Dept. of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4120
These resources were compiled as part of an Independent Study project in science education conducted under the supervision of Prof. J. E. Armstrong. Project Completion: July 1993
The following entries are from books, journals, and microfiche and provide many ways in which simple, inexpensive laboratories may be run. Using the information provided below, you may locate the article and prepare an activity that has been shown to provide useful learning in the secondary classroom. It is the intention of this project to provide only resource and helpful citations to teachers interested in performing successful laboratories. These resources were compiled in preparation for student teaching, and having done the work, these citations are made available to teachers without access to ERIC and other educational databases, and to save others from having to make similar searches.
1> Student should be able to describe the diversity of structure in plants, including bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.
2> The student should understand adaptions of plants for acquiring and conserving water and give examples.
3> The student will identify and describe the various structures and their functions of vascular plant parts and their adaptations to environmental change.
AUTHOR: Marian Smith. American-Biology-Teacher, Vol 53 n2 p111-14 Feb 1991.
ABSTRACT: Plant response to touch and shaking can be demonstrated in the common bush bean in the classroom. bean seedlings of about two weeks old are ideal. All that is required are seeds and soil in planting flats. Clorox bleach to kill fungus on seeds and clean water are also required. All plants of the same experiment should be kept together so they experience the same light, temperature, etc. Plants can be rubbed at the first internode ranging from zero times a day to about thirty times daily. Ten times daily is a good variable between plants in an experiment. This study can be used to emphasize competition and adaptation of plants in their environment.
TITLE: The Power Plant: Teacher's Guide to Photosynthesis. Occasional Paper No. 112. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing. Inst. for Research on Teaching. 1987
AVAILABILITY: Institute for Research on Teaching, College of Education, Michigan State University, 252 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824 ($11.50).
DESCRIPTIVE NOTE: 115 p.; Portions of transparencies will not reproduce clearly.
DOCUMENT TYPE: Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)
DESCRIPTORS: Botany-; Concept-Formation; Experiential-Learning; Junior-High-Schools; Laboratory-Procedures; Middle-Schools; Misconceptions-; Science-Curriculum; Science-Education; Science- Experiments
DESCRIPTORS: *Photosynthesis-; *Science-Activities; *Science- Instruction; *Secondary-School-Science; *Teaching-Methods
ABSTRACT: This document contains a set of instructional materials about photosynthesis that were used in a research study of middle school science teaching during 1985-86. The Middle School Science Project investigated ways to help middle school science teachers use teaching strategies that were identified in earlier studies as particularly effective in promoting meaningful conceptual- change learning. Such learning requires students to go beyond memorization of facts and terminology and to make sense of scientific explanations of phenomena. For students, such learning in science often requires them to go through a difficult process of conceptual change, reshaping and abandoning ideas or misconceptions that they have developed from experience and have believed for a long time. The materials include an introductory description of students' difficulties related to learning about photosynthesis, a student text with accompanying comments and suggestions to teachers, a set of overhead transparent masters, and suggested laboratory activities.
AUTHOR: Mike Newman London Borough of Haringey 48 Station Road, London N22 Article Available in: School Science Review, School Notes September 1990, 72 (258)
Exercise 1: Given hydrogen peroxide and samples of materials (we used liver, carrot, potato, avocado, mango and green banana) can you:
1 establish which of the samples shows catalase activity?
2 rank them for activity?
3 Quantify their activity?
4 establish whether the activity is linear over time?
This task gives immediate feedback-- dropping a slice of any of the materials into the peroxide immediately results in obvious fizzing, bubbling, or frothing, with clear differences between them. One can estimate froth height, volume of gas collected over water, or bubble rate, although the range of simple devices to do these things is very wide.
AUTHOR: K. Hughes Stowmarket High School Stowmarket, Suffolk Article Available in: School Science Review, Science Notes June 1992, 73 (265)
ABSTRACT: This article presents a way for students to observe cloning with some very simple, inexpensive tools. To clone cauliflower plants, everything must be sterilized and a commercial growing medium is needed. One floret will be plenty for a class of 25 students. The author points out that this example brings about the need for sterile techniqures, ideas about cell culture and growth, and an insight into practical applications of science, as well as some interesting microbiology when sterile technique were ineffective.
TITLE: See How They Grow. 1983 Science-and-Children; v21 n2 p42-43 Oct 1983
DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal Articles (080); Reports - Descriptive
DESCRIPTORS: Biological-Sciences; Deduction-; Elementary- Education; Fertilizers-; Metric-System; Observation-; Physical- Environment; Science-Education
DESCRIPTORS: *Botany-; *Elementary-School-Science; *Environmental-Influences; *Hypothesis-Testing; *Plant-Growth; *Science-Activities
ABSTRACT: laboratory activities that encourage students to develop and test hypothesis related to the effects of changing environmental factors on plant growth. emphasizes uniform testing, careful observation, measurements, and graphing.
