The labs on this post tend to be popular, because they cover a lot of topics within the lab, build skills, and/or are engaging. You don’t need to do all of them! I do about half of these.

Read APES Lab Supplies Part 1 for Must-Do Labs

APES Lab Supplies for Popular Labs

• Ecocolumns
  • This is a favorite lab for kids and gives them long-term data collection and analysis. Click for the supplies for this lab. I have recommendations for cheap and more expensive supplies depending on your budget.

• Tragedy of the Commons:  This lab has many great versions.
  • Colored marshmallows, goldfish crackers, or candy are favorites. Some teachers use beads to be reusable. If you have large classes, marshmallows are the cheapest.
  • Straws
  • Tape
  • Paper plates or paper towels

• Owl Pellets:  This lab can be expensive. If I have the funds, I do the lab. If not, I skip. But kids get a lot out of it if you have the funds.
  • Large (preferred) or small owl pellets. One per pair or group.
  • Gloves
  • Dissection trays or paper plates
  • Tweezers
  • Reference sheets

• Biodiversity:  There are many varieties of this lab that are used including:
  • Parking lot biodiversity lab
    • Needs no supplies
  • Biodiversity of plants using quadrats
    • Need Collapsible sampling squares or pieces of string or even hoola hoops
  • Tree biodiversity in forests (if you live by a forest).
    • Need tree ID reference sheets

• Island Biogeography
  • Many versions. Some use beans and funnels and meter sticks
  • Others use birdseed, paper clips, cotton balls, beads etc to throw at paper islands.
• Ocean Acidification
  • Plastic cups: 4-5 per group
  • Shells (ask kids to donate or ask seafood restaurants for oyster, clams and mussel shells). One small shell or piece of a larger shell per group.
  • Vinegar or another acid
  • pH meters
  • Scales-pocket or regular
  • Plastic pipets

• Cemetery Lab for human population studies
  • No supplies needed if you can walk to an old cemetery
  • If you simulate using paper tombstones in lab, you may want to decorate the lab with Halloween decorations. The dollar store is a good source.
• Oil Spill Cleanup
  • Plastic containers or metal pans to hold water and simulate the ocean. One per group.
  • Cotton Balls
  • Straws
  • Plastic pipets
  • Cups or Beakers
  • Vegetable or mineral oil
  • Detergent
• Air Pollution Lab.  There are a few good ones to choose from.
  • Air Pollution Kit
  • Ozone Lab using Test Strips 
  • Design a scrubber kit
  • Air Particulates Experimental Design Lab
    • Petri dishes-2 per student, if possible
    • Vaseline
    • Tape-blue painter’s tape is best as it can be removed easily to allow reuse of the dishes.
    • Stereoscopes are best. Microscopes can also work using a low objective. Hand lens with a good light source work, but are more difficult for kids to use.
    • Poster paper with markers (optional) for lab assessment

• Biomagnification Activity: Many great versions of the lap exist
  • One version of the lab uses colored paperclips
  • Another version uses pieces of laminated paper
  • Another version uses candy

• Kill-A-Watt Lab
  • Need several kill-a-watt meters. I use 10 of them for kids to rotate stations
  • You also need various electronic devices.

• Productivity–there are many versions of this lab also.
  • One lab uses grass seeds, potting soil and pots
  • Another lab uses bottles of water with algae and dissolved oxygen probes
  • I do a video virtual lab
  • You can also purchase a kit. 
• Soil Profiles made out of food items
  • plastic parfait cups: one per student
  • Vanilla and chocolate pudding: quantity depends on number of students.
  • Oreo cookies
  • Sprinkles
  • Gummy worms: 2 per student
  • Spoons
• Cookie Mining
  • Generic chocolate chip cookies (1 per pair of students)
  • Name-brand chocolate chip cookies
  • Extra cookies to eat when finished
  • Paper clips
  • Toothpicks
  • Scales-pocket or regular (optional)
• Solar Cookers (usually done after the AP exam due to time requirements)
  • Aluminum foil–a big roll from Costco or Amazon will make a lot of solar cookers
  • Packing tape or duct tape
  • Masking tape
  • Lots of boxes: I ask the food service on campus for empty boxes
  • Empty cans to test water temperature
  • Plastic wrap
  • Thermometers
  • IR Temperature guns (optional)

