Biology Interactive Notebooks

Interactive Notebooks?

Warm-Ups?

Bell Ringers?

Exit Slips?

Whatever you want to call them, they are a great classroom management tool and a wonderful way to teach, review, and reinforce vital concepts in biology.

A few days ago I wrote a lengthy blog post about my success in using "warm-ups" for my biology classes last year.  Click this link to see that blog post.   In this post I described the materials I used in my first unit of the school year.

This blog post is about my second set of interactive notebook inserts or warm -ups.  This set covers a unit on cell structure and physiology.  This ended up being a set of 59 warm ups or pages that cover cell structure and function, photosynthesis, respiration, and mitosis and meiosis.

As discussed in my previous blog post, these activities turned the first few chaotic minutes of my class into a time of meaningful learning.  But the absolute best thing to come out of this was that it created a fabulous study guide for my semester exam.

The content that is covered is evident from the titles:

Cell Structure and Function Titles (16 pages):

·    The History of Cell Studies

·    Cell Structure 101

·    The Animal Cell

·    The Plant Cell

·    The Size of Cells

·    Surface Area to Volume Ratio in Cells

·    Internal Organization of the Cell

·    The Cell Membrane

·    Ribosomes and the Endoplasmic Reticulum

·    Mitochondria and Chloroplasts

·    The “Other” Organelles

·    Plant versus Animal

·    Cellular Organization

·    Transport Across the Membrane 1

·    Transport Across the Membrane 2

·    Thinking Critically About Cells

Photosynthesis Titles (11 pages):

·    Energy Flow

·    Chemical Energy and ATP

·    Introduction to Photosynthesis

·    Light! Pigments! Action!

·    The Chloroplast

·    Electron Carriers

·    Overview to the Stages of Photosynthesis

·    Light Dependent Reaction

·    The Calvin Cycle

·    Alternatives to the 3-Carbon Pathway

·    Thinking Critically About Photosynthesis

Cellular Respiration Titles (14 pages):

·    Chemical Energy and ATP

·    The Relationship Between Photosynthesis and Respiration

·    Overview of Respiration

·    Glycolysis

·    The Fate of Pyruvic Acid

·    The Mitochondria

·    Overview of Aerobic Respiration

·    Krebs Cycle

·    Electron Transport Chain

·    ATP Accounting

·    Respiration Recap and Review

·    Fermentation

·    Comparison of Photosynthesis and Respiration

·    Thinking Critically About Cellular Respiration

Cell Division (Mitosis and Meiosis) Titles (18 pages):

·    Introduction to Cell Division

·    Chromosomes

·    The Cell Cycle

·    Let’s Draw the Stages

·    Name That Stage!

·    Interphase

·    Prophase

·    Metaphase

·    Anaphase

·    Telophase / Cytokinesis

·    The Mitotic Spindle

·    Differences in Animal and Plant Cell Mitosis

·    Results / Importance of Mitosis

·    Asexual versus Sexual Reproduction

·    Cell Division and Chromosome Number

·    Meiosis

·    Comparing Mitosis to Meiosis

·    Thinking Critically About Cell Division

The above pictures show the student pages.  Each is also accompanied by a teacher answer key.

Click above picture to see my product listing on TeachersPayTeachers.com

Transpiration Made Simple!

I always find that my students are woefully lacking in their knowledge about the plants. If a unit has to be left out because time is running out in the school year, plants are usually the first to get cut. I like teaching plants, so I make it a priority each year to leave enough time at the end of the school year for my plant unit. 

This version of a plant transpiration lab is so incredibly easy to set up, clean up, and take down. It has a simple materials list, and it has all the components I want in a lab activity: Data collection, graphing, critical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, and drawing conclusions. Plus, it's fun and students always enjoy doing it.

TL;DR and want to see the activity in my TPT store? Click here.