AUTHOR: Adelaide Hechtlinger Handbook of Modern Experiment for High School Biology
ABSTRACT: The objective is to determine how plants respond to length of day during flowering. This experiment helps to introduce the concept of photoperiod and photoperiodism. This is a fairly simple exercise to set-up and observe. There are few requirments for operation short of seeds and soil and a powerful light source. This can be brought into reproduction of plants, flower production, pollenators (day and nocturnal), etc. This exercise could possibly be introduced when seeds and soil nutrients are first introduced. By the time the plants are old enough to flower, the students will also be ready to discuss this topic. In this way the plants can serve many educational needs.
TITLE: Take a Dip! Culturing Algae Is Easy. 1983 Science-Teacher; v50 n5 p44-47 May 1983
DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal Articles (080); Reports - Descriptive
DESCRIPTORS: Science-Education; Secondary-Education
DESCRIPTORS: *Biology-; *Botany-; *Science-Activities; *Science- Experiments; *Secondary-School-Science
ABSTRACT: laboratory activities using algae; examination of typical cells, alternation of generation, sexual reproduction, phototaxis, effects of nitrate concentration, and competition between algae in same environment.
TITLE: Kudzu--Wonder Weed. 1984
DESCRIPTIVE NOTE: 16 p.
DOCUMENT TYPE: Guides - Classroom - Learner (051)
DESCRIPTORS: Environmental-Education; Laboratory-Procedures; Learning-Activities; Science-Education; Secondary-Education; Values-Clarification
DESCRIPTORS: *Botany-; *Pests-; *Plant-Growth; *Science- Activities; *Secondary-School-Science; *Weeds-
ABSTRACT: Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is a high climbing, exceedingly vigorous vine. Has been known to choke trees and short electrical wires, can be used in erasional areas, and is a legume--nitrogen fertilizer. Includes: List of objectives, list of nine activities, value clarification activities, background informatin on plant, directions for planting, and two laboratory activities--use of weed killers on kudzu, and vegetative growth of plant.
AUTHORS: Frank Rhoden and Sean P. Moran Philips High School, Whitefieldhitefield, Manchester M257PH, UK Article available in: School Science Review, Science Notes September, 1992, 74 (266)
ABSTRACT: The potometer can be easily made to measure uptake of water by plants under different conditions. Commercial designs are expensive. This design uses a test tube with a bent capillary tube. The "u-bent" tube also keeps air from entering with the water. This can be used to demonstrate water-uptake by roots of normal plants. Photosynthetic activity could be used as a variable. Nutrients in the soil could be altered. Different types of roots and various sizes could be tested. Because these tubes are inexpensive and easy to assemble, many types of studies can be done by students. Suggested units include osmosis and nutrient uptake by plants.
TI: Using Dandelion Flower Stalks for Gravitropic Studies.
PY: 1991
JN: American-Biology-Teacher; v53 n5 p290-93 May 1991
DT: Journal Articles (080); Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)
DE: Biology-; Laboratory-Experiments; Laboratory-Procedures; Science-Education; Secondary-Education; Teaching-Methods; Weeds-
DE: *Microscopes-; *Plant-Growth; *Plants-Botany; *Science- Activities; *Secondary-School-Science
AB: Activities that use dandelions to show the phenomena of geotropism and autotropism are described. Directions for collecting the stalks and observing the gravitropic response are included. The topics of lag time and bending rates, autotropism, growth rate changes, presentation time, and gravity detection are discussed. (KR)
TI: Using Light Microscopy to Study Geotropism.
PY: 1991
JN: American-Biology-Teacher; v53 n5 p285-86 May 1991
DT: Journal Articles (080); Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)
DE: Biology-; Laboratory-Experiments; Laboratory-Procedures; Science-Education; Secondary-Education; Teaching-Methods; Weeds-
DE: *Microscopes-; *Plant-Growth; *Plants-Botany; *Science- Activities; *Secondary-School-Science
AB: An activity that uses dandelions to show the phenomenon of geotropism is described. The process of sedimentation, which causes the bending, is observed at moderate magnification under a standard microscope. A list of needed materials, directions for the tissue dissection, and time-lapse photographs of the process are included. (KR)
TI: Teaching Light Compensation Point: A New Practical Approach.
PY: 1986
JN: Journal-of-Biological-Education; v20 n3 p189-94 Aut 1986
DT: Journal Articles (080); Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)
DE: Botany-; Laboratory-Experiments; Science-Education; Secondary-Education
DE: *Biology-; *Light-; *Photosynthesis-; *Science-Experiments; *Science-Instruction; *Secondary-School-Science
AB: Describes a simple method for measuring respiration, net photosynthesis, and compensation points of plants in relation to light intensity. Outlines how the method can be used in teaching physiological adaptation. Includes a set of the experiment's results. (ML)