INQUIRY ADVENTURE:
BIOLOGY!
Subject
Overview
Cells and Organisms
In this activity, students will compare the relative sizes of microscopic objects to appreciate the cell’s
role as the basic building block of life. Students will also recognize the role of magnification and the
microscope in the study of very small objects.
Grade Level
4-6
Materials Required
Teacher Guide
Objectives
Explain the concept of a cell as the basic unit of life. Compare and contrast plant and animal
cells. Explain why the details of most cells are visible only through a microscope.
Anticipatory Set
At the front of the room, have an object built from Legos and/or an image of a brick building.
Question the students about what the construction of these objects have in common, and
how living things are constructed in an analogous way. The difference is that plants, animals,
and your body are all made up of cells instead of Legos or bricks.
Information
Cells are too small for you to see with the naked eye. How do we see them? (Wait for
answers). Has anyone ever used a microscope? Encourage volunteers to discuss what they
have seen. Microscopes are like powerful magnifying glasses and allow us to look at cells and
what is inside of them. But how big is a cell? How many can fit inside your body? (10 trillion –
do not reveal the answer until after completing the following activity).
Activity
DAY 1
- Lego Object
- Image of brick building
- Pin
- Measuring tape
- Blue tape
- Beach ball
- Poster board
- Softball
- Golf or ping pong ball
- BB
- Organism cards
Additional Resources
-
Using the blue tape, make a circle on the floor that is 10’ in diameter. This represents a
magnified pin head (2 mm) (show them the pin). Then, using the other objects, illustrate the
relative size of other microscopic objects. Sizes are approximated.
Pin head = 2 mm = 10’ circle
PA Standards
Dust mite = 0.25 mm = 250 µm = 15” = beach ball
3.4.4.A3
Human hair = 0.10 mm = 100 µm = poster board rolled to form 12” diameter tube
3.1.5.A5
Average human body cell = 30 µm = 4” = softball (3.5”)
3.1.6.A8
Blood cells = 8 µm = 1” = golf ball/ping pong ball
3.1.7.A5
E. Coli bacteria = 2 µm = 1/8” = a BB
3.1.7.A6
Virus = 0.10 µm = thickness of the shaft of the pin
Teacher Guide
Verification
Pass out organism cards to individual students and have them gather at the front of the room.
As a group, and with input from the rest of the class, have the students arrange themselves in
a line from largest to smallest organism. Record the order on the data sheet as well as relative
size as compared to a human body cell. Review as a class to determine its correctness.
Summary
Cells are the basic building blocks of our bodies. They are too small to be seen without a
microscope and microscopes have allowed us to understand our world in ways that would
have otherwise been impossible. By making things appear larger, we are able to understand
the smallest parts of our world.
Homework
Identify something that is smaller than a human cell that is not already on our list. Then, using
the same scale as the activity (2mm = 10’), find an object that represents its size and bring it in
to school. If you cannot find an object, cut a piece of paper to represents its size compared to
our “pin head.”
Career Awareness
Scientists use giant machines called particle accelerators to study the fundamental structure
of matter and the universe. There are many located throughout the United States, including at
Fermi Lab in Chicago, University of California – Berkeley, and the Oak Ridge (TN) and
Brookhaven (NY) National Laboratories. The largest, however, is the European facility known
as CERN. The basic particle of matter (even smaller than atoms!) are accelerated to nearly the
speed of light and smashed together to see what happens and to break them down into
smaller and smaller pieces. In order to reach these incredible speeds, the particles are
accelerated using magnets through a large, circular ring. After the collisions, scientists study
the resulting debris to look for how the particles interact and for new particles altogether. The
primary particle accelerator at CERN is comprised of a loop that is nearly 15 miles long!
Humanities Tie-In
A cell is very small while the Milky Way galaxy is very large. A cell is too small to be seen with
the naked eye. The Milky Way galaxy is so big that it would take the fastest rocket ship ever
built almost 3 billion years to cross it! They are clearly very different from one another.
However, there are also similarities between them. Think about what some of those
similarities are and write a brief essay (length TBD by teacher) describing them. Think about
the structure of each to help guide your thoughts.
