Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School

Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School

Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School

Chapter 7: Understanding and Teaching Biology

7Chapter 7

Teaching Science


Chapter Seven Objectives

• Consider major themes that shape our historical and

current understandings of biology

• Conduct and reflect on experiments on the following

biology topics: measurement, classification, plants,

animals, neither plant nor animal, code of life ladder of

life, evolution, biomes & ecosystems, and the human

body

Teaching Science


I. Measurement in Biology

• As in other science disciplines, measurement is an important aspect of biological research.

• Much of the measurement in biology focuses on the rates at which things occur.

• This set of activities help lay the foundation for the measurement that will occur in the experiments throughout this chapter:

• Experiment 28– Measuring Peak Flow Rate• Experiment 29 – Estimating lengths of very small

objects• Experiment 30 - Measuring Population Change

Teaching Science


II. Classification

• Much of the original research in biology involved attempts to organize and classify the multitude of life forms found on Earth.

• This series of activities asks students to classify things, first using their senses to develop their own systems of classification and then using logic and a preexisting classification system.

• Experiment 31 – Observation in the Bag • Experiment 32 – Developing a System of

Classification• Experiment 33 – Classifying Different Animals

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III. Plants

• Plants may appear to be simple organisms that don’t do very much, but plants are the only life forms on Earth that can make their own food by turning sunlight into sugar.

• Plants are also essential for the survival of animals, both as a food source and as a producer of oxygen.

• This series of activities focuses both on the amazing nature and function of plants and on their susceptibility to damage due to human actions.

• Experiment 34 – Seed Germination• Experiment 35 – Making a Plant Cell Model• Experiment 36 – The Effect of Acid Rain on Plant Growth

Teaching Science


IV. Animals

• When we think of biology, many of us think first about animals

• Animals come in an amazing variety and have developed a wide range of survival mechanisms, but at the most basic level, all animals are composed of remarkably similar cellular structures

• This series of activities focuses on both animal similarities and differences:

• Experiment 37 – Owl Pellet Dissection• Experiment 38 – Making an Animal Cell Model• Experiment 39 – Conducting a Bird Census

Teaching Science


V. Neither Plant nor Animal

• As many different species of plants and animals as there are on Earth, there are even more species that are neither plant nor animal

• These include protists, viruses, bacteria, fungi • While some of these organisms are dangerous to animals and

plants, most are not, and many are even beneficial• This series of activities allows students to observe, directly and

indirectly, organisms that are neither plant nor animal• Experiment 40 – Exploring Pond Water• Experiment 41 – The Power of Yeast• Experiment 42 – Making Yogurt

Teaching Science


VI. Ladder of life

• There are a number of basic structural principles that underlie the development of life forms with cells as their basic building blocks

• This principles include cellular construction, photosynthetic processes and the role of surface areas.

• This series of experiments examines this principles.• Experiment 43 – Cell Packing• Experiment 44 – Photosynthesis and Transpiration• Experiment 45 – Minimal Surfaces in Natural and

Biological Forms

Teaching Science


VII. Code of Life

• All life is based on the same genetic code, with DNA representing a means by which biological systems can store and transfer this information.

• This encoded DNA determines the characteristics and appearance of any given organism .

• The activities in this series focus on both DNA itself and its expression in organisms.

• Experiment 46 – Making a Model of the DNA Double Helix

• Experiment 47 – Black Marker “Fingerprints”• Experiment 48 – Hearing Loss Simulation

Teaching Science


VIII. Evolution

• Evolution is and has been a controversial subject in schools but is the subject of little controversy within the scientific community.

• Most simply, evolution can be defined as a change in the gene pool of a population over time.

• This series of activities explores three examples of evolution in practice.

• Experiment 49 – Bird Beak Models• Experiment 50 – Experimenting with

Stereoscopic Vision• Experiment 51 – Design-an-Organism

Teaching Science


IX. Biomes & Ecosystems

• While some biologists study individual organisms or their component parts, others study the interactions of organisms in their environments.

• These environments vary greatly on Earth, as do the organisms that inhabit them.

• These activities focus on the interactions among plants, animals and the non-living world.

• Experiment 52 – Tracing Food Webs• Experiment 53 – Greenhouse Effect Model• Experiment 54 – Unintended Consequences

Teaching Science


X. The Human Body and Human Health

• Arguably, no science is more important to understand than the working of our own human bodies.

• We are complex organisms and our health and well-being depends on many interrelated factors.

• These activities explore critical aspects of how the human machine works.

• Experiment 55 – You Are What You Eat• Experiment 56– Modeling the Human Arm• Experiment 57 – Spreading Infectious Disease

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Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School