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Workshop for New and Pre-Service Biology Teachers

January 14 - 15, 2006

Presented by the Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers
At: Cornell University in Ithaca, NY

This annual workshop is specifically designed for new teachers K-12 (generally pre-tenure) and pre-service teachers (students enrolled in a college or university program leading to certification in secondary education).

Schedule of Events

Session 1:

• PPI Module 1: The Hypersensitive Response
  This classroom activity demonstrates interactions between plants and specific strains of Pseudomonas (a plant - pathogenic bacteria). Students will design an experiment that demonstrates the specificity of the hypersensitive response. This serves as a starting point to learn the importance of model systems through comparisons of two pathogens. Both Pseudomonas, a plant pathogen, and Yersina pestis, the bacteria that causes the bubonic plague, use the same molecular machinery to infect cells.
• The Slug Lab
  Students will investigate the food preferences of garden slugs (Arion subfuscus) using simple equipment including margarine tubs, graph paper, scissors, and common plants, both wild and cultivated. The exercise is genuine scientific research in that: a) the student devises his/her own "research question" about slug feeding behavior, and b) the results are truly unknown to the student-experimenter (and possibly to the instructor) prior to the experiment. In carrying out the complete set of experiments described below, students learn that one way to achieve precision and accuracy is by designing experiments with many replicates.

Session 2:

• Evolving Trees
  This exercise introduces the basic methods of phylogenetic analysis. Students are asked to hypothesize the evolutionary relationships of groups of organisms and to become familiar with the methods for building evolutionary trees using the basic principles of taxonomy and classification. We will then compare "traditional" classification based on physical characteristics with more recent molecular techniques.
• The Broken Heart
  The Broken Heart is an activity during which students familiarize themselves with the structure of the heart. They locate the atria, ventricles, and major blood vessels. Through "surgical" procedures, students perform coronary bypass surgery and correct patent ductus arteriosus. Human and dog hearts are compared in terms of common structure and defects.

Session 3:

• Respiration in Elodea
  This lab involves the qualitative measurement of the changes in carbon dioxide concentration associated with both respiration and photosynthesis in the fresh water plant Elodea. Bromthymol blue is used as an indicator for the presence of CO2 in solution. When CO2 dissolves in water, carbonic acid is formed. A bromthymol blue solution, acidified to pH 6.0 by the addition of carbon dioxide produces a yellow color. The blue color is restored when the CO2 is removed and the pH becomes higher than 7.6.
  Students are responsible for the basic design of this investigation. Given a list of tasks, and the student background sheet entitled "Photosynthesis and Respiration in Elodea," they are asked to design an experiment which will allow them to demonstrate the use of CO2 by a green plant in photosynthesis, and net production of CO2 (by respiration) in the absence of photosynthetic activity.
• Goldenrod Galls
  This investigation examines natural selection and co-evolution using goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), its stem gall insect (Eurosta solidaginis), and associated parasites, parasitoids, and predators that feed upon the stem gall insect. Through measurements of gall size and an investigation of events occurring within the galls, a correlation between gall size, frequency of predation, and type of predator can be made. An analysis of histograms and data tables charted from gall measurements and frequencies of various events leads to the conclusion that parasitic organisms select goldenrod galls within specific ranges of size. A statistical analysis using standard deviation and tests of reliability also lead to the conclusion that the forces of natural selection and co-evolution are operating within this stem system.

Session 4:

• How Many CAT's?
  In this paper simulation, students will "cut" DNA samples from a mother, a baby, a husband, and a rape suspect using a restriction endonuclease. They will then "run" the DNA fragments on a "gel" to simulate the process of electrophoresis. A fluorescent probe is then washed over the gel. Finally, students will analyze the gel to identify the father of the baby.
• The Teeth Kit
  In this session, Suitable for grades 2-8, we will show off CIBT's Teeth Kit, with which students can investigate the characteristics of teeth and what teeth can tell about an animal's lifestyle. This kit includes 10 teeth for students to sort and analyze. Students will also be able to make predictions as to what sort of animal the teeth came from. The unit will conclude with a study of jaws from carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. Based on the teeth structure, students will hypothesize which jaws belong to which type of animal.

There is no charge for the workshop. All meals and housing will be provided. Course materials, lectures, and lab instruction will be provided for each lab. The workshop will conclude with follow-up, feedback and evaluation.

Selection Criteria