SEP Lessons

Title	Categories	Description
0. What is a Living Thing: Unit Overview (Lesson 0/5)	What is a Living Thing	“What is a Living Thing and How Does a Living Thing Respond to Its Environment?” is a unit designed to be taught prior to teaching the adopted FOSS curriculum on life sciences. In this unit students are
1. What is a Living Thing Unit: What do Living Things have in Common? (Lesson 1/5)	What is a Living Thing	Students will be working as a community of scientists. Their job as a class will be to create a list of what all living things have in common. They will use the list on another day to help them decide
2. What is a Living Thing Unit: Living or Non-Living? (Lesson 2 of 5)	What is a Living Thing
3. What is a living thing Unit: Introducing Cells (Lesson 3 of 5)	What is a Living Thing	Students learn about what makes up a living thing and what do living things have in common while looking through magiscopes to observe cells and record their observations.
4a. What is a living thing Unit:: Introducing the Process of Investigating Science Using Crayfish (Lesson 4a of 5)	What is a Living Thing	All living things sense and respond to their environments. Students work together to investigate how one living thing, a crayfish, responds when it senses shelter in its environment.
4b. What is a living thing Unit:: Introducing the Process of Investigative Science Using Worms (Lesson 4b of 5)	What is a Living Thing	Students learn that living things sense and respond to changes in their environment. Students work together to investigate how one living thing, a worm, responds when it senses dampness and dryness in
5.1 What is a Living Thing Unit: Student Designed Investigations (Lesson 5 of 5) : Observations (Part 1 of 4)	Student Designed Investigations	Students will work in teams to do scientific observations of a living thing.
5.2 What is a Living Thing Unit: Student Designed Investigations (Lesson 5 of 5) : Testable Questions, Predictions, Materials, and Procedures (Part 2 of 4)	Student Designed Investigations	Students investigate how living things sense and respond to their environment. They will make predictions and identify materials needed for their investigation, and make a procedure.
5.3 What is a Living Thing Unit: Student Designed Investigations (Lesson 5 of 5): Collecting Data and Drawing Conclusions (part 3 of 4)	Student Designed Investigations	Students investigate how living things sense and respond to their environment using the procedure they made. They will carry out their investigation and record the results.
5.4 What is a Living Thing Unit:: Student Designed Investigations (Lesson 5 of 5) : Poster Presentations (Part 4 of 4)	Student Designed Investigations	Students will make a scientific poster to share their investigation.
6. What is a Living Thing Unit: Draw an Alien in its Natural Habitat (extension)	General	Students will draw an “alien” living in a natural habitat not on Earth while using what they have learned about living things (humans, plants, animals) and what is needed for them to survive.
Alternative Energy Part I (lesson 7/8)	Energy	Students explore what it takes to build a car using alternative energy sources (not gas).
Alternative Energy Part II (lesson 8/8)	Energy	Students explore four different types of propulsion systems test the difference between them looking at time and distance travelled
Amylase Experiment 2.0	General	Students will use the amylase starch digestion experiment to see enzymes inaction. After they’ve done a run-through of the basic protocol, they’ll add a variableof their choosing in a student-designed
Antigen switching in malaria	General	In this activity, students will model how the parasitic malaria protist Plasmodiumfalciparum evades the host immune response through a phenomenon called antigenswitching. Specifically, slips of paper representing
Bacterial Biosensor Device	CCW	In this activity, students are asked to design a bacterial biosensor device on paper. Students are offered a scenario: they have a choice of two bacterial biosensors (lead and xylene detecting).They must
Bacterial Transformation	CCW	This activity explores genetic engineering as a tool to construct new cellular organisms, usingthe pGLO Bacterial Transformation Kit from BioRad, but framing it as a biosensor activity. Bacterial biosensors
Bioethics	CCW	This activity introduces students to ethics and bioethics. Bioethics concerns some of the more difficult dilemmas and decisions facing scientists as science advances, particularly in the field of Cellular
Bioethics (Portobello)	CCW	This activity introduces students to ethics and bioethics. Bioethics concerns some of the more difficult dilemmas and decisions facing scientists as science advances, particilarly in the field of Cellular
Bioremediation	CCW	This activity connects the engineered oil-eating abilities of microbes to large-scale bioremediation efforts. Students will observe microbes break down oil in water over the course of a few days. They
Botany on your plate	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	How do people use plants in their daily lives? Or what parts of a plant do you eat? In this activity participants get a chance to dissect and observe plants, learn about different plant parts and function
Cabbage	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	Cabbage juice is an awesome chemical indicator. Its interactions with acids and bases from household items will produce a number of colors. Learn about acids and bases you can find in your own home!
