This project uses sea urchin embryos to provide a curriculum module for inquiry-based high school biology. The curriculum is provided via a new open access website, addresses several of the National Science Content Standards and provides a range of activities suitable for all levels of high school biology. The curriculum, through the website, will also provide instructional support materials such as video demonstrations, animations, time lapse videos and image galleries relevant to each exercise. Also included will be substantial material for professional development, including descriptions relating each activity to the national content standards, discussion of major ideas and concepts and links to additional pertinent resources. For each lab concept, five types of activities will be developed: classroom wet labs, virtual wet labs, web-based bioinformatics labs, data manipulation activities and activities for accessing the primary scientific literature. Each activity provides an independent lesson and teachers will be able to create a custom module for one to six weeks of biology curriculum in Grades 9-12.
