Sciences Grades 10-12

Resources and lesson plans from Blackgold school district to use with your Bio 20 class. If you click the links, there is a sign-in prompt -- but you can bypass the sign-in by clicking the image instead and will be able to access all the Google slides associated with that image

A short overview by Manitoba Education on Indigenous knowledge and perspectives on the environment and sustainable development. Indigenous sustainability concepts are clearly defined.

The Becoming Human site provides a timeline and documentary that explore story of our human evolution and origins.

This is an amazing site has several short media clips of life in a Burgess Shale community.

Resources and lesson plans for teachers to teach students about watersheds in Canada

An umbrella species is a species whose wellbeing and population numbers are suggestive of the entire ecosystem’s health.

This 12-minute video describes taxonomy. Learn the history of taxonomy and how this system classifies living things which helps us understand how they are connected.

The RASC has developed formal guidelines and requirements for three types of light-restricted protected areas: Dark-Sky Preserves, Urban Star Parks and Nocturnal Preserves.

Scroll down to explore an overview (with images) of grasslands, including why these ecosystems matter, current threats to Canada's grasslands and action being taken to conserve this ecosystem.

Educational activities for teachers to use with their students

Each environmental science lab on this site includes several lesson plans you can use in your classroom.

This site provides high-quality images of bones and an interactive environment in which to examine and learn about skeletal anatomy. View the bones of a human, gorilla, and baboon and to gather information about them from the osteology database.

This a 5-minute video introduction to evolution and Charles Darwin's contributions to our understanding of evolution.

How do we know what we know? This is a study of human origins and how we have come to have our current understanding of human development. This site is filled with images, activities and descriptions of scientific investigations.

Information about the keystone role that wolves play in the environment

Indigenous peoples have wide-ranging knowledge of the land and its ecology. Through collaboration with Indigenous partners, Parks Canada and Canadians are benefitting from traditional knowledge systems that have been handed down over many thousands of year

Lands inhabited by Indigenous Peoples contain 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge and knowledge systems are key to designing a sustainable future for all.

At least a quarter of the world’s land area is traditionally owned, managed, used or occupied by indigenous peoples. But while their knowledge is increasingly being recognized, it is rarely taken into account by researchers and policymakers.

Kim Debassige of the Anishinabek Nation talks about balance in ecosystems

Scroll down to access the report's summaries, a video and wildlife photography. The report measures Canada’s ecological performance, particularly the health of wildlife and endangered species.

Information from the Government of Canada about conservation, research, regulations, monitoring and permits relating to migratory birds.

Education resources for teachers about the Great Lakes

Explore evolutionary relationships among species with this interactive lab and video. Explore the tree of life and get a better understanding of evolution. Click Guest Pass and you won't have to sign in.

Parks Canada conserves and restores ecosystems on land and in water. Learn about these initiatives through this government portal.

This website is for teachers of biology in schools and colleges. It is a collection of experiments that demonstrate a wide range of biological concepts and processes.

A list of lesson plans, articles, videos, and interactive activities for students from grades 9-12 to explore the science of rising sea levels.

This 40 minute video explores our dependence upon the insect population, the factors that are leading to their rapid decline, and what their extinction could mean for the future of our world as we know it.

In this 21-minute video, Sally Le Page explains why there’s still hope for coral reefs around the world. She shares research about coral reefs and their wealth of biodiversity. The video includes some underwater footage of coral reefs.

How do planets tell time? This video describes how circadian rhythms act as "internal timekeepers" and affect the structure of plants.

This animated TED video takes a look at the disappearance of honey bees, colony collapse disorder, possible causes and effects to our food supply.

Our planet’s diverse ecosystems and wildlife populations are vulnerable. Jungles can become deserts, and reefs can become lifeless rocks. What makes one ecosystem strong and another weak in the face of change? This video explains why biodiversity is the key.

Our planet’s diverse, thriving ecosystems may seem like permanent fixtures, but they’re actually vulnerable to collapse. Jungles can become deserts, and reefs can become lifeless rocks. What makes one ecosystem strong and another weak in the face of change?

The human brain is one of the most sophisticated organs in the world, but what about the insect brain? This video takes us inside the tiny but mighty insect brain and how it operates.