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INQUIRY ADVENTURE:
BIOLOGY!
Subject
Overview
Evolution
This activity is designed to help students to recognize the relationship between an organism’s ability
to survive and the environment in which it lives.
Grade Level
DAY 2
Materials Required
4-6
Hats or boxes
3x5 cards
Poster board
Markers, colored pencils, etc.
Post-its
Teacher Guide
Objectives
Describe plant and animal adaptations that are important to survival.
Anticipatory Set
Show images of two dramatically different animals to students (e.g. giraffe and shark). Ask
them to describe what or where one of them would have an advantage for survival over the
other. Why? What about their bodies gives them this advantage?
Information
According to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, organisms that are most well-adapted to their
environment are most likely to survive and thrive. Organisms that are unable to adapt to
changes in their habitat are more likely to become extinct.
Activity
Design an animal! Label a series of hats/boxes describing various characteristics of an
environment (temperature, climate, food sources, flora, predators, prey, etc.). In each box,
place a series of 3x5 cards that provide a description of each (hot, cold, temperate, dry, rain
forest, aquatic, etc.). Be sure that there are enough in each hat for each group to draw one.
Each group should blindly draw one card from each hat. Based on their chosen characteristics,
each student group will design an animal that is perfectly suited for that environment. Each
group will create a poster on which they will write the characteristics of the environment with
the animal’s corresponding characteristics and draw an image of their animal. Each group will
give a 1-2 minute presentation on why their animal is perfectly suited for its environment and
hang the poster on the classroom wall.
Additional Resources
-
PA Standards
3.1.4.C2
3.1.5.C2
3.1.7.C1
3.1.10.B4
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Teacher Guide
Verification
Each student in the class will be given one vote (in the form of a Post-it) for the animal that
they feel is most well-designed for its environment. Each student must put his/her name on
the Post-it as well as at least one reason why s/he is voting as s/he is. Each student votes by
sticking his/her Post-it to the animal that s/he feels is most well-suited for its environment.
They may not vote for their own animal.
Be sure that the students understand that scientific fact is not determined by a vote. In the
real world of nature, the most well-adapted animal will have the largest population while the
least-adapted will have a very low population, if not be non-existent (i.e.extinct).
Summary
Plants and animals adapt to their environment. Those that are most well-adapted are most
likely to thrive and survive.
Homework
Choose any four animals. You may select animals with which you have personal knowledge
(pets, etc.), or ones that simply interest you. Try and find at least one that you had never
heard of before or know very little about. On a piece of paper, write the name of each animal,
what type of environment it lives in, and two characteristics that make it well-adapted for
survival in its surroundings.
Career Awareness
Genetic engineers can work in human health care, agriculture, waste management, or animal
science. For example, people working in the field of genetic engineering have engineered
insulin for diabetics, proteins and antibodies to fight cancer, vaccines for hepatitis B, and
antibodies to stop organ rejections in transplant patients.
Humanities Tie-In
Until only recently, evolution was controlled only by nature. However, humans now possess
the technology to change organisms at the DNA level. This allows us to create and alter plants
and animals to suit our needs. For example, humans can create plants that will grow in areas
with very little rainfall where they would normally not be able to survive. As our technology
grows, we will be able to modify both plants and animals to meet the needs of society. Is this
okay for people to do? Write a persuasive argument describing whether or not you feel this is
acceptable and why.
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INQUIRY ADVENTURE:
BIOLOGY!
Subject
Genetics
Grade Level
Overview
In this lesson, students will recognize how different physical characteristics result from varying
combinations of genes from the parents.
Materials Required
4-6
Teacher Guide
Objectives
Anticipatory Set
Information
Activity
DAY 3
Through an activity, students will recognize how the physical characteristics of an individual
are dependent on those of their parents and that they result from a combination of the
genes contributed by each parent. The number of genes contributed by each parent and
the possible permutations explains why related individuals often “look alike” or resemble
each other, but are not exact replicas of one another.
Give the students 5 minutes to identify and list traits in their classmates (eye and hair color,
height, earlobe attachment, etc.). Then ask, “Can these traits be inherited? From where?”
After a brief discussion, ask, “Is it possible to have traits that your grandparents have that
you don’t see in your parents?”
