Biology Lesson Plans

Bug Blitz - Study in Biodiversity
Microscope Mania
Ecology Basics (Digital notebook available)
Pond Water Survey
Lessons from the Lorax
Animal Classification Challenge
Incredible Cells
Construction Zone & Classroom Cell Project
Mitosis Flip Books
Genetics with a Smile + SpongeBob Genetics
DNA Keychains & Replication
Protein Power Game
Human Body Activities (Body Systems, Skeletal System, Muscular System)

Also check out .
Silly Science - A dichotomous key activity in General Science section!

Internet Lessons

NOTE: All links previously availble on the Kid Zone are now listed in the Sites for Students area . Please provide the links your students need for assignments through your LMS or teacher website.

• UPick Projects - Ecology or Biology - Students pick the projects they want to complete to earn points. Each box can only be completed once, but they can do extra boxes to earn extra credit points. I have included a list of vocabulary from our Ecology unit, which is also accessible on Quizlet.

• Food Webs Online - Students use online resources to find information about food chains and webs. The final activity challenges students to create their own food webs to help their organism survive during the Brain Pop Food Fight game. A "randomizer" is also available to select the organisms for each student or you can allow them to pick their own. Links for students can be found on in the Sites for Students area.

Classroom Lessons

Bug Blitz - A Study in Biodiversity (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Targeted Concepts: Living things, classification, scientific investigations, process skills (observation, data collection, analysis, etc.), biodiversity

I n past years our district had money for field trips to local nature areas for the Butterfly Brigade project; however, budget cuts made it difficult to pay for transportation. I decided to adapt the project to a smaller level using our school garden, which is a quick walk to our front schoolyard! I started this new project in the fall of 2016 as part of my Ecology unit for my 8th grade students. The goal of project was to investigate biodiversity by documenting the bug populations that could be found there. This project was a huge hit with the students - not only catching/documenting the bugs, but also implementing their strategies in the spring as we redid the school garden. This project could be utilized at any outdoor setting, such as state parks and local natural areas.

Download the Bug Blitz Project Information file (includes links to the PPT and worksheets as well as information regarding learning standards.)

Microscope Mania (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Targeted Concepts: Microscopes - history and uses, lab safety, classification (if using pond water)

After learning about the basic parts of a microscope and an overview of the proper procedures for using them, my students visit 5 lab stations to learn more about the world of microscopes. I allow at least 15-20 minutes per station and provide all the materials needed to complete the activities. Download the Teacher Notes below for a description of the station activities as well as a list of materials students need. Unit objectives and extension ideas are also provided.

NOTE: I developed this lab to deal with increasing class sizes and a limited amount of microscopes. Each year I found it challenging to teach microscope topics to 25+ students at a time with only 10 microscopes. With the stations, I am able to set up groups of 5-6 students and the students enjoy not having to share microscopes. I tend to focus my efforts on the groups at stations 3 & 4 as the others can be completed with little assistance from the teacher with the exception of a few visits to keep everyone on task.

Microscope Mania Unit Materials:

• Teacher Notes (pdf)- Provides an overview of the unit as well as a description of the station activities and materials needed.
  
• Station Cards (pdf)- Provides information cards for each station as well as materials for two review games - Parts & Pieces and Vocab Challenge.
  
• Mystery Pictures Cards (pdf)- A set of 24 cards with mystery images and clues for each one. An answer key is provided.
  
• Review Activities (pdf)- These review materials go with Station 5 of the unit and includes a vocabulary challenge and "label the parts" microscope diagram.
  
• Student Worksheet (pdf)- Student worksheet for the Microscope Mania station cards.
  
• Microscope Mania Puzzles (pdf)- Two puzzles related to the world of microscopes - a word search and make-a-word challenge. I provide this worksheet with the student worksheet for the stations, so students can work on the puzzles using any extra time they have after finishing station activities.
  
• Microscope Mania Review Crossword (pdf)- I use this puzzle as a review for the unit test. Ananswer keyis also available.

Micro Basics - Digital Version

Class Presentation - Updated 2021 - Download the PPT file to access the slides for the classroom lessons as well as links to the digital student notebook and other online resoures used for the activities, such as EDPuzzle and GimKit.

NOTE: The digital slides are set up to 11x8.5 landscape allowing you to print slides for students needing paper copies. You will need to provide copies of the prepared sample gallery worksheet for students to record their observations.

Also available CSI Hair Challenge - Extend your microscope unit by investigating hair samples from your students and their pets! Check the first slide of the PPT for more details about how I make my sample "slides". A link to the digital notebook for students is also provided on the first slide.

