Curated OER
Vermicomposting
First graders investigate composting. In this biology lesson, 1st graders identify ways to use garbage as fertilizer. Students examine soil and compost matter as well as the role of worms in the dirt.
Curated OER
Algae in the Aquarium
Tenth graders determine the cause of an algal bloom in a classroom aquarium. Students analyze the situation and present a solution to the problem in the given time frame after researching and conducting experiments. Solutions are...
Curated OER
Inside the Egg, Hatching Chickens
Students explore how an egg becomes fertilized. In this biology lesson, students "candle" a variety of eggs in order to determine which ones have been fertilized and which ones haven't. Student use paper plates to create a graphic on the...
Curated OER
Succession and Microclimate
Students compare the population of insects in different microclimates. In this biology lesson, students collect data using probes to tabulate temperature and soil data. They predict how certain parameters change as an area goes through...
Curated OER
Secret Agents of Dissolved Oxygen
Students determine the changes in different types of water in a sealed container over time. They investigate how to measure dissolved oxygen, temperature, and carbon dioxide with calculator or computer probe-ware. Students determine the...
Curated OER
Using A Winogradsky Column to Analyze Microbial Communities
Students use easily obtained materials to study ecological succession in a microbiological community. They collect water samples from outdoor sources in plastic bottles to observe and record changes.
Curated OER
The Breathtaking Nature of the Urban Explosion, Part 2
Learners explore ozone levels. They measure the concentrations of ground-level ozone in the atmosphere. Students observe changes in the concentrations of ozone over time. Learners complete a data sheet to record ozone readings over a...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human Skin Color: Evidence for Selection
Skin color is controlled by at least six genes. Young scientists learn about skin colors through a documentary. They discuss the topics of pigment, natural selection, and vitamin D absorption. They apply their knowledge to higher order...
Serendip
Diffusion and Cell Size and Shape
Is your class ready to size up the topic of diffusion? Help them get cell shape savvy with a well-written handout. The resource covers how substances such as oxygen passively move through the cell membrane and how cell size and shape...
University of California
Energy and Biomass Pyramids
Young scientists play tag as they act out the food pyramid in the ocean ecosystem. Energy circles pass from the smaller prey to the predators and at the end of the activity, a data chart and analysis questions allow pupils to apply their...
Illustrative Mathematics
Logistic Growth Model, Abstract Version
Here learners get to flex some serious algebraic muscles through an investigation of logistic growth. The properties of the constant terms in the logistic growth formula are unraveled in a short but content-dense activity. Moving...
Curated OER
Simple Machines IV - Levers
The principles of levers and simple machines are presented here. An easy-to-make lever is constructed by each group of scientists, and they use it to explore how this simple machine makes heavy things so much easier to lift and move. A...
Curated OER
What's on Your Plate?
Students demonstrate the path of food in the body. In this biology lesson plan, students conduct an experiment to determine how large the the digestive system is. They name the different organs involved in the digestive process.
Curated OER
Beans and Birds: A Natural Selection Simulation
Learners solve the following problem concerning the evolution of seed color in pinto bean plants: "How does natural selection change the frequency of genes or traits over many generations?" They use the constructivist approach to...
Curated OER
Butterfly Life Cycle
Second graders explore biology. In this life cycle lesson, 2nd graders act out the stages a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. They spend days prior to this lesson observing caterpillars they have collected and developing...
Curated OER
My Little Seed House
Second graders explore plant life by participating in a germination activity. In this botany lesson, 2nd graders read several books about seed germination including Sunflower House and Tiny Seed. Students identify the necessary elements...
Curated OER
Heredity And Environment
Students complete a pre-test on the relationship between heredity and the environment. As a class, they write down descriptions of themselves and identify which traits can be changed and not changed. In groups, they determine which genes...
Curated OER
Going to Extremes: High Anxiety
Young scholars examine the dangers of mountain climbing. After watching a video, they discuss the role of a German research team going into the Alps to predict who is going to adjust to the change in oxygen levels. They discover the...
Curated OER
Ziploc Gardening
Students observe beans germinating in a plastic bag. In this bean growing lesson, students predict what their beans will look like. Students draw illustrations to record the changes in their bean plants. Students should also note the...
Curated OER
Colorful Nutrients
Students participate in an experiment to understand how plants get nutrients. In this plant nutrition, lesson students examine how colored water goes through the stem of a plant to the flower. Students discuss the parts of the flower and...
Curated OER
Down, Dung and Dirty
Young scholars investigate the stages of succession in animal dung communities. They create a dung culture using fresh cow, goat or horse dung then record data on the fungal species that appear over a two week period.
Curated OER
Evolution of Sea Creatures
Students identify and describe the mechanisms of natural selection. They study Cambrian Period animals and discuss adaptations for their specific environment.Students compare and contrast a modern sea animal with the Cambrian era animal...
Curated OER
Basic Needs of Plants
Fourth graders explore the four basic needs of plants. They examine plants as they grow. Students discuss the changes that they see in the growing plants. They observe what happens to a plant when one of its basic needs is taken away.
Polk County Education
Winter Survival/Hike
Hibernation isn't just about staying fed, it's about staying warm. Young environmentalists explore the importance of staying warm in the wilderness with a short lesson about surviving in the wild. Using gelatin to represent warm-blooded...