Curated OER
Adaptation and Diversity on Sheffield Island
Written for an exploration of shoreline ecosystems on Sheffield Island, this gives ecology or marine biology buffs a hands-on experience. Using GPS or visual triangulation techniques, they lay transect lines on a high and a low energy...
Smithsonian Institution
Watching Crystals Grow
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Curated OER
Nowhere to Hide
Students examine the topic of natural selection. As a class, they write their own definition to survival of the fittest and watch a video. Using the internet, they research how Darwin started to examine this process using finches and how...
Curated OER
Reading Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers
Students discover the impact "Lady Bird" Johnson had on America by reading a short biography. For this historical persons lesson, students read a multi page biography of the former first lady and write a summary of her life's work....
Curated OER
Whale Is Stuck
Learners engage in the process of problem solving with the help of children's literature story of how the whale was trapped and then freed. The story illustrates the power of teamwork and commitment. The students practice the skill of...
Curated OER
Organisms – Their Needs
Students compare and contrast different organisms characteristics. In this life science lesson, students design an experiment about plants and animals needs. They collect data and write their conclusion about the experiment.
Curated OER
The Scientists’ Way
Young scholars summarize the steps of the scientific method. In this life science lesson, students explain the importance of varying only one variable at a time. They analyze possible flaws in their experiment.
Curated OER
Food Webs
Learners identify predator/prey relationships based on the food web of the tropical rain forest ecosystem and realize they need a food web for survival. In this food web lesson plan, students complete a role play activity being animals...
Curated OER
Biology: Cells and Chemical Changes
Students explore the numerous functions of cells in both plants and animals. Following a pre-assessment, they construct cell models and examine onion cell slides stained with iodine or dye. After participating in experiments on how to...
Curated OER
Standard 4 Review Sheet-Key Ideas Biology-The Living Environment
In this living environment worksheet, students answer a variety of questions about living organisms, the processes they go through to make food and break down food, absorb nutrients, and release toxins. They explain homeostasis, they...
Curated OER
Diversity of Life: Pathogens
Students research bacteria and viruses that carry pathogens. In this diversity lesson, students examine how pathogens spread disease through bacteria and viruses. Students write a report on disease caused by bacteria or virus including...
Agriculture in the Classroom
A Rafter of Turkeys
How did that turkey get from the early Aztec culture to your table? Learn about the history of wild and domesticated turkeys in North America, as well as their inclusion in Thanksgiving traditions, with a two-part agricultural science...
Curated OER
Where Does Food Come From?
Distinguish between food and non-food items. Recognize that food is obtained from both plant and animal sources. Identify sources for some common animal foods then construct a simple food path from the farm to the consumer.
K12 Reader
Ecosystems
Examine how living and non-living things work together in a reading passage about ecosystems. Class members read the text and then respond to five response questions that relate specifically to the content of the passage.
LABScI
The Digestive System: Where Does Food Go?
Would you believe that your digestive system stretches to five times your height?! Help your pupils to understand this relationship as they work through the laboratory exercise. The first instructional activity of a 12-part series is a...
University of Southern California
Mastering Microbes
Small but mighty! Learners explore the role of microbes in a healthy ecosystem. An engaging instructional activity asks pupils to design an aquaponics system that demonstrates that healthy microbes are necessary to maintain the ecosystem.
Science Matters
Celery Lab
See firsthand the work plants do to move nutrients through their systems with a lesson that demonstrates the role of the xylem and phloem in plants. Young scientists observe celery move colored water through its stem to the leaves and...
Curated OER
Composting
Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...
Virginia Department of Education
Cell Parts
What do a bird, an egg, a rabbit, and a toad all have in common? This fun-filled resource explains the similarities and differences between cells and how all cells are similar, yet all are different. Learners begin by depicting a...
Curated OER
Dissolved Oxygen Lesson
Students investigate what dissolved oxygen is and why it is important to aquatic life and what factors influence levels of dissolved oxygen in a lake. They study how to use MS Excel to make charts to show trends and correlations.
Curated OER
If Peter Pan Can Fly, Why Can't I?
Students redesign a human, using data in research, so that s/he can fly. In this flying lesson, students examine the characteristics and adaptations of groups of animals that can fly. Using this research, students work...
Curated OER
The Key To Classifying Animals
Explorers of the environment construct a dichotomous key for a variety of organisms and design a key to classify Galapagos animals based on descriptions and images. The activity includes a link to an animal gallery and the worksheet for...
Curated OER
Hide In Plain Sight
Students view video clips and use the Internet to look for hidden animals. They then use the Internet to print out animal shapes and color them. They create environments on construction paper in which their animals can hide.
Curated OER
Creative Writing Lesson Plan: Combination Creature
Students navigate through an online interactive virtual zoo to create imaginary animals by combining different parts of real animals. They write a short story about their combination creature.