Question of the Month—Answer
Which examples below are real examples of hands-on activities science students have participated in at home during online learning?
a) Monster Lab
b) Bean Plant Growth Competition Lab
c) Chicken Leg Dissection
d) All of the Above
Despite the challenges of online learning, the science department at DLSNC has continued to try to use hands-on activities as much as possible. Here are some recent examples:
In Biology classes, students completed a “Monster Lab,” where they used concepts of genetics to build small creatures. Then students joined with a partner in breakout groups online and mated their “monsters” with each other to predict their offspring.
Also in Biology, students played a game that simulates the concepts of natural selection and adaptation. They used chopsticks to hunt for different types of dried beans as prey and used math to calculate the changing frequencies over several generations.
In Environmental Science, students worked on a Bean Plant Growth Competition Lab where they grew plants under different conditions and examined growth. This lab required students to develop skills in experimental design, observation, measurement, and data analysis.
Lastly, in the Anatomy & Physiology class, students dissected entire chicken legs to examine the internal structure of the knee joint up close. They also examined bone, muscle, skin, and connective tissue on the chicken leg. Students also built functional models of a human knee using household materials such as toilet paper rolls, rubber bands, elastic, sponges, and rubber mats.
-- Amy Lacks
Science Department Chair
