Middle School, Human Biology & Health Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 7)

Fool Your Vision to Find Out How It Works

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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How is it possible that our eyes can see things that are not really there? In this fun lesson plan, your students will explore how our vision works with the help of two short experiments that involve some fascinating optical illusions. Let your students discuss why they see a hole in their hand, or why they see colors that were never there, and let them construct their own explanations. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS1-8. Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

Get Energized with Cellular Respiration!

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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In this fun lesson plan, students will measure how the amount of carbon dioxide in their exhaled breath changes with exercise levels. Carbon dioxide is a product of cellular respiration, so the lesson highlights how breathing is connected to cellular respiration and energy production in our body. Students will make the measurements using a simple colorimetric reaction that can easily be assessed visually. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS1-7. Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

How Can Vaccines Be Used to Fight Outbreaks?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Stopping a viral outbreak like COVID-19 takes more than luck, it takes public health tools. Vaccines are considered to be one of the best public health tools, which is why there is often a rush to develop good vaccines for newly discovered viruses, particularly those that have the potential to infect lots of people. Recent examples include COVID-19, Zika virus, and Ebola. If enough people are vaccinated, an effective vaccine can help stop outbreaks or even eradicate (completely get rid of) a… Read more

How Far Can Your Sneeze Go?

STEM Activity

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Do you cover your coughs and sneezes? How far do you think the droplets can travel if you do not cover them? Why is this important to help prevent the spread of diseases like COVID-19? Try this activity to find out! Read more

How Fatigue Changes Balance

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Balance is one of the most important parts of how our bodies work. Even standing still requires the brain, muscles, eyes, and inner ears to coordinate perfectly. But what happens when you get tired—even just a little bit—from something like dancing, running, jumping in place, or doing step-ups for a short period of time? Many scientific studies show that fatigue—both mental and physical—can make balance worse. For example, after short bursts of physical activity, people… Read more

I See a Full Moon Rising...and Shrinking...or Do I?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever noticed how the moon appears bigger at the horizon, just as it is rising over the treetops, than it does later in the evening when it is overhead? Of course, the size of the moon does not change, but our perception of its size changes based on where it is in the sky. In this human biology science fair project, you will investigate Emmert's law, which explains the full moon illusion. You will estimate the size of the perceived increase in the size of the moon at the horizon. Read more

Lung Capacity and Age

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Our metabolism changes as we get older, a sad fact of life that we cannot change. Old age affects our bodies in many ways. Changes in musculature, bone strength, energy, diet and breathing are some of the many ways we change as we age. You might notice that people often get out of breath when they are older and doing a physical activity. Why do some people feel out of breath, while others do not? Does this change correlate with age? Could this reflect a difference in lung capacity between… Read more

Make a Communication Aid To Help People Show Their Feelings

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever tried to communicate with a baby or toddler who cannot talk yet? What about another kid or an adult who cannot speak due to a medical condition? There are many ways we can communicate without speaking, like writing or using sign language. We can also use technology to help make it easier to communicate. In this project you will program your own communication aid to help someone who cannot speak show their emotions or simple messages. Read more

Make an Adaptive Switch

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

How could you send a text message without using your thumbs? What about typing on a keyboard or using a video game controller without using your fingers? Due to a variety of medical conditions like cerebral palsy or paralysis from an accident, some people might be unable to easily use their hands and fingers to push small buttons or use joysticks. However, they might be able to use their entire hand to push a single larger button or use another part of their body like their foot or even their… Read more

Model How Herd Immunity Works

STEM Activity

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Have you ever wondered why you need to get a flu shot regularly? The vaccine protects you from getting sick with the flu, which is an infectious disease. Such diseases, like the flu or COVID-19, can easily spread through a population and cause a pandemic by making many people sick. Measures such as social distancing can reduce the risk of catching the disease, but real protection only comes from gaining immunity against the disease. This is the reason for vaccinations—to make someone… Read more

Middle School, Human Biology & Health Projects, Lessons, Activities (96 results)

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