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Student-Designed Enzyme Lab: Investigating Factors That Affect Enzyme Activity
Students design and conduct an investigation on enzyme activity.
This resource is a student-designed inquiry lab on enzyme activity, intended as a culminating investigation for a biomolecules or proteins unit. Students plan and conduct their own experiment to test how environmental factors affect enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
Rather than following a fixed procedure, students choose a research question (such as the effect of temperature or pH), request materials, and design a method for collecting data. They then analyze their results and write a formal lab report, including hypothesis, variables, data tables, graphs, and conclusions.
Two complete formats are included:
In-person lab version:
Students use real materials (such as pineapple, jello, hydrogen peroxide, or liver tissue) to investigate enzymes such as bromelain, catalase, or amylase. A structured planning section guides students through experimental design, variable control, and safety considerations. A materials request form is included so students must justify what they need for their investigation.
Digital interactive version:
For classrooms that cannot run the wet lab, or for students who need an alternate format, a digital version simulates six of the most common enzyme investigations. Students manipulate variables and observe realistic outcomes based on how enzymes respond to temperature and pH. This version supports the same experimental design and analysis goals as the in-person lab.
Teacher supports are built in. The resource includes:
A teacher “grocery list” of possible materials
Explanations of the most commonly designed investigations (answer key)
Student lab planning pages
Formal lab report structure
Printable paper version and digital version
This lab is designed to assess students’ understanding of:
Enzyme function as proteins
Factors that affect reaction rate
Experimental design and variable control
Data interpretation and scientific explanation
It works well as a summative investigation at the end of a biomolecules or enzymes unit and is appropriate for middle and high school biology.
Grade Recommendation
Grade Level: 9–11 (High School Biology – Enzymes and Biochemistry Unit)
This hands-on and digital lab set is designed for high school students investigating how environmental conditions (temperature, pH, enzyme concentration) affect enzyme activity.
The paper lab encourages design, data collection, and collaborative experimentation.
The digital version provides a complete asynchronous experience, ideal for students who were absent, need review, or require differentiated digital access.
It could also be adapted for advanced middle school (8th grade honors life science) when simplified for guided data collection.
To see a preview of the digital version of this lab, click here.
Cross-Curricular Connections
ELA Integration: Students engage in scientific writing through the formal lab report, incorporating citations and clear evidence-based reasoning.
Math Integration: Students measure, record, and graph reaction rates under different conditions.
Chemistry Integration: Students explore reaction kinetics, denaturation, and structure-function relationships.
Technology Integration: The digital version strengthens digital literacy through interactive review, online graphing, and virtual lab features.
Extension Ideas:
Students could compare catalase and amylase reactions under identical conditions.
Add a reflection prompt connecting enzyme activity to food science (Jello/pineapple example).
Join the Lesson Laboratory and Teach for Tomorrow!
NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
High School Life Science
HS-LS1-1: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins, which carry out life’s essential functions.
Connection: Students connect enzyme structure to its catalytic function and explore how denaturation alters shape and function.HS-LS1-6: Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules.
Connection: Introduces enzymes as proteins formed through these biochemical pathways.HS-LS1-7: Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process involving many different chemical reactions.
Connection: Students relate enzymatic catalysis to metabolic pathways like respiration.
Science & Engineering Practices:
Planning and carrying out investigations
Analyzing and interpreting data
Constructing explanations and communicating results
Crosscutting Concepts:
Structure and function
Stability and change
Cause and effect
Common Core Standards
Applicable Standards (Grades 9–10):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3: Follow multistep procedures when conducting experiments or analyzing data.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed visually (graphs, charts) with written explanations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to convey scientific information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support scientific analysis.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.ID.A.1: Represent data with plots on real number lines (histograms, dot plots, and box plots).
Students design and conduct an investigation on enzyme activity.
This resource is a student-designed inquiry lab on enzyme activity, intended as a culminating investigation for a biomolecules or proteins unit. Students plan and conduct their own experiment to test how environmental factors affect enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
Rather than following a fixed procedure, students choose a research question (such as the effect of temperature or pH), request materials, and design a method for collecting data. They then analyze their results and write a formal lab report, including hypothesis, variables, data tables, graphs, and conclusions.
Two complete formats are included:
In-person lab version:
Students use real materials (such as pineapple, jello, hydrogen peroxide, or liver tissue) to investigate enzymes such as bromelain, catalase, or amylase. A structured planning section guides students through experimental design, variable control, and safety considerations. A materials request form is included so students must justify what they need for their investigation.
Digital interactive version:
For classrooms that cannot run the wet lab, or for students who need an alternate format, a digital version simulates six of the most common enzyme investigations. Students manipulate variables and observe realistic outcomes based on how enzymes respond to temperature and pH. This version supports the same experimental design and analysis goals as the in-person lab.
Teacher supports are built in. The resource includes:
A teacher “grocery list” of possible materials
Explanations of the most commonly designed investigations (answer key)
Student lab planning pages
Formal lab report structure
Printable paper version and digital version
This lab is designed to assess students’ understanding of:
Enzyme function as proteins
Factors that affect reaction rate
Experimental design and variable control
Data interpretation and scientific explanation
It works well as a summative investigation at the end of a biomolecules or enzymes unit and is appropriate for middle and high school biology.
Grade Recommendation
Grade Level: 9–11 (High School Biology – Enzymes and Biochemistry Unit)
This hands-on and digital lab set is designed for high school students investigating how environmental conditions (temperature, pH, enzyme concentration) affect enzyme activity.
The paper lab encourages design, data collection, and collaborative experimentation.
The digital version provides a complete asynchronous experience, ideal for students who were absent, need review, or require differentiated digital access.
It could also be adapted for advanced middle school (8th grade honors life science) when simplified for guided data collection.
To see a preview of the digital version of this lab, click here.
Cross-Curricular Connections
ELA Integration: Students engage in scientific writing through the formal lab report, incorporating citations and clear evidence-based reasoning.
Math Integration: Students measure, record, and graph reaction rates under different conditions.
Chemistry Integration: Students explore reaction kinetics, denaturation, and structure-function relationships.
Technology Integration: The digital version strengthens digital literacy through interactive review, online graphing, and virtual lab features.
Extension Ideas:
Students could compare catalase and amylase reactions under identical conditions.
Add a reflection prompt connecting enzyme activity to food science (Jello/pineapple example).
Join the Lesson Laboratory and Teach for Tomorrow!
NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
High School Life Science
HS-LS1-1: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins, which carry out life’s essential functions.
Connection: Students connect enzyme structure to its catalytic function and explore how denaturation alters shape and function.HS-LS1-6: Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules.
Connection: Introduces enzymes as proteins formed through these biochemical pathways.HS-LS1-7: Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process involving many different chemical reactions.
Connection: Students relate enzymatic catalysis to metabolic pathways like respiration.
Science & Engineering Practices:
Planning and carrying out investigations
Analyzing and interpreting data
Constructing explanations and communicating results
Crosscutting Concepts:
Structure and function
Stability and change
Cause and effect
Common Core Standards
Applicable Standards (Grades 9–10):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3: Follow multistep procedures when conducting experiments or analyzing data.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed visually (graphs, charts) with written explanations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to convey scientific information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support scientific analysis.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.ID.A.1: Represent data with plots on real number lines (histograms, dot plots, and box plots).