Instructify

Though Punnett squares may be one of the most basic things that students need to understand when studying genetics, they can be complicated at first. You should have heard my 7th graders when I introduced them…”Wait…how did you get that?”  “What are the letters for again?”  “How do I know what to put in each box?” Sometimes a student just needs a second opinion.  One place they can get it with regards to Punnett squares is at The Biology Project’s Solving Punnett Squares Tutorial.

The tutorial provides a straightforward and visual way for students to look at solving problems.  As you click along, you will encounter more genetics problems related to monohybrid crosses and Mendelian genetics.  Each problem has a tutorial to explain the correct answer to the problem.  In addition to being used as a reteaching tool, it could be used with absent students or students who are home-bound for some reason. Though the instructions use subject-specific vocabulary (heterozygous monohybrid cross anyone?), they are written in an understandable way.

So the next time your students look at you quizzically after teaching them how to solve Punnett squares, look no further than this website for another teaching tool. -REBECCAH HAINES

The Biology Project’s Solving Punnett Squares Tutorial

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When I was a kid, nothing grabbed my attention like talking about predators. Perhaps it was an latent instinctive adrenaline response to danger, but whether they were sharks, dinosaurs, tigers or giant robots, ferocious creatures always piqued my interest. Chances are at least a few of your students have this sort of reaction, too. These kids will be pleased to know about the Hurdia victoria, a 500-million-year-old oceanic predator that has just been discovered.

Science Daily has the scoop on this prehistoric arthropod, which looked like a giant shrimp and grew up to 1.5 feet long. That may not sound very big, but remember that arthropods include such creepy-crawlies as tarantulas, cockroaches and ants. If I saw a foot-and-a-half-long tarantula crawling toward me, I’d be plenty scared.

According to the article, scientists had been aware of separate fragments of Hurdia victoria for some time, but had variously misidentified them as sea cucumbers, jellyfish, or other oceanic arthropods. Only after combining them to form a carnivorous super-bug like an insectoid version of Devastator did scientists realize the fierce critter they had on their hands.

You can read more about Hurdia victoria at Science Daily. See if reading about this predator gets your students more interested in biology — or if it just makes you want to call an exterminator. -BILL FERRIS

Fossil Fragments Reveal 500-million-year-old Monster Predator via Science Daily

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Ever wonder what’s the lifespan of a flea? Or how sunscreen works? Or who developed the Nobel-worthy invention of the TV dinner?* Of course you haven’t, but that’s not the point. As any person who has won a trivia contest will tell you, it’s fun to show off knowledge of obscure facts in any subject. Like music and sports, science is a subject that lends itself especially well to this sort of trivia. You can find lots of it at Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress.

The site groups its facts into categories like physics, technology, zoology and plant life. Personally, I enjoy browsing through the questions listed on the site and just see what I can learn. Everyday Mysteries is a great place to begin stockpiling questions for a classroom trivia contest, or if you’re in the mood to learn fun facts about a particular topic.  -BILL FERRIS

Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress

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* 30-90 days, by combining organic and inorganic active ingredients, and several geniuses, respectively.

Photo credit: mastrobiggo on Flickr.

I sometimes find myself planning lessons, looking for a quick video clip to show my students. A short video is often an effective way to introduce, extend, or clarify  information that I’m teaching. I start to think about my sources…the library? Nope, videos are too long and many are too old…YouTube? Nope, I don’t want to search for DNA and find a band (though YouTubeEDU is fixing this issue). Hmm…where else can I go? Well, if I am teaching DNA or Genetics, I can mosey on over to the Secrets of the Sequence website.

This is a site where you can find about 50 short videos related to current DNA and genetics research.  It is created and maintained by Virginia Commonwealth University.  The topics range from a video about the genetic links of alcoholism to cloning champion trees.  You will find many videos that illustrate lots of applications of DNA science, and more importantly, they are interesting and engaging.  When you click on a video, there are two options for viewing.  You can stream it right from the site, or you can download it to your computer.  Additionally, there are national standards-aligned lesson plans for each video available in both PDF and Word format.  The lessons guide you through the video, indicating stopping points for class discussion, as well as disussion questions, and a related lab or activity for after the video.

