Middle School Life Science Teacher Guide
Legacy Notice: The following collection of experiments utilize older generation PASCO sensors and equipment.
The following list of lab activities are from PASCO's Middle School Life Science Teacher Guide. You may preview and download editable student handouts as well as the Teacher Guide Introduction, which contains an overview of the activities, a master materials list and safety precautions. Individual materials lists are included within each student handout, and a complete materials list is provided below.
Grade Level: Middle School
Subject: Life Science
Teacher Collection Files
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Activities
01) Acid Rain and Seed Germination
In this lab, students will use pH sensors to determine the effect of acid rain on the germination of bean seeds.
02) Acid's Effect on Teeth
In this lab, students will use pH sensors to quantitatively describe the acidity of various beverages.
03) Air Pressure and the Lungs
In this lab, students will use absolute pressure sensors to measure changes in air pressure within a model “chest cavity” while causing the syringe "diaphragm" to change its volume.
04) Introduction to Acids and Bases
In this lab, students will use pH sensors to measure the pH of several different household chemicals
05) Muscle Fatigue
In this lab, students will use force sensors to investigate and observe changes in the muscular movement of bones during a prolonged period of sustained exertion.
06) Photosynthesis
In this lab, students will use light and absolute pressure sensors to measure changes in light and pressure in an aquatic ecosystem as an Elodea or other aquatic plant undergoes photosynthesis.
07) Recovery Heart Rate
In this lab, students will use heart rate sensors to determine their resting heart rates, their heart rates with exercise, and their recovery heart rates.
08) Seasonal Pond Exploration
In this lab, students will use pH sensor and temperature sensors to measure temperature and pH over the course of a day in a vernal pond.
09) Sunlight and Photosynthesis in Aquatic Plants
In this lab, students will use pH sensors to demonstrate the relationship between photosynthesis and light.
10) Thermoregulation of Body Temperature
In this lab, students will use fast response temperature sensors to record the temperatures of various body parts. Students will learn that body parts vary in temperature and that these differences are related to their distance from the heart.
11) Transpiration
In this lab, students will use weather sensors to measure changes in humidity and temperature of a small potted plant over a 24-hour period.
12) Venous Blood Flow
In this lab, students use heart rate sensors to measure their heart rates while standing, lying flat, and lying flat with both legs raised.
13) Yeast Growth
In this lab, students will use a temperature sensor and an absolute pressure sensor to measure the changing pressure inside a flask of fermenting yeast cells at two different temperatures.
