Factors that Affect the Rate of Enzyme Activity Lab using Toothpicks

This listing features four-page lab activity where a designated student in a small group simulates a functioning enzyme that is responsible for breaking apart flat toothpicks in various time trials. This activity is suited for middle or high school physical science and middle or high school life science/biology. Enzymes are a significant factor that affects the rate of reactions. This biochemical role player is a critical component of several scientific fields of study, as mentioned earlier.

In this activity, the hand of the designated student enzyme will serve as the active site. The first trial serves as the control. In the second trial, the concentration of the toothpicks increases four-fold in number. In the third trial, the toothpick concentration further increases from a simulation of enhanced environmental pressure. In the subsequent trial, students add competitive inhibitors (metal dissection T-pins) to the starting toothpick pile. In the fifth trial, students will test the effects of an ice bath exposure on the rate of reaction.

This activity also includes the following:

• A fill-in-the-blank quest in the background section with an accompanying word bank
• A follow up informative paragraph about enzymes in the background section
• A true or false part from the paragraph reading
• Explicit student directions
• Eight essential questions appear within the instructions. They will probe the students' understanding of each step or to have them compare the results from multiple trials.
• Four global summary/analysis questions
• A four-page key with the answers in bold, red font
• A teacher preparatory guide

Teachers will need the following supplies to conduct this activity:

• Timers or stopwatches (one for each group)
• Three to four boxes of 700 flat toothpicks
• A quantity of T-shaped metal dissecting pins
• An ice bath

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