Background Info:

Transpiration is the loss of water through the leaves. As the stomata open to allow carbon dioxide to enter the leaf for photosynthesis, water vapor escapes the leaf and enters the atmosphere. For trees and other tall plants, it is tricky business to get the water up to the top of a very tall tree. The major force in water transport is provided by the evaporation of water from the leaves during transpiration. As water is lost, the movement of the water out of the leaf "pulls" water upward through the xylem all the way down to the roots. This is called transpiration pull.

The Old Way:

Traditionally, we biology teachers used potometers to measure the water loss from the leaves during transpiration. Does this image bring back bad memories of a failed lab? What a horrid mess it was to get it to work! When using potometers, it is very hard to get a good seal around the plant stem and the rubber tubing. No seal means no results. Also, students often crushed the delicate stem as they cut it to place it in the rubber tubing.

The Easy Way:

Go to your local nursery or Wal Mart and buy some small bedding plants. I like to use begonia plants. The begonia is a good choice because it has a thick and fleshy leaf. Place the plants in small (250 mL) beakers. Water them thoroughly. Since you want to measure the amount of water lost from the leaves, you have to ensure that no evaporation occurs from the soil in the beaker. Place a plastic sandwich bag around the beaker and wrap it very tightly around the stem of the plant. A bit of tape may be needed to keep the sandwich bag wrapped tightly around the stem. Only the leaf should be sticking out of the plastic bag.

The only way water is getting out of this beaker is through the leaves of this plant!

Determine the amount of water lost from the leaves by massing the entire unit. Be sure to get an initial mass before the experiment begins. In my photo, the initial mass was 195.57 grams.


Now for the testable variables!  What factors will cause an increase or decrease in the rate of transpiration? My lab will test 3 different environmental factors.

• One plant will be placed in continuous light for 24 hours. 
• One plant will be placed in front of a blowing fan for 24 hours.
• One plant will be placed inside a plastic bag that has previously been spritzed with water (high humidity inside the bag). 
• The fourth plant will serve as a control.

Every experiment needs a control. This lab uses a plant that is not exposed to any of the above environmental factors. The control plant is still transpiring, but under normal conditions.  

Let the plants sit for 24 hours. Each plant is massed again after a 24 hour period of time.  Students will be amazed at how much water has been lost through the leaves. All masses should be compared to the control to see if the factor being tested causes an increase or decrease in the rate of transpiration.

There are some "uncontrolled" factors. For one, the plants are not identical to each other. Each of the plants has a different leaf surface area that will affect the results. Even so, students will collect data that will show the effect of these environmental conditions on leaf transpiration.

Here are some ideas of how this might be used at different age levels:

Elementary: It may be enough in the lower grades to just show that water is taken up by the roots and escapes from the leaf. Students can be asked before the experiment to make predictions as to what they think the outcome will be. They can form a hypothesis and go through the steps of the scientific method.

Middle Grades may add the following: Have students calculate how much water is lost per minute in each plant. Test an additional factor, such as complete darkness, or various temperatures. Test different types of plants to see if the transpiration rate is the same in all types of plants.

High School Grades may add the following:  Remove the leaves and determine the surface area of each leaf. Determine how much water is lost in a given amount of surface area.  Have students research the mechanisms of transpiration, such as cohesion, adhesion, capillary action, and transpiration pull.

After the experiment, I take the plants home and place them in my flower beds!

Here are some additional resources for those of you teaching the Plant Kingdom:

Look for video segments from "The Private Life of Plants"by David Attenborough.  There are quite a few of these on YouTube.  Each is very short - about 3 to 5 minutes - and my students really enjoy
them.

Plant Kingdom Complete Teaching Unit Bundle

Photosynthesis Complete Teaching Bundle

Lab: Flower Dissection

Lab: Leaf Structure and Function

Lab: Pigment Chromatography

Lab: The Stomata

Paper Chromatography

How to Use Paper Chromatography in the Biology Classroom

 

Looking for a low-prep, high-impact lab to spark curiosity in your middle or high school biology students? 

