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The activity begins with students observing different organisms or phenomena and developing questions based on their observations. They then sort their questions into those that can and cannot be answered using the methods of science. Students practice writing scientific questions, designing experiments to address scientific questions, developing questions that involve cause and effect, and understanding the importance of cause and effect questions in scientific research. At the end of the activity, students determine the research questions being asked from reading journal article titles and parts of a published paper or other reported results. Several possible extension activities are provided for continuing the investigation and research of phenomena.

This game reviews introductory chemistry, including organic compounds and chemical reactions. After you open the game in the PowerPoint attachment, click on slideshow and then view show to operate in full screen mode.  Clicking on a number in the gameboard brings you to a question. When that question has been answered click on the yellow box in the lower right corner and you'll be brought back to the gameboard screen.  Spaces for questions that have already been answered will now appear blank, just like on the TV show.  One way to organize this game is to divide your class into groups of 3-4 students, with a spokesperson for each group and a system for rotating among the groups.  Each group in turn can choose a category and point value, and you will show the question.  The group has a set time to decide on their answer.  If their answer is correct, they earn the points.  If their answer is not correct, the first spokesperson for another group to raise their hand can answer the question to earn the points (with the obvious exception of the true/false items).

The SAT Biology E/M Subject Test is a multiple-choice test with 80 questions. You'll answer 60 multiple-choice questions on core principles in biology; then, depending on the additional subject matter you selected, you'll answer an additional 20 multiple-choice questions on Biology-E or Biology-M subject matter. You'll have one hour to answer all 80 questions.

Hyperlinked list of types of questioning with examples.

You can promote discourse and stimulate student thinking through effective questioning. This, in turn, develops the habits of mind suggested by the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Here is a list of questions from the Professional Standards in Teaching Mathematics, grouped into categories that reflect the mathematical practices.

When I speak with educators about the power of hashtags in social media, I get four questions.   1. How do I figure out which hashtag to use and set it up? 2. How do I know what people are saying? 3. How do I know what hashtag people are using if I want to find conversations about an area of interest? 4. How do I know who is using the hashtag? There's a few great sites to help you answer these questions. They are Tagboard, Hashtagify.me, TOPSY, and Twitter.  Let's take a look and how to use these platforms to most effectively answer these questions. How to figure out and set up a hashtag

A few years ago I was taking a tour of a dome shaped house, and the architect explained to me that domes are an optical illusion. Whenever someone enters a room, their eyes inadvertently glance up at the corners of the room to give them the contextual dimensions of the space they're in.

It is now well known that non-native species have the potential to be harmful to an ecosystem, but that wasn't always the case, and getting rid of non-native invasive species is usually a difficult task. This brief, interrupted case study tells the story of kudzu's introduction into the United States in the late 1800s. It also examines (and even questions) how we define words like "native" versus "non-native" and "invasive" versus "non-invasive." Students will learn how invasive species impact ecosystems and why some non-native species never become established. They also will address questions related to eradicating non-native invasive species. For example, is it okay to attempt to get rid of a non-native species with another non-native species? As part of the activity, students also will have to decide whether or not kudzu should be considered "native" since it has been in the United States since 1876. Originally designed for a general biology course for majors, the case has also been used in a biology class for non-majors as well as an environmental biology class.

This interrupted case is based on a genome wide association study (GWAS) that identified the genetic variation causing some inhabitants of the Solomon Islands to have blond hair. The case illustrates the connection between genotype and phenotype, and an application of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The narrative focusses on John and his new roommate, Peter, from the Solomon Islands who happens to have dark skin and blond hair. Using thought-provoking questions students learn about the genetics and the biochemistry of the hair color trait and how a single genetic variation can influence phenotype. Is migration or mutation involved?  Upon completion of the activity students will know the source of the genetic variation that causes the blond hair phenomenon in the Solomon Islands and if it has any European origins. The case was written for an upper-level genetics course, but could also be adapted for introductory biology or for a genetics course for non-majors. An optional PowerPoint presentation with clicker questions is available for download from within the Answer Key.

This case study examines the molecular methods that were used to reverse engineer the 1918 influenza virus strain in order to try and solve the mystery of why it was so deadly. The story starts in the 1950s with the unsuccessful attempts to culture the influenza virus and follows scientists through to the turn of the century when cutting edge molecular tools enabled scientists to finally resurrect the 1918 virus through reverse genetics. The history and methods involved in resurrecting this deadly virus are reviewed in class with a PowerPoint presentation containing clicker questions (answered with a personal response system) and discussion questions (answered in small groups). This "clicker case" is suitable for high school biology and lower division undergraduate biology classes for non-majors. It could also be used in any lower division non-major class focused on human disease and the history of human disease.

The short film opens with two questions: "So what determines how many species live in a given place? Or how many individuals of the species can live somewhere?" The research that provided answers to these questions was set in motion by key experiments by ecologists Robert Paine and James Estes. Robert Paine's starfish exclusion experiments on the coast of Washington state showed that removing starfish from this marine ecosystem has a big impact on the population sizes of other species, establishing the starfish as a keystone species. James Estes and colleague John Palmisano discovered that the kelp forest ecosystems of the North Pacific are regulated by the presence or absence of sea otters, which feed on sea urchins that consume kelp. These direct and indirect effects of sea otters on other species describe a trophic cascade. These early studies were the inspiration for hundreds of investigations on other keystone species and trophic cascades, as well as ongoing studies into the regulation of population sizes and species numbers.

