The discovery of and research into penicillin resistance by Sir Edward Abraham and Sir Ernst Chain can be used to teach the concept of natural selection and also multiple nature of science (NOS) objectives associated with Next Generation Science Standards, such as “scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence” and “science is a human endeavor.” After a brief history of Abraham and Chain's work, we share a detailed multiday lesson plan and rationale for use in an eighth-grade in-person life science classroom. The instructional strategies discussed include analysis of excerpts of Abraham and Chain's published work through a case study jigsaw using an explicit and reflective approach to teaching NOS. The explicit approach used here is the direct instruction of NOS concepts, while the reflective approach allows students to think about and reflect on what they are learning. Instruction includes close reading, direct instruction, small and large group discussions, and writing. Students are asked to create a scavenger hunt map at the end of the multiday lesson and are assessed with an online five-question pre- and post-assessment.

The worldwide scientific community has been promoting science communication from colleges and universities to schools, and different tools for communicating scientific discoveries have been created. Among this variety of tools, our choice fell on a storybook. The book, entitled The Curious Case of Ants That Live in Galls, is directed at 8-to-12-year-old children, and its use is suggested for literature and science classes. We propose either reading the text with the students or individual reading, followed by a debate and retextualization exercise. Also, the teacher can use the story as a motivation to address the science content and to discuss the scientific method. We observed the emergence of new questions, teaching methodologies, and didactic resources capable of amplifying the scientific context and, consequently, the student's motivation.

A report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found 46% of rivers and streams and 21% of lakes are in poor biological condition (EPA, 2017). In this 5E standards-based inquiry lesson, students actively engage with the natural phenomena of algal blooms through the introduction of the harmful algal bloom (HAB) that occurred in Lake Erie's western basin in the summer of 2011. Students make sense of relationships within aquatic ecosystems, using microcosms (miniature ecosystems) containing phytoplankton and zooplankton, and then communicate their findings through a scientific manuscript. This lesson engages students in the three-dimensional learning identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) under the standard of HSLS2, Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. More specifically, students address the expectation of HS-LS2-6 when they make sense of how the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, while changing conditions may result in new ecosystems. This long-term scientific investigation also provides students with opportunities to make sense of aspects of the nature of science, while increasing their science content knowledge and understanding of the practices of science. Evaluation of student work occurs at all stages of the lesson.

Energy and biomass distribution in the ecological sciences have long been approximated by complex, often idealized scientific models. When utilized appropriately, these models are powerful tools for students, who must organize evidence and make data-driven predictions surrounding trophic level interactions. However, the abstract nature of ecological models can present a significant challenge to students who generally require concrete experiences to make sense of complex scientific ideas. Inquiry-centered field experiences serve to bypass this barrier, providing much-needed context by leveraging student data to develop a deep conceptual understanding of foundational ecological principles.

Undergraduate biology teachers usually emphasize taxonomic keys as tools for students to explore organismal diversity and biological roles, largely ignoring the epistemologically challenging process of creating the keys. Students are often frustrated by the challenging language and apparent randomness of traits selected for taxonomic keys, which in turn leads to decreased interest in and motivation for taxonomy. Here, we offer an Argument-Driven Inquiry activity designed to engage students in both the scientific practices and processes required to generate taxonomic keys. Students make observations of organisms in both field and lab settings, generate taxonomic keys, and engage in scientific argumentation with their classmates to evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of their keys. Through this activity, teachers can help students recognize the useful yet imperfect nature of taxonomic keys and the subjective nature of choosing the traits used to construct them. We believe that by lifting the veil of certainty that often shrouds taxonomic keys, students become more open to the productive struggle inherent to taxonomy and the scientific process.

Proteins are challenging molecules for students to understand, consisting of multiple components interacting in a variety of ways. As instructors, we have observed this information is hard for students to process, both when learning about proteins initially in introductory classes, and when learning about specific details in upper-level courses. This pipe cleaner activity is designed for use in any science class that teaches protein folding, from upper-level high school through upper-level college courses. Pipe cleaners are a simple, familiar, and cost-effective manipulative model that can be used in multiple class types.

Creating new assessments in biology courses for every student cohort is difficult. To address this issue, we build assessments around scenarios we write that are inspired by current primary literature. Here, we describe how to find source material for scenarios, how to write them, and how we use scenarios together with their associated questions in the classroom. Students responded positively to scenario-based question sets on tests, as survey respondents reported reduced test anxiety and increased appreciation for real-world applications of course content.