Cell-to-Robot Analogy	CCW	In this activity students construct an analogy between the central dogma and a robot “running a program”. Students are first asked to place the central dogma (DNA-RNA-Protein) in the correct order
Cell, Cell, What is a Cell?	CCW	This is an activity that allows the instructor to identify any misconceptions about cells. It’s a great introduction into cells and the characteristics of living things because it requires students to
Cells Alive	CCW	This activity allows students to explore cells in a new way. The set of protists used in this activity offer a wide range of motilities, sizes, and shapes. This activity also offers a great introduction
Cleaning Water- A 5th Grade Standards-Based Science Unit	General	Many children around the world die due to drinking contaminated water. Thisengaging science lesson will allow students learn how to build and use a simplehomemade filter system to clean contaminated water.
Comparison of Normal vs Mutant Zebrafish Embryos	General	Mutations occur in organisms, and scientists study them. Learn about a model organismsand multations.
Conversion of energy into different forms (lesson 2/8)	Energy	Students investigate how energey can be converted from one from to another.
CSI	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	Crimes are solved by using the evidence left behind by the perpetrators. In this activity the evidence will help you identify the perpetrator by comparing it with items from the suspects! Come learn how
Demonstrating how to Conduct Controlled Investigations: Example Using Sound	General	The teacher conducts an investigation to compare the sound produced by twodifferent sized pipes (higher pitch, lower pitch, louder, softer). The teacherconducts the experiment multiple times, each time
Detecting Photosynthesis- Analyzing Other Scientists’ Data	General	Students will analyze the results of another scientist’s experiment by examiningleaves that have been exposed to different treatments, and draw conclusions aboutthe process of photosynthesis.
Digestive System	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	Explore what happens to our food once it’s inside our bodies. How does it get broken down in to small pieces so that it can be used by our bodies. Do some simulations of the digestive process.
DNA structure and replication	General	Students assemble a DNA molecule, using magnetic pieces representing sugar,phosphate and the nitrogenous bases on magnetic whiteboards. Students thenmodel the process of semi-conservative DNA replication
Do You Know Bamboo?	General
Electromagnets (lesson 4/8)	Energy	Students will learn, discuss, and practice the scientific method through hypothesizing and experimenting by using electromagnets to discover the relationship between electricity and magnetism.
Energy and States of Matter (lesson 5/8)	Energy	Students are introduced to the different states of matter. They observe ice melting, water evaporating and condensing through heating and cooling. Liquid nitrogen is being used to freeze different objects
Energy Conversion in Electricity – Resistors and Circuits (lesson 3/8)	Energy	After students have learned about the different types of energies and how they can be converted from one energy form to another, students get introduced to the concept of resistors. They create parallel
Experimental Models	CCW	In this activity, students select a model organism and brainstorm possible strengths and limitations of using this model in scientific experiments.
Explore your senses	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	Our senses allow us to detect and experience our environment in multiple ways. The information we collect using multiple sensory systems is interpreted by the brain and used to developa better picture
Exploring Chemical Bonding	General	Students will engage in an exploration demonstrating the Octet rule and chemical bonding using paper models of elements forming covalent and ionic compounds.
Extract your own DNA from cheek cells	General	Students will extract DNA from their own cheek cells.
Final Challenges	CCW	This is a great conclusion to a unit about cell biology, genetic engineering, or cellular engineering. Students are asked to program a robot to solve a challenge mat modeled after a real world problem
Find Yellow Programming Module	CCW	This programming lesson was designed to teach the basics of programming in Open Roberta through a “find yellow” food finding simulation program. Each activity is designed to teach the pieces necessary
Floating and Sinking	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	How do things float? What does a boat-‐builder need to think about sothat the boat can carry its load? How can you help to keep a boat afloat?
Food Production, Population Growth and GMOs	General	Students will learn about the correlation between food production and price inflation with the global population growth.