• Biological Oxygen Demand (sometimes done with a water quality lab)
  • I do as a virtual lab
  • If you do as a regular lab, you will need a dissolved oxygen test kit or dissolved oxygen probes
• Tree Ring Studies for climate change
  • Need various “tree cookies” (tree slices) 
  • Or, use a kit that simulates tree cores
• Forest Studies (if you live next to a forest)
  • tape measures
  • Homemade or purchased clinometers

Other Basic Supplies

I use these items frequently for many labs

Sharpies (need 10 black for the year)
Spoons (need 1 box for labs)
De-chlorine drops for fish tanks
Filters for fish tank
Aquarium light bulbs
Fish food
Colored markers (Crayola or similar) for lab conclusion posters
Painter’s tape for marking beakers, lab apparatus
Hand Sanitizer-large container for classroom
Batteries for various sensors and probes
Chalk: IKEA makes the best chalk! Or Expo Neon markers for lab table drawings

 

A question new AP Environmental Science teachers ask is “What supplies do I need?” or “What kits should I buy?” This post will go over basic APES lab supplies.

Kits are a great way to start and can help many new AP teachers. After a while many veteran APES teachers no longer buy kits as we have figured out how to source materials more cheaply and have altered labs to how we like them.

APES lab supplies can be cheap or expensive.  What you decide to do depends on your location (some outdoor labs are regional), the materials you have, the size of your classes and how much money you have.  Over time, apply for grants and other funding to build up your supply of plant lights, probesware etc.

• You need basic lab supplies that your school should already have such as glass and plastic beakers, balances, graduated cylinders etc.

APES Lab Supplies for Must-do Labs

While there are no official required labs for APES, there are a few which have appeared on the AP Exam or cover many concepts that have appeared on the exam. Here are some recommendations for APES lab supplies.

• Salinization Lab:  For this lab you need
  • Salt
  • Petri dishes or ziploc bags
  • Distilled water
  • Plastic pipets
  • Seeds.  Peas, Mung Beans, and Radish are all good options

• LD-50 Lab: You can do this lab many ways.
  • Use salinization lab results so you aren’t taking time for a new lab.
  • Purchase a kit.
  • Purchase individual supplies. You need macroinvertebrates such as brine shrimp or daphnia, some kind of toxin, and beakers/cups etc.  Some teachers use seeds instead of invertebrates.

• Soil Quality Labs
  • Chemistry of Soil Test Kit or with a soil meter.
  • Physical Properties of Soil. Can be purchased in a kit or by individually purchasing materials such as sand, soil, gravel and plastic cups.
  • Both types of tests can be purchased in a kit also.
  • You can also take soil measurements with the ecocolumn lab instead of a separate lab.

• Water Quality Lab
  • Depending on your budget, you can purchase an inexpensive kit, test strips or probes. Probes or sensors are more expensive initially, but end up saving money over multiple years. See this post for supply ideas for an in-class lab. If you have a pond or creek to walk to, you may want a portable kit.
  • If you have a creek or pond, you may want to purchase a couple of hip waders and macroinvertebrate collection devices or kits.

• Experimental Design Lab:  Don’t do as a separate lab just to teach scientific method at the beginning of the year–you don’t have time in an AP course. Instead, teach experimental design with another lab such as salinization,  ocean acidification, biodiversity with quadrats, or air particulates.

Read the next post for more recommended labs.

APES Lab Supplies Part 2: More Recommended Labs

 

 

One of the best (and easy to implement) labs I do is an air pollution lab–airborne particulates lab. I worked with a colleague at a neighboring school (Laura Solarez) to develop this lab for AP Environmental Science.

This is an experimental design lab which is really important for students to do at least once or twice in the year, because the AP Exam WILL have experimental design questions on the multiple choice section and sometimes on an FRQ. The AP exam will ask complicated higher-level thinking questions-many of which are experimental design. 

