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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Starfish

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students explore the concept of starfish.  In this starfish lesson, students identify the parts of a starfish and how their body works. Students create a starfish using paint and a cornmeal mixture.  They then glue on Cheerios to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Theories: Lamarck and Darwin

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners compare the evolution theories of Lamarck and Darwin. They use self-assessment and a video to increase their knowledge of evolution theories. They research questions and present them to the class.
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Activity
It's About Time

Mass Extinction and Fossil Records

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
The focus of a fossil-based lesson uses graphs and charts that allow young paleontologists to make inferences about events of mass extinction. They must apply their previous knowledge about fossil records in this final lesson of the...
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Lesson Plan
Michigan State University

All About Rodents

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Get to the know the common house mouse and the Norway rat with an activity that reinforces reading comprehension skills. Scholars read a three-page document detailing key information about mammals, specifically rodents, and use their...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Biomes of the World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Incorporate knowledge about biomes and ecosystems in multiple ways while encouraging creativity. Emerging ecologists collaborate and perform research to complete a graphic organizer about various biomes of the world. They conclude the...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Seasons of a Plant

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
The third in a series of six lessons is an engaging three-part activity defines that discusses phenology, focusing on the cyclic seasons of plants. Pupils then observe phenology outside before determining how climate change can...
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Lesson Plan
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PBS

Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson plan that encourages awareness and...
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Lesson Plan
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Rainforest Alliance

Colombia Biodiversity

For Teachers K
How diverse is the rainforest? How much more diverse is a rain forest than a temperate forest? Explore these focus questions in a lesson plan that explores the plants, animals, and insects in forests. After listening to a reading about...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Plant Structure and Function: Roots, Stems, and Leaves

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Scientists found fossils of plants more than 420 million years old—but plants existed for up to 100 million years prior to these fossils. Learn about the importance of plants to the entire planet. Viewing a presentation helps scholars...
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Lesson Plan
Southwestern Medical Center

Field Epidemiology: Investigation of an Unknown Disease

For Teachers 7th - 12th
More than 90 percent of the people in a building have come down with an illness, and it is your job to investigate. Teachers give scientists the data needed to decide what is important and how they can solve the mystery. The exercise is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freshwater Fish Anatomy & Taxonomy

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders use a classification key to identify organisms.  For this classification lesson students identify freshwater species of fish and document their observations. 
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Handout
National Institute of Open Schooling

Biomolecules

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An informative lesson has learners read about, discuss, and study the classification, structure and importance of the following biomolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and enzymes. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Science Lesson Plans on Geologic Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Springboard your fourth and fifth graders into the study geologic time. They will complete 7 activities to learn about geologic time and the topics most often associated with it: astronomy, creation, planet formation, volcanology,...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Age of Reason and Enlightenment

For Teachers 10th - 12th
A presentation that truly covers the age of reason and enlightenment. Nearly every facet, event, and key player in 18th Century Age of Enlightenment is covered. The information is clear, easy to follow, and lends itself well to note...
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Lesson Plan
Serendip

DNA Structure, Function and Replication

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Before a cell replicates, its DNA must replicate. Take advantage of a hands-on guided lesson to teach budding scientists how this happens. Using a set of nucleotide cards, learners become the DNA and work to create matching strands...
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Lesson Plan
Serendip

DNA

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Get up close and personal with DNA! A two-part hands-on activity has learners extract DNA from a small organism and then their own cheek cells. Scholars then explore DNA replication using questions to guide their analyses.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparative Embryological Study of

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students complete two labs. They observe the fertilization and development of sea urchin and zebrafish embryos. They examine the similarities and differences in the development of an invertebrate vs. a vertebrate animal.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parts of the Cell

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine plant and animal cells to observe the organelles present in the cell, to match the function of each to the organelle on a cell model and to build a model of the plant or animal cell.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Become an Expert

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students practice their researching techniques by preparing a presentation with little notice.  In this information research lesson, students utilize the Internet to research one of several subtopics concerning panthers.  Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DNA Diagnosis

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars describe the fundamentals of DNA such as structure and replication. Given a picture of a gel, they circle the band that represents the smallest DNA, the largest DNA, and show which DNA sources are the same.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Problem Solving in Genetic Disorders

For Teachers 10th - 12th
A class of older and academically mature students are divided into pairs, usually one male and one female and are told that they are expecting a child. Unfortunately, their child may or may not have inherited some form of genetic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keep It Clean!

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the how water becomes polluted and how it effects the environment, animals, and humans. They watch a video and conduct experiments.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Insects Are Helpful!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students see that insects do lots good and are very valuable to humans and nature. This is part of an ongoing effort to dispel fears of insects. They rotate through a series of centers that have examples of how insects contribute to our...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Niches and Adaptations

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students present information about a species, its niche, and adaptations. In this lesson plan on animal environments, students explore how surroundings can affect a given population resulting in adaptation.