Forensic Crime Lab	General	A crime is staged in the classroom. After observing the crime scene, student identify and collect crime scene evidence. Students use blood typing analysis, microscopy, and chromatography to analyze the
Hand and Joint	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	What would you do without your joints? Your movement and everyday activities would be greatly affected. What would be like by trying some simple tasks without the use of the joints in your hands.
Hands on with Cells – Using Slide Viewers and Microscopes	General	In this activity, students use microscopes and slide viewers to visualize cells and record what they see. Emphasis is on “recording observations”. Students are introduced to new technologies and to the
Heating Earth	General	Students develop an experimental plan to investigate the question how solar energy heats different earth materials (water and land). A container half filled with water and half with soil is exposed to
How Does an Infectious Disease Spread? HIV Simulation	General	Students will simulate the exchange of bodyfluids and then test whether they got infected with a disease. This activity will show how one person who is infected with a disease can infect other people,
How Does the pH Environment Affect Bioavailability of Iron?	General	Dietary minerals are available through ingestion of food and supplements. In this lesson, students first examine the chemical reaction of two forms of iron, Fe0 and F+2 with various pH conditions of either
Intro to Bacterial Biosensors	CCW	This lesson offers students an introduction into biosensors, which is a sensor that uses a living organism or biological components to detect the presence of chemicals. In this activity we focus on bacterial
Intro to Programming	CCW	This programming lesson was designed to quickly teach the basics of programming a LEGO Mindstorm Robot in Open Roberta. It teaches programming through a series of programs. Many are purposefully “broken”
Introducing Models to Elementary School Students	General	Students learn what a model is by comparing a model of the tongue to their own tongue. They practice asking themselves, “How is this model like the thing itrepresents, and how is it different?” This format
Investigating the Relationship of Mass to Volume	General	Students practice the process of doing investigative science through team investigations. They investigate two materials that weigh the same amount. The testable question: If I have an amount of gravel
Investigating the types of energy in different objects (lesson 1/8)	Energy	Students sort through house old objects to determine which ones have energy in them and which ones do not, and realize that energy comes in multiple forms (chemical, mechanical, light, heat, electrical,
Love in the Time of Cholera – Osmosis in Action	General	Students will first learn about the cause of cholera, and propose treatment options to save a hypothetical patient. They will then learn about the osmotic basis of the disease by using a simple dialysis
Making a Battery	General
Making an Electromagnet	General	Students discover that when electric current flows through an insulated wire wound around a steel core, the steel core becomes a magnet. They learn that this happens because an electric current produces
Measuring Calories in Food	General	The lesson introduces the concept of calories and provides examples of high calorie and low calorie foods. Students learn a number of ways to determine how many calories a food item has and discuss how
Meet a Land Snail	General	In this lesson students will play a guessing game, observe land snails, and create a realistic drawing of a land snail. At the end of the lesson they will brainstorm things they wonder about Land Snails.
Meet an Aquatic Snail	General	In this lesson students will observe aquatic snails, create a realistic drawing of an aquatic snail, and create a class list of questions about aquatic snails. This lesson is alternate or introductory
Mini Medical School – Hematology	General	This is a two-class lesson plan. During the first class students are entered into a “mini-medical school” where they will learn about the functions and components of blood and make a candy model to reflect
Mini Mystery Boxes	General	This lesson is designed to help students better understand the nature of science. It uses simple, readily available mini-mystery boxes to model how scientists study things they cannot see. Scientists often
Mystery Box	General	This lesson is designed to help students better understand the nature of science. It uses a Mystery Box (see included photos) which has a funnel at the top and a beaker underneath. When water is poured
Mystery Program	CCW	This is a quick demo to introduce students to the Lego Mindstorm EV3 and the concept of programming. In this lesson, students will make observations about how a robot moves and reacts to different stimuli
Neuronal Signaling and Pain	General	The lesson has two parts: part one introduces the nerve circuitry for somatosensation and demonstrates the nature of neuronal signaling – electricity. Part two explores the concept of action potential.
Observing and Drawing the Structures of Guppies and Goldfish	General	This lesson is a modification to FOSS Investigation # 1 in the Animals 2×2 unit. In this version the students are observing both guppies and goldfish at the same time as their first introduction to the
Observing Properties of Matter	General	Students will observe two materials and compare their properties. They will use this information in a later lesson to help them predict whether an equal amount by weight of the two materials will take
Ocean Pollution & its Effect on Aquatic Animals	General	Students brainstorm different sources of pollution. Then students make their own miniature ocean inside a water bottle and pollute it with waste and oil to observe the effects on animals in the water.