Other resources for microscopes .

• Microscope Basics Presentation (PDF)andStudent Worksheet (PDF)- I use this presentation at the beginning of the microscope unit to review the parts of the microscope, discuss magnification, and review how to use a microscope as well as directions on how to make wet-mount slides.
  
• Parts of a Microscope Notes (pdf)- A basic lesson with an overhead key and student worksheet related to the parts of a microscope.
  
• Microscope Quiz 1 (pdf)- Student quiz on the parts of a microscope.
  
• Microscope Quiz 2 (pdf)- This quiz includes sections on labeling the parts of a micrscope as well as questions about power of magnification.
  
• Microscope Specimen Cards (pdf)- Small cards students can use to document the different specimens they view with the microscope. Use the completed cards to make a classroom display!
  
• Microscope History & Microscopes Online (Internet Lessons) - Use these worksheets to explore the history of the microscope as well as use a virtual microscope from the BioNetwork to experiment with powers of magnification . NOTE: I have included the links in the PDF versions. Teachers will need to make these links available through Google Classroom, a class website, or other online method.

Ecology Basics ( T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Targeted Concepts: Ecological organization, population ecology, symbiosis, food webs, biodiversity, ecological succession

Now available in a digital format - Each topic listed below is linked to a PPT presentation to be used for classroom lessons and activities. Slides related to unit vocabulary and learning targets are also included. A link to the student digital notebook and other online resouces are included in each PPT. Check out the first two slides of each presentation for teacher notes!

Intro to Ecology- Introduction to the basic levels of organization (organism, population, etc.) along with an overview of population ecology. Includes links to the EDPuzzle videos used for the student note portions. Since I often do this unit at the start of the school year, the mosquitoes mentioned in the population ecology video are a great tie in!

Pond Water Survey (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Targeted Concepts: Living things, classification, scientific investigations, microscopes, process skills (observation, data collection, analysis, etc.), food webs (if additional lesson is included)

An easy way to fascinate your students is to allow them to investigate samples of pond water (whether a large farm pond or small backyard pond.) They are sure to find little critters zooming around the slide. You will need to gather several samples (or have the students bring in their own), microscopes, and identification guides. Golden Guide publishes an inexpensive Pond Water booklet that contains lots of pictures and information. Follow-up discussions of finds will provide students with the chance to use biological terms to compare and contrast different forms of life. The updated version listed below includes additional lesson activities challenging students to create food chains using plants and animals found in or near a pond. It also includes templates for aquatic invertebrate trading cards.

A great resource for teachers with little biology background is to check with your local Department of Conservation or Natural History Survey. I was able to recruit a couple biologists along with their cool equipment and samples to work along with my students during class. My students were able to see organisms from the Illinois River and I loved having help in an area that I have little training.

A few years ago my district purchased a video flex microscope camera. Using this technology, my students are able to create a video documentary of our pond organisms. Each spring and fall we document our research and compare the changes that occur throughout the year.

Lesson Resources:

• Pond Water Survey (pdf)-Contains teacher notes, discussion questions, and student worksheets.
  
• Pond Water Webs (pdf)-Investigate food chains and webs that exists in a pond habitat. Download includes teacher notes, student worksheet, answer key, andLife in a Pondcards. APower Point presentationis also available for use with interactive whiteboards.
  
• Need identification guides? Links to identification guides for pond water critters can be found in the Sites for Students area.

Lessons from the Lorax ( T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
Targeted Concepts: Environmental concerns, human impacts on the ecosystem, conservation, natural resources

At the end of our environmental science unit, my student explore the messages in the Lorax book and movie to identify environmental concerns and find ways to live a lifestyle with the smallest "footprint". It also provides a great connection to the many topics we discuss related to deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, and human impacts on the Earth.

Digital Version: Lessons from the Lorax - Students watch the original movie as well as the newest version to compare/contrast how environmental issues were portrayed 50 years ago as well as today. The assignment includes questions to challenge students to identify environmental issues and the ways humans impact our natural resources. They also calculate their eco-footprints and are challenged to create a project to motivate their friends and family to be "guys and gals that care" by finding ways to lower their footprints.
NOTE: Links to the digital files for students are included in the PPT linked above. A PDF version of the challenge project is available HERE.

Paper Version: Students complete Part A of the student worksheet while watching the The Lorax Movie (1972 version) . We discuss the answers to Part B in class, and then we watch the newest version to respond to the question prompts in the Lessons from the Lorax PowerPoint. The PPT includes an answer key and the discussion questions along with a follow-up activity.

