Columbus City Schools
Photosynthesis and Respiration
Thirty percent of the world's oxygen is produced by rainforests found throughout the world. Seventh grade learners explore the processes of photosynthesis and respiration through 10 days of labs, manipulatives, and discussions. They...
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Forest Food Chains and Webs
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...
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Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Students analyze organic production systems. In this organic agriculture lesson, students examine key organic practices for both crop and livestock. This lesson includes 5 different activities, 4 critical thinking questions and...
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Web of Predators and Prey
Students investigate the components food chains and food webs in various ecosystems. They describe how living things depend on one another for food energy (food chain) and how more than one food chain exists in an ecosystem
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Watershed Lesson Plan
Students are introduced to the concepts of a watershed, stream flow and water quality. This five-day plan is an excellent way to introduce students to the concepts involved. They create their own watershed using a paper bag, water and...
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Web of Predators and Prey
Students investigate the food chain by researching the Internet. In this ecosystem lesson, students view the video "Competitor and Predator" and read a book from the series "The Magic School Bus." Students utilize a worksheet...
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Marine Food Web
Students investigate the effects of the food chain on all animals by creating a food web. In this seafood lesson, students discuss energy flow and research a specific marine organism of their choice. Students create a food...
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What Goes Around Comes Around!
Learners create an ecosystem in a jar to show a model of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle. Working in small groups, they research and present orally the information they find on this cycle.
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Food Web Mobile
Students explain the main concepts of food webs and food chains. They
describe the role of animals, plants, and other organisms in cycling energy and matter through a food web by creating mobiles. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.
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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...
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Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Ninth graders explain the purpose of MPA's. In this biology lesson plan, 9th graders identify MPA's in Southern California. They simulate coastal sampling using candy from two buckets. Students analyze their results and share it with the...
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The Sonoran Desert
Little learners examine a map of the southwestern United States and identify the Sonoran Desert. They locate different cities and rivers, determining whether or not each is found within this special ecosystem. A student handout is...
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Photosynthesis
Seventh graders investigate a multidisciplinary unit with an emphasis in using technology in order to engage them. The students perform Internet research about photosynthesis with a written assessment taken from the WebQuest.
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Trail Adventure
Young scholars create a trail with numbered specimens. Students complete an accurate and functional interactive trail activity brochure. They complete a web page tree identification guide and interactive identification activity. Young...
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Predator and Prey Game
Students explore the why the balance among producers, predators and prey is necessary in order for an ecosystem to be sustained over time. Through web games and activities, they discover how each component of the food chain works to...
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Food Web Follies
Seventh graders cut and paste animal pictures to create a food web and trace the path of energy. They write a paragraph explaining the importance of photosynthesis in all food webs.
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Connect the Species
Fourth graders, in pairs, explore energy transfer and species interrelationships by viewing slides on a microscope. hey explore phytoplankton (producers) and zooplankton (consumers)
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Biome-Ecology Unit with a "Design a Zoo" Extension
Students participate in a three part unit about biomes. Part one, students research the biomes of North America and part two consists of research on zoos and a field trip to a zoo. While part three ties together the first two when...
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Genetic Disorders with Cultural Roots: International Insects
Learners recognize that certain populations have specific genetic disorders that could benefit or harm them in their environment, work out punnett square problems and infer offspring probabilities from results, and provide advantages and...
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Dirty Decomposers
Seventh graders design and conduct experiments to determine what environmental factors favor decomposition by soil microbes. They use chunks of carrot for the materials to be decomposed, and their experiments are carried out in plastic...
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Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Students examine how to use ecological analysis to animal production systems. In this sustainable agriculture lesson students examine where the nutrients flow in a system and complete several activities.
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Choose Your Defense: Spines, Vomit and Camouflage
Students investigate defensive mechanisms of insects and organisms. In this biology lesson, students draw imaginary caterpillars as well as imaginary parasites that will harm the caterpillar. Students utilize the Internet to...
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Marine Food Webs
Students examine how food webs illustrate the ways in which organisms depend on each other for energy and nutrients, and make food webs showing the feeding relationships among organisms encountered in the Gal??pagos coastal waters.
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Pond and Pond Organisms
Learners explore pond ecosystems. In this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms. The activity is designed for younger grades, but...