10 awesome ways to make biology lessons visual and interactive

Many years ago, when I still was a student, biology was not my favourite subject to learn. And this is a bit surprising since I’m genuinely interested in science, nature, wildlife and animals. “Planet Earth” Narrated by Sir David Attenborough is my all time favourite of wildlife movies.

So I was wondering, what would have tricked me as a little boy to be more involved and engaged in biology lessons.

Here are 6 my attempts:

1. Interactive images

Using the Hotspot Image allows you to create very interactive images. You can add hotspots on a background image. Clicking these hotspots will reveal video, sounds, text, websites, etc. Hotspots can be marked. And even better: they can be hidden as well. It will be your students’ quest to find them all. One example is the use of sound. When learning about the songbird, it would be fun to hear how they sound. Check this out!

Another example is combining hotspots with videos. Whether these are online YouTube video’s or video’s you made yourself. (Take a look at this blogpost on flipping the classroom). Hotspots are an easy way to collect these videos in one widget and present them to your students.

Here’s another example with images:

If these examples have inspired you and you’re looking for more ideas, be sure to check out this blog.

2. Interactive Quiz, Worksheet, Split Worksheet or Video Quiz.

This is an example of a Split Worksheet, a very simple but strong concept. Students can read information and course materials on the right-hand side of the screen. The left-hand side displays the interactive questions. Students can do the Quiz on their own pace. After answering the questions, clicking “show answers”, will display the right answers. And since we all love princesses and frogs you might want to learn a bit more about frogs. Click on the image to open the example exercise.

Use a Split Worksheet to combine an audio fragment with an exercise. It can be something you recorded yourself or, as we did, an existing podcast. By combining the audio with the exercise, students can easily pause the audio whenever they feel it is necessary, allowing them to work at their own pace.

You can also embed a website in our Split Worksheet. This allows students to use a tool directly within the exercise without needing to navigate to an external site or tool. On one side, they’ll interact with the tool, while on the other side, they’ll find the instructions or questions you’ve provided. This not only makes it easier for you as a teacher to keep an eye on your students but also helps them stay focused, ensuring they are using the correct website without any confusion.

Or have you ever used our Video Quiz Widget? This widget is interesting when you have a video on a specific topic and you want to test their understanding. You can add your questions at selected timestamps, ensuring students stay focused throughout the video. If they miss or don’t understand something, they can easily go back and listen again.

3. Whiteboard or Split Whiteboard

Even the Whiteboard and Split Whiteboard widget can be used in biology lessons. Just add a background image, and let the students draw! Here they need to draw the direction of the blood flows.

And in this Whiteboard Widget example, students have to place stickers to position the organs correctly. They can click on the small star icon at the bottom to open the sticker menu. After selecting a sticker, they can click on it, and it will appear in the top left corner of the widget. From there, they can move it freely and resize it using the controls at the bottom.

Looking for more information? Check out this blog! We showcase various examples, including a Split Whiteboard with rich instructions. You’ll also find a link to a tutorial on creating a Whiteboard Widget.

4. Timeline

There is nothing more fascinating than the lifecycle of a butterfly ‘From a caterpillar to a butterfly’. An excellent resource is the free to use website: The Butterfly Site. More resources can be found on: Learn About Nature. Here, your students have to complete this timeline and send you the result.

You can also use a Timeline Widget to introduce students to the progression of a virus or another disease, just like we did in this example. You can choose to display the timeline to your students or let them add their own events to complete it.

For more info on Timeline Widgets check out this blog post.

5. Spot The Difference

Do you know the difference between an African elephant and an Asian elephant? Instead of having a boring list with the differences, let your students discover it with a “Spot The Difference” game. Clicking will reveal whether you are right or wrong. If you’re right, the image will give you some additional information. Check it out yourself by clicking on the image.

Learn more about the benefits of the Spot The Difference Widget in this blog and discover 10 extra ideas.

6. Jigsaw Puzzle

I couldn’t help it. Jigsaw Puzzles are addictive. Choose an image your students can learn form and is fun and educational at the same time. Can you recognise these animals?

Can you tell me whether this is an animal cell or a plant cell?

If you want to learn more about using jigsaw puzzles in your lessons, be sure to check out this blog post with 8 ways to use puzzles in the classroom.

Conclusion

And that’s it! Hopefully, you’ve gained plenty of ideas to make your students fall in love with biology. With BookWidgets, you can turn any lesson into an interactive and engaging experience.

Looking for even more ways to make your lessons interactive? Check out this blog post on Interactive History Lessons or this blog with 25 ready to use STEM lesson ideas. Many of these ideas can also be adapted for other subjects!

Do you have your own creative ways of using BookWidgets in biology class? We’d love to hear them! Share your ideas with us on Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram, or join our teacher community on Facebook.