Why are the okapis at the zoo not breeding? 🦒🕵️♀️
In this immersive lesson by Rebecca Brewer, “Hormones on the Case!”, students step into the shoes of research scientists to solve a real-world animal welfare mystery.
Engage your students in modeling hormonal pathways and redesigning zoo habitats to explore how stress impacts behavior and reproduction.
In the classroom, students will:
🧪 Simulate Urine Testing: Test “samples” to monitor hormone levels.
🧠 Model Cell Signaling: Map the cortisol pathway to see how stress hormones bind to receptors.
📐 Apply Design Thinking: Redesign zoo enclosures to improve animal welfare.
🖼️ Collaborate: Display and critique redesigned layouts in a gallery walk.
Rebecca taught this to 5 sections of 11th and 12th graders in 90-minute blocks, noting that students were deeply engaged by the interactive, storytelling approach. It’s a powerhouse for teaching cell communication through the lens of animal behavior.
🦎 Bonus for #APBiology Teachers: This lesson includes extension case studies on Lizard Courtship and Pigeon Parental Care to dive deeper into gene activation and nature vs. nurture. 🐦
👉 Download the full lesson with a free educator account: https://bit.ly/sclrebecca
#BiologyTeachers #ScienceEducation #STEM #AnimalBehavior #CellSignaling #ZooScience #APBio