Materials

Materials are quick and easy for this lab

1. Petri dishes-2 per student, if possible
2. Vaseline
3. Tape-blue painter’s tape is best as it can be removed easily to allow reuse of the dishes.
4. Stereoscopes are best. Microscopes can also work using a low objective. Hand lens with a good light source work, but are more difficult for kids to use.
5. Poster paper with markers (optional) for lab assessment

Day 1

Day one of the air pollution lab takes about 45-60 minutes. Student lab groups brainstorm and come up with a question to test, a hypothesis, and design. They must get two approvals from me before making their petri dishes.  My students have already done an experimental design lab so this process is fairly quick at this point. If this is the first experimental design lab of the year, expect this to take longer and for students to need more revision.

This lab is challenging with the constants. They can never really isolate all the variables and because of this, they will get flawed data. This is really important!!   Analyzing the weaknesses in their lab help them identify flawed experiments later on in life and on the AP Exam. I aim to develop scientifically literature citizens.

I give students some ideas such as comparing indoor vs. outdoor particulates, front yard vs. back yard or the number of pets. Some students come up with very creative ideas outside of these suggestions.

If rain is in the forecast, make sure they don’t set out the dishes in the rain (or sprinklers). Also, they need to make sure they all set out the dishes on the same day for the same amount of time, because weather can influence.

After approvals, students make their dishes. I made this video last year. They pay attention to the video more than me demonstrating in person!  I show the video up to minute 3:18 on Day 1

Make sure you tell students to make a little sign at home, because I’ve had many dishes thrown away by parents over the years. They don’t know what it is and just throw away. Students make a sign that says “Science experiment–don’t throw away”.

Day 2 of the Lab

Day 2 of the air pollution lab is several days later. Give students enough time (over the weekend, for example) to expose their dishes for at least 24 hours. Students bring their dishes back to school on the day you instruct.

I show the rest of my video to help them understand how to count the particulates.

Students need to make a template out of graph paper to use on each petri dish. Its impossible to count every particulate so using a template with a few boxes helps them manage the counting.

Since students work in groups of 4, they divide up tasks. Some count data and some begin their posters. They can switch jobs if they desire.

After students finish counting particulates, They can wash the dishes in hot soapy water and dry. The dishes can be used again next year and also for the Soil Salinization lab.

Assessment

I like students to make and present posters for this air pollution lab. It really helps them discuss and analyze the results. Why their hypothesis was correct or not AND more importantly, why this lab was flawed. They can never fully control all the variables and I want them to see that other factors may have influenced their results. This is the best part of the lab–learning to identify flawed experiments.

My poster template is inspired by Argument-Based Inquiry, but I have added more sections and clearer instructions.

I have had students present to the entire class, present to two other groups, or make a Flipgrid. All three ways have merit.

You can also have students write a formal lab report individual or as a group as assessment as well.

Click for a poster rubric.

A complimentary lab is the Kill-A-Watt Lab.  A lot of particulates air pollution comes from the production of electricity from coal. This lab also helps students develop math skills.

 

 

 

Water Quality Testing is essential for AP Environmental Science students. Every released exam has water quality test questions.

Ideally, taking kids to a stream or pond is best, but testing water quality in the field is not possible for my students in arid Southern California.  Surface water is seasonal and often too far away.  Instead, my students bring in water samples to the lab.

Scroll to the bottom for links to student handouts.

Teaching Students to Collect a Water Sample

I demonstrate how to take a water sample for students.  This year, I made a video which they enjoyed more than my demonstration.

Any empty bottle (water, Gatorade etc) works. Rinse out a little with the sample water and then fill under the water.  Interesting water sources include rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, well water, the ocean and fountains.

Ideally, students should wear gloves to collect the sample. But, if they forgot to bring gloves, they can throughly wash with warm water and soap after collecting the sample.

Students should cap the bottle under the water to prevent air at the top from skewing the dissolved oxygen (DO) results.  Sometimes, this isn’t possible (with a small creek or heavy waves in the ocean) so I tell them to do the best they can.  There is some error as Biological Oxygen Demand will decrease the DO reading, but we discuss this.

Students need to label the bottles and bring to class on the day we do water quality testing.

In the Lab

I used a LaMotte water quality testing kit the first year I taught APES, but soon realized that probeware was more economical in the long run with the quantity of students I have.  I was accepted for grant funding to purchase my initial probeware and have used science funds and donation money to replace items as needed. Read where to find science funding.

