All pages listed here provide detailed information and explanations that accompany the free-to-download school biology lessons developed by the droso4schools project (in form of PowerPoint presentations with adjunct support materials: LINK). Explanations are in plain English designed to help teachers with lesson preparation, students with revision and homework task, but they also provide well illustrated information for all those who take an interest! For flies and resources to implement these lessons in your schools please see our Manchester Fly Facility leaflet Sept 2017
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Lesson 1 – The climbing assay: learning data analysis through live experiments with fruit flies
Using a simple experiment used in current research to learn data analysis skills, to organise experimental data into tables and graphs, interpret trends in data, and understand the importance of statistics and sample size (for downloads go to lesson page). -
Lesson 2 – From gene to enzyme to evolution: using alcohol metabolism to illustrate fundamental concepts of biology
Learning about metabolism and biological reactions, the genetic code, protein synthesis, genetic diversity and natural selection; including an enzymatic reaction experiment and an activity about the genetic code (for downloads go to lesson page). -
Lesson 3 – Flying through the fundamental principles of the nervous system
Learning about wiring principles of the nervous system, nerve impulses and transport across membranes, epilepsy, synapses; including experiments with epileptic and paralysed flies (for downloads go to lesson page). -
Lesson 4 – Metabolic pathways: investigating the biology & chemistry of pigmentation
Learning about skin colours, principles of enzymatic pathways, eye pigments in Drosophila and principles of evolution; including a chromatography experiments (for downloads go to lesson page). -
Lesson 5 – Our vision: understanding light and light perception
Learning about the nature of light, phototransduction, image processing, colour vision and colour blindness; including activities on electromagnetic waves, eye anatomy, phototransduction and a micro experiment with light diodes and “colour blind” flies (for downloads go to lesson page). -
Lesson 6 – Life cycles
Learning about how organisms from bacteria to humans reproduce, what metamorphosis is, which insects have a pupal stage, what happens in the pupal stage, that many diseases are coupled to harmful organisms which have part of their life cycle in the human body (for downloads go to lesson page). -
Lesson 7 [coming soon] – Rules of inheritance: from chromosomes to genes to disease
Learning about cell division and cell cycle, genetic inheritance including disease and understanding scientific discovery processes; including an activity with Drosophila mutations (for resources contact Andreas.Prokop@manchester.ac.uk or download “4x30min classes” in English or Spanish from our figshare site).
droso4schools 