Learn how scientists have used genetic markers to trace the migration routes and origins of modern human populations.

The Umbrella species concept is a brilliant conservation strategy to use a single species to protect an entire ecosystem, but how effective is it?

An article that describes how Indigenous peoples around the world have fostered biological diversity through their traditional knowledge and practices.

The Wild Species reports represent the most comprehensive look at the state of Canada’s species and contain the general status assessments for a broad cross-section of species, from all provinces, territories and ocean regions.

Learn about the world biomes with a set of images and description for each type of biome.

"Explore population growth from 1 C.E. to 2050. Watch population growth appear as dots representing one million people. Learn about important milestones in human history and view other key data including land use, fertility rates, CO2 emissions, life expectancy, and urbanization."

The video was created as part of an International climate workshop to provide a youth perspective on Indigenous knowledge, practices, and multi-generational approaches to addressing the climate crisis.

Accurate education about climate and energy topics has never been more important, and it can be challenging to locate reliable, vetted educational materials to use in your classroom. CLEAN is here to help you find the resources that you need, without wondering about their scientific credibility or educational value.

Each environmental science lab on this site includes several lesson plans you can use in your classroom.

Fly along with one of the many NASA satellites that are currently monitoring the Earth's lands, oceans and atmosphere. Choose a mission or satellite to learn more details. This requires a one-time download of an app.

This detailed interactive allows you to explore world data on carbon emissions in a variety of formats for comparison.

High-Adventure Science brings several of the big unanswered questions in Earth and space science — think climate change, the availability of freshwater, land management and more — to middle and high school science classrooms.

Easy-to-use classroom activities that focus on climate science.

Indigenous peoples have wide-ranging knowledge of the land and its ecology. Through collaboration with Indigenous partners, Parks Canada and Canadians are benefitting from traditional knowledge systems that have been handed down over many thousands of year

A 1600 word article from the Climate Atlas of Canada that explains how Indigenous peoples were amongst the first to notice climate change and argues that they have critical knowledges for navigating and adapting to it.

With this series of visualizations from NASA, students can see how some of the key indicators of climate change, such as temperature and sea ice extent, have changed in the past few years. You can also see the possible effects of rising sea levels.

Classroom resources from the National Center for Science Education (US)

A high-quality resource is a one-stop, self-contained series of lessons on the effects of climate change, what causes it, and how to fight it going forward.

For humans, addressing climate change may mean using technology to find solutions. But for some plants and animals, adapting to these changes involves the most ancient solution of all: evolution. Learn how animals are adapting to climate change.

In this animated video, the game board is Earth and all the Tetris blocks represent CO2, a greenhouse gas that is piling up as we burn fossil fuels. The video explains how this overload of CO2 leads to climate change and reminds us that, unlike Tetris, we won't get an opportunity to start over.

In this 21-minute video, Sally Le Page explains why there’s still hope for coral reefs around the world. She shares research about coral reefs and their wealth of biodiversity. The video includes some underwater footage of coral reefs.

This animated TED video uses billiards to illustrate tipping points, chaotic motion and their implications on climate change. Learn about how rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere increase Earth’s temperature and lead to huge, unpredictable changes elsewhere.

Clearing forests for agriculture and development can have severe consequences for our environment. "Learn the value of large-scale forest landscapes and their role in the carbon cycle. Discover how reforestation can impact climate change by decreasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

Did you know that deforestation causes more greenhouse gas emissions than all trains, planes and automobiles combined?

When the ocean changes, the planet changes -- and it all starts with microbes, says biological oceanographer Angelicque White. Backed by decades of data, White shares how scientists use these ancient microorganisms as a crucial barometer of ocean health

What are our sources of fresh water? This animated video shows where we get our water from and discusses who is using it and for what purpose.

This video explains why scientists often describe the Arctic as the “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to climate change. The Arctic is a unique and remote region that can be both an early indicator of the climate of the rest of the Earth and a driver for weather patterns across the globe.

A series of short animated videos that explain how systems in the body work. Created by a high school science teacher.

Nachos can provide us with energy and raw materials, by first ingesting something nutritious, propelling it through the alimentary canal where it will be mechanically broken down, and chemically digested by enzymes until my cells can absorb their monomers and use them to make whatever they need.