 

I use a variety of water quality testing devices that are easy to use. I used to have a full set of Vernier probes, but over time they either broke or I stopped using them due to needing calibration–sometimes right in the middle of a lab! This collection is what I currently use–requires little prep work on my part and works for an entire day–5 sections of APES students.

I rotate baskets instead of kids going to stations. This is easier with 36 kids in lab and then they don’t have to travel with their water sample.  I give kids about 4 minutes per basket and then they rotate clockwise. Kids also spend that time using reference sheets to see what the test measures and what are the levels for safe drinking water and for healthy aquatic life.

Water Quality Testing Devices

This is the LaMotte Testing kit I used before I received grant money to purchase my initial probeware 12 year ago.

Today, I use a variety of items that are reliable, economical for 165 kids in APES and easy to use. They’ve been acquired over a dozen years through various means and I’ve changed a few items over time. Most of them have links to Amazon if you want to read more about the item.

Fecal Coliform Bacteria is also very important, but also very expensive. If you have the funds, its great for kids to do in lab.  If not, make sure they learn about it.  This year, I made an instructional video instead of purchasing $100 worth of tests.  

In years past, I have purchased Coliscan Easy Gel which works well and is easy to use.  I’ve also used Petrifilm which is a little more economical for large classes. 

Students also record odor and color, but those are observations.

Resources

Click for my water quality lab handout for students.  You will need to change the handout to match the items you have for testing. Also, there is a link for our local water quality reports. Find your own local report and change the link.

These are my reference sheets. Again, you will need to add or subtract for the tests and devices you have.

Have fun water testing!

 

One of the most common (and important!) labs in AP Environmental Science is the Soil Salinization Lab.

There are many versions of the lab that are great. This is mine.  It has been altered and changed with ideas from lots of teachers over the year.

(Side note:  I am a HUGE fan of inquiry, but I do not do an inquiry lab for this topic for a couple of reasons.  I want kids to do a proper controlled experiment before they do experimental design later on. They can refer to this lab when they are designing their own later in the year. This is part of scaffolding. With each controlled experiment (such as Ocean Acidification), I remove more instructions and parameters. Another reason is that I also want the kids to test specific concentrations of salt, because we use the results for an LD-50 lab later in the year.)

Materials

1. Seeds
2. Graduated cylinders with optional pipets to help kids with precise measurements. Mark one graduated cylinder for the 5% solution and one for the distilled water. Same with pipets. This prevents cross-contamination. Train the kids to be careful and prevent cross-contamination. Even a couple of drops of salt left over in a graduated cylinder can influence results.
3. Overhead markers
4. Scissors to cut paper towels
5. 5% salt solution (mix yourself)
6. Distilled water
7. Beakers
8. Petri dishes or ziploc bags. Petri dishes can be reused for an air pollution lab-Airborne Particulates.

Prepare a 5% salt solution by mixing 5g of NaCl (Table salt) with 95ml distilled water. Make enough for your classes.  I make about a liter for my 5 classes of APES.

I like pea seeds and prepare these containers for the groups. Tell the kids to keep covered to prevent fungi contamination. Fungi does ruin the soil salinization lab on occasion. I’ve had it happen once in 12 years. Use very clean petri dishes and keep beakers covered when not in use to prevent this.

What seeds to use?

I’ve used peas, mung beans and radishes for soil salinization over the years. My favorite is peas, but the others work as well. Radishes tend to have lower tolerance to salt. You can even have students test different seeds in different groups. Mung beans sprout quickly and have a nice tolerance to salt as well.

Using Ziploc Bags

I use snack-sized Ziploc bags with my online APES class that I meet with on Saturday mornings a few times a year. The bags are convenient as I don’t need them back when the lab is over and they’re inexpensive.  In my regular classes, I prefer petri dishes as they can be reused from year to year and are easier for the kids to work with the seeds.

The write up using ziploc bags can be found here.  I also use a Flipgrid conclusion so they can film their results and show me at home.

Use a sharpie to mark the bags and create a paper towel “taco”. Wet the paper towels before putting the seeds in or they roll around too much.

Day 1 of the Lab

Go over the first page of the lab together with students.  They have difficulty with the terms (control, variables, constants) if they’re out of practice. Also, teach the students to use words such as “increasing” or “decreasing” in their hypothesis as this is good practice for FRQs.  Its also more of a “collegiate” and precise hypothesis.