Eureka!,  I think as I’m finishing the preparation for my brilliant lesson.  I’ve found a website that gives me not only those short videos I want, but some ideas on how to use them if I’m really stuck for planning.  I hope you mosey on over and find inspiration as well. - REBECCAH HAINES

Secrets of the Sequence

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And they’re off! If you forgot to place your wager on this year’s Great Turtle Race from National Geographic, you can still follow along as 11 leatherback sea turtles make their way from Canada to the warm waters of the Caribbean.

The Great Turtle Race raises public awareness of leatherback turtle migration, plus threats to the creature’s survival, through the magic of sports. The site has lots of nifty race stats, such as how many hour-long dives each turtle makes. You can cheer on your favorite turtle, and elect to receive daily updates on how it’s doing in the field.

The site is more than just race-themed environmentalism, however. It also has great turtle information, like the fact that leatherback turtles dive as deep as whales do, feasting on jellyfish and other jelly creatures they encounter. You and your students can play a turtle race game, piloting your own turtle as you try to eat jellyfish and avoid seaweed and garbage.  Or test your turtle knowledge with an online quiz. Everything you wanted to know about sea turtles, plus the stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know, you can find it here.

In keeping with the racing theme, the turtles all have ridiculous names right out of the Kentucky Derby like Nightswimmer and Lindblad the Explorer. Which reminds me, if you had any action on Backspacer, get ready to cash in. -BILL FERRIS

The Great Turtle Race

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That’s right ladies and gents, it is nearly time for a biologist’s favorite holiday - DNA Day! Though the official DNA Day is April 25,  this year the National Human Genome Research Institute will offer activities on April 24, 2009 to accommodate classroom schedules.  Join in on the fun and celebrate the commemoration of the completion of the Human Genome project and the discovery of DNA’s structure. If you know even a little bit about biology, you know that both of these events rank right up there with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution in importance to the understanding of life.

Besides broadcasting your geekiness by knowing that when National DNA Day is, what can you with this in your classroom? It turns out, quite a lot. NHGRI has put together some resources and events for educators and their students at this website. One of the main events planned is a live online chat room where students can ask questions of DNA experts. The chat room will be open from 8am to 6pm on April 24. You will notice that the chat room is closed right now, but that you can access archives of past chats to get an idea of how you might use it with students. In addition to the chat room, the resource website also has links to webcasts and other teaching tools such as PowerPoints and animations. Also, if you’re hip and trendy, you can become a fan of the National DNA Day group on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. A fun photo contest is advertised on the Facebook site.  Upload pictures of your creative DNA models by April 24 for a chance to win a prize.

Remember, as the website says, “When many people think of April, they think of spring. But others think of DNA.” Use this April and this website to help your students become some of those who think of DNA. -REBECCAH HAINES

Educator Resources for DNA Day

National Human Genome Research Institute

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If free sounds good to you, then you need to check out one of the North Carolina Ag in the Classroom workshops being offered this July at the Sheraton Imperial in Durham, North Carolina.  There are two sessions open to North Carolina teachers: “Ag in the Classroom Reading and Science Workshop for Grade K-5 Teachers,” and ‘Farmer Grows a Rainbow: Nutrition Education Workshop for K-12.” The three-day sessions are packed with lesson ideas, teaching strategies and even field trips to local farms and agribusinesses.

North Carolina Farm Bureau sponsors the North Carolina Ag in the Classroom educational program.  This long running program has helped students and teachers across the state learn more about the role agriculture plays in North Carolina’s economy. Each summer the North Carolina Farm Bureau hosts free workshops for teachers that include materials, lodging and meals.

During both summer workshops participants will receive lesson plans, materials and research-based strategies to help them create agriculturally themed, hands-on activities that target literacy and science education.  Upon completion participants will receive two continuing education credits.

Even in this age of technology, agriculture still plays a vital role in North Carolina’s economy. The North Carolina Ag in the Classroom workshops help teachers and students develop an appreciation for the role the farmer plays in getting food to their table.

