Tag Archives: Punnett Square Activities

Exploring Cell Phone Usage versus GPA With This Graphing Activity

Are you a science teacher looking for engaging ways to incorporate real-world data into your lessons? This Cell Phone Graphing activity is a fantastic way for students to explore the relationship between cell phone usage and academic performance through hands-on data analysis. By graphing actual research findings, students will gain valuable insights into the scientific process and strengthen their graphing skills. Let’s dive into how this biology graphing activity can be an impactful addition to your curriculum!

Scenario Overview

In this activity, students will analyze data from a hypothetical study that investigates whether there is a correlation between cell phone usage and academic performance among college students. This setup helps students explore questions related to the impact of screen time on GPA—a relevant topic in today’s digital age.

Background and Relevance

As smartphones have become integral to daily life, researchers have raised concerns about the potential effects of screen time on academic outcomes. This study specifically examines whether the time spent on cell phones correlates with students’ GPA. By diving into this investigation, students will better understand how lifestyle choices can impact educational performance, making the data both relatable and relevant.

Experimental Design in Focus

For this activity, students will work with data collected from a sample of college students who participated in an experiment:

  1. Data Collection: Each participant’s cell phone usage was automatically logged using an app installed on their phone, tracking hours per day spent on the device.
  2. Academic Performance Measurement: Students’ GPAs were recorded as a measure of their academic performance.
  3. Controlled Variables: To ensure consistency, participants reported having similar study habits and extracurricular commitments, providing more reliable data for analysis.

Student Graphing Task

Using the data provided on cell phone usage and GPA, students will graph the results to visualize potential trends and correlations. They will learn how to interpret the graph’s structure, identify patterns, and discuss any observed relationships between the variables.

Teaching Objectives

This biology graphing activity aligns with core educational objectives in science:

  • Data Interpretation Skills: Students will practice interpreting theoretical data by plotting hours of cell phone use against GPA, which encourages critical thinking.
  • Understanding Correlation: This activity introduces the concept of correlation versus causation, helping students recognize that even if a trend exists, it may not imply causation.
  • Real-Life Application of Biology Concepts: By examining the impact of technology on biological behaviors like study patterns, students will see relevance to everyday life.
Click here to download activity

Why Include This Activity in Your Lesson Plan?

Integrating this science graphing activity into your curriculum helps students engage with real-world scientific research and develop essential graphing skills. Students will leave the activity with a deeper understanding of how researchers design studies, analyze data, and draw conclusions based on evidence.

This Cell Phone Graphing activity makes a valuable addition to any biology or science class, fostering scientific inquiry and helping students develop practical data interpretation skills. Give it a try and watch your students become more proficient in scientific analysis!


For those seeking engaging science graphing activities, this is an ideal resource for your classroom. It brings abstract research concepts into a relatable context for students and provides a unique perspective on the impacts of cell phone use on academic performance.

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Punnett Square Challenge

Recently, my class was finishing up the unit on genetics and learning how to do a variety of punnett squares  and  I knew I needed to create a better way to review this concept.

Inheritance Patterns: Punnett Squares

So… I created this Punnett Square Challenge that my students love.

Prior to completing this punnett square activity, students should have had exposure to examples, of complete dominance, incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and dihybrid crosses.

After students have had some practice with  punnet squares, this activity will serve as a review or a great gauge for \their understanding of the content.

In this activity,  students will complete each punnett square (1 through 6) in order.

Student will only receive one punnett square at a time and will only get the next one when they have correctly completed the preceding punnett square.

I have found that students generate great conversation when working together to complete these punnett squares, although it can be done independently.

Each new punnett square will add a degree of difficulty as they progress through the activity. I walk around with folders that contain the problems. As they get them correct I give them the next problem.

If students complete the activity within  first or second I offer them a homework pass or bonus points. I have done this as a race and timed and both way worked well. The homework pass incentive takes their effort up a notch.

Student always enjoy this and the discussions that take places are amazing.

Click here to receive this activity directly to your inbox!

If you like this you will love our Biochemistry boxing activity!

Genetics Worksheets and Activities

Using our Biology Curriculum, your students will be introduced to genetics using a variety of activities and worksheets. This is one of my favorite topics to teach students.

Download your Punnett Square worksheet below!

Students will be engaged with a fun classroom trait survey. Students really love doing the trait survey and learning how unique they are.

After completing the trait survey your students will complete their guided notes that go along with all our USBT presentations.

Engage your students!

The presentations are designed in a way that will allow you to instruct at a reasonable pace while highlighting key points the key point they will need for their state assessment.

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You won’t be waiting for your students to write down every word on the slide, so they can spend more time listening and you can cover content at a faster pace.

After getting introduced to the key vocabulary terms your students will complete our Punnett square worksheet that will ease your students into completing Punnett squares.

Using our beach ball activity, your student will have fun and get lots of repetition on the key vocabulary terms.

Punnett Square Worksheet

As students gain confidence using exit activities and bell ringer worksheets student are introduced to our incomplete dominance, complete dominance worksheets and even dihybrid cross worksheets.

Prior to their assessment students will complete a series of worksheets that increase in difficulty as they try to be the first group to the finish the Punnett Square Competition. The first group done can be rewarded with a homework pass.

If you like the activities we have shared here you will love our Full Biology Curriculum.

Our Full Biology Curriculum includes the following for every unit:

  • Bell Ringers
  • Daily Agenda PowerPoint
  • Detailed PowerPoint Notes with Guided Notes for Students
  • All the necessary worksheets, labs and activities with rubrics included
  • Multiple versions of assessments that are aligned with the content
  • Modified Assessment for you IEP students
  • Quizlets that have all the vocabulary, so your student can study the terms with ease
  • Exit activities for each day
  • Lesson extensions
  • Detailed lesson plans with instructional recommendations, classroom management tips and step by step instructions for successfully implementing the curriculum.

Click here to learn more about our Full Biology Curriculum.

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#punnettsquares #genetics #pedigree

Punnett Squares

Inheritance Patterns: Punnett Squares

Recently, my class was finishing up the unit on genetics and learning how to do a variety of punnett squares  and  I knew I needed to create a better way to review this concept.

So… I created this Punnett Square Challenge that my students love.

Click here for to receive an email copy of this lesson.

Prior to completing this punnett square activity, students should have had exposure to examples, of complete dominance, incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and dihybrid crosses.

After students have had some practice with  punnet squares, this activity will serve as a review or a great gauge for \their understanding of the content.

In this activity,  students will complete each punnett square (1 through 6) in order.

Student will only receive one punnett square at a time and will only get the next one when they have correctly completed the preceding punnett square.

I have found that students generate great conversation when working together to complete these punnett squares, although it can be done independently.

Each new punnett square will add a degree of difficulty as they progress through the activity. I walk around with folders that contain the problems. As they get them correct I give them the next problem.

If students complete the activity within  first or second I offer them a homework pass or bonus points. I have done this as a race and timed and both way worked well. The homework pass incentive takes their effort up a notch.

Student always enjoy this and the discussions that take places are amazing.

Click here to receive this activity directly to your inbox!

If you like this you will love our Biochemistry boxing activity!

Punnett Square Practice-Interactive Notebook

wpid-20130307_210610.jpgHere is an excellent set of  five punnett square practice problems students could complete after getting the basics down. I had my students color code them in their interactive notebooks.