Students need to do the math for serial dilution before beginning the lab. I usually go how to do the math and then they can easily solve.

After doing the math, they can prepare the soil salinization dishes.

Make sure they use separate graduated cylinders for 5% NaCl solution and distilled water. Have a “mixing” beaker to mix the solution before pouring over the seeds. This makes sure that the solution is evenly mixed.

Best way to prepare the dishes

Day 2 the lab (3-4 days later is optimal)

Students will take data on the # and % of seeds that germinated and measure the sprout length. I tell students to measure the longest sprout in each dish.

Results take about 15 minutes. Then students wash and dry dishes. I store and use the dishes again for an air pollution lab and again next year.

 

Last summer, I received a grant for Kill-A-Watt meters and implemented this new lab.  It teaches students about electricity, watts, math and conservation using Kill-A-Watt meters. The kids were SUPER engaged (so were adults who came by) and it was highly relevant for not only their lives, but the energy concepts they need to know.  My AP Environmental Science students did the lab, but the AP Physics B teacher will also use this year.

Click for a copy of the lab.

You will need to alter the copy to reflect the cost of electricity in your town and the specific appliances that you have or want to use in lab.

Supplies Needed

• Kill-A-Watt Meters:  I had one meter per lab table with two items to test at each table.  I ordered the Kill-A-Watt EZ model from Amazon.  But, I also like the regular model too.   The EZ model lets kids see the cost of electricity more easily, but the regular model is easier to use and find the “watts”setting.  Either are fine for this lab. (But, if you use my write-up, be sure to change some of the instructions if using the regular model).

In order to afford 10 of them, I wrote a grant request on Donors Choose and was funded in a few days by two corporate sponsors.  Here is a post about my favorite ways to find funding for new labs. 

• Various appliances from your science room or from home.
• Power Strips (optional).  The plugs in my lab are on the sides of the tables so I found power strips were very helpful. That way all the kids in a group could see the meter when it was plugged in.  I ordered a few of these to have ready next year.  If your’e writing a grant, be sure to add a few of these, if needed in your lab.

  

• Christmas lights (optional, but really engaging for the kids) .  I was fortunate to find regular and Energy start Christmas lights at Target in October, but I couldn’t find LED lights so I ordered online.  They were pricey, but I only needed 1 strand and it will last for several years for this lab. (And I can use to decorate my classroom for Christmas!)

  

Lab Setup

I had two devices per lab table and meter.  The students rotated from table to table.  I utilized items in the lab whenever possible, like this TV.

Data-Explore section

Students took data on a chart and then created a graph.  I had a Kill-A-Watt meter set up at each lab table along with 2-3 appliances and then set a timer for kids to rotate every 4-5 minutes.  I had 9 tables and it took about 45 minutes to rotate to every table.

If kids finished that station before the timer, they worked on the bar graph of their data chart.

Explain-Vampire Power and Conservation

I showed a couple of videos helping explain some of the data that kids see.  I wanted them to notice the appliances that still drew power even when not turned on.  Many students have never heard of this.  I also wanted them to see good examples of energy conservation.

Elaborate–Math Calculations

Kids did A LOT of practice with energy math–which they need for the AP Exam.  It is also needed in real life.  In addition, they discussed the environmental and human health costs of electricity.

 

 

 

A great way to teach Tragedy of the Commons is with a “fishing” activity.  There are many ways to run this simulation that are wonderful. Some teachers use goldfish crackers, some use M&Ms, and some use reusable beads. I use colored marshmallows, because they’re the cheapest “food” option for my large classes.

This is my “Happy Fishing” 5E. It is taken from many sources and meshed together with questions that help lead the students into learning about resource use and depletion.

In a good 5E, the title of the lab doesn’t give the concept away. Our students are bright and will google the title “Tragedy of the Commons” on their phones to make sure they get the right answers. Our brightest are often the most uncomfortable with inquiry.

Engage

In the “Engage” section, students discuss what are resources that we all share.  Ask for volunteers and acknowledge their answers with a “thank you”, but don’t correct them. Tell them that you aren’t going to say if they’re right or wrong right now.  We will go back to the question and make corrections at the end of the 5E. Remember, don’t use the term “Tragedy of the Commons” yet.