Oh Deer! and English Language Learner Writing Extensions	General	Teacher will describe an ecosystem scenario and ask students to ponder why the population of deer in a particular area fluctuates from year to year. Students will research the question through a simulation
Oobleck	General	Students will read the first part of the book by Dr. Seuss, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”, where they learn about the mysterious substace “Oobleck” created by a group of magicians in the story. Students
Perception and the Brain	General	In this lesson, students are introducted to how the brain interprets and uses sensory information from the visual system to guide how the body moves and performs various tasks. This lesson makes use of
Phototaxis Program	CCW	This programming lesson was designed to quickly teach the basics of programming a LEGO Mindstorm Robot in Open Roberta. It teaches programming through a series of programs. Many are purposefully “broken”
Physarum	CCW	This activity is designed as an open-ended exploration into physarum preferences by observing its chemotaxis. Students first observe that physarum will move towards oats,and then design experiments to
Physarum Experiment 2	CCW	This activity builds on the first physarum chemotaxis experiment. This iteration of experimentsis a process that scientists and cellular engineers engage in regularly. Using computational thinking, students
Plant Seed Dispersal	General	The lesson starts with the puzzling question how a lone palm tree came to grow ona small island that has no other palm trees on it and introduces students to the idea of seeds being dispersed by water.
Polarity of Magnets	General	Students will investigate how the effects of magnets change when their position inspace is changed. Children are introduced to basic concepts of orientation in space.
Pollination	General	This activity approaches pollination through: 1) a game to understand the role ofthe pollinator, 2) a flower dissection to understand the structure and function offlower parts, and 3) a video to see seed
Problems in Meiosis Lead to Disease	General	This lesson is a variation on the traditional pipe-cleaner simulation ofmitosis/meiosis. Initially, students review the normal process of meiosis. Thestudents are then presented with monosomy and trisomy
Programming Chemotaxis	CCW	This is a programming lesson that models cell movement up a chemical gradient, model with the chemotaxis mat that has a white to black gradient printed on it. In this lesson, students build on the idea
Rainforest Bird Beak Buffet	General	Students will look at pictures of 5 different rainforest birds and share their similarities and differences. Each student will be given one of 5 tools and one of 3 cups to represent respectively a beak
Setting Up Your Robot	CCW	This contains information about how to access Open Roberta, the programming website used during the Cellular Construction Workshop. In includes how to set up an account, connecting your robot, and instructions
Sheep Heart Dissection	General	Students observe and dissect a sheep heart. In doing so, they learn about how the heart works and what it really looks like.While this lesson is adaptable for many grade levels, it is a great fit with
Skulls – Herbivores, Omnivores, and Carnivores	General	Students familiarize themselves with different types of animal skulls and teeth. From observation they learn to tell which skulls are those of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.
Skulls Activity	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	Use your observational skills to find out more about an animal’s skull. A skullcan tell us how it eats, what it eats and whether it is primarily a predator or prey. Learn about structures that can tell
Slime	Bay area Science Festival (BASF)	Learn to make a sticky and gooey polymer called SLIME! Gross out your friends and family with our easy to make recipe and take somehome with you today.
Slinky Lab – Simulating the Motion of Earthquake Waves	General	Students use a slinky to model earthquake waves. Learn the speed, direction and behavior of different waves which tell scientists about earthquakes.
Strawberry DNA extraction	General	Students will extract DNA from strawberries.
Testing for Lipids, Proteins and Carbohydrates	General	Students will test a variety of food samples for the presence of lipids, proteins,simple and complex carbohydrates.
The energy of life in zebrafish (lesson 6/8)	Energy	Students observe and draw the different stages in the development of zebrafish embryos, 0 days to 7 day. They are introduced to the concepts, of cell(s), tissues and organs.
The Lungs and Respiratory System	General	Students review what they already know about breathing and the respiratory system. After a brief introduction to the respiratory system, students break into two groups and rotate through two stations.
