Curated OER
Cherishing the Water of Life
Students work in small groups to brainstorm a list of all creatures, plants, natural, and artificial processes that use or depend on fresh water. The class views an aquarium filled with water representing all the water in the world. The...
American Museum of Natural History
Ocean Creature Feature
From coloring to hard protective shells, ocean creatures have adaptation features that help them survive. An eight-question online quiz highlights different ocean animals and their unique characteristics. The resource then offers pop-up...
Curated OER
Small Pond Creatures
Students complete a unit about the different creatures that can live in a small pond habitat. They create a glossary, create a class Small Pond mural, develop a Frog Fact File, read a variety of books, and conduct research for a report...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Make a Difference!
We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...
NOAA
What Killed the Seeds?
Can a coral cure cancer? Take seventh and eighth grade science sleuths to the underwater drugstore for an investigation into emerging pharmaceutical research. The fifth installment in a series of six has classmates research the wealth of...
Curated OER
Getting Food
Students complete activities to learn about the ocean food web. In this ocean life instructional activity, students discuss how the tides affect feeding, learn about filter feeders, grazers, predators, and scavengers. Students then group...
Curated OER
Monet's Magical Garden
Students study classic paintings by masters like Monet. In this art history lesson, students listen to the story Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert and sing flower songs with the rest of their class. Students examine the painting The...
Curated OER
Anchialine Cave Species
Ever heard of a stygofauna or a stygobite? How about an anchialine cave? Set your young biologists on a quest to find information about organisms that live in and have adapted to life in caves located near the water. Class members then...
NOAA
Off Base
How does carbon dioxide affect the world's oceans? The final installment in a series of six lessons has pupils research ocean acidification, then conduct an experiment to witness the delicate balance that exists in our seas. Materials...
NOAA
The Methane Circus
Step right up! An engaging research-centered lesson, the third in a series of six, has young archaeologists study the amazing animals of the Cambrian explosion. Working in groups, they profile a breathtaking and odd creature and learn...
NOAA
Animals of the Fire Ice
When the sun's rays can't reach the producers in a food web, where does all the energy come from? Extreme environments call for extreme food sources. Young scientists investigate creatures that appear to get their energy from methane...
Curated OER
Graphing Aquatic Insects
Students identify aquatic insects. In this organism lesson plan, students locate aquatic insects near a local waterway and collect them. Students graph the amount of insects that they collected.
Curated OER
The Intertidal Zone: Tide and How Creatures Survive
Students explore oceanography by completing science worksheets. In this tide pools lesson, students discuss the forces of the tide pools, the animals that live within them, and the impact they have on the rest of the ocean. Students...
Curated OER
Creatures in Torch Lake
Students investigate pond ecology. They gather water samples from various sources, add grass, and let it sit for a week. Afterward, using microscopes, they identify the microorganisms present in the sample.
Curated OER
Venomous Marine Animals
Students name and describe six venomous marine animals. After participating in an activity, they define new vocabulary words. In groups, they complete worksheets to use while researching a specific venomous animal of their choice. ...
Curated OER
Food Chains and Food Webs
Fourth graders study intertidal organisms and their role in the food web. In this food web lesson, 4th graders read the book The Sea That Feeds Us and discuss food webs. Students study pictures of intertidal creatures and discuss their...
Curated OER
Electrophoresis Analogy
Students use and listen to analogies to help them become familiar with electrophoresis. One example is: Imagine a huge swimming pool full of water and many entangled nets (this is the agarose gel). A dump truck comes along and dumps...
Curated OER
Examining Pond Life
Students collect and examine microscopic life from a local pond. In this biology lesson plan, students examine local pond water, searching for protozoa, with the use of a microscope. Students identify the various life forms in their...
Curated OER
Indian Ocean Explored
Students examine the rich array of marine wildlife that lives in waters surrounding the Indian subcontinent. They explore the relationships among organisms in coral reefs. They explore environmental dangers to coral reefs and research...
Curated OER
Introduction to Ocean Grazers
Learners explore biology by creating a poster with classmates. In this oceanography lesson, students identify the importance of coral reefs to the ocean's ecology and examine a food web of ocean animals. Learners define a list of...
Curated OER
Critters in the Classroom
Students investigate with sea urchins. For this ocean habitat lesson, students observe sea urchins and other ocean grazers. Students work with lab equipment to examine the anatomy of these creatures.
Curated OER
Ted Hughes "Pike"
Middle schoolers analyze how a poet uses language to capture creatures and draft a poem on a 'sinister' animal. In this poetry analysis lesson, students read Ted Hughes' poem 'Pike' and analyze pictures of pike fish. Middle schoolers use...
Curated OER
Hudson Canyon Expedition; Fishy Deep Sea Designs!
Students explore the physical location of deep water habitats along the Hudson Shelf Valley and in Hudson Canyon. They study the basic characteristics of the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones with regard to depth, temperature, pres
Curated OER
Earthworm Bridge
Fourth graders complete analysis experiments for decomposers and their adaptable traits. In this decomposers lesson, 4th graders test worm behavior to light, sound, warmth, touch, and moisture. Students work in groups to analyze the...