A collection of fun programming projects that demonstrate the application of coding to topics in middle-school biology, anatomy, and genetics.
- Grades 6-8
- Intermediate
- Web iPad
Description
Once your students have completed at least five lessons of Programming 101 or equivalent coding experience, you can assign these NGSS-aligned projects to complement your teaching on topics in biology, anatomy, and genetics. For example, if you’re teaching a lesson on cell division, you can assign the mitosis and meiosis. Your students will draw their own animations and use coding and outside research to demonstrate mitosis and meiosis, while comparing and contrasting the two processes.
With this collection of life science projects, you can easily integrate coding and project-based learning into your curriculum. Each STEM lesson walks students through how to make a project about something they’re learning in school with step-by-step instructions. At each step, it encourages them to make their project unique and interesting, emphasizing that coding is a creative medium much like writing or drawing.
We’re constantly updating our STEM courses with new projects, so if there’s something you’d like us to add, send us a message at support@tynker.com.
What Students Learn
- Use programming for science projects
- Build a slide show on a topic
- Build a quiz game
- Make an interactive charts and models
- Use animation to illustrate
- Narrate using your own voice
- Use the physics engine to model
- Troubleshoot and debug programs
Technical Requirements
* Online courses require a modern desktop computer, laptop computer, Chromebook, or Netbook with Internet access and a Chrome (29+), Firefox (30+), Safari (7+), or Edge (20+) browser. No downloads required.
* Tablet courses require an iPad (iOS 10+) with Tynker or Tynker Junior app installed and Internet access
Lesson Summary
Introduction
In this lesson, students will watch an interactive project to learn about the different parts of an animal cell. Next, students will follow a step-by-step tutorial in the DIY (do-it-yourself) module to create their own version of the project they just watched! Activities include changing the background, labeling the different cell parts, describing animal cell functions using the “say” block, and adding graphic effects! If students finish early, ask them to complete the bonus activity in “Step 5” of the tutorial, which encourages them to add more animations.After completing the DIY module, students will be asked 5 multiple-choice quiz questions about the different parts of an animal cell. By the end of the lesson, students will have experimented with coding concepts (e.g., simple events, input/output, simple loops, graphic effects, delays) while learning about an animal cell’s golgi body, endoplasmic reticulum, cell membrane, lysosome, nucleolus, nucleus, vacuole, and mitochondria!
Code Blocks
Vocabulary
- Cell membrane: A thin covering that surrounds the cell, controlling what enters and exits the cell
- Nucleus: Controls many functions of the cell and stores DNA
- Golgi bodies: Modifies, sorts, and packages proteins that need to be moved
- Mitochondria: Converts the energy stored in glucose into ATP
- Lysosome: Where the digestion of cell nutrients takes place
- Vacuole: Stores food being digested and waste material
- Endoplasmic reticulum: Moves proteins through the animal cell
- Nucleolus: Where ribosomal RNA is produced
Objectives
Students will...- Analyze the different parts of an animal cell
- Use code blocks to create an interactive project that shows the parts of an animal cell
Materials
- Computers or iPads (1 per student) with student account access to Tynker.com
Concepts
- simple events
- input/output
- simple loops
- graphic effects
- delays
Standards
- NGSS-Science: MS.LS1.2
- CCSS-Math: MP.1
- CCSS-ELA: SL.6.1, SL.7.1, SL.8.1
- CSTA: 2-AP-13, 2-AP-16, 2-AP-17
- CS CA: 6-8.AP.13, 6-8.AP.16, 6-8.AP.17
- ISTE: 1.c, 1.d, 4.d, 5.c, 5.d, 6.b