Many times, I will have two separate copies.  One with Engage and Explore  and Explain and then the other with Elaborate and Evaluate.  This prevents students from looking ahead to try to get the “right answers”.

Explore

Divide students into groups of 3 or 4.  Write how much each color of “fish” (marshmallow) is worth on the board and have the students copy on their data sheet.  I try to estimate which color I have the most of in the bag and make that color worth the highest amount as students tend to make that color reproduce (if they’re strategic).

Tell the students that they are competing with each other for extra credit. The winner of each group gets extra credit and the winner (most $ earned) for the class earns more extra credit.  Read over the rules with the kids. You will find that many don’t listen as they’re intent on figuring out how to get the extra credit.

Demonstrate how to make a “net” using tape and straws and a paper towel boat. While they’re making their nets and boats, load up their plates with 5 marshmallows of each color.

Remind them of the rules. Then, “ready, set, fish!”. Time them for 30 seconds and yell “stop”.

You will find that half the groups have depleted their ocean.  I say “now I will come and add babies to your ocean. Two babies for each two of the same color that’s left in the ocean”.

This is when the groups who depleted their ocean go “oops”. I say “for this round only, you may choose to throw some back into the ocean”. They will, but many will have a hard time deciding who gets to throw back fish and they usually won’t throw back very many.

The following video shows my students at the beginning of the lab and how I handle the first year when kids deplete their oceans:

Tell them to fill in their data charts for Year 1.  There are 3 charts to fill in for Year 1.

Remember, this is inquiry so don’t discuss the term “Tragedy of the Commons” yet. Let them figure out the concept about resource depletion before giving them the term. This is called constructivism and is how students best learn and retain information.

 

 

 

Explain

The explain portion is where students work through guided questions in order to discover the scientific concept on their own. Don’t mention the term “Tragedy of the Commons”. Vocabulary and terms come later.

Help the kids with certain questions by asking if any of them fish and what the laws/regulations are.  Most kids have at least a couple of kids who fish and know the answers.

Students will write a Statement/Claim about how shared resources can be depleted and how to sustainably manage them.

This is the time in a learning cycle that you check for understanding. Go around to each group and quickly read the statements. Clear misconceptions.

Students may struggle with this task at first, but will get used to it later with more inquiry or 5Es. Be careful not to give away too much information. The more that they can struggle with and then reason out themselves, the better they retain and understand the information.

Elaborate

Students will watch 3 videos that help them understand Tragedy of the Commons in more detail and how its used in real life.

This video shows how rules and regulations are enforced:

This video reinforces the concept of Tragedy of the Commons and solidifies how people need to work together:

The video discusses other commons beyond just fishing:

After these videos, have students go back to the ENGAGE section and make corrections about commons.  Make sure kids know that a commons is PUBLIC resources, not private. Food, oil, gasoline, and private land do not work. If they say “forests”, make sure they know to write National Forest on an FRQ since much forested land is privately held.

Water is trickier. In some places (like the Eastern US) water is a commons, but in the Western US, there are complicated water rights. But, cities may own water rights but manage the rights for all the cities so the water functions as a commons.  But, privately owned wells or water from streams and rivers aren’t a commons.

Evaluate

The evaluate section here isn’t very long as it doesn’t need to be. Kids need to practice succinctly writing and being able to get the point across with detail without writing too much. This is practice for FRQ writing.

 

 

Students learn not only about the effects of increasing acidity in the ocean on marine organisms, but also practice their experimental design skills in this Ocean Acidification Lab.  In addition, the lab helps students practice NGSS Science and Engineering Practice #3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations.  Click for a copy of the lab.