Nearly 200 years ago, Alexis St. Martin was shot in the stomach. He was saved by local army doctor William Beaumont but had to live out his remaining years with a gaping hole in the stomach -- allowing Beaumont to learn a lot about how human digestion works. So today we're going to walk you through that process.

When digestion goes according to plan, the small intestine performs most of your chemical digestion in the duodenum, while accessory organs including the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas contribute enzymes that all but finish the job.

The immune system’s responses begin with physical barriers like skin and mucous membranes, and when they’re not enough, there are phagocytes -- the neutrophils and macrophages. It also features the awesomely named natural killer cells and the inflammatory response, and we'll explain how all of these elements work together to save the day if you happen to slip on a banana peel.

The adaptive immune system's humoral response guards extracellular terrain against pathogens. Hank also explains B cells, antibodies, and how vaccines work.

Hank explains how the cellular immune response uses helper, cytotoxic, and regulatory T cells to attack body cells compromised by pathogens. He also explores how cytokines activate B and T cells, and what happens if your immune system goes rogue and starts causing autoimmune trouble.

Metabolism is a complex process that has a lot more going on than personal trainers and commercials might have you believe. Today we are exploring some of its key parts, including vital nutrients -- such as water, vitamins, minerals, carbs, fats, and proteins -- as well as how anabolic reactions build structures and require energy, while catabolic reactions tear things apart and release energy.

But not everything you eat at that glorious buffet is going to be turned into energy. Your body has to work with different forms of food in different ways. In this episode of Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology, Hank takes us through more about our metabolism including cellular respiration, ATP, glycogenesis, and how insulin regulates our blood sugar levels.

We're kicking off our exploration of muscles with a look at the complex and important relationship between actin and myosin. Your smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscles create movement by contracting and releasing in a process called the sliding filament model. Your skeletal muscles are constructed like a rope made of bundles of protein fibers, and the smallest strands are your actin and myosin myofilaments. It's their use of calcium and ATP that causes the binding and unbinding that makes sarcomeres contract and relax.

Hank calls in a friend to do his push-ups for him today to explain how skeletal muscles work together to create and reverse movements. Hank and Claire also demonstrate the role size plays in motor units, the three-phase cycle of muscle twitches, and how the strength and frequency of an impulse affect the strength and duration of a contraction. This episode also explains twitch summation, tetanus, and isotonic vs. isometric movements.

Hank kicks off our look around MISSION CONTROL: the nervous system.

What do you and a sack of batteries have in common? Today, Hank explains.

We continue our tour of the nervous system by looking at synapses and the crazy stuff cocaine does to your brain.

Today Hank explains the skeletal system and why astronauts Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko are out in space studying it. He talks about the anatomy of the skeletal system, including the flat, short, and irregular bones, and their individual arrangements of compact and spongy bone. He'll also cover the microanatomy of bones, particularly the osteons and their inner lamella.

oday we're talking about the anatomy of your urinary system, and how your kidneys filter metabolic waste and balance salt and water concentrations in the blood. We'll cover how nephrons use glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion to reabsorb water and nutrients back into the blood, and make urine with the leftovers.

As we promised last week, we're not quite done talking about your pee yet. Today Hank explains how the urinary system regulates the production of urine, by maintaining a study glomerular flow rate. He'll also cover the anatomy of storing and excreting urine -- from the ureters to the urethra -- and the nervous system’s role in controlling the act of urination.

This site provides high-quality images of bones and an interactive environment in which to examine and learn about skeletal anatomy. View the bones of a human, gorilla, and baboon and to gather information about them from the osteology database.

This online exhibit describes the structure and function of the human heart and lungs. There are animated diagrams and videos that demonstrate how these organs work.

This animated simulation demonstrates the human immune system’s response to vaccination. After viewing the simulation, students can show what they learned by sequencing and labeling the steps in the process.

Learn about the stages of our immune response, the types of cell and the difference between our innate immune system and our adaptive immune system - and why vaccines are key to helping our adaptive immune system fight disease - in this short explainer video.

This site provides illustrations of the structures and functions of several human body systems, including circulatory, muscular, nervous, respiratory and urinary. Each section includes labeled diagrams, short answer and multiple choice quizzes.

