Artful Biology Projects
January 2005
Bolster students' confidence in science through two art-based biology projects. These successful projects were used in a 10th-grade biology class and focus on immunology and human evolution. Immunology, a complex and often inaccessible topic, lends itself to a guided inquiry lesson in which students receive specific direction regarding the nature and content of their projects. Students completing artwork related to human evolution explored the subject via an open-inquiry format.
From DNA to Disorder
July 2005
The fact that one little letter out of three billion can really make a difference in the genetic makeup of an individual is often difficult for high school students to grasp. Molecular biology is a challenging topic to teach because students struggle with drawing connections between four-letter codes and the complex diversity of organisms that inhabit Earth. One creative way to teach students about molecular biology is with the "From DNA to Disorder" activity, which focuses on monogenetic diseases and disorders.
A Sense of Place—GPS and the Biology Field Trip
January 2006
A high school biology teacher describes an inquiry-based, high-tech scavenger hunt based on a hybrid form of geocaching that he developed called "BioCache." Students explore the wonders of nature and biology using handheld global positioning system (GPS) receivers to navigate unfamiliar terrain along a three-mile route through Green Lake County's White River Wildlife Area in east central Wisconsin.