Laboratory+Assignment

One of the greatest challenges to the secondary science teacher is the creation, implementation, and evaluation of quality laboratory experiences. The purpose of this series of assignments is to get you to begin thinking about the role of laboratory work in the secondary science classroom and how its effectiveness can be optimized.

Laboratory Assignment Part 1 - Virtual Laboratory Experiences
In each of the sites below, you will find one or more virtual laboratory experiences. Your job is to explore each of these sites and choose to do **one lab on each site**. You are then to evaluate each lab that you do based on the following criteria...

1. How user friendly is this lab? Explain your reasoning. 2. Is there a value to using this lab over a traditional hands-on lab? Explain your reasoning. 3. Do you see yourself using this lab in the high school classroom? If so, why/how/where? If not, why not?

[|HHMI Biointeractive Labs]

[|Mountain Lakes High School Virtual Labs]

[|Raven and Johnson Virtual Labs]

[|ISU MIND Project Stroke Clinic]

Laboratory Assignment Part 2: Designing and Instructing Laboratory Experiences
You will be designing and teaching a 35-40 minute laboratory experience to your BSC 307 peers. Details of the assignment can be found in the assignment description sheet. Please make sure to use the templates provided for your lesson plan and lab considerations document.

Student Work

 * [[file:The Death of Tony LaGuardia Lesson Plan.doc]] The Death of Tony LaGuardia** (Mrs. Palmer): In this lab, students use the concept of osmosis to begin to solve the murder of Tony LaGuardia. After processing their data, students are led through a discussion to help identify the guiding principles of osmosis and diffusion. Students then apply these principles to new scenarios through both a hands on activity and real life examples.

 Dichotomous Keys-- Alexander Chapman Dichotomous Keys-- Alexander Chapman For this lab activity students will be doing three objectives, 1. what is a dichotomous key 2. how to use them and make one up themselves and finally learning the structures of a plant. To begin this lesson students will making up their own dichotomous key using some object that they bring with them. Second they will use the dichotomous key to figure what kind flower they are looking examining, which they will use to solve a mystery. Finally they will while looking and dissecting the flowers they will learn some basic flower structure.



This lab activity puts the students in the place of of geneticist that must diagnose the unborn child of a couple based on the baby's karyotype. First the students must make the karyotype, compare it to a normal karyotype to find out the chromosome mutation, and then present their findings to the parents (classroom). The lesson follows the 5E model, and has the presentation led in by the lab. Each karyotype for each student is different. The lab also has built in questions at the end. The first three documents are the 5E lesson, teacher guide and basic lab considerations. These following documents are the actual documents the students would use.
 * Matt Tunno** - Karyotype Lab

Mitch Staroscik - Blood Pressure, Cardiac Cycle This lab activity will allow students to find their blood pressure and heart rate after various activities. The objectives are as follows: TSWBAT determine their heart rate and BP with the help of various medical supplies, calculate heart rate from an EKG readout, and determine the correlation between the cardiac cycle and various heart diseases. After the lab there will be a homework assignment that has the students researching the ways that certain diseases affect the heart.

Jennifer Olin-Blood Typing/Blood Transfusion Lab This lab activity involves students testing 4 unknown blood samples to determine the blood type and to determine which blood can be used in a blood transfusion. During the lab the students will develop a better understanding of antigens on red blood cells, antibodies in blood, and the importance of testing for blood compatibility before a transfusion. At the end of the lab students will be able to identify the antigens and antibodies in all blood types, which blood can be received and donated to all blood types, and which blood types act as the universal recipient and donor.



Dave Blackburn- HAVING FUN WITH FUNGUS!!!!!! This lab starts off with a planet earth clip then will flow into a dissection laboratory where the students will be using proper lab techniques in order to both examine and dissect a mushroom, and observe yeast underneath a microscope. After the lab, a post lab lecture will tie the questions in with actual lecture material. The next day, a lesson involving human fungal infections...Boom, tough-actin' Tinactin! ,

Jenny Richardson- Where does it live??? This lesson will allow the students to use inquiry to learn characteristics of insects. Students will be guided with a handout and instructions at each station, however they will not receive the information in a lecture format prior to this lab activity to ensure their own discovery. Students will form a hypothesis at the beginning of the lesson and analyze their position after each station. This is significant as it represents the way that science “changes” as more knowledge is gained. The teacher's guide file contains the handout, the second file contains the 5-e lesson plan, and the third file has the basic lab considerations. This lesson helps to make blood types more clear. The students will perform an activity to learn which types of blood can be safely transfused and what their own blood type means. each student will recive a lab handout for this lab. minimal supplies are needed. after the students complete the activity, they will extend their knowledge further to similar concepts. this lesson uses the 5E model in that it is engaging and relates to the students everyday life.
 * Jennifer Nichols- blood type and compatibility lab**

Ashley Morgan: Is Yeast Alive? This lab experiment allows students to observe characteristics of life in yeast. Students will be able to make predictions on whether or not they believe yeast can use energy and metabolize sugar and produce a gas. Based on their observations from the experiment students will be able to explain whether or not their predictions were correct. I have also attached the protocol for the lab experiment.

Tim Edison - Something is Fishy This lab will increase student awareness of organism traits. Students will use visable traits to create a dichotomous key to with the goals of assisting a group of second graders. This lab will provide a think first then explore activity with a post lab discussion about what work traits work to make a dichotomous key and what traits do not work well.



Joe Armour - Breathing Lab This lab will help students to understand how the lungs work and the biological processes behind breathing, and how the lungs and circulatory systems work together to bring oxygen to your body. Students will perform a simple experiment to see the effec of the level of CO2 in the air will affect how longthey can hold their breath.



Sam Boyer - Pond Water Identification Lab This lab can serve as an introduction to a unit on ecosystems. The purpose of this lab is to introduce students to the microorganisms that live in a freshwater ecosystem. This lab uses water from a lake in Morton, Illinois. Students will prepare slides of the lake water and use an identification key to find common freshwater microorganisms. Students will then complete an assignment that has them research the microorganisms further. Student handouts are included in the Teacher Prep Guide.



Lori Livas - Mysterious Diseases lab activity This lab can either be used separately or in a serious of six activities. It allows the students to demonstrate or act out the role of a scientist in a real world scenario. In this case the students work individually first as either a physician, field researcher, or laboratory scientist and then come together as a group (one person from each role is needed per group) and form a final report. The students need to use reading skills to get the information needed and then formulate a conclusion. The masters for the activity can be found at [] Click on activity 2 masters.

Curt Dedic - Senses Lab This lab is designed to help students understand the scientific method. It would be implemented at the start of the school year. The scientific method is very important for all students to understand. Many experiments that they will do in high school will be based on the scientific process. Students will record data and graph it. They will also set up their own experiemtnat the end and time permitting will conduct it.

Alex Weiss This lab is a DNA extraction lab. The procedure uses simple household chemicals and strawberries to demonstrate cell structure (through its' destruction) and the various properties of DNA.