In this activity, students are assigned different alleles of the gene for phenylalanine hydroxylase to research using OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man). They are then asked to both explain and illustrate how this mutation may cause the disease phenylketonuria (PKU).

Students receive information about cladistics and apply this phylogenetic approach to two problems, collecting data, determining whether traits are ancestral or derived, and using this information to select the most parsimonious tree.

In this article, a newspaper article about a penguin outfitted with a wetsuit is the impetus for a lesson on heat and insulation in marine animals. Students learn about feathers and blubber and think about the role of scientists in observing and caring for animals in the lab. Included are links to lessons and activities and a list of recommended children's books. This article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

This video segment from Nature profiles a small business in which homing pigeons play a central role.

In a class demonstration, the teacher places different pill types ("chalk" pill, gel pill, and gel tablet) into separate glass beakers of vinegar, representing human stomach acid. After 20-30 minutes, the pills dissolve. Students observe which dissolve the fastest, and discuss the remnants of the various pills. What they learn contributes to their ongoing objective to answer the challenge question presented in lesson 1 of this unit.

Tissues and cells of root, stem, and leaf anatomy in both dicots and monocots are investigated in this learning activity.

This is a field investigation where students observe plants in a school forest setting. Students then compare adaptations of plants from different parts of the forest.

Plant growth regulators, including auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, abscisic acid, and ethylene, are investigated in this learning activity to demonstrate how these chemicals (hormones) affect plant growth and development.

This activity is a field investigation where students identify native MN plants and record the common name, scientific name, and important information about each.

This learning experience introduces participants to scientific inquiry, hypothesis formation, experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation.

This activity is a first grade life science activity where the students practice inquiry skills by developing questions about seeds, planting them and noting details about how they change as they grow.

Plant water relations are presented in this learning activity to help participants understand the components of water potential, explain how water moves through plants, provide examples of plant adaptations to water stress, and have a general understanding of how water potential can be measured.

What do plants eat? This unit explores plants and how they make food.

This article discusses the types of plants found in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as the adaptations that enable their survival in the polar regions' harsh conditions.

This free, online article, developed for elementary teachers, describes a Kindergarten polar science, standards aligned, unit centered on The Polar Express developing literacy, math, and science skills.

This article features activity books and polar-themed children's literature for use in the elementary classroom.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the mammals of the polar regions and the adaptations that help them survive in harsh environments.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Mammals issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Oceans issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

This article features children's literature about oceans - specifically the Arctic and Southern Oceans.