Science9-12+
Glucose Regulation Inquiry Lab for High School Biology
By Rebecca C.
A hands-on inquiry lab for 9th graders in which students form a hypothesis, collect and record data in a table, and explore how insulin and glucagon keep blood glucose stable. It builds skills in scientific reasoning, data analysis, and connecting homeostasis to everyday eating patterns, and it fits a single extended lab period.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a single extended lab block (roughly 45-60 minutes), either as a whole-class introduction to homeostasis or as a follow-up after students have seen the Key Terms.
- Discussion question: Why does blood glucose rise after a high-carbohydrate meal, and which hormone works to bring it back down?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: pre-teach the four Key Terms (homeostasis, hormone, insulin, glucagon) and provide a partially completed data table with sentence starters for the hypothesis.
- Extension for advanced students: have them predict how a condition such as insulin resistance would change the glucose curve, then design a variable to test that prediction.
- Estimated time: about 50 minutes including hypothesis writing, data collection, and a short written conclusion.
Science9-12+
Glucose Regulation Inquiry Lab for High School Biology
By Rebecca C.
A hands-on inquiry lab for 9th graders in which students form a hypothesis, collect and record data in a table, and explore how insulin and glucagon keep blood glucose stable. It builds skills in scientific reasoning, data analysis, and connecting homeostasis to everyday eating patterns, and it fits a single extended lab period.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a single extended lab block (roughly 45-60 minutes), either as a whole-class introduction to homeostasis or as a follow-up after students have seen the Key Terms.
- Discussion question: Why does blood glucose rise after a high-carbohydrate meal, and which hormone works to bring it back down?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: pre-teach the four Key Terms (homeostasis, hormone, insulin, glucagon) and provide a partially completed data table with sentence starters for the hypothesis.
- Extension for advanced students: have them predict how a condition such as insulin resistance would change the glucose curve, then design a variable to test that prediction.
- Estimated time: about 50 minutes including hypothesis writing, data collection, and a short written conclusion.