Science Matters
Island Fox Outreach
Off the coast of California lives a wild animal called the Island Fox. Experts discuss the importance of the Island Fox to the Channel Islands and the balance the fox creates within its ecosystem. The lesson concludes with a reading of...
Curated OER
What About Shady Acres?
Students participate in a simulation activity where they must decide whether or not to preserve an untouched forest. During the role play, students attend public hearings, discuss the pros and cons of nature development, create...
Curated OER
Peace Corps Challenge Game: Soil Runoff
Students examine the causes and effects of soil runoff. In this environment lesson, students look at ways in which soil runoff is controlled. Students then play a game and discuss how the Peace Corps deals with soil runoff in African...
American Museum of Natural History
Wonderful World of Wasps
Shockingly, wasps sometimes challenge lions as the king of predators! Learners explore the life of a wasp in an interactive online lesson. They read about the characteristics of wasps and then complete activities to learn about their lives.
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The Wild Dolphin Project
Inspire young marine biologists to study animals in the wild with this assignment. Pupils view an eight-minute video and read an article in the New York Times about Denise Herzing's 25-year long study of dolphins in their own natural...
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The Life Cycle of a Butterfly
A well-designed instructional activity on the life cycle of the butterfly is here for you. In it, young scientists spend 45 minutes a day, for one school week, engaged in their study. They take nature walks, participate in activities in...
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Painting versus Photography
High schoolers consider the nature of objectivity and subjectivity in photography as an art form by taking a class poll, discussing the results and writing a one-page paper.
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Changing Planet: Infectious Diseases Classroom Activity
Here is a different approach: emerging epidemiologists first go home to interview family on the topic of infectious disease. Then they come to class and view a video and PowerPoint that explore how climate change may increase the...
WK Kellogg Biological Station
Sounds of Selection
Do you want a creative and fun way to teach about natural selection? Hop to it by turning your middle school princes and princesses into frogs trying to catch as many bugs as possible in a Hungry Hungry Hippos style game. For high...
Curated OER
Children's Playthings And Books
High schoolers categorize studenT toys by intelligence types. They review toy safety and function and identify the appropriate play age of various toys. They read and evaluate studenT books and write one of their own.
Chicago Botanic Garden
The Carbon Cycle
There is 30 percent more carbon in the atmosphere today than there was 150 years ago. The first lesson in the four-part series teaches classes about the carbon cycle. Over two to three days, classes make a model of the cycle, add missing...
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How Would You Feel?
Sixth graders put themselves in the shoes of aborigines who were displaced from their homes in the 1800s by Europeans who came in and took their land from them. They discuss the social injustices suffered by these people, and write a...
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies Anticipation Guide and Activities
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages?” Ah, the central question of Lord of the Flies. As part of their study of William Golding's riveting novel, readers complete an anticipation guide and respond to a series of survey questions...
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Environment: River of Life
Students assess the impact of human activity on the environment. After reading the book, "A River Ran Wild," they role-play and discuss how people changed the river. Students write stories about living along a river from the point of...
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Walking With Thoreau
Students engage in a series of activities geared towards studying the author Henry David Thoreau. They use different sources to obtain information to create context for future lessons. Students attempt to model their own lives to that of...
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Where Am I?
Second graders listen to a Japanese folk tale called "The Traveling Frogs". They role play the story using puppets or costumes. They locate Japan on a map and discuss several geography topics. They independently write about ways they...
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Life Is a Cycle
Students investigate about cycles through games, shared readings and a shared writing activity. They play a game of Ring Around the Rosie to be introduced to the concept of "cycle."
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Habitat Hopscotch
Students analyze different habitats. In this habitat instructional activity, students evaluate what animals need in their habitats. Students participate in the game Habitat Hopscotch.
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My Owl Babies Miss Momma
Students investigate the relationship between children and parents by reading a book about owls. In this story analysis lesson plan, students read the book Owl Babies and participate in a role play based on one of the characters....
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Cultural Creation Myths
Students write original plays based on supernatural explanations of existence. In this cultural creation myths lesson, students listen to five different stories about supernatural creation. Students record similarities and differences in...
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Whoa! Slow Down-Some of You!
Students analyze demographic data (growth rate, natural increase, fertility rate, crude birth rates, and crude death rates) and determine which areas of the world contain the fastest and slowest growth rates. They construct population...
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Air Quality Issues
Students identify the different layers of the atmosphere. They examine the different types of air pollutants. They also discover laws in effect that work to protect the environment.
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Where Do You Fit In?
Students study habitats and then draw a picture of their own habitat which includes the location of food, water, and shelter, and the concept of space. then they cut their habitat in half and discuss how this would affect their lives.