Holidays bring excitement, even if the holiday is not one that warrants a day off from school. Luckily, Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, but even so, I predict that Friday the 13th will be a hot mess of student distraction. Also, it will be Friday the 13th.
To help use some of that energy for good, I created two activities for biology to review pretty important concepts with a fun Valentine’s Day theme. The first is a review of protein synthesis. Students will start with a fictional DNA strip, transcribe mRNA, and finally use the “Cupcake Codon Chart” to translate the mRNA into a Valentine’s Day Cupcake. Not a real cupcake, although teachers could certainly bring cupcakes for afterwards. Valentine’s Day Cupcake Synthesis is perfect for engaging student imaginations as they color in the components of the cupcakes: cake, filling, frosting, and a topper.
The second activity reviews Mendelian genetics and Punnett Squares by predicting the offspring of fictional Love Bugs. In Love Bug Genetics, students will determine the probability of offspring for a variety of characteristics such as heart-shaped wings, body color, and heart-shaped feet. Using a chart of dominant and recessive alleles for all of the characteristics, students will use Punnett Squares to predict genotypes and phenotypes of the offspring. Finally, they will use a die to randomly select the characteristics of their own Love Bug and then draw their custom Bug with colored pencils or markers.
Of course, no holiday would be complete without a special offer. The two Valentine’s Day biology activities are bundled into one resources for a discounted price. What a fantastic way to reign in that holiday energy and refocus it onto biology review!
These resources can each be completed with one class period and are perfect for homeschools and traditional classrooms. Everything is included: student lab sheets, instructions, and answer keys. The absolute best part is TeachersPayTeachers.com is having a SALE on Monday 02/09 and Tuesday 02/10. Use the code FEBSALE26 to save up to 25% off sitewide, including these Valentine’s Day resources and the already discounted bundle! You have all weekend to shop and fill up your cart, then come back Monday and checkout. While you are there, be sure to follow North Star Homeschool Resources to receive notifications of future sales and new products!
Thank you for following the North Star Homeschool Resources blog and store. Sending lots of love and joy this Valentine’s Day week!
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