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Activity
Wild BC

Carbon - The Short and the Long

For Teachers 1st - 6th
For this complex game about the carbon cycle, the playing field is divided into air, living, and earth zones. Children are assigned to be either plants or animals, and collect carbon tokens as they proceed from zone to zone. While the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prairie Predator and Prey

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of animals that live on the prairie, and classify them as predators and prey. They conduct interviews where they ask the animals what they need to look out for to sustain life on the prairie.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classifying "Pastanimals"

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore biology by creating a poster presentation. In this animal classification lesson, students utilize a SMART board and practice organizing a group of animal shapes by placing them with similar animal families. Students...
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Taxonomy: Who is in My family?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Physical and Chemical Properties of Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How can you effectively provide detailed concepts of water properties to your high school class in a way they find exciting and challenging at the same time? By letting them play, of course! Through a variety of experiments, pupils...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wonder Underground

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students classify and record objects they find "underground." In this observation lesson, students dig into bins filled with soil and encounter various objects such as bark, twigs, etc. Students classify their findings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classification of Cerealites

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a dichotomous key. In this categorizing lesson, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Students classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students discuss their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Classification

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders design a classification system to categorize animate and inanimate objects. They discuss the advantages of grouping things as they classify buttons, leaves, shells.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forest Food Chains and Webs

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students explore forest ecological systems. In this ecology lesson plan, students classify forest plants and animals according to their ecological roles. Students play a related vocabulary guessing game.  Students choose a card on which...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brine Shrimp Life Cycle

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine brine shrimp through "A Sea Monkey's Life" story. They study the living environments and life cycle of brine shrimp. They look at brine shrimp and cysts through a microscope, identifying new vocabulary that was...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Predictions

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students collect and classify items. In this making predictions lesson, students go outside and collect specimens of plants, insects and minerals. They classify each item and place them in a Venn Diagram. Students compare and contrast...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SORTING ALL SORTS

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine how the method of classification is used. In this sorting lesson students take a pre-test, classify organisms and complete a crossword puzzle.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

4th Grade Life Science Unit: Animals

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders classify animals. In this animal kingdom lesson, 4th graders research animal habitats and behaviors. Students connect to a zoologist via SKYPE and learn about animal classification. Students blog about preserving animal...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cows, Worms and Compost

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore agriculture by viewing a PowerPoint presentation in class. For this animal relationship lesson, 3rd graders identify the types of farm animals humans feed on and their dependency on such small insects like worms....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mini-Ponds

For Teachers 7th - 9th
In this mini pond worksheet, learners create a mini-pond ecosystem with soil, water, and plant life. Students let their ecosystem sit for a day and they observe a sample the next day. Learners identify all the pond water microorganisms...
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Lesson Plan
Michigan Sea Grant

Fish Identification

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Using a dichotomous key, pupils identify characteristics of fish who live in the Great Lakes and explain how these features help them survive. In small groups, class members discover what features scientists consider important and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water, Water Everywhere (Pond Animals)

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the characteristics of animals who live in a pond environment. In groups, they describe the various stages in the life of a frog and identify the characteristics of other pond animals. Using this information,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Circle of Life

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine how the different organisms living in an ecosystem affect one another. In groups, they research a specific ecosystem and present their findings to the class based on the type of organisms found in it. To end the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Composting and Mulching

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders define composting and recognize what can be composted.  In this composting and mulching lesson, 2nd graders classify objects or pictures as good or bad for composting. Students write a story about life in the compost heap.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Red Tail Ridge Wetland Study Project

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders use a real life scenario of the wetlands to gather information on creatures of the habitat.  In this wetlands activity, 5th graders research the interdependence of organisms in a healthy habitat. Students collected samples...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Color in the Garden

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study color in a garden environment. In this color lesson, 3rd graders explore the colors of living and nonliving elements within a garden environment. Resources are provided.
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Classification

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore the scientific method of classification. An interactive activity asks learners to create a classification system for a group of objects and develop a flow chart to communicate their systems. In addition, individuals use a...
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Activity
New South Wales Department of Education

Plant Groups

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Bryophytes can grow in temperatures just above zero degrees. This 17th installment in a series of 20 introduces learners to the five groups of plants: algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Classes then explore...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Cycle of Trees

For Teachers 2nd - 8th Standards
Turn your students into young tree-tectives with this fun science investigation into the life of trees. To begin, a class volunteer gets dressed up in a tree costume as the different parts of trees are introduced. Then, the class learns...