Check out this "human brain atlas" using data from thousands of people, using the same imaging techniques neuroscientists use (MRIs and PET scans) to see inside the human brain.

For several centuries, people thought diseases were caused by wandering clouds of poisonous vapor. This video describes how scientists worked to prove "germ theory" and changed how we see and prevent disease.

If you lined up all the blood vessels in your body, they’d be 60 thousand miles long. And every day, they carry the equivalent of over two thousand gallons of blood to the body’s tissues. What effect does this pressure have on the walls of the blood vessels?

Bones might seem rock-solid, but they’re actually quite porous inside. Most of the large bones of your skeleton have a hollow core filled with soft bone marrow. What does bone marrow do?

The things we eat and drink on a daily basis can impact our health in big ways. This video shows how our bodies react to carbohydrates including the chemical reactions in our bodies.

This animated video explores the different components of the immune system and how, together, they do their vital work. "Most of the time, you may not even notice it's there, but over the course of your life your immune system will guard you against hundreds of potentially fatal threats."

We know that germs are everywhere. Why are some of these germs relatively harmless, while others can be fatal? This video describes how germs are passed around and offers new ideas to control them.

When you breathe, you transport oxygen to the body’s cells to keep them working, while also clearing your system of the carbon dioxide that this work generates. How do we accomplish this crucial and complex task without even thinking about it?

Watch this animated TED video that describes how your "kidneys balance the amount of fluid in your body, detect waste in your blood, and know when to release the vitamins, minerals, and hormones you need to stay alive." (site)

This video explores the balance of microbes in our digestive system and how bacteria can break down food the body can’t digest, produce important nutrients, regulate the immune system, and protect against harmful germs. The video also shares the best foods for a healthy gut.

This TED Talk video, with bonus quiz and resources, investigates how the heart "works by taking a closer look at the heart’s highly efficient ventricle system." (site)

Can you grow a human bone outside the human body? The answer may soon be yes. This video explains how bones naturally grow inside the body and describes the innovations that scientists are using to replicate that process in a lab.

Your muscular system is a network of over 650 muscles that covers the body and is the reason we can blink, smile, run, jump, and stand upright. This video heads into the human body to see how our muscular system works.

Oxygen forms about 21% of the air around us. In your body, oxygen forms a vital role in the production of energy in most cells. But if gases can only efficiently diffuse across tiny distances, how does oxygen reach the cells deep inside your body?

This video tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose DNA led to countless cures, patents, and discoveries. Trillions of lab-grown cells called HeLa, after the woman they were taken from, have been the keys to understanding cancer, virology, and genetics.

Do you know your integumentary system? Your skin, which makes up 16% of your physical weight, is the largest organ in your body: laid out flat, it would cover close to 1.7 square meters of ground. But besides keeping your organs in, what is its purpose?

Your liver is the heaviest organ in your body, which simultaneously acts as a storehouse, a manufacturing hub, and a processing plant. Emma Bryce gives a crash course on the liver and how it helps keep us alive.

Beneath your ribs, you’ll find, among other things, the pancreas -- an organ that works a lot like a personal health coach.

We have over 600 muscles in our bodies that help bind us together, hold us up, and help us move. Your muscles also need your constant attention, because the way you treat them on a daily basis determines whether they will wither or grow.

A series of short and fun animated videos that explains the structures and how they work in a cell.

Click on a part of the cell to find out more. Students will also find a quiz and cell animations.

How big are cells compared with other objects, molecules and atoms? Drag the slider button below the image to magnify the items.

Metabolism is a complex process. This video explores some of its key parts, including vital nutrients (water, vitamins, minerals, carbs, fats, and proteins) and describes two different reactions: anabolic and catabolic.

Learn about the recent discovery of Earth's red glow that couldn't originally be explained and how scientists learned that it is caused by the photosynthesis of plants. How cool is that?

Click on each part of the cell to learn more. Students will also find a quiz.

A fascinating story of how scientists first came up with the ideas for Cell Theory. It wasn't as easy as you'd think!

Universcale provides a look at objects from sub-atomic particles to red giants and all things in between using an interactive scale. This graphically beautiful tool is an outstanding way to measure and compare objects of different sizes.