Common Critters is a modular educational animal card game introducing students to the animal kingdom systematized by Level II ecoregions. Each critter card includes a wealth of information regarding distribution, habitation, behavior, status in the food chain, and relative metric size. Accommodating 2-12 students, the game develops visual and traditional literacy by incorporating a unique right-brained approach to identification.
How can you engage and support diverse learners through discussion? In this session, we will share strategies and supports to get your biology students talking as they analyze patterns in the distribution of species across the United States and build a consensus definition for the term ecosystem. By sharing ideas and building on each other’s understanding, students will make powerful connections to content and practices.
We will discuss pacing and unit planning to assist those adapting to the new biology standards. Our focus will be on inquiry-based lessons in experimental design and evolution, highlighting the use of models, questioning techniques, and data analysis. We'll offer engaging activities and opportunities to collaborate with fellow biology educators to share implementation strategies for the new standards.
This session will feature biomedical research taking place to understand environmental exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and implications for human health. Attendees will participate in an activity that introduces how scientists use a systems biology approach to study environmental influences on living systems. This session will showcase strategies for incorporating real biological data and associated science practices into instruction to provide students with current, NC-relevant examples of curriculum concepts.
What can BioNetwork do for you and your classroom? The BioNetwork STEM Outreach division provides STEM resources, programs, and more for teachers and students across North Carolina. Join us as we provide an overview of what BioNetwork is, what programs and events we offer, and answer your questions.
In this session, instructors will use 2D models of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to conduct tracking of carbon molecules and apply this information to a hands-on assay using freshwater algae to indirectly qualify carbon movement. They will then develop protocols that quantifies the qualitative changes witnessed (via carbon dioxide tracking) under a variety of environmental conditions. Collectively, participants will use the sum of their experiences to develop and explain an ecological model of carbon cycling.