Materials Needed for Ocean Acidification Experimental Design

1. Shells:  MUST BE MOLLUSCA (Flat shells like clams, mussels, and scallops). NO GASTROPODA (Snails). Too much solution gets stuck way up in the Gastropod shells and will actually cause the mass to increase and not decrease due to water weight.   Ask students to donate shells. Many have boxes in the garage that are no longer wanted. You can also go to a seafood restaurant and ask for their clam, mussel or oyster shells. I like to eat pasta with mussels at home so I save my shells sometimes.  You can also buy at craft stores, but they are usually very small and not the best for the lab, but will do in a pinch.
2. Soaking cups or small beakers. I use soaking cups since I don’t have enough beakers for multiple classes to soak for several days. I buy small plastic cups at Smart N Final (a restaurant/public supply store). The 5 1/2 oz size is a good size for this lab. Plastic drinking cups are fine as well.  I allow students to have 4 cups per group (I have groups of 4 kids).
3. Vinegar as the acid.  Some teachers use other acids, but since I don’t teach chemistry, I find vinegar the easiest and it doesn’t have to be specially disposed of.
4. pH meter: You can use pH paper in a pinch, but a meter will help the kids with more exact pH measurements.  The other problem with pH paper is that vinegar drops the pH so rapidly that many of the cups will have a similar pH and students need to see the slight different that a pH meter will show. The probe that I use is  $15-20 on Amazon.  Pocket Size pH Meter Digital Water Quality Tester 
5. Two graduated cylinders per group. Use one for water and one for vinegar to avoid cross-contamination.
6. Two plastic disposable pipets per group (optional). Helps students measure precisely using the graduated cylinders.
7. Water: I use tap water since my tap water is slightly basic which mimics the ocean. Tap water also has minerals which is similar to the ocean. If you can, collect ocean water for more authentic results.
8. Scale: Any electric scale is good as long as they go to the tenth place in grams. I have a set of pocket scales that I ordered using a Donors Choose grant. If you have some money, pocket scales are inexpensive $10-15 and nice for groups to have their own.  Amazon sells them for cheaper than science supply companies. I have this type of scale in my lab
9. Sharpie to mark the cups
10. Hammer (optional) for shells that are too big for the cups.

Need idea for funds to purchase new equipment?  Read about my favorite sources for funding.

Pre-Lab

Students discuss the design in their groups and fill in the lab paper. I have all the materials they can use in the middle of their table to look at as they brainstorm. The visuals are good for many students such as English Learners and Resource kids. I let them handle the materials also as they figure out how to set up the lab.

Students must get 3 different signatures/initials from me. Most groups need to refine their initial question to make it more “high-school” level. (NGSS SEP #1).  I ask them to use words such as “increasing” and “decreasing”.  This also helps them refine their language in a way that is beneficial on AP Exam FRQs.

• One cup must be a control with water and shell only.
• Students may not use more than 50% vinegar. (You can even make this number smaller)
• Students need to figure out the total ml of solution in each cup as a constant. They can do this by testing how much solution is needed to cover the shells using a graduated cylinder.
• Its best to direct the students to use % of vinegar in their cups instead of designing around pH. If students want 4 cups with pH of 7,6,5,4 for example, this is very difficult as it requires a titration and will take students FOREVER in the lab to make their cups. Instead, students should have cups with 0% vinegar, 5%, 10%, 25% etc.  They can decide which ones–that’s the point of experimental design.

A procedure is optional for my students.  I have them outline what’s going in each cup (amount of water and vinegar) and many draw pictures on their paper.  Once they have this information, a procedure is usually not necessary. But that’s up to you.

Lab

Students need to find 4 shells that are as identical as they can find (species, thickness etc).  They can also take a larger shells and break into 4 pieces.  The mass of each doesn’t have to be the same, because students are measuring percent change.

Students prepare the four cups using the materials.

Shells stay in solution for 3-4 days (or longer)

Three to Four Days Later (or more)

1. Students remove shells from soaking cups.
2. Students need to measure the pH again.  This is a great time to talk about buffering!
3. Students dump solutions in the sink and replace shells in their cups (make sure they don’t mix them up)
4. Allow shells to dry for 2-4 days.  Shells MUST dry all the way or the students will measure an increase in mass due to water weight.

Buffering (from my chemistry buddy, Laura Solarez)

The pH will rise during the soaking time due to the release of Calcium Carbonate from their shells. The resistance to a pH change with the addition of acid is known as buffering.  This is an important concept when teaching about acid rain or acid mine drainage.

As the calcium carbonate from the shells dissolves, it binds with the acid, neutralizing it.  In this lab, CaCO₃ + HC₂H₃O₂ (vinegar) –> CaC₂H₃O₂ + CO₂ + H₂0.  The bubbles seen in the cups are CO₂ and H₂0 as the reaction occurs.

