Posts Tagged ‘DNA’

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Full Biology Book Online – Check This Out!

August 3rd, 2021

Michael J. Farabee, Ph.D.: Online Biology Book

(www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobooktoc.html)

Grades 8-12, with parental supervision

This website provides a free biology textbook with illustrations online.

This is written by a university biology professor, but may be very useful for a motivated middle-schooler and would be an appropriate online text for a high-school-level, full-year biology course. As one of our readers put it, “It’s free, thorough, highly visually appealing, contains numerous references and links, and an online linked glossary of terms. Some chapters include a list of learning objectives and review questions.”

There isn’t much more to add except that when you get to the site, you’ll see the table of contents that covers subjects such as:

  • Atoms and Molecules
  • Chemistry
  • Cells and Cell Division
  • Thermodynamics
  • Photosynthesis
  • Genetics
  • DNA
  • Plants and Their Structure
  • Flowering Plant Reproduction
  • Animal Organ Systems
  • The Circulatory System
  • The Lymphatic System
  • The Digestive System
  • The Nervous System
  • The Endocrine System
  • The Reproductive System
  • The Muscular/Skeletal System
  • The Respiratory System
  • Paleobiology
  • Biological Diversity (Viruses, Bacteria, Protists, Fungi)
  • and much more!

Click on any one to read the chapter and feed your brain.

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Get Hands-On with Biology

February 9th, 2021

Serendip Studio – Biology

(serendipstudio.org/sci_edu/waldron/)

Grades 6-12, with parental supervision

 

This website offers free hands-on activities for teaching biology to middle school and high school students.

These activities were designed by a graduate student of the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania who notes, “The expression ‘hands-on, minds-on’ summarizes the philosophy we have incorporated in these activities — namely, that students will learn best if they are actively engaged and if their activities are closely linked to understanding important biological concepts.”

When you get to the site you’ll see an introduction followed by the lessons with Student Handouts and Teacher Preparation Notes available in either PDF or Word formats. (You can also access the activities by clicking on the “Table of Contents” menu on the right side of the screen.) The activities cover a broad range of biological topics and are presented in one *possible* effective sequence for learning biology. Here is a sample of activity titles: 

  • Is Yeast Alive?
  • Introduction to Osmosis
  • Photosynthesis Investigation
  • Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization
  • Dragon Genetics
  • DNA
  • Moldy Jell-O
  • Regulation of Human Heart Rate
  • How do we Sense the Flavors of Food?

And so much more!

As noted on the website, most of the activities can be carried out with minimum equipment and expense for supplies. Sources for the equipment and supplies you’ll need are provided in the printable “Teacher Preparation Notes.”

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Games That Teach How Things Work

April 28th, 2020

 

It’s Tuesday, April 28, 2020, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

EdHeads: Activate Your Mind

(edheads.org/page/GameInfo)

Age Range: 10-18 (Grades 5-12, with parental supervision)

 

This website offers free, colorful and engaging educational animations designed for teachers and students that explain how things work. EdHeads is a non-profit organization that raises money to produce the animations through the ads you’ll see on the site. The ads are randomly generated, so AS ALWAYS, parents should preview and supervise use of the site.

When you get to the website, you’ll see the list of games. The 5 games that do not require membership are: 

  • Manufacturing Technician
  • Nano Start Up
  • Trauma
  • Virtual Hip Resurfacing
  • Sickle Cell DNA

Each animation is narrated (so turn on your speakers) and comes with a “Teachers Guide” that provides the recommended grade level, tips for using the animation in the classroom (that can be tweaked for home education), printable activities, state and national standards, as well as quizzes.

The site provides the option to see graphic pictures of real surgeries, etc., so again, PARENTS SHOULD PREVIEW TO DETERMINE SUITABILITY OF CONTENT. Some of the activities and animations provide links to recommended sources for further learning as well. We have not reviewed those links.

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Free Biology Lessons & Lab Animations

March 31st, 2020

 

It’s Tuesday, March 31, 2020, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

The Biology Place

(www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/)

Age Range: 10-18 (Grades 5-12, with parental supervision)

 

This site, sponsored by textbook publisher Pearson, offers free biology lessons and lab animations. This multi-media resource can be used in conjunction with any basic biology textbook or curriculum, or as a fascinating exploration for the incurably curious.