Using my general EcoFootprint calculator, students complete the "footprint" with the different categories (page 2 of the download). They use the results to determine how many planets we would need if everyone lived like they do. It is always an eye opening experience, which leads into the final lessons where they decorate the blank footprint with strateges they and their families will use to reduce their footprints.

• Lorax Lessons on FlipGrid - Students explain why the "Unless" quote is still important today and share two things they are doing to make the planet better. This lesson is incorporated into the challenge below.
• Earth Day Challenge -I created this choice board assignment based on pasts Earth Day activities. It has both Internet and non-Internet activities. The FlipGrid lesson above is incorporated into the assignment as one of the choices. Click HERE for a link to the Google Slides template you can copy to use with your students.
  
  NOTE: I have also prepared a paper packet version for my kiddos who do not have Internet. I will print copies to send home for those students. It includes "proof" pages similar to the Google Slides along with flash card templates, graph paper for a crossword puzzle, and other information they may need. I have a few copies of an old "Earth Day" booklet I plan to send home as I only have 10 students who need paper verions.
• Also available . My version of the Earth Day Challenge (Electronic option only)
  • I modified the basic one above to to create a new choice board (with hyperlinks built in) to include many of the online activities we have used in class - Quizlet, GimKit, Legends, and online tools (Poster My Wall, FlipGrid, video creators, etc.). Clink THIS LINK to view it on Google Drive.
  • I also created an introduction video using a Google Slides presentation and Screencastify to review what we have learned and what I expect them to do for the project.
  • Students will still use the Google Slides template to turn in proof for all completed tasks. It will be shared with the students on Google Classroom by choosing "create a new copy" for each student.

  Classification Challenges (T.Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: Living things, classification, binomial nomenclature, invertebrates, vertebrates

  I designed this activity to allow students to practice invertebrate and vertebrate classification using the organisms discussed in our Animal Classification unit. Teacher notes, student worksheets, and organism cards are included in the downloades listed below. You will also need the classification mats, which needs to be printed regular-sized paper and taped together to form one mat.

  Classy Invertebrates:

  Classy Vertebrates:

  Incredible Cells (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: Living things, cells (plant and animal), organelles and their functions

  The "edible" version of this project was an annual favorite was adapted from the old Jello cells! The project is a great addition to any cell unit and provides a tasty treat for your students. Refer to the Student Worksheet below for details and instructions. The download also includes a student worksheet for a nonedible cell project. If I have any students with food allergies, I require everyone to do the nonedible version.

  Another idea .
  Science Wear - Aprons, Shirts, or Lab Coats decorated with cells as well as options for astronomy, chemistry, and more! Thanks to Jody Hodges for developing this great project! Students use permanent markers or fabric paint to create their own attire by coloring the lettering and adding diagrams of cells. Visit her webpage on Facebook for more details and pictures of completed projects!

  Construction Zone (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL with inspiration from Stacy Baker)
  Targeted Concepts: Living things, cells (plant and animal), organelles and their functions

  This project was created for 5th grade students at my school to give them an "inside" view of a cell. Students work as construction teams to build a 3-D model of a cell. They are required to label the organelles with names and functions. Students have used PVC pipe for frames or obtained large boxes from our local appliance store. Students also use the sites on the Biology page of the Kid Zone and their textbooks to research the organelles.

  Classroom Cell (T. Tomm & C. McDaniel, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: Living things, cells (plant and animal), organelles and their functions

  Print out the Classroom Cell necklaces and assign "jobs" to the students that mimic the organelles' jobs in the cell. For example, the teacher would be the nucleus who directs that activities of the cell, while a student that is a lysosome would help "clean up" the classroom each day. Our 6th grade teacher uses this activity and I refer back to it while discussing cells and organelles in our 7th & 8th grade lessons. It is one of the lessons they remember!

  Mitosis Flip Books (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: Mitosis, cell division, organelles and their functions

  This project (passed down to me from a fellow teacher) is based on the old cartoon flip book idea. Students use template cards (printed on cover stock or glued to index cards) to create a booklet that illustrates the steps involved in cell division. After reviewing the stages in cell division (see the Mitosis Note page below), I provide a set of templates (see Mitosis Book below) for them to use to make a flip book. From phase to phase, they must draw diagrams to show the changes that occur throughout the process. I encourage "color coding" to make the end effect easy to follow. Once all the Pages are completed and in the correct order, students use a heavy duty stapler to bind them together. They can flip through the pages and "see" mitosis in action.

  Mitosis Flip Books

  • Mitosis Notes (pdf)andMitosis Books (pdf)
    
  • Mitosis Masters- Templates for the cell division cards.
  • Mitosis PowerPoint - Thanks to Julie Camp for sharing this powerpoint related to asexual reproduction.
    