If you’re interested in one of these free workshops there is no time to waste!  Space is limited.  Acceptance notices will be mailed to participants on May 1, 2009.   Your application must be submitted prior to that date. -CINDY PHTHISIC

Ag in the Classroom summer workshops

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services educational resources

United States Department of Agriculture Ag in the Classroom site

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The scenario at PBS’s DNA Fingerprinting site begins with a young man who discovers his “most valuable possession – his NOVA holographic lollipop,” turned into a “sticky mess.” The possible culprits are Jimmy’s seven sisters. Luckily, DNA samples from all of them are available and all you have to do is create a DNA fingerprint from the saliva left on the lollipop.

A shockwave animated lab table opens up for you to create the fingerprint. It offers you step-by-step instructions on what to do, and most importantly from an educator’s perspective, explains the purpose behind each step. So, not only do you follow the directive to “Pour the restriction enzymes into the DNA,” but you also understand that the restriction enzymes act like little chemical scissors to prepare the DNA for running on a gel. After you complete all of the steps and create your fingerprint, you get to match the fingerprint to the suspects and determine who licked the holographic design off the lollipop, and who will consequently be punished with no dessert tonight.

For an educator, this website offers a way to explain what many kids see happen in fragments on their favorite shows like CSI. By completing this activity and analyzing the results, students should understand some of the science behind what they see on TV. For additional, and slightly more advanced information and animations on this topic, check out DNA Detective from the Dolan DNA Learning Center. Some of your advanced students might find the applications of DNA fingerprinting interesting. With either website, you are sure to motivate your young CSI-minded students to learn some real science. -REBECCAH HAINES

PBS’s DNA Fingerprinting site

DNA Detective

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Quick whale facts: go! Whales are a member of the Cetacea order of animals. Narwhals are the magical unicorn ones. Whales eat a variety of stuff, including marine life, plankton and wooden puppets who wish to become real boys. In a strange way, whale song audio tracks are good for both relaxation and for haunted house soundtracks. Blue whales are the big ones.

Okay, so maybe not all of those facts are true. Some might only have just a loose cultural reference, but that’s still enough to fake people into thinking you know what you’re talking about. Meanwhile, you’ve successfully made a hasty escape. Yet out of all my questionable facts, there’s no denying the one about blue whales. Accounting for weight and volume it is the largest known living animal. Need some proof? Check out this life size blue whale from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

With one giant visual that you can navigate by a smaller inset image, this is a rather creative way to demonstrate the actual dimensions as they compare to your computer screen size. Even the coolest monitor seems a bit dwarfed. Without sounding too 1997 cheesy, the internet is a window for looking out at the world — no, wait, that is too cheesy.

The WDCS wants to get the message out about the endangered status of the blue whale, with the distinct message that this might be the last life-size blue whale you see. Right there’s a nice tie-in for ecology/environmental science lessons. Moby Dick was a different species of whale, so maybe this is slightly less ideal for your Herman Melville lesson. Maybe in a technology lesson you could use it to illustrate how images appear on different monitor aspect ratios? I’m starting to grasp at straws now. If you can think of other ways to use this giant whale then share it in the comments below! –NICK YINGLING

WDCS – Life size blue whale

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Whalenet isn’t the prettiest website out there, but it’s likely one of the oldest and most comprehensive internet resources focusing on whales. Its layout and design is very mid-nineties, and feels a bit like a time-machine taking you back to the early web. Despite its basic design, there are some great resources for learning about whales and other sea life. You can view maps of sea animals that have been tracked by satellites, and you can learn about the dangers that endanger sea life, like entanglements or strandings.

Because the site is really not very user-friendly, a good page to start is their Index , which lists all of their sub pages. There you can find the pages devoted to each of the animals that are (or have been) satellite tracked, listen to whale sounds, and find information on how to identify different types of whales. The site links out to many other sites, like Allied Whale and the New England Aquarium.