When you get to the website you’ll see a menu of three items: 

  • BioCoach – This section is designed for reviewing and enhancing biology information gleaned from textbooks and classroom lessons. However, the animations and interactive aspects really help all learners (including those outside classroom walls) to visualize and understand biological concepts including: 
    • Biomembranes
    • Biomolecules
    • Cardiovascular System
    • Cell Structure and Function
    • DNA Structure and Replication
    • Meiosis
    • Mitosis
    • Plant Structure and Growth
    • And more!
  • LabBench – This is an interactive virtual lab that helps students further understand basic biology concepts. References are made to actual classroom lab activities (for example, an instruction to look at a slide under a microscope). However, the virtual lab offers a picture of what you would see if you were viewing the slide through a microscope. So, while you might not have the hands-on experience, you can still learn a lot. You can even take a quiz at the end of each lab to see what you retain. There are 12 labs in all that include: 
    • Diffusion & Osmosis
    • Enzyme Catalysis
    • Mitosis & Meiosis
    • Plant Pigments & Photosynthesis
    • Cell Respiration
    • Molecular Biology
    • Genetics of Organisms
    • Population Genetics
    • Transpiration
    • Circulatory Physiology
    • Animal Behavior
    • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Glossary – Get definitions of biological words, terms, and phrases.

This is a good resource for introducing biology concepts, supplementing any study of biology, and it can be used to refresh your memory about biology course material as well.

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Hands-On Biology Activities

February 4th, 2020

 

It’s Tuesday, February 4, 2020, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

Serendip – Biology

(serendipstudio.org/sci_edu/waldron/)

Age Range: 11-18 (Grades 6-12, with parental supervision)

 

This website that offers FREE hands-on activities for teaching biology to middle school and high school students.

These activities were designed by a graduate student of the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania who notes, “The expression ‘hands-on, minds-on’ summarizes the philosophy we have incorporated in these activities — namely, that students will learn best if they are actively engaged and if their activities are closely linked to understanding important biological concepts.”

When you get to the site you’ll see an introduction followed by the lessons with Student Handouts and Teacher Preparation Notes available in either PDF or Word formats. (You can also access the activities by clicking on the “Table of Contents” menu on the right side of the screen.) The activities cover a broad range of biological topics and are presented in one *possible* effective sequence for learning biology. Here is a sample of activity titles: 

  • Is Yeast Alive?
  • Introduction to Osmosis
  • Photosynthesis Investigation
  • Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization
  • Dragon Genetics
  • DNA
  • Moldy Jell-O
  • Regulation of Human Heart Rate
  • How do we Sense the Flavors of Food?
  • And so much more!

As noted at the website, most of the activities can be carried out with minimum equipment and expense for supplies. Sources for the equipment and supplies you’ll need are provided in the printable “Teacher Preparation Notes.”

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Learn more about cells

March 19th, 2019

 

It’s Tuesday, March 19, 2019, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

 

Recommended Website:

Biology – A Tour of the Cell

(www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/biology/interactive.jsp)

Age Range: 11-18 (Grades 6-12, with parental supervision)

 

Can you imagine how many millions of these tiny cells are inside of your body at this very moment? Amazing! This tour of a cell from the National Science Foundation is very detailed and informative.

“Although the cell is the smallest unit of life, it is by no means simple.”

Thus begins this brief-but-fascinating exploration. The opening picture is a large, full-color image of a cell. To begin, click on any of the numbered parts of the cell and a beautiful, detailed close-up image of that cell art will appear, along with one or two paragraphs of information about it. Parts featured include: 

  • the cell membrane
  • DNA
  • RNA
  • endoplasmic reticulum
  • mitochondria

and more.

Once you have viewed a part of the cell, you will see small numbers below the photo of that part. These numbers provide a convenient way to navigate through the site sequentially, if you prefer. If you click “Explore More,” you will go back to the main page.

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