5 High School Biology Experiments & Lessons for Teaching
Even the most gifted high school biology teachers invest many hours in writing lesson plans. Careful, thorough planning that covers all the essential elements of a topic leaves little time for organizing the hands-on learning experiences that make the learning experience complete.
Modern Biology Inc. offers high school biology teachers engaging, fully supplied biology experiments, lessons, and courses for teaching basic concepts of modern biology impactfully. Modern Biology Inc.’s self-contained experiments for high school biology include:
Table of Contents
Properties of DNA
In the properties of the DNA unit, students will see the effects of DNase I by denaturing purified calf thymus DNA.
Students learn that the unpacked DNA in a single chromosome strung end to end would be a little less than 2 inches (4 cm) long, and the unpacked DNA in all 46 chromosomes in a single human cell could be unraveled to be a little less than 6 feet (2 m) long. This laboratory exercise helps students see actual DNA precipitated and spooled onto a glass rod. Each pack supplies 16 students working in teams of two. Instructor manual included.
Cell Fractionation and DNA Isolation
After students have a hands-on experience of unpacking the DNA molecule, the next step is a laboratory experiment in which they isolate DNA from the nuclei of actual mammalian cells. Our Cell Fractionation and DNA Isolation module give students the experience of examining the nuclei of calf thymus cells under their microscopes and then fractionating those cells to isolate DNA with non-toxic reagents. Each kit supplies cell samples, reagents, and labware needed for the experiment for 16 students working in pairs. Instructor manual included.
Teachers may also be interested in our units for teaching about the electrophoretic separation of proteins and the structure of chromatin, linked from the same page.
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Effects of Temperature on Cell Respiration
Understanding the role of temperature in cell respiration is fundamental to understanding the biology of food crops. Our unit on the Effects of Temperature on Cell Respiration introduces students to how heat and cold influence energy production in plants.
Students will learn that plants make energy through a series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions that can break down stored carbohydrates, fat, and even protein into carbon dioxide and water with the release of energy. The process of making energy consumes oxygen and liberates hydrogen from molecules used as fuel. In this experiment, students will use eight already-calibrated respirometers for measuring O2 consumption and H₂ generation in barley germinating at different temperatures. Included in the id are chemicals needed to perform a visual dye reduction survey. Students will learn basic biological processes and gain an intuitive understanding of seed structure and germination.
Teachers may also be interested in our unit on Proteases and Factors that Influence Enzyme Activity, linked from the same page.
Producing a Strain of E. coli that glows in the dark.
Students are fascinated by living things that glow in the dark. This module allows students to insert the gene for producing luciferase, the light-releasing enzyme naturally found in Vibrio, with a plasmid introduced into a culture of a harmless strain of E. coli. With our kit for producing a strain of E. coli that glows in the dark, introducing the lux operon into the E. coli culture can be accomplished in a single 60- to 90-minute lab. By the end of the period, E. coli colonies that take up the operon will delight students with their eerie green glow.
This kit provides materials for 16 students working in pairs. An instructor guide is included. Teachers may also be interested in our modules for tissue printing and identifying viral DNA linked from the same page.
An Introduction to Electrophoresis
Most high school biology students have heard of the human genome. They may have an elementary grasp of the concept of genome sequencing. But where do genetic engineers, molecular biologists, and other experimenters get the DNA to sequence?
Modern Biology Inc.’s introduction to Electrophoresis provides high school biology classes with three experiments to introduce them to the agarose gel electrophoresis. In the first experiment, students identify unknown molecules by comparing their migration across the charged gel with known molecules. In the second experiment, students figure out how the dyes that bind to DNA work in the process of identifying strands of genetic material. And in the third experiment, study four different molecules and relate their charges to how they travel across the electrophoresis tray’s voltage gradient.
Every protein binds to a different color dye, so it’s easier to follow during the separation process. Each pack provides enough of the four colorful dye mixtures, four colored proteins, DNA, agarose, buffer, transfer pipettes for loading the gel and charged electrophoresis trays for four teams of students with complete instructions. All three experiments are designed to be completed in a two-hour lab. The instructor manual is included.
Teachers may also be interested in our kits for DNA hybridization analysis and analysis of cell receptors, linked from the same page.
These five units are just a sampling of our products for teaching high school biology. We also offer complete lab kits for Extraction and Analysis of a Protein from Wheat, General Biology, Introduction to Molecular Genetics, and A Molecular Approach to the Study of Genetics and Evolution.
Modem Biology Inc. Makes High School Biology Come Alive!
These five kits are just a small sample of Modern Biology Inc.’s collection of dozens of complete hands-on teaching modules to teach life sciences from high school biology through college courses. Our kits are designed to be used with online videos, review sheets, and quizzes teachers can easily find online.
Don’t hesitate to ask us about our full range of products to meet your teaching needs. Let Modern Biology Inc. simplify your lesson planning. We sell programs, experiments, and complete courses for high school biology.
