Alabama Wildlife Federation
Life in a Pond
What living things call an aquatic habitat home? Young learners consider the question after they discuss the characteristics of a typical pond habitat. They identify an animal and then determine if a pond would have all the components to...
Desert Museum
Daisy Ecology
Here's a fine lesson that combines poetry with life sciences. Learners carefully listen to a poem that's all about a food chain. As the poem is read, learners name the producer, the herbivore, the carnivore, and the omnivore. Lots of...
Curated OER
Studying our Senses
Who would not want an opportunity to taste jellybeans in class? During this investigation, life science learners hold their noses as they take a taste test and find that our perception of flavor is connected with our sense of smell. In...
Primary Resources
What Plants Need to Grow
What do seeds need in order to grow into plants? This presentation follows what happened every four days during a seed growth and observation study. Images compare how well two sets of seeds did under specific circumstances. Use this to...
Florida International University
Counting FishStix
How do we count the fish in the ocean? An engaging lesson models how to estimate fish populations with observational surveys. Class members begin by studying the behavior of fish on the coral reef in the oceans. They then become the fish...
Curated OER
Columbus Travel Agency
Eighth graders research about their chosen ecosystem. In this life science lesson, 8th graders play the role of travel agents and create a travel brochure. They share this in class.
Curated OER
Life Science- Useful Waste
Fourth graders explore the topic of waste and recycling. In this useful waste instructional activity, 4th graders classify objects and sort them into most usable and least usable categories. Students complete an activity sheet and have a...
Curated OER
Earth Science Lesson Plans The Proterozoic Era
Middle schoolers explore the Proterozoic Era. For this geologic time periods lesson, students examine the clock of eras charts and listen to a lecture regarding the era.
Curated OER
Marine Animal Life Cycles
Students study the life cycle of a crab and the larval stages of marine animals. In this marine animals lesson, students watch a puppet introduction to a crab's life cycle. Students learn about crab moulting and their life cycle stages....
Curated OER
Viruses/Infectious Diseases: What's Really Bugging You?
Middle school life science or health classes listen to an audio, visit websites, read different articles, and participate in a class-wide simulation about the spread of viruses. The lesson plan doesn't get into the mechanics of how...
Curated OER
Hatching Chickens
Learners observe how chickens hatch. In this life cycles lesson, students read the book Hatching Eggs: A Step by Step Guide and use an incubator to hatch the eggs. Learners observe the chicks hatching and take care of the chicks by...
PBS
The Caterpillar or Larva
The larval stage of the butterfly life cycle is quite exciting. Start a discussion about the specially designed body parts unique to caterpillars. After examining images of caterpillars, learners use plastic soda bottles, string, and...
Curated OER
Jumping Frogs - A Lesson on The Scientific Method
Middle schoolers use origami frogs to experience the scientific method. They define different scientific terms. Also they test a hypothesis and draw conclusions from observations to go through all the steps of the scientific method.
Curated OER
Blubber Gloves
The ways that animals adapt to their environments is quite remarkable. In this life science lesson plan, fifth graders take a look at some of the ways that aquatic animals that live in Arctic or Antarctic waters survive. They perform an...
Curated OER
The Extinction and Rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
An incredibly thorough, and well-designed lesson teaches youngsters about the presumed extinction and rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas. Learners discuss the environmental factors that led to the birds disappearance....
Curated OER
Where Has It Been? Tracking the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
By studying the assumed extinction, and subsequent rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, learners use maps and come up with a scenario for the rediscovery of the bird. This incredibly thorough lesson plan is chock-full of...
Curated OER
My View's Write!
After researching issues involving panthers, middle schoolers practice writing persuasive letters. They become familiar with a controversial issue related to panthers and write their position on the issue. This lesson would be a good...
Curated OER
Who Cares for the Land?
A very thorough lesson plan focuses on what plants need to grow and stay healthy. There are excellent reading activities and worksheets included in this fine plan. A terrific way to introduce a unit on plants and their needs.
Curated OER
A Rat's Life
Here is a two-page instructional activity on rats and mice. Learners answer nine true/false questions about rats and mice, then compose answers to seven short-answer questions about these two rodents. Finally, they must compose a...
Curated OER
The Ants Go Marching
Integrate art, math, life science, music, and fun in this beginning addition and subtraction activity. Children kinesthetically represent adding and subtracting numbers to 10; they stand up one at a time as you count forward and sit down...
PHET
Energy Skate Park
Apply the concepts of conservation of energy to a skater to introduce a fun way the concepts apply to real life. Scholars build tracks, ramps, and jumps then analyze the various types of energy and friction. For an added challenge,...
Pace University
Grade 6-8 Living Things
What characterizes a living thing? Scholars explore the concept during a differentiated instruction unit on living things. They perform lab experiments to determine how animals adapt to stimuli, watch videos and learn about...
Curated OER
Peppered Moth Simulation Activity
Students simulate peppered moth predators using SmartNotebook. In this life science instructional activity, students collect survival data and analyze results. They explain the importance of changes in species over time.
Curated OER
Plant Power
Seventh graders discuss the role of plants on Earth's biological system. In this life science lesson, 7th graders explain the process of transpiration and its importance in establishing Earth's climate patterns.