Workshops & Summer Programs
2009 Workshop for New and Pre-Service Biology Teachers
This annual workshop held the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 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).
Tentative Schedule
| Saturday January 17 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30-10:30 | Registration & Breakfast: Nancy & Florianna. Biotech Atrium and Biotech G-10 | ||
| 10:30-11:00 | Introduction: Laurel. Biotech G-10 | ||
| 11:00-12:30 | SESSION I: | ||
| ELODEA (8-12) Mary Kay Comstock: 1104 | YOGURT MAKING (6-12) Carolyn W. Comstock: 1108 | Light and Vision (5-8). Lora & Laurel (*) Comstock: 1112 | |
| 12:30-1:30 | Lunch and Outreach Sampler table | ||
| 1:30-3:00 | SESSION 2: | ||
| Building Blocks Lego Lab (8-12). Florianna. 1104 | P.R.I. Middle School. Richard Kissel. Comstock 1112 | TEETH KIT (2-5) Mary Kay Comstock 1108 | |
| 3:00-3:15 | BREAK | ||
| 3:15-4:45 | SESSION 3: | ||
| NY State Lab. Diffusion/ Connections. Comstock: 1116 | SPICE LAB (6-10) Laurel Comstock: 1108 | BTI (**) k-5 Plant Program. At BTI (Mike will take us & pick up) | |
| 4:45-5:45 | Share-a-Thon and Reception | ||
| Sunday January 18 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00-830 | Breakfast | ||
| 8:30-9:00 | Follow up for Elodea, Spice & Yogurt Labs | ||
| 9:00-10:30 | SESSION 4: | ||
| Brain Geography (High School) Mark Albert Comstock: 1104 | INEXPENSIVE LABS (5-8) Megan Weiboldt Comstock: 1108 | ||
| 10:30-10:45 | BREAK | ||
| 10:45-12:15 | SESSION 5: | ||
| NY State Lab. Biodiversity/ Beaks Comstock: 1116 | M&M Lab (Middle School) Laurel Comstock: 1104 | Ice Cream Making (2-8). EYES Comstock: 1112 | |
| 12:15-1:00 | Lunch and CIBT model & kit display. Biotech G-10 | ||
| 1:00-2:30 | SESSION 6: | ||
| How Many CATS? Mary Kay Comstock 1104 | Plant Game (6-10) Florianna Comstock: 1108 | Measuring Activities CIBT. Laurel. Comstock: 1112 | |
| 2:30-3:00 | Garage Sale. Biotech G-01 | ||
| 2:30 -end | Exit table: Evaluations & In-service hours letters | ||
Sample Labs and Activities
Photosynthesis and Respiration in Elodea (Grades 8-12)
This lab involves measuring changes in carbon dioxide concentration associated with both respiration and photosynthesis in the freshwater plant Elodea.
The Teeth Kit (Grades K-8)
In this session we will utilize CIBT’s Teeth Kit, and allow students to investigate how the structure of a tooth relates to its function and the diet of different animals. The unit also includes a comparative study of jaws from carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores, as well as a review of proper oral health care.
The Spice Lab (Can be adapted to any grade level)
Does eating spicy food provide some useful function in the human body? This scientific method-based session will introduce you to ethnobotany, the study of how different cultures utilize indigenous plants. We will discuss the use of spices and their known antimicrobial properties.
Crickets in Your Classroom (Grades 3-7)
This CIBT laboratory exercise is designed to encourage elementary and middle school students to utilize the scientific method to discover what live crickets eat, the relationship between temperature and frequency of chirping, and the response of crickets to light. Students record and graph their observations of cricket behavior.
The Building Blocks of Life Lab: Importance of Enzyme Shape (Grades 8-12)
This exercise will take students through the steps of protein synthesis, from a DNA sequence to “building” part of an enzyme using Legos®. The effect of various mutations on the wild-type enzyme will be illustrated.
The Plant Game (Grades 8-12)
This simulation exercise allows students to understand the factors that affect plant growth. Teams of students “grow a plant” composed of “leaves”, “roots”, and “flowers.” The goal of the game is to produce a plant with the maximum number of flowers. This is possible only if the students have a good strategy to keep their “roots” in water and produce enough “leaves” to support adequate photosynthesis. Rainfall, transpiration, and temperature fluctuations are some of the factors that students must address.