👉 Paper chromatography might be the perfect fit. This classic experiment allows students to explore real-world applications of chemistry and biology through hands-on investigation. Whether you're introducing the scientific method, diving into molecular properties, or studying photosynthesis, chromatography is a versatile and visually rewarding lab to include in your curriculum.

 

What Is Paper Chromatography?

👉 Paper chromatography is a simple technique used to separate the components of a mixture. This method works by taking advantage of the varying solubilities and molecular weights of substances, allowing them to be identified based on how far they travel up a strip of paper in the presence of a solvent. In the real world, chromatography is an essential tool used in fields like forensics, toxicology, and pharmacology. Police labs use chromatography to detect drugs and toxins in blood and urine samples. By introducing this lab to your students, you're connecting them to important STEM career paths, and showing them science in action.

How Does It Work?

👉 The process is straightforward but packed with learning potential. A small dot or line of a sample (like ink or plant pigment) is placed near the bottom of a strip of chromatography paper. This strip is then placed vertically into a container with a shallow layer of solvent. As the solvent travels up the paper by capillary action, it carries the components of the mixture with it.

Here’s why the mixture separates:

• Solubility: More soluble substances dissolve better in the solvent and move farther up the paper.
• Molecular Weight: Smaller molecules tend to move more quickly than larger ones.
• Polarity: The cellulose in the paper is polar. More polar substances stick to the paper and don’t travel as far, while non-polar substances move more freely.

Chromatography Lab Ideas for the Biology or Physical Science Classroom

💧 Ink Separation

A fun and accessible introduction to chromatography is separating black ink from markers. Many black inks are actually mixtures of several colors. When placed in water, water-soluble inks spread apart into bands of dye. Not all markers will work the same way. Permanent inks may require rubbing alcohol or another solvent to separate. This gives students the opportunity to test variables and compare results across different solvents and ink types.

🍃 Plant Pigment Separation

This is a favorite in high school biology, especially during units on photosynthesis or plant biology. Students can extract pigments from leaves and discover that the color they see is actually a mix of chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, xanthophyll, and carotene.

Fall is a perfect time to collect a variety of leaves from trees around your school. But if you’re teaching in winter, spinach leaves from the grocery store work just as well.

Materials You’ll Need

You don’t need a fancy setup to get started. Here's a basic chromatography kit:

• Chromatography paper (filter paper or coffee filters can work in a pinch)
• Small containers (test tubes, jars, or beakers)
• Solvents (water, rubbing alcohol, acetone, or other safe household solvents)
• Samples to test (leaves, markers, food dyes, etc.)
• Pencils, rulers, and scissors

 

Tip for teachers: Always test your materials and solvents in advance. Be sure to follow proper lab safety protocols, especially if using alcohols or other flammable substances.

What Solvent Should You Use?

The answer depends on the solubility of your sample. Water works well for many inks and food dyes. For permanent markers or plant pigments, isopropyl alcohol or acetone may be more effective.

Pro Tip: Encourage students to design their own investigations. They can test multiple solvents on the same type of ink or compare different brands of markers to determine which separates most clearly.

Why Use Paper Chromatography in the Biology Lab?

Paper chromatography gives students hands-on experience with:

• Designing and conducting controlled experiments
• Observing molecular behavior and physical properties
• Making qualitative and quantitative observations
• Connecting lab techniques to real-world applications

It’s also a visually exciting lab. Watching vivid colors separate into bands on a strip of paper never gets old, and makes for excellent lab notebook sketches!

Ready to Try It With Your Students?

If you're looking for classroom-ready chromatography labs, I have two student-tested resources that include everything you need: detailed procedures, printable lab handouts, answer keys, and grading rubrics.

🔬 Matter Lab Stations: Ink Separation – Perfect for introducing lab skills and the scientific method in both middle and high school.

🌿 Plant Pigment Chromatography Lab – Ideal for exploring photosynthesis and leaf pigments in your high school biology class.

Both labs are designed to save you prep time while providing meaningful, standards-based instruction. You can find them in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.