Active Learning Activities

Nature of Science Ice-Breaker

A first class ice-breaker activity introducing the nature of science.

Don’t go NUTS: A Case Study on the Physiology of Stress

Preparation for Future Learning: Electric Flux

How to Write Reading Annotations

This activity helps students improve their quality of reading annotations using platforms like Perusall.

Instructional Survey

The aim of this activity is to provide students with an overview of survey design and execution.

Live Demonstrations of Beats and Interference of Sound

In this activity, students learn to apply the principal of superposition to two new sound contexts.

Case Study: Anophthalmia

Case Study: Malignant hyperthermia

Case Study: Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Case Study: Discovering the Structure of DNA

Sustainability Development Plan (Part 1 and Part 2)

In this activity, students learn to define sustainability and apply this to a single Montreal neighbourhood. 

Don’t leave it to chance! Testing Biology Data Right the First Time

In this activity students learn how to apply statistics to biological data through a series of mini case studies.

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Amoeba

Taking the role of a biologist, students statistically determine how different drug treatments can affect amoeba cell shape.

A Case for Cystic Fibrosis (CF): A Québec Perspective

In this activity students take on the role of a geneticist helping an individual recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Disappearing Sea Otters

Students take the role of an ecologist and try to analyze species behaviours and predict population change.

Brazil Nut Tree

Students take on the role of ecologists, tasked with saving the Brazil nut tree from the effects of deforestation.

Understanding Agro-Ecosystems by Observing, Writing & Discussing

In this semester-long activity, students visit a farm several times to engage in a critical analysis of that ecosystem.

Organic Food vs GMOs

Alien Cell Dissection

Students learn to apply their knowledge of normal "terrestrial" cells to a new scenario (an alien cell).

Genetics: Patterns of Inheritance

Students analyze a pedigree chart to identify which individuals are carriers of the disease Alkaptonuria (ALK).

Motion Diagrams

In this activity, students learn to create and interpret motion diagrams using a notebook file in interactive whiteboards.