This isn’t a site to send kids off to explore on their own, because the antiquated layout may confuse many kids. Teachers should take some time to browse the site before sharing it with their students to ensure they can find the most valuable material for lessons. It’s a shame that the site’s design hasn’t been altered in so long, as a more user-friendly layout would really make this site float to the top. -GRETCHEN SCHAEFER

Whalenet

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Welcome to the first of several posts on genetics and DNA leading up to the celebration of National DNA Day this month! This week’s site, DNA Interactive, is a one-stop shop for, as the name of the website suggests, interactive DNA information.

The website is divided into six sections: Timeline, Code, Manipulation, Genome, Applications, and Chronicle. Upon clicking on each section, you are taken to an interactive interface from which you can learn all about the topics you’ve selected. For example, when you click on Timeline, you get to a scrolling time line of DNA studies. When you click on an event, you’re sent to another scrolling page in which you can click to read about, listen to, or watch a video about the people involved with it. One of my favorite sections is the Applications section. If you click on the “Human Origins” button, then follow the “Variations” link, you can discover, based on a number of genetically inherited traits, exactly how many people worldwide have that exact combination of traits. Only 641 people who took the survey are just like me. Cool, huh?

So, what can you do with this as a teacher? Well, besides spending your precious planning time engrossed in the myriad videos and simulations, you can download a teacher’s guide with fifteen standards-aligned lesson plans, such as this one on gel electrophoresis. Also, you can register for an account, through which you can make guided online lessons, accessible from a separate link, for your students to complete. Here is my page and a lesson I made to help my students prepare for a fruit fly breeding experiment (see this post for an easier way to do fruit fly experiments).

There is so much to explore on this website that I suggest you set aside some time to sift through it, and of course to learn about how many people share your genetic traits. You know you’re curious… -REBECCAH HAINES

DNA Interactive

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Avoid sticky situations with the Virtual Drosophila Lab

If you ever studied biology in college, or perhaps even high school, you probably had a chance to perform some fruit fly crosses.  Fruit flies are great model organisms for studying Mendelian inheritance — they’re easy to grow, they reproduce quickly, and they have many easy-to-identify mutations.  Unfortunately, live fruit flies poses problems in your average middle- or high-school classroom.  Their food gets sticky and the flies get stuck in it, you have to use nasty chemicals to put them to sleep before examining them, and worst of all,  once your new adults start emerging, you have to ‘virgin’ the flies every eight hours or so.  This means you have to separate the females into their own vials to ensure pure genetic crosses.  This is no fun in the wee hours of the morning.  Luckily, with the Virtual Drosophila Lab, you can perform easy fruit fly crosses without these problems (and without having to explain to your principal why there is a sudden infestation of escaped fruit flies in your classroom).

In the Virtual Drosophila Lab, as a teacher, you can get your own log-in and set up class accounts.  Then, the students use a class code to create their own student accounts.  After the students have accounts, they can begin making genetic crosses with virtual fruit flies.  There are several mutations from which to choose ranging from your basic dominant and recessive traits, to sex-linked traits, to lethal traits.  The traditional two-week growth period is turned into about ten seconds, and the computer automatically separates your offspring into phenotypic and gendered groups to analyze your data.

In addition to letting students experience more real-life genetics work, this website offers advantages to teachers in the lab report section.  Your students can create their lab reports within the program, entering the data they’ve saved as they go.  And then, you can grade their lab reports right in the program using a pre-made rubric.  Or, if you want, you can modify or enter your own rubric.  The website will also show you the education standards that it meets, and once you have your own teacher account, you can access a printed version of the rubrics and an instruction manual.

All in all, this website makes Drosophila experimentation accessible to educators and students .  You can do it with your middle- or high-school students, and you can avoid the uncomfortable discussion about why you have to virgin the flies at two in the morning. -REBECCAH HAINES

Virtual Drosophila Lab

Teacher Account Creation for Virtual Drosophila Lab

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Welcome to the first Random Roundup, in which we spotlight otherwise-unrelated articles that all happen to share some arbitrary criterion — in this case, Jurassic Park, which we apparently reference pretty often. In addition to realizing that my pop culture knowledge apparently stopped in 2001, I felt these articles deserve a second look from readers. If you enjoy these, try poking around the archives and see what other ancient articles you might unearth. -BILL FERRIS

Teen Tech Week begins March 8
“Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” This warning by Jeff Goldblum in the cinematic classic Jurassic Park is as true for discussing the hazards of reckless information consumption as it is for warning of the dangers cloning giant prehistoric monsters. Kinda.

