A common question posed to environmental scientists by nonscientists, particularly policymakers, is the following: In a world that is globally warmer, what will the new climate be like in specific geographical regions? This question has been and continues to be addressed by computer modeling, a technique that is out of reach for vast majority of students. However, an alternate approach to investigating this issue exists that is more practical for students. Past climates can be inferred for specific regions from fossils, utilizing climate tolerances of related modern organisms. When these inferred past climates correspond to periods of the Earth's history where levels of carbon dioxide were as high or higher than today, these data can be used to extrapolate possible future local climates in a globally warmer world. The last Pleistocene interglacial period (known as the Eemian), which occurred approximately 120,000 years ago, is an ideal time period for studies of this kind for the following reasons. First, carbon dioxide levels were elevated at this time to levels approximating modern global conditions, and the world was warmer as evidenced by a much higher sea level than exists today. Secondly, most Eemian-age animals (especially mollusks) still exist, have known climate tolerances, and are relatively common as fossils. Students examining fossil mollusk faunas have applied this methodology to infer the Eemian climates of South Florida and coastal Virginia and found unexpectedly that for both regions the Eemian climate did not greatly differ from the modern one. The methodology described here can be used to address other important questions and puts such authentic and potentially valuable scientific research within practical reach of student scientists.

Women and racially and ethnically minoritized populations are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Out-of-school time programs like summer camps can provide positive science experiences that may increase self-efficacy and awareness of STEM opportunities. Such programs often use the same high-impact practices used in K–12 classrooms including relating concepts to real-world examples, engaging students as active participants in inquiry-driven projects, and facilitating learning in a cooperative context. They additionally provide opportunities for engaging in STEM without fear of failure, offer a community of mentors, and allow families to become more involved. We designed a summer camp for middle schoolers who identified as girls, low-income, and as a minoritized race or ethnicity. We describe the design of the camp as well as the results from a simple pre- and post-camp questionnaire that examined each camper's relationship to science, scientific self-efficacy, and interest in having a job in STEM. We found an increase in self-efficacy in camp participants, which is important because high scientific self-efficacy predicts student performance and persistence in STEM, especially for girls. We did not detect an increase in interest in pursuing a STEM job, likely because of already high values for this question on the pre-camp survey. We add to the growing body of work recognizing the potential of out-of-school time STEM programs to increase scientific self-efficacy for girls and racially minoritized students.

Tweet: Summer camp for minoritized middle-school girls increases scientific self-efficacy, a characteristic that may be important for removing barriers to participation in STEM.

National science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education emphasizes science practices, such as hands-on learning. We describe a weeklong activity where students participate in real-world scientific discovery, including “hunting” for bacteriophage in a variety of environmental samples. First, the students collect samples, then look for evidence of phage on “bait” bacteria, and finally amplify/purify the phages for further study.

Evolution by natural selection and adaptation are core concepts in biology that students must see and correctly understand their meaning. However, using these concepts in evidence-based learning strategies in the classroom is a difficult task. Here, we present a 5E lesson plan to address the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectation HS-LS4-4, to “construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.” The Functional Frogs lesson provides multiple hands-on activities to engage students in the development of hypotheses, collection and analysis of empirical data on frog swimming, presentation of results, and construction of explanations supported by evidence for the results. The lesson's central idea is for students to understand the trait values that provide an advantage in the aquatic environment, increasing a frog's survival. The link between morphological changes and survival is used to explain how natural selection acts on populations, leading to adaptive evolution.

A solid understanding of the chemical properties of bonds, functional groups, and molecules is an essential component of general biology. Students often struggle to connect these concepts and apply them appropriately. Manipulatives provide a concrete tool for visualizing these concepts and allow the instructor to see (literally) what students do not understand. Here, we present a manipulatives-based exercise that reinforces student understanding and application of the properties of hydrocarbons, functional groups, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. The exercise also explores how functional groups contribute to the shape and properties of different classes of biomolecules. The structure of this activity helps both instructors and students identify misconceptions and provides an opportunity to resolve them through peer learning, modeling, and individual attention from the instructor.

Teaching biology, science, or for that matter any subject involves signals of how we view and value our students and community. It is easy to send signals that students interpret differently than we intend just by a lack of awareness. Depending on your district's culture, creating community can have different challenges. Here, we will outline two areas where everyone can adjust their signals to create an environment that is inviting to students, colleagues, and our school community. Being aware of the intellectual and physical space we are creating can encourage students to be open to learning and help them to feel valued as a part of our learning community.

In all fields of biology, understanding technical terminology is a challenge for students. In many cases, this may distract them from focusing on fundamental processes and concepts. Across the biology subfields, much of the vernacular shares similar etymology and morphology. However, students lack the exposure necessary to identify these key features, which often explain the meaning of terms without requiring any context at all. Therefore, instead of encouraging students to memorize many terms independently, it could be more beneficial to show them how words are constructed. Here, I propose an activity designed to help students recognize terms that may be connected, understand how vocabulary is often constructed to reflect its idea, and develop comfortability using these terms themselves in discussions. Through a guided group activity, students will have a chance to break down terms they have previously encountered and to draw connections between novel words. If students are capable of relating words to each other before even knowing what they mean, they may learn more effectively. Without being intimidated by enigmatic vocabulary, they can focus on broader concepts. In addition, when students understand how biological terminology is constructed, they may even dissect new words without needing the context surrounding them. This activity is applicable to courses in any specialty of biology, as various molecules, tissues, and processes follow general naming principles.

Laboratory exercises are a vital part of science learning and allow students to develop practical skills, connect content to real-world applications, and serve as the foundation for further knowledge beyond the classroom. Blended laboratories are a method that incorporates technology and science content to create an experience for learners to still engage with information allowing students to immerse themselves in the content. Blended learning laboratory lessons can be designed in multiple ways such as data-driven, partner-driven, and image-driven. This article looks to provide practitioners with a foundation to design and implement blended learning laboratories through the example of the author's classroom.