Traits are carried on genes which are passed down from parents to offspring and will be
visible depending on relative gene dominance. Depending on the specific gene
combinations that result from random pairing of parental genes, physical characteristics of
the offspring will vary.
 “A Recipe For Traits” activity from
Genetic Science Learning Center”
and related materials.
Additional Resources
 Photographs of dogs (for HW), if
necessary.
PA Standards
3.1.4.B1
3.1.5.B1
3.1.7.B1
3.1.10.B4
Activity is “A Recipe For Traits” provided by "Genetic Science Learning Center, University of
Utah, http://learn.genetics.utah.edu."
Actual activity address is:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/inheritance/activities/pdfs/A%20Recipe%20for%20
Traits_Public.pdf
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Teacher Guide
Summary
There is a direct relationship between the sequences of specific genes in an individual and
the physical characteristics of that organism. By changing the sequence of genes, the genes
present, or the relative dominance between them, an individual will have different physical
manifestations. That is why children of the same parents may look similar, but are not
identical.
Verification/HW
Using your own dog or a photograph of a dog from a book or the Internet and the Dog
Traits Key from today’s activity, create the DNA “recipe” for the appearance of your chosen
dog. Be sure to bring in a picture of the dog you chose as well as the associated recipe.
Career Awareness
As you heard yesterday, genetic engineers do a lot of work in medicine. In agriculture, these
engineers change the DNA of plants to make them more resistant to insects or diseases, or
alter their genes to make them grow larger and yield more edible food. They even tweak
the genetics of plants in hopes of making them healthier for human consumption. Finally, in
other, less well-known careers for genetic engineers, they have developed bacteria that
survives by breaking down solid contaminants in waste water. They even work in crime labs,
isolating and studying DNA to solve crimes (think CSI!).
Humanities Tie-In
Do you think that everyone’s genetic information should be analyzed when they are born?
For example, if scientists discovered that people with a particular gene are more likely to be
criminals, should we know that when they are babies so that the police can keep an eye on
them as they grow up to make sure they don’t commit crimes? Or should they be locked up
right away since they may be more likely to commit crimes? Answer yes or no and support
your opinion with at least one reason why you feel the way you do.
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INQUIRY ADVENTURE:
BIOLOGY!
Subject
Overview
Science Center Visit
During your visit to Carnegie Science Center, students will participate in many activities related to
the Adventure. In the Chaperones’ Guide, there are a series of guiding questions that are designed
to aid students in synthesizing the information that will see today and recognize the
interrelationships between different scientific concepts. Below are brief descriptions of the specific
activities that are a part of the Adventure. Remember that teachers are encouraged to tailor the
specific content and activities to the knowledge and skill levels of their classes.
Grade Level
4-6
DAY 4
Materials Required
Writing Implement
SportsWorks® data card
Teacher Guide
Objectives
Sports Works®
Omnimax:
Mysteries of the
Unseen World
Students will apply the knowledge that they have learned in class this week as they complete
activities during their visit to the Carnegie Science Center. They will also extend their
understanding from the classroom to the practices where this knowledge is applied in the
“real world.”
The SportsWorks® Data Card provides kids with the opportunity to get a little exercise and
see how it affects their heart rate. Like scientists, they will record the data and, in subsequent
classes, look for trends and relationships. Although students will be able to participate in any
available Sports Works activities, those that are slotted for data collection on the card
include:
Additional Resources
-
PA Standards
3.4.4.A3
3.1.6.A8

Fit Stops 1, 2 & 6: Steam Engine, Running in Place, & Jumping Jacks, respectively.
3.1.7.A6

Rock-to-Pus
3.1.7.C1
A whole new world is open to us thanks to cutting-edge science and technology making the
invisible visible, affecting our lives in ways we can’t even imagine. Think what you see around
you is all there is? Think again! Mysteries of the Unseen World will transport your class to
places on the planet they've never been before, to see things that are beyond their normal
vision yet are literally right in front of their eyes.
10.1.6.B
10.4.6.C
10.5.6.E
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Teacher Guide
BodyStage:
It’s Alimentary,
Watson!