The Microbial World Around (and In!) Us	General	In the first lesson in this two-part series, students are introduced to the concept of microbes by collecting samples to grow on agar Petri dishes. They will isolate colonies and perform two biochemical
The Power of Observation	General	Students each receive similar looking objects (marble, gem stone, bead, rock) and are given some time to make and record as many observations as possible. Then students at each table group mix up their
Understanding Air Pressure (A Lesson Series)	General	The activitites establish the concepts of atmospheric pressure, differences in pressure, how changing volume affects pressure, and a molecular model of how air pressure arises. Modified from the 5th grade
Understanding Germs (Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi)	General	This lesson focuses on understanding “germs” (specifically bacteria, viruses, and fungi), how they cause illness, how they can help us, and some lessons about personal hygiene (protecting ourselves from
Using Wind-Up Toys and Cars to Understand Energy and Energy Transfer	General	This is a two part lesson: Part 1: Students will explore wind-up toys and try to explain the mechanism of the toy’s motion, learning about the concepts of stored and movement energy and thetransfer from
Virtual Physarum Chemotaxis	CCW	This activity is designed as a virtual experiment into physarum preferences by observing its chemotaxis. The lesson starts with a simple demo, where student predict physarum chemotaxis toward either water
Wetland Ecosystems, Non-Living and Living Components, and Brine Shrimp	General	Students work in whole class and small group settings to discuss, observe andlearn about a wetland ecosystem (salt ponds) and some of the organisms that livethere. Abiotic and biotic factors of species
What factors affect the oxidation of apples?	General	Students observe the browning of apples after cut and being exposed to air and brainstorm ideas about why this might be happening. Students think about ways to slow down or prevent the browning effect
What is an Atom?	General	The students will repeatedly cut a piece of aluminum foil into smaller and smaller pieces to model the process of how you can break a substance down from a large number of atoms to a single atom. This
What is Life?	General	Students will investigate different objects and discuss whether they are alive or not alive. Students are challenged to provide evidence for their decision and defend their opinion.
What is Matter?	General	During this activity students explore in depth their own understanding ofwhat constitutes “matter” and work together as a group to create adefinition for matter. Students work in pairs to debate how to
What is the Best Brand of Paper Towel?	General
Which Soil Do plants Like Best? Collecting Data (Lesson 2/2)	Soil	Students will explore how plants grow while using the scientific method to conduct an experiment.
Which Soil Do Plants Like Best? Planting (Lesson 1/2)	Soil	Students will explore how plants grow while using the scientific method to conduct an experiment.
Yeast Mutagenesis	General	In this laboratory investigation, students learn the concept of mutagenesis and explore how different substances can act as mutagens.The experiment utilizes a strain of yeast that lacks several DNA repair

Title	Description	Download
Botany on your plate 0 file(s)	How do people use plants in their daily lives? Or what parts of a plant do you eat? In this activity participants get a chance to dissect and observe plants, learn about different plant parts and function	Download
Cabbage 0 file(s)	Cabbage juice is an awesome chemical indicator. Its interactions with acids and bases from household items will produce a number of colors. Learn about acids and bases you can find in your own home!	Download
CSI 0 file(s)	Crimes are solved by using the evidence left behind by the perpetrators. In this activity the evidence will help you identify the perpetrator by comparing it with items from the suspects! Come learn how	Download
Digestive System 0 file(s)	Explore what happens to our food once it’s inside our bodies. How does it get broken down in to small pieces so that it can be used by our bodies. Do some simulations of the digestive process.	Download
Explore your senses 0 file(s)	Our senses allow us to detect and experience our environment in multiple ways. The information we collect using multiple sensory systems is interpreted by the brain and used to developa better picture	Download
Floating and Sinking 0 file(s)	How do things float? What does a boat-‐builder need to think about sothat the boat can carry its load? How can you help to keep a boat afloat?	Download
Hand and Joint 0 file(s)	What would you do without your joints? Your movement and everyday activities would be greatly affected. What would be like by trying some simple tasks without the use of the joints in your hands.	Download
Skulls Activity 0 file(s)	Use your observational skills to find out more about an animal’s skull. A skullcan tell us how it eats, what it eats and whether it is primarily a predator or prey. Learn about structures that can tell	Download
Slime 0 file(s)	Learn to make a sticky and gooey polymer called SLIME! Gross out your friends and family with our easy to make recipe and take somehome with you today.	Download

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