Carolina Biological K-8 Curriculum - March 2023

Student Lab Manual for Argument-Driven Inquiry in Life Science: Lab Investigations for Grades 6-8

by: Patrick J. Enderle, Ruth Bickel, Leeanne K. Gleim, Ellen Granger, Jonathon Grooms, Melanie Hester, Ashley Murphy, Victor Sampson, and Sherry A. Southerland

$19.99 Member Price $24.99 Nonmember Price

Add to Cart

* Please be advised we are currently experiencing longer than normal shipping times

Add to Wish List

Add to Collection

Login or Create a Free Account

Are you interested in using argument-driven inquiry for middle school lab instruction but aren’t sure how to do it? You aren’t alone. Argument-Driven Inquiry in Life Science is a one-stop source of expertise, advice, and investigations, with the information and materials you need to start using this method right away. The book includes 20 field-tested labs that cover molecules and organisms, ecosystems, biological evolution, and heredity. They give your students an opportunity to design their own methods, develop models, collect and analyze data, generate arguments, and critique claims and evidence. Student Lab Manual for Argument-Driven Inquiry in Life Science provides the student materials you need to guide your students through these investigations. With lab details, student handouts, and safety information, your students will be ready to start investigating.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Section 1. Introduction and Lab Safety

Introduction by Patrick J. Enderle and Victor Sampson

Safety in the Science Classroom, Laboratory, or Field Sites

Section 2. From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Introduction Labs

Lab 1. Cellular Respiration: Do plants use cellular respiration to produce energy?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 2. Photosynthesis: Where does photosynthesis take place in plants?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Application Labs

Lab 3. Osmosis: How does the concentration of salt in water affect the rate of osmosis?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 4. Cell Structure: What type of cell is on the unknown slides?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 5. Temperature and Photosynthesis: How does temperature affect the rate of photosynthesis in plants?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 6. Energy in Food: Which type of nut is best for a new energy bar?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 7. Cardiovascular System: How do activity and physical factors relate to cardiovascular health?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 8. Memory and Stimuli: How does the way information is presented affect working memory?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Section 3. Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Introduction Labs

Lab 9. Population Growth: What factors limit the size of a population of yeast?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 10. Predator Prey Population Size Relationships: How is the size of a predator population related to the size of a prey population?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Application Labs

Lab 11. Food Webs and Ecosystem: Which member of a food web will affect the other members the most if it removed?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 12. Matter in Ecosystems: How healthy are your local ecosystems?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 13. Carbon Cycling: Which carbon cycle process affects atmospheric carbon the most?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Section 4. Heredity: Inheritance and Variation in Traits

Introduction Labs

Lab 14. Variation in Traits: How do beetle traits vary within and across species?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 15: Mutations in Genes: How do different types of mutations to genes affect the function of an organism?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Application Labs

Lab 16. Mechanisms of inheritance: How do fruit flies inherit the sepia eye color trait?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Section 5. Biological evolution: Unity and Diversity

Introduction Labs

Lab 17. Mechanisms of Evolution: Why does a specific version of a trait become more common in a population over time?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Application Labs

Lab 18. Environmental Change and Evolution: Which mechanism of microevolution caused the beak of the medium ground finch population on Daphne Major to increase in size between 1976 and 1978?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 19. Phylogenetic Trees and Classification: How should Biologists classify the Seymouria?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Lab 20. Descent with Modification and Embryonic Development: Does animal embryonic development support or refute the theory of descent with modification?

Teacher Notes

Lab Handout

Checkout Questions

Image Credits

Community Reviews

Visit the Forums

NSTA Press produces classroom-ready activities, hands-on approaches to inquiry, relevant professional development, the latest scientific education news and research, assessment and standards-based instruction.

Learn More