Group items tagged

Graphing activity, would be nice if they could see this graph digitally after they generate their own

Simulators which display cummulative generation graphs for variables.  Very cool data rich resource!  Includes Carbon cycle, demographis (human populations), Disease transmission, ecology, and energy simulations.

comprehensive data repository and analysis tools with many data sources to graph and investigate

Create tables, graphs, and maps illustrating cancer rates at the state or county level.

Select type of data to graph and view changes in data over time for selected cancer type or subpopulations.

Interactive where you select food choices for people, with graphing feature and feedback about the diet.

This case study focuses on the relationship between evolution and plasticity using a hands-on, inquiry-based approach. Students view examples from the literature that illustrate the difference between nature and nurture, or the relative contributions of genes and the environment in shaping phenotypes. Using the Trinidadian guppy system as an example, students learn about seminal work in the field in addition to exploring quantitative genetic techniques used to partition phenotypic variance between genes (G) and the environment (E). They use real data from one of the publications cited in the case to graph reaction norms illustrating GxE interactions at the family and population level. The inquiry-based approach means that students are introduced to new concepts in a stepwise fashion, and asked to develop and build their understanding using causal, explanatory evidence. The case concludes with an exercise in which students apply their knowledge to a real conservation problem in Trinidad and Tobago, where guppies are native. This case would be appropriate for an upper level biology, genetics, or evolution course.

In their study of the medium ground finches, evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant were able to track the evolution of beak size twice in an amazingly short period of time due to two major droughts that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. This activity simulates the food availability during these droughts and demonstrates how rapidly natural selection can act when the environment changes. Students use two different types of tools to represent different beak types to see which is best adapted to collect and "eat" seeds of different sizes. Students collect and analyze data and draw conclusions about traits that offer a selective advantage under different environmental conditions. They have the option of using an Excel spreadsheet to calculate different descriptive statistics and interpret graphs.

This hands-on activity, used in conjunction with the film The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans, teaches students about population genetics, the Hardy-Weinberg principle, and how natural selection alters the frequency distribution of heritable traits. It uses simple simulations to illustrate these complex concepts and includes exercises such as calculating allele and genotype frequencies, graphing and interpretation of data, and designing experiments to reinforce key concepts in population genetics.

Polar bears are an iconic symbol of climate change, but regionally relevant examples of susceptible biota are needed to highlight how global forces impact local environments. In this interrupted case study, students follow a young naturalist as she explores why saltmarsh sparrows are increasingly rare in coastal wetlands of the northeastern United States. In small groups, students diagram how sea-level rise may alter saltmarsh sparrow habitat and analyze a graph to determine if there is evidence to support sea-level rise. The social implications of rising sea levels induced by climate change can also be explored with an optional jigsaw activity. Students who successfully complete this case study will integrate key concepts related to sea level rise, interpret scientific data and draw conclusions about environmental change, and evaluate alternative management decisions. Originally developed for an undergraduate ecology course, the case could easily be adapted by college or high school instructors for an introductory biology or an environmental science course.

The theory of evolution by natural selection is simple, elegant, and profound. Yet, a large number of undergraduate students including biology majors, medical students, and pre-service science teachers maintain a large set of misconceptions that interfere with a solid understanding of the process of natural selection. It is also well known that lecturing is an insufficient strategy to help students confront and correct these misconceptions. This activity uses the evolution of coat color in oldfield mice (Peromyscus polionotus) as the basis of a case study in which students investigate the role of variation, heritability, and selection in the evolution of a trait. Students examine graphs, data, and excerpts from a series of papers that have been published about this system over the last 100 years. The content is delivered as an interrupted case and encourages peer-to-peer teaching and interaction. The case is appropriate for use in non-major, introductory, or advanced biology courses.

This case study uses an interactive activity to illustrate density dependence in ecology classes. We developed a "hunt" using paper butterflies with warning signals on the upper side of the wings and symbols that indicate if a butterfly is noxious underneath the wings. Butterflies are distributed in four different patches with varying densities of noxious and palatable butterflies, simulating Batesian or Müllerian mimicry. Students can catch as many butterflies they want for a period of time, but if they catch more than three noxious butterflies they are out of the game. After the activity, students calculate the survival rate of each type of butterfly in each patch and discuss the implications of density and warning signals according to their results. Students then answer questions and build graphs using the data from the activity and knowledge from the class and the discussion. With this case study, students will be able to understand negative and positive density dependence, as well as predation, learning, and convergent evolution, while recalling or being introduced to Batesian and Müllerian mimicry.

Are you interested in using authentic Arctic and MOSAiC expedition data in your classroom? Look no further! Data Puzzles allow your students to analyze and interpret real scientific data and develop skills in hypothesis testing, graphing, and more.

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that modeled the impact of an infectious fungal disease on a bat population. In 2006, a disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS) began wiping out bat populations in North America. Because many of these bats eat insect pests, the spread of WNS may devastate ecosystems and increase pest control costs. In this study, scientists mathematically modeled the effects of WNS to estimate extinction probabilities for the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) population in the northeastern United States. This figure shows these probabilities projected for five annual rates of population decline. Each projection is simulated up to 100 years after WNS emerged in the population. The "Educator Materials" document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The "Student Handout" includes a captioned figure and background information.

This "clicker case" tells the story of "Hannah," a baby girl adopted by two loving parents who grows up with an uncontrolled appetite and develops severe early-onset obesity. Students follow Hannah's story as she develops excessive eating early in life, which her health care team is unable to explain. A visit to obesity specialists finally reveals the underlying cause of Hannah's obsession with food: extremely low levels of circulating leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and body weight. It is further discovered that Hannah's leptin deficiency is due to a mutation in the LEP gene. As the story unfolds, students first work on unit conversions and BMI calculations to practice quantitative skills as well as graph and data interpretation skills. Students then apply their knowledge of DNA transcription, translation, and protein structure to answer questions based on figures from a 2019 study on LEP mutations. The case is best suited for high school and lower-level undergraduate biology courses.

In this activity, students analyze scientific figures to understand principles of island biogeography theory that determine the number of species in an isolated habitat. This activity uses a jigsaw approach to explore the processes that determine the equilibrium number of species in a habitat and how they are affected by both area and isolation. Two "Student Handouts" are provided as options for the activity. The "Analyzing Graphical Data" handout engages students in graph interpretation and sensemaking from data. The "Building the Equilibrium Model" handout facilitates a scaffolded investigation of the dynamic equilibrium model of island biogeography; students construct immigration and extinction curves to demonstrate the effects of area and isolation on the equilibrium number of species. 

TinkerPlots is a data visualization and modeling tool developed for use by middle school through university students. TinkerPlots can be used to teach grades 4 and up in subjects including math, statistics, social science, or physical or biological science

TinkerPlots is a data visualization and modeling tool developed for use by middle school through university students. TinkerPlots can be used to teach grades 4 and up in subjects including math, statistics, social science, or physical or biological science

For the first time in modern history, the world's population is expected to virtually stop growing by the end of this century, due in large part to falling global fertility rates, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new data from the United Nations. By 2100, the world's population is projected to reach approximately 10.9 billion, with annual growth of less than 0.1% - a steep decline from the current rate. Between 1950 and today, the world's population grew between 1% and 2% each year, with the number of people rising from 2.5 billion to more than 7.7 billion.