Essential Biology Teacher Lab Manual
The following list of inquiry-based labs are from PASCO's Essential Biology Teacher Lab Manual. You may preview and download editable student handouts, Google Slides, SPARKvue files, and the complete student lab manual. Teacher resource files can be accessed by signing into a PASCO account or by creating a new account. Individual materials lists are included within each student handout, and a complete materials list is provided below.
Grade Level: High School
Subject: Biology • Environmental Science
Student Collection Files
| Materials and Equipment List | 286.43 KB | |
| Essential Biology Student Investigations Intro | 793.19 KB |
Teacher Collection Files
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Activities
01A) Enzyme Action - Pressure Sensor
Students use a pressure sensor to compare the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition with and without a catalyst.
01B) Enzyme Action - Oxygen Sensor
Students use an oxygen sensor to compare the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition with and without a catalyst.
02) Membrane Permeability (pH sensor)
Students use a pH sensor to explore which substances can and cannot pass through a cell membrane model.
03) Organisms and pH
Students use a pH sensor to determine how effective various substances are at resisting large changes in pH.
04) Osmosis
Students use a pressure sensor to study the movement of water through a cell membrane model by osmosis.
05) Plant Respiration and Photosynthesis
Students use a carbon dioxide gas sensor to measure the rates of photosynthesis and respiration in spinach leaves.
06) Respiration of Germinating Seeds
Students use a carbon dioxide gas sensor to explore the energy requirements of seeds moving from dormancy to germination.
07) Buffers in Biological Systems
Students use a pH sensor to explore the effect buffers have on the ability of a cell to maintain homeostasis
08) Acid Rain
Students use a pH sensor to measure the impact atmospheric pollutants have on rainfall and plant growth.
09) Cellular Respiration in Yeast
Students use an optical dissolved oxygen sensor and a fast response temperature probe to investigate the effect of temperature on the cellular respiration rate of yeast cells.
10) Energy Content of Food
Students use a wireless temperature link and a fast response temperature probe to compare the amount of energy available from different food sources.
11) Metabolism of Yeast
Students use a carbon dioxide sensor to compare the metabolic rate of yeast in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
12) Photosynthesis of Aquatic Plants
Students use an optical dissolved oxygen sensor and a photosynthesis tank to study the photosynthetic rate of aquatic plants under different light conditions.
13) Soil pH
Students use a pH sensor to investigate how local soil quality may impact the ability to support agricultural crops.
14) Transpiration
Students use a pressure sensor to explore how changing atmospheric conditions affect the transpiration rate of a plant.
15) Water and pH
Students use a pH sensor and a conductivity sensor to investigate how an ecosystem could be susceptible to the effects of pollution.
16) Water Purification
Students use a pH sensor and a conductivity sensor to evaluate the effectiveness of various water treatment processes.
17) Weather in a Terrarium
Students use a weather sensor in a terrarium to understand the relationship between the water cycle and energy within a microclimate.
18) EKG: Factors that Affect the Heart
Students use an EKG sensor to measure and interpret the electrical activity of the heart muscles.
19) Exercise and Heart Rate
Students use a hand grip heart rate sensor to learn about the circulatory system by monitoring their heart rate while resting and while exercising.
20) Exercise and Blood Pressure
Students use a blood pressure sensor to learn how to measure blood pressure and understand how aerobic exercise affects blood pressure parameters.
21) Muscle Strength
Students use a pressure sensor to test grip strength and to investigate muscle fatigue.
22) Regulation of Body Heat
Students use two fast response temperature probes to look for evidence of homeostasis while experiencing changes in external body temperature.
23) Volume of Breath
Students use a spirometer to investigate how the amount of air moving in and out of the lungs changes with exercise.
24) Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
In this lab, students will separate plant pigments from a sample using paper chromatography and measure the light reactions of photosynthesis using a colorimetric substitute for NADPH.
