Curated OER
Managing Wildlife
Students explore the relationship between wildlife and humans in northern New England. They also brainstorm ideas on why they think some species are greater in population than others in a given area.
Curated OER
Wild About Wildfires
Students conduct a debate. In this wildfire and controlled burning instructional activity, students watch the video "Legacy of Fire" and discuss the topic of wildland fires and controlled burns. Half of the class researches the arguments...
Curated OER
Build a Bug
Students design an ideally adapted macroinvertebrate to live in a water habitat. They illustrate their animal, name it and specify the adaptations it has that enable it to survive.
Curated OER
National expansion of the United States (1815 to 1850), and its connection to local Illinois history.
Learners discuss the importance of establishing the I & M Canal water route. They watch a video about the canal's history. They collect and write a personal migration story by interviewing a family member. They analyze trends and...
Curated OER
Working for Water
Students examine the ways that government works to help improve aquatic habitats. In this water habitats lesson plan students view a video and plan a school restoration project.
Curated OER
Fourth Grade Science Quiz
In this science instructional activity, 4th graders take a multiple choice quiz about the weather, moon, electricity, and more. Students complete 15 questions total.
Curated OER
A Limnology Study of Drainage Ditches
Students chemically test water, observe microscopic organisms in the classroom, and screen the sample for macroinvertebrates. They design a reporting sheet that list all the items to be tested and a space to record the results.
Curated OER
A Bight is Born
Students sequence and model the events leading to the formation of the southeastern coast of the United States, including the formation of the South Atlantic Bight.
Curated OER
Environment: How'd That Pollution Get There?
Students examine how global wind and water patterns aid in the spread of worldwide pollution. In groups, they read articles about the domino effect of pollution and create posters displaying its journey. On blank world maps, students...
Curated OER
The Lake Effect
Fourth graders conduct an experiment demonstrating the effects of water and air temperature on precipitation. They create graphs demonstrating their findings using Claris Works for Kids.
Curated OER
Transforming Food Energy: A Balancing Act
Students explain their role as consumers. They use a purchased calorimeter or make their own simple calorimeter to measure the energy content in selected foods. This interesting lesson really gets students thinking about what they eat.
Curated OER
Difficult Decisions: The Sakinaw Sockeye Case Study
Eighth graders examine Sakinaw Sockeye as species at risk, participate in role playing exercise to consider different perspectives of various interest groups, and try to come to consensus on how to deal with dwindling Sakinaw sockeye...
Curated OER
Autumn
Students examine the cycle of nutrients in a forest. They research the concepts of decomposing and recycling within a forest.
Curated OER
Mussel Movements
Students consider the impact of invasive species on local environments. In this ecology lesson, watch the video, Arizona Wildlife Views, which focuses on invasive species. Students develop vocabulary, relate to meaningful comprehension...
Other
Lehigh University: Land Use Change
An inquiry-based science unit for middle school students centered on how human activities affect environmental changes related to land use. The lessons integrate technology and lab activities while teaching about today's land use and how...
![Huntington Library: Mini Ecosystems [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Huntington Library: Mini Ecosystems [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Mini Ecosystems [Pdf]
A lesson plan activity where young scholars create a terrarium inside a plastic bottle using a Venus Flytrap and other plants. They then observe growth and changes over time.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: The Microenvironment Project: Featuring Phenology
A field lab for biology that focuses students on the study of nature and its changes over time. Students are asked to observe and acquire knowledge of trees and the interdependence that a tree shares with other organisms.
University of Michigan
University of Michigan: Global Change: The Flow of Energy: Higher Trophic Levels
This lesson addresses the following questions: What is the efficiency with which energy is converted from trophic level to trophic level? What are the differences between assimilation efficiency, net production efficiency, and ecological...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Observing Living and Non Living Components of an Ecosystem With a Partner
In this activity learners will observe a square foot of an ecosystem surrounding our elementary school. They will keep a journal to record the physical elements of their area. It will include both written details and drawings. They will...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: Succession
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Ecosystems are "dynamic." This means that ecosystems change over time. Both natural forces and human actions cause ecosystems to change. Learn more about succession...
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)
Ministerio De Educacion: La Dinamica De Los Ecosistemas
This unit shows how ecosystems change over time and how matter and energy, which are essential to its operation, are transformed and passed from one living thing to another forming, in some cases, authentic cycles. It contains 19...
Other
Ohio Department of Education: The Long and Short Story of Ecological Succession
An ecology simulation where each student plays a role of an organism in an forest ecosystem. Students earn and keep track of their own survival points to determine which type of organism is most successful at survival during different...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Observing Living and Nonliving Components of an Ecosystem With a Partner
In this biology field lab, students will observe a square foot area of an ecosystem surrounding our elementary school. The students will keep a journal to record the physical elements of the ecosystem which they will visit monthtly. The...