Emerging diseases and potential pandemics make the news nearly every year. Students (and everyone else) may wonder where new infectious diseases come from, how scientists assess the risk of a pandemic, and how we might go about preventing one. This case study uses a PowerPoint presentation to explore these questions by focusing on HIV, a pandemic that began as an emerging disease. The storyline progresses backwards through time as scientists attempt to unravel the origins of a new, mysterious plague. Much of the case relies on audio excerpts from an episode produced by Radiolab, an acclaimed radio show that explores a variety of topics in science and culture (www. radiolab.org). Students use graphics, animations, and sound clips presented in the PowerPoint slides to discuss several sets of questions. The case is suitable for a wide range of high school and college introductory biology courses, as well as undergraduate microbiology, ethics, and public health courses.

This PowerPoint-driven case study presents three different stories, each of which explores an aspect of membranes. The first (The Exploding Fish) covers diffusion, specifically addressing the question of why animal cells explode in freshwater but fish do not, and differences between saltwater and freshwater fish. The second case (The Pleasurable Poison) is designed to show that alcohol can slip across membranes and also highlights some of the problems of ingesting this toxin. The third case (The Dangerous Diet) explores a weight-loss drug, DNP, and how it operates in mitochondrial membranes. The first of these case studies also includes a number of "clicker" questions. These cases were originally designed for a semester-long, introductory biology course for non-majors, and instructors can choose to use one or all of the cases to suit their course.

Questions about the nature of viruses remain quite vexing. Recent studies of the giant Mimivirus illustrate this point. Its large size and correspondingly large genome test our general ideas of viruses as small, simple entities. The existence of genes associated with translation, metabolism, DNA repair, and protein folding raises questions about the evolutionary history of viruses. Further studies of this virus, and the search for other giant viruses, may shed light on these issues.

Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute, and Google's top rated Futurist Speaker. Unlike most speakers, Thomas works closely with his Board of Visionaries to develop original research studies. This enables him to speak on unusual topics and translate trends into unique business opportunities.

This directed case study follows the story of "Pauline," a 20-year-old college student who has just received results from a personal genetic testing kit she purchased online. The report shows a negative result for variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, which are associated with a greater risk for breast cancer. Although Pauline has a family history of breast cancer, she concludes that she no longer needs to be concerned, or does she? As students work through the questions in this case study, they review the role of genes and how they code for proteins as well as the effects of proteins on health, especially on cellular growth regulation and cancer. They also learn about the process of genetic testing and consider the ramifications of positive and negative tests for diseases or health conditions, especially with respect to breast cancer. The case is designed for non-science majors in a scientific methods course and could also be used in an introductory biology course. The questions in the case could be adapted for an upper level genetics class.

Activity A Better Fire!! Activity Advanced Fire Activity Directable Fire!! Activity Fire!! Activity Life Activity Life Lite Activity Spread of Disease Discussion about Agent Modeling Discussion about Chaos Discussion about Chaos is Everywhere Worksheet Emerging Patterns Worksheet Worksheet Emerging Patterns Worksheet (doc) Worksheet Rabbits and Wolves Exploration Questions Worksheet Rabbits and Wolves Exploration Questions (doc)  

This case study describes the daily osmotic struggle for survival faced by hummingbirds. The narrative is written from the viewpoint of a human observer who sees an Anna's hummingbird feeding on flowers outside of her window.  She notices that the birds mostly feed early in the morning and again in the evening at dusk; midday encounters are rare.  The case raises questions about floral nectar production, how this correlates to feeding bouts, and how this in turn correlates to the daily osmotic challenges faced by these nectarivorous birds and their allies (sunbirds). Students will learn about renal adaptations for survival and how they operate. Finally, since hummingbirds have a high metabolic rate and cannot feed overnight they undergo torpor during this time, an energy saving physiologic state.  Students read journal articles to answer case questions, which should lead them to a better understanding of the related physiological processes of osmoregulation, metabolic rate and torpor.

This flipped case study begins with a video in which a student reveals a family member's diagnosis with breast cancer and then considers the whirlwind of questions that arise in such a situation. Students are asked to relate to the main character and identify what questions they would have and what resources they could consult to seek information.  This sets the context for students to use websites and videos to investigate the nature of cancer, its causes, and progression. Students then learn about the major methods of cancer treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy), how they work, and the limitations and side effects of each. The case concludes by addressing the claim of one of the characters that there is a conspiracy to hide a cure for cancer. The case would be implemented near the middle of a high school, non-majors, or introductory biology course after discussion of basic cell biology and the cell cycle.

In this "clicker case," students learn about sex determination, meiosis, and chromosomal "crossing over" through the story of Santhi Soundararajan, an athlete from Kathakkurichi, India, who was stripped of a medal at the 2006 Asian Games after failing to pass a sex test. The case is called a clicker case because it combines the use of student personal response systems (clickers) with case teaching methods and formats. The case itself is a PowerPoint presentation (~2 MB) shown in class that is punctuated by questions students respond to using their clickers. It can be adapted for use without these technologies. Developed for an introductory biology class for both majors and non-majors, the case could also be used in an anatomy and physiology course or an endocrinology course.

In this "clicker case," students learn about sex determination, meiosis, and chromosomal "crossing over" through the story of Santhi Soundararajan, an athlete from Kathakkurichi, India, who was stripped of a medal at the 2006 Asian Games after failing to pass a sex test. The case is called a clicker case because it combines the use of student personal response systems (clickers) with case teaching methods and formats. The case itself is a PowerPoint presentation (~2 MB) shown in class that is punctuated by questions students respond to using their clickers. It can be adapted for use without these technologies. Developed for an introductory biology class for both majors and non-majors, the case could also be used in an anatomy and physiology course or an endocrinology course.