  • Electronic Mitosis Flip Book - Thanks to Tami Cooper for sharing this lesson. A PowerPoint sample is also available.
  • Meiosis Flip Books - Thanks to Sandy Powell (American Falls High School, American Falls, ID) for sharing her flip book masters for meiosis - Page 1 (pdf), Page 2 (pdf), Page 3 (pdf), Page 4 (pdf), and Page 5 (pdf)
    

  Genetics with a Smile (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: Living things, genetics, inherited traits, genotype, phenotype, dominant/recessive

  During this activity students use pennies to determine the traits for a smiley face, then use Microsoft Word to create the smiley face. After students have completed the faces, I display them in the classroom and have students use their knowledge of genetics to answer questions about smiley faces, traits, and probability.

  Student Worksheets:

  Other ideas to try.

  • Connect with another classroom and share your results with them! Challenge students to summarize the similarities and differences between the smileys created in your school and those at your partner school.
  • Challenge your students to pair up two smileys as "new" parents and then flip a penny to determine the traits for a new baby. The students can then draw the baby smiley and compare the results to the parent smileys. (Thanks to Nancy Nega for this great idea!)
  • Another twist for the new baby idea - instead of making just one baby, have the students create a display that shows the possible outcomes if two smileys had a baby. Students can provide expected rates of occurrence for each trait based on the parent's traits and compare those to the results of their classmates.

  Other goodies for genetics.

  Punnet Square Practice- Thanks to Peggy Lenz for sharing this powerpoint and directions that she uses to review for the test.

  DNA Keychains
  Targeted Concepts: DNA, structure (nucleotides, backbone), replication

  My students make DNA key chains (original idea from DNA Jewelry that was part of the Access Excellence Collection ) from beads and wire and then use them for a lesson about DNA replication.

  Activity Files:

  • DNA Keychain Guide (pdf)- Provides an overview of the activity as well as list of materials, tips, and a student guide.
    
  • DNA Keychains (PPT)- A Power Point presentation to use as students make the keychains and includes an answer key for the DNA Replication activity listed below.
    
  • DNA Replication (pdf)- Explore the replication process using the student-made keychains. The worksheet also introduces the process of protein synthesis.

  Protein Power Game ( T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: DNA, RNA, structure (nucleotides, backbone), replication, protein synthesis, cell organelles and their functions

  I developed this game to help my students understand the process of protein synthesis and reinforce the functions of various cell organelles. It was a big hit with the kids and we referred back to it many times throughout the unit. Although it may be challenging at first, the students quickly catch on to the "jobs" and compete to see which class could get the fastest time!

  Game Files:

  • Teacher Information (pdf)- Provides an overview of the game as well as a list of materials, tips, and ideas for extension activities.
  • Protein Power PPT-PowerPoint used to introduce the game as well as review what they have learned.
  • Organelle Cards (pdf)-Masters to use for the organelle necklaces for the game.
  • Protein Models (pdf)-This page shows the protein models the students need to make during the game.
  • Student Worksheet (pdf)-Activity sheet that includes background information and review questions.
  • Cell Organelle Chart (pdf)-Students cut apart small cards to use tocomplete the chart that outlines the functions of each organelle as well as memory clues that can be used to help them remember the functions. I allow my students to use their own memory clues if they want to create their own.
  • Cell Diagram Coloring Page (pdf)-This worksheet contains two diagrams (animal cell and plant cell) along with a color key they can use to customize their worksheet.
  • Protein Synthesis Drama (Submitted by Steve Tester, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA)
    For this activity exploring protein synthesis, students are assigned roles and and play different parts of the protein synthesis process. Download the files below for complete details - Protein Synthesis Outline (pdf) and Protein Synthesis Activity Codes (pdf )

  Human Body Activities (T. Tomm, Havana Junior High, Havana, IL)
  Targeted Concepts: Living things, organization (cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms), body systems, health, diseases

  I have listed below several activities and worksheets related to the body systems that I used during my Health unit for 7th & 8th graders. I no longer teach Health, but am providing the lessons for those of you who do teach the topics.

  More lessons for Biology are available at
  The Nature Center - Lesson Page - Explore an assortment of lesson ideas and links to explore the natural world.
  Adopt-An-Insect Project - Activities, Worksheets, and links to investigate the insect world!
  Eagle Days Lessons & Resources - Explore the world of bald eagles with your students!

  Lesson Plan Links for Biology - Links to my favorite online resources for lesson plans, activities, and worksheets.

  Check out "wearable" science projects at ScienceWear.net !