Calcium carbonate is the same component of limestone that is added to reduce the amount of acid in lakes from acid deposition.

In water saturated with CO₂, in the oceans, the calcium carbonate can form calcium bicarbonate, but it is still weakened and will degrade the shells.  If the water is acidic, it will try to neutralize the acid, breaking down into CO₂ again and adding more CO₂ to the oceans.

Three to Four days later (or more) when the shells are completely dry.

Students now measure the mass of their shells and calculate percent change.

Assessment can follow in many different ways as you prefer.  Graphing, analysis questions, referencing articles about ocean acidification, formal lab write-up, Claims Evidence Reasoning, etc.

I like to do group lab reports for this lab.  You can read about how I do that here.

 

 

 

Owl pellet dissection is used to teach ecology topics such as food webs, biomass pyramids and energy loss.

Buying Pellets and Materials.

Both small and large pellets work with this lab. I’ve used small when my funds are more limited and large when they’re not. Large pellets give more prey per pellet which is fun for the kids.  If you don’t have enough science funds, here’s some suggestions on where to find additional money for your science classroom.

I buy one pellet per team of 4 students due to cost. This is not ideal, but they are only dissecting to count the prey–not to identify all the bones or do anything else with them.

The pellets are sterilized, but I provide gloves for kids who prefer gloves. My pictures show dissection trays, but they’re not necessary. A paper plate or a paper towel works just as well.

Pre-Lab

Since I try to teach inquiry-style with the 5E learning cycle, I don’t want to pre-load information into the kids’ brains. I do, however, want them to see where owl pellets come from and basic dissecting techniques. I assign these videos the night before on Edpuzzle, but these can also be shown in class prior to the lab.

Phenomena-based video of baby owl regurgitating a pellet.

Basic information and dissection techniques.

Dissecting pellets

There are many variations of the owl pellet lab which are wonderful.  My copy is a 5E learning cycle which was adapted from the original creator.

Kids can use their fingers or tweezers to take the pellet apart. Provide reference sheets. Many can be found for free online.

I altered this reference sheet to help kids correctly identify a mouse vs. a rat. I make kids measure as they don’t readily know how large 1 cm is.

I combine ecocolumn data along with owl pellets at the same time so 4 kids have more tasks to do. Two kids take ecocolumn data while the other 2 kids in the group dissect the pellet.

After about 20 minutes both pairs are finish and all 4 of them will do calculations and answer questions on their owl pellet papers together.

Calculations and Analysis Questions

(I want to give a shout-out to the original creator of this lab–the famous Dr. E)

Students take their data and fill in a chart. The entire chart is NOT filled in.  Most of the prey will be a rat or mouse. Students always think they found something else like a mole or shrew, because it sounds more interesting, but unless they can ID a skull, it  probably isn’t. (I have some kids who think they have a shrew, because the ribs they find are so skinny….)

Next, the students create a numbers pyramid and a food web. I draw a pic on the lab white board to help them.

For the food web, you can choose to have students create a food web from just the prey found in their pellet or from all the prey the owl could eat.  I choose the first option (but am thinking of switching to the second for next year to give them more practice with a more complicated food web).

Next comes a biomass pyramid which is the crux of this lab in terms of calculating energy loss.  Students need to complete the biomass chart and then draw a pyramid. I have detailed instructions on the lab paper on how to do that since it confuses them.  

Working in groups for the questions is helpful so they can hash out what the correct answers should be and learn better. I flipped my class last year so I have the luxury of time to allow an extra day to do this.  Students are often confused that the energy “loss” from the prey to the owl is over 99%. They need to understand that 90% energy “loss” is an average and they will hypothesize why the loss is this lab is so much higher (the owl doesn’t weigh very much for being a top predator).  Its good for them to question their numbers, however, if they seem “off” as that is a good skill for the math is this course.  But, in this case, its correct.

The questions also discuss that energy is not really “lost”, but becomes heat and an unusable form for food in ecosystems–1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics.

Normally, I have the kids write a conclusion and submit through Turnitin.com, but this year, I had them do an oral conclusion on Flipgrid. The results were much stronger in terms of understanding energy loss than if they did the conclusions by themselves.  Much of the AP Exam is higher level thinking and students can help build these skills by working together.