adjustment knobs to magnify up to 100x. Generally, I have my students practice with real microscopes, starting with a basic tutorial lab where they focus on the letter “e.” This virtual lab also…
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Jim Allison: Breakthrough
The film, “Jim Allison: Breakthrough” can be streamed through online platforms, like PBS or from Amazon Prime Video. Teachers can sign up for a free license at https://www.breakthroughdoc.com/for-educators The film is 1 1/2 hours long, which is longer than most class periods, and many teen attention spans, so I split the worksheet into two halves.…
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The Calvin Cycle
TED-ED video on the Calvin Cycle explains how the cycle works to create glucose. Students complete questions and label a diagram of the Calvin Cycle.
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Cell Cycle Label
This worksheet was created for freshman level biology and is a simpler version of a worksheet I use in the advanced classes showing the cell cycle. The image shows a cell in interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Students label each phase and then identify structures within the cell that are important for cell division,…
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Exploring Enzymes by Analyzing Graphics
Students examine several images related to enzymes and answer questions. Worksheet covers how enzymes act on substrates, how they lower the activation energy of a reaction, how they have optimal temperature and pH, and how they can be inhibited.
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Modeling Osmosis
This basic lab uses Deco-cubes to show how they change in size when soaked in salt water, distilled water, and tap water.
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Reinforcement: Cell
This is a practice worksheet for students who are learning structures found in the cell. A list of terms can be matched with descriptions and definitions. The same terms can be used to label a diagram of an animal cell. I use reinforcement worksheets for review or remediation. I will give students 10 minutes to…
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The Martian and the Car
This worksheet is one of the older ones in my collection, and was recently updated to include a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning section (instead of short response/essay). This a a great way to introduce the topic of life and how we define whether something is living or not. In this scenario, a Martian is observing earth and decides…
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Investigation: Model Enzyme Activity with Toothpicks
Use toothpicks to model enzymes. Explore substrate and enzyme concentrations by changing toothpick numbers. Model competitive inhibition by taping fingers.
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Storylab: Diffusion
This story is written from the perspective of a student who in experiencing the real lab. It describes how the lab is set up, by placing a bag filled with starch in a beaker full of iodine. The teacher in the story explains relevant terms, such as semipermeable, diffusion, and indicators.