Cotton is a natural fiber which does not produce environmental pollutant such as microplastic. Furthermore, it is known that xylose is produced from cottonseed hulls. However, experiments on cotton and sugar have not been well developed in high school biology. Therefore, in this study, we established a method to produce glucose and xylose from cotton fibers and cottonseed hulls. The obtained sugars could be analyzed by various methods such as sugar test strips, Bial’s reaction, thin layer chromatography, and aminocarbonyl reaction. The educational practice of these methods has shown that they can be implemented in high school classes and help students learn about sugars. Thus, this study was the first step in the development of teaching materials for learning about sugars in relation to clothing, the environment, and food, while developing experimental skills.

Science classes in elementary school were viewed favorably because they involve many thinking activities, but biology classes in high school were often ridiculed as a memorization subject. This study investigated the characteristics of student and teacher activities in these classes by school type by examining teaching plans for elementary school science and Basic Biology. Teacher behavior during class was divided into 10 categories and tabulated. At 33.0%, the activities classified as “making students think and make decisions” was the highest in elementary school, and the highest rate in high school was “explaining the content” at 31.5%. In particular, the concept of “comparison” was often used in elementary school science classes, but it could be assumed that in high school, due to the influence of university entrance exams, there were more activities related to explanation. However, since using science concepts thinking leads to the development of thinking ability, it was thought that it was necessary to improve classes by creating situations where students can use science concepts even when giving explanations.