ND RET Molecular Biology Workshop

1. ND RET Molecular Biology Workshop Ken Andrzejewski- Marian High School Louann Kensinger- Riley High School Deb Semmler- St. Joseph’s High School Jim Keating- Washington High School

2. Our Goal • To evaluate pre-packaged science kits we might want to use in the classroom • Are they cost effective? • Are they engaging? • Do they work? • How can they be modified?

3. Our Strategy • To work through the kits as a group • To evaluate each kit • To determine if it would fit into the curriculum • To create modifications as needed • Post findings for others to use

4. ND RET Molecular Biology Workshop Resource Wiki • http://retmbw.wikispaces.com • Contains science kit evaluations for 2009/2010/2011 workshops • Has a resource page for additional reference

5. Kit 1: Understanding the Properties of Matter Carolina Biological Supply kit #251200 $149.95 refill #251250 $59.95

6. Educational Purpose Students will • Investigate intensive and extensive properties • Explore differences between chemical and physical changes • Develop skills to design and perform experiments

7. Activity 1 Students will devise and implement a logical system for organizing matter using materials from the kit. This included Properties of Matter Study Cards that the students could use to help them.

8. Activity 2 Students will select 5 materials from activity 1 and explore eight properties of matter: Mass Reactivity w/ acid Volume Density Magnetism Appearance Conductivity State at room temperature

9. Activity 3 Students will conduct eight different experiments and document some of the ways matter can interact. Experiments included reactions between: Yeast and hyrdrogen peroxide Silver nitrate and copper Sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid Iron and copper sulfate And others

10. Evaluation • This lab is very engaging- there is plenty to keep students focused. • The worksheets and tables included were of good quality and very usable. • There is also an extension lab that allows students to design and conduct experiments that demonstrate the relationship between the intensive property of density and the extensive properties of matter. A very nice formative assessment addition.

11. Kit 2: Introduction to Light & Optics Carolina Scientific $145.95

12. Many Labs in One Kit • Polarized Light • Transmission Grating • Color by Addition & Subtraction • Mirrors (plane, concave, convex) • Lenses (convex, concave) • Refraction

13. Refraction • Light changes velocity when it enters a different transparent medium • Light slows when it enters material of a higher refractive index • Light speeds up when it enters material of a lower refractive index

14. Refraction When light changes speed it bends; this is refraction All angles are measured from normal (perpendicular) to interface of surfaces

15. Snell’s Law n1sinƟ1=n2sinƟ2

16. Evaluation • Comprehensive • Nice complement to lecture

17. Kit 3: Amino Acid Starter Kit 3-D Molecular Designs #AASKU-01 (single set) $52 #AASKU-06 (6-group set) $286

18. Educational Purpose Students learn about amino acid properties and structures Students explore primary, secondary and tertiary structure of proteins. Students use “toobers” and plastic “amino acids” to create a 3-dimensional protein model.

20. Evaluation The biggest advantage of this kit is its ability to help students visualize the 3-dimensional structure of proteins. The interactive CD has tutorials that use computer graphics to illustrate amino acids and proteins in three dimensions. Students can rotate views along three planes and even slab through proteins. The manipulative part of this kit allows students to link a chain of amino acids and then fold the chain according to their hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties, etc. Recommended for a second-year biology class or for an exceptionally bright group of honors freshmen.

21. Kit 4 Classifying Animals • LAB-AIDS #550S • $59.95

22. Educational Purpose Students will • Classify animals according to structural properties • Collaborate to develop a classification system • Connect the problems of exotic species to the need for classification

23. Part A: Exploring the Animal Kingdom • Each group of 4 students is given a set of 18 Animal Cards (which include a color photo and short description of anatomical structures) • Students collaborate to create their own classification system to place the cards in 4 to 8 groups • Groups present their results and explain their system and reasoning for classification

24. Part B: A Biologist’s Perspective • After a teacher lecture explaining the actual phyla of the Animal Kingdom (focusing on 6 main phyla), students are instructed to modify their classification system, now using the 6 animal phyla • Groups present their results and share their reasoning

25. Evaluation • This kit provided a fairly simple and useful activity • Positives include the inquiry-based method of creating their own classification system in Part A, use of uncommon animals to enhance thinking, and the connection to exotic species • Negatives would only be that the kit still references a 5 Kingdom system instead of the current 3 Domain system, and the fact that only 18 animals are shown

26. Other Activity Kits full explanations and evaluations can be found on the RET wiki Balancing Chemical Equations- as a balancing equation lab this one was not as advertised. But it did redeem itself as a types of chemical reactions lab. Reconstructing Atomic Theory- the premise was good- modeling early atomic theory experiments but the demonstrations were juvenile and required too much work from the instructor.

27. Other Activity Kits (continued) Investigating Selective Breeding – a genetics lab kit that does a good job illustrating simple dominance with cardboard genetic corn, but makes no real connection to selective breeding Cellular Evolution: Formation of Coacervates – this lab creates representations of what may have been the original precursors to living cells. Unfortunately, results were not clear enough to warrant its use

28. Other Activity Kits (continued) Preparation of Human Chromosome Spreads- This lab uses HeLa cells to do a chromosome spread. It provides an excellent teachable moment about Henrietta Lacks and her cell line. Simulating Methods of Population Estimation This lab provides a nice introduction to the transect, quadrat, mark/recapture, & removal methods for population estimation

29. Other Activity kits (continued) Biochemistry Manipulatives- This lab uses paper models of atoms that are easily done yourself without spending the money.