Engaging lesson ideas for busy biology and health teachers.

In this lab students will observe how muscle fatigue affects the amount of work muscles can do. Students will make predictions on how intense exercise affects how much work their muscles can handle without a break. *This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. When skeletal muscles contract and relax (shorten and lengthen)

Here is a foldable you can use for any class, as all classes will have new vocabulary students will be expected to learn. I learned how to make this diamond sheet at a professional development meeting on foldables many years ago when I was a new teacher. This easy foldable makes a great graphic organizer for reviewing key concepts or unit vocabulary. It is also good activity to assign to ESL students learning a new topic. I like it best for topics that have four vocabulary te

When learning about probabilities in middle school genetics lessons, you will find that many students still struggle with basic math skills, especially if you teach an on level or resource class. This is one reason you may want to add a lesson that reinforces math concepts such as percents, tally marking, decimals, fractions, ration, and probabilities. These are all basic math skills that students should have learned by the time they are solving Punnett Square word problems,

Picking up Paperclips Station Alcohol is one of the most abused and used drugs among our youth in the United States. Sadly, many young people have lost their lives, accidently killed someone, or have become seriously injured as a result of being intoxicated. Drinking and driving is a major public safety issue that results in many deaths each year in the U.S. *This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may ea

Okay, it is back-to-school time and new faces are looking back at you, and a bunch of new personalities are in your classes. You might be wondering if there is anything new you can do with your classes that will help ease them into your class to help them get to know their classmates and help you get to know them. The first week of school is a big "get to know your students" time. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying pu

Get crafty with this clay neuron model. It's the perfect addition to your nervous system unit. The neuron is the coolest looking of all the cells. Most students enjoy making things with clay. It is kind of therapeutic and relaxing for students to feel the clay's soft texture and to mold it into different things. Students who are kinesthetic and visual learners will be especially drawn to this method of learning. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Asso

This pencil eye trick is one cool thing trick to try with your classes. It is a nice "hook" to use when introducing the human eye unit to your students. It is a simple thing to do that will take a few minutes. To do this trick, each student will need two sharpened pencils. *Some pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. How

I love incorporating games into a classroom! Let's face it, students crave a break from the regular schoolwork routine every now and then, and yes, so teachers too. Adding games to the classroom reduces boredom while at the same time strengthens social skills through peer interaction. They also help to increase students’ motivation by getting them actively involved in the learning process. Adding games to your class is a fun way to review relevant academic content whether you

Here is a simple lab that students can do that will allow them to explore the stomata in plants. Are you ready? If so, grab some spinach leaves and head over with me! :) Spinach leaves are wonderful for cooking and making salads with, but did you know they can also be used for viewing plant stomata under a microscope? *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a lin

Students will analyze data and identify patterns in how traits in a population can change over time in this activity. In nature, individuals of the same species are not alike. They will differ in some way genetically. We call these differences in appearance and behavior, genetic variations. The traits you see expressed in an organism is called the phenotype. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I ma

Here is a clay activity you can do with your students when studying the circulatory system-making clay red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. These are super simple to make and a wonderful way for students to visualize these three parts of the blood. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. You can m

I brought you the clay blood vessels and heart model idea to bring into your classes (my personal favorites!). Then the neuron clay model, integumentary model, and now I want to share this lung clay model with you. I will say it again and again, most students will enjoy doing these clay lessons, as it gives them some freedom of art expression and it is kind of stress-relieving to roll and shape air dry clay in their hands. It’s a great addition to any class, but especially f

As the school year comes closer to ending (or a semester), many teachers are barely able to walk to their cars to go to work in the mornings, wishing so badly that summer break would just come already. Most students feel this same way about the last few weeks of school, so it is a good idea to take a week and have them do some laid back projects in class at the end of the year. *Some blog pages contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase

Okay, for all the art loving students and teachers out there, here is my latest human body system clay model. This one is on the integumentary system. Like the other clay models I posted about previously, you will find this one is also relatively easy to do. I know I say this a lot, but it is true and I have seen it as a teacher-most students will enjoy learning science more when you include fun lessons like this. They are also more likely to retain the information when they

Okay, here is my next clay model I want to share with you, yay! This, and the other clay models I have shared with you, are perfect summertime activities to have your kids do, not just for the classroom. It took me a while to get this one up on here, as I have been super busy with other things. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, a

Learning about energy flow in an ecosystem is a basic lesson in every biology classroom. I always wondered how I could make this unit more interesting or hands-on. Well, I think I might have found the lab that does just that. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. I like this lab because it gives students a vi

Hi guys! In case you were not aware, February is National Heart Month. It is that month of year when we bring awareness to heart disease and look at ways to prevent it. I hope you are all managing your risk factors and keeping yourself healthy no matter what month it might be. *Some blog pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost t

Most students love writing on dry erase boards. There is just something about writing and erasing on them that students tend to like, so why not have students write answers on then instead of on paper in a class test review? If this sounds interesting to you, I recommend you try using these handheld response whiteboards in your classes. They are sure to be a useful addition to your classroom. *Some pages may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualify

Making a flipbook on the cell cycle is a great way for students to learn about the stages of the cell cycle and phases of mitosis. *Some blog posts may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission If you click on a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. There are three parts to the cell cycle- interphase, mitosis, and cytokinesis. Mitosis is the process in which a eukaryotic cell's nucleus s

When it is summer and it is hot outside, nothing beats a cold drink or a cup of ice cream. Maybe you have kids at home like I do asking you the same thing I hear every day over and over again, “Mom, I’m bored. Mom, what can we do? Mom, I’m bored.” Ok, well, I have an idea to help you out. Have you ever thought about making ice cream with them? I don’t mean anything fancy involving an ice cream maker, I mean making ice cream with a just a few simple ingredients and plastic ba