Activities &
Exhibit Gallery
Summary
In this BodyStage Show, we’ll solve the mystery of what happens to food as it journeys
through the human body and how it is turned into energy used by the body’s systems. We’ll
look in detail at the various parts and processes of the human digestive system.
At the tabletop activities, students can see first-hand what DNA looks like and how things
that are invisible to the naked eye appear under the microscope. The whole museum is theirs
to explore, of course; but in roboworld on the second floor, they can come to see how much
of the technology we have today was created based on designs in nature.
While at the Science Center, students will participate in activities that allow them to make
connections between the study of evolution, genetics, cells, and organisms to everyday life
and recognize and identify potential careers in these and other areas related to STEM.
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INQUIRY ADVENTURE:
BIOLOGY!
Subject
Overview
Post-Visit Data Analysis
This activity is designed for students to see a graphical representation of the data collected in
Sports Works. Graphs can be completed either manually or using a spreadsheet application like
Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Grade Level
DAY 5
Materials Required
4-6
Computer with spreadsheet software
OR
Graph paper, pencil & straight edge
Sports Works data card
Teacher Guide
Objectives
The purpose of this lesson is to help students recognize that trends in data are often more
easily recognized when analyzed graphically. Students will create two graphs: one line graph
and one bar graph and determine which is more appropriate in different situations.
Anticipatory Set
Show students an image of a line graph with no data labels (like a long-term stock market
graph) and ask them to explain what information you can learn from it. Repeat with a bar
graph. Ask for advantages and disadvantages of each.
Information
Bar graphs are best used when comparing categories of variables whereas line or scatter
graphs are better for identifying trends series of data.
Activity
The following graphs can be created either by hand or using a spreadsheet. Have students
create a data table of their data similar to Figure 5.1. Then the students can create both a line
and bar (Scatter “Line with Markers” and Column “Clustered”, respectively, in Excel) graphs.
Figure 5.1 shows the data that is highlighted to create the graph. Next, have the students
create the graphs.
Verification
After the students have finished their graphs, have them address the following prompts
individually, with their partners, or as a class discussion:
Additional Resources
-
PA Standards
10.4.6.C
Which type of graph is more useful for determining the relationship between your resting and
elevated heart rate? Explain why.
Which type of graph is better for comparing your elevated heart rate to that of your friend?
Why?
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Teacher Guide
Which graph type would be better to track the amount of sleep you get each night? Why?
Which type of graph would be better to compare the number of red cars in the parking lot to
the number of black cars? Why?
What does the line graph show you better than the bar graph?
Summary
Graphs and charts often allow for the identification of trends in data that may not be obvious
by simply looking at the collected values. However, not all graph types provide the same
benefits. It is important to determine which type of graph will provide the best insight into the
information being analyzed. Bar graphs are better for comparing objects while line graphs are
generally more useful for looking at the progression of data over time.
Homework
Record your resting heart rate. Then run or walk briskly for at least 5 minutes, being sure to
elevate your heart rate. Upon finishing the exercise, immediately measure your heart rate for
15 seconds, calculate your heart rate, and record the value. Then re-measure and re-record
your heart rate every minute for the next 10 minutes, being sure to record the values. Once
you have recorded your data, create a data table (either using a spreadsheet or by hand – TBD
by the teacher). Finally, create a graph of heart rate vs. time where time 0 is your pulse at the
instant you finish your exercise.
Career Awareness
Spreadsheets are a useful tool for people in careers that require the analysis of large sets of
complex data. They are used in many career fields and not simply limited to STEM fields. In
addition to data analysis like this lesson, spreadsheets are used by accountants, financial
analysts, business owners, or anyone whose job requires evaluating numbers and sets of data.
They can help show if a business is growing over time or headed for disaster. They can also
help scientists determine the success or failure of a hypothesis or discover new trends and
relationships in nature.
Humanities Tie-In
Based on your analysis of the data that you collected in Sports Works regarding your heart
rate when you exercise,
1.
2.
3.
Write a conclusion for how your heart rate relates to the intensity of the exercise
that you do; and
Write a hypothesis (“If-then” statement) about why your heart rate increases when
you exercise; and finally
Write down a way that you could test your hypothesis from Step 2.
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