Dragon DNA and other genetics fun: Genetics Web Lab Directory
However, you will certainly find something you can use in your classroom to help your students understand the difference between factual genetics exploration and wishful thinking.

Be part of a Tyrannosaurus dig at Unearthing T.rex
While we can’t see these elite predators in action now that Jurassic Park 4 has been canceled, we can take a look at the excavation of a dead one.

Watch Genetics in Action: DNA from the Beginning
Being an English major, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around some of the sciences. Most of my knowledge of genetics and DNA comes from Jurassic Park. Lucky for me I found a slick site called DNA from the Beginning, which uses flash animation to spell out DNA basics.

Extract DNA from Bananas
Thanks to this experiment, genetic research has never seemed so simple. Remember the lessons of Jurassic Park, though, and be careful while messing around with the building blocks of life. You don’t want to have a bananasaurus on your hands. On second thought, yes you do.

Awesomeosaurus: New Carnivorous Dinosaur Discovered
That’s right, paleontologists have found a new dinosaur. This new species is one of the largest carnivorous dinos ever, which is way cooler than if it they’d found an herbivore. These critters apparently roamed Africa 95 million years ago, along with Jurassic Park III star, Spinosaurus, which surely led to some thrilling territorial struggles.

Photo credit: niznoz on Flickr.

We’ve all seen those fake skeletons in our high school or college biology classrooms. Some of us may have even seen other models with removable body parts. These are great, but what if we could add muscle layers, nerve layers, and circulatory systems? Would that make these models an even more valuable tool? Well, with Visual Body, you can do just that.

Argosy’s Visible Body touts itself as the best human anatomy visualization tool available today.  The Visible Body features a complete, fully interactive 3-D representation of the human body. You can add detailed models of all body systems such as the circulatory system or nervous system, all put together in amazing accuracy and detail. The Visible Body includes 3-D models of more than 1,700 anatomical structures, including all major organs and systems of the human body. It is an incredible tool you’ll have to see to truly appreciate. 

In order to use the site, you must first download and install a small application to your computer. This allows the web site to properly display all of the 3-D features of The Visible Body. The download is quick and the installation is a breeze.

This site could easily be used by all grade levels, but a quick word of caution — the 3-D representations of the human body are anatomically correct…VERY anatomically correct, so all of you elementary teachers out there may want to play with the layers a bit before showing this to your 1st grade classes.

Still not sure if this is a tool you would find useful? Argosy Publishing, the owners and creators of the tool, have created a couple of excellent “video tours” of their application. You can check out the videos here.

Not a science teacher? It doesn’t matter. If you’re human, this site is well worth your time to check out. -JERRY SWIATEK

Argosy’s Visual Body

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the general public has an obsession with CSI television programs, and that stem cell research, the human genome and other genetics applications are hot topics in the media. With all of this exposure, your students will undoubtedly be interested in the media frenzy. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had some factual background to help them understand what they hear? At the Genetics Web Lab Directory, students can build that understanding.

The website contains fourteen interactive modules suitable for middle- and high-school students. The introductory modules introduce students to basic concepts of genetics such as Mendel’s Peas and Punnett squares, whereas some of the advanced modules tackle genetic counseling and the Hardy-Weinberg Equation. When you hover your mouse over each bubble, you will see a brief overview of what the activity entails, the concepts it covers, and the challenge level of the activity — as if you couldn’t tell that perhaps your 7th graders don’t need to tackle the Hardy-Weinberg Equation.

Whether it is introductory or advanced, each module brings you an innovative, interactive activity on each of the various topics. As the title of this post suggests, one module uses dragons to teach about genotype and phenotype. Unfortunately there isn’t one about Harry Potter to go along with the dragons. However, you will certainly find something you can use in your classroom to help your students understand the difference between factual genetics exploration and wishful thinking. –REBECCAH HAINES

Genetics Web Lab Directory

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