NASA
Producers Make Their Own Food
During an inquiry-based lesson, scholars decide which variable to test and then design an experiment to determine the needs of producers. After two weeks, they complete a full analysis and research paper.
NOAA
Watch the Screen!
Can a sponge cure cancer? Life science pupils visit the drugstore under the sea in the fifth lesson of six. Working groups research the topic then get hands-on experience by testing the inhibiting effects of several plant extracts...
Curated OER
Smelly Balloons
Students investigate the concept of diffusion through a membrane. They do this through the conduction of a simple experiment. Students make observations while determining if the smell of different chemicals seeps through the balloon...
Curated OER
Meeting an Earthworm
Students inspect the anatomy of earthworms. In this earthworm lesson plan, students participate in a hands-on experiment as they analyze the structure of earthworms. Students demonstrate mastery through differentiated products. Lesson...
University of Kentucky
The Great Spider Debate
Poor, misunderstood spiders! They are feared, disrespected, and detested by many people, yet they do so many positive things. A great addition to any insect unit, learn about some of the more common spiders, while hopefully dispelling...
It's About Time
Adaptations
Congratulations! You exist, thanks to the wonders of biology and adaptations. The focus of the lesson explains many adaptations of plants and animals and how the environment has influenced the process. A hands-on activity...
Peace Corps
Family
Family traditions are the focus of a lesson that explores the lives of children in India and those in your classroom. Scholars examine their own family roles and traditions, then respond to an informative text detailing a young...
Nuffield Foundation
Investigating the Effect of Concentration of Blackcurrant Squash on Osmosis in Chipped Potatoes
Model and explore osmosis using squash and potatoes. Young scientists expose chunks of potatoes to different concentrations of a squash solution. They compare the weights of the chunks before and after exposure to the solution and use...
Serendip
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
How does energy from the sun make plants grow? Scholars move step by step through the processes that promote plant propagation during a detailed lesson. The resource illustrates ADP production and hydrolysis, then allows learners to...
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ups and Downs of Populations
Life has its ups and downs ... especially if you're an animal! Biology scholars engage in a population study through an inquiry-based activity. Pupils work together to explore the factors that affect deer populations, then examine the...
Curated OER
Reaction Rates-Catalysis, Concentration, Surface Area, and Temperature
Students determine the meanings of concentration, surface area, and catalysis through an experiment. In this lesson about chemical reactions, students participate in an experiment. Students complete three different parts of the...
Virginia Department of Education
Prokaryotes
Lead your biology class on a cell-sized adventure! Emerging scientists construct models of prokaryotes, then design an experiment to properly grow a bacterial culture. They conclude the activity by viewing the culture under a microscope....
Curated OER
Carrying Capacity
Young biologists identify how plants and animals are affected by changes in their ecosystem and environment. The concepts of succession, maintenance of habitats, interrelationships, and adaptation are all discussed. This...
Curated OER
Simple Machines IV - Levers
The principles of levers and simple machines are presented here. An easy-to-make lever is constructed by each group of scientists, and they use it to explore how this simple machine makes heavy things so much easier to lift and move. A...
Curated OER
What is Biology?
For this biology worksheet, students review the characteristics of life and the scientific method. This worksheet has 19 fill in the blank, 6 matching, and 2 short answer questions.
NOAA
Off Base
How does carbon dioxide affect the world's oceans? The final installment in a series of six lessons has pupils research ocean acidification, then conduct an experiment to witness the delicate balance that exists in our seas. Materials...
Curated OER
Birds and Birdfeed
Fourth graders examine the basic survival needs of birds before examining a suet ball as an example of what birds eat. They conduct an experiment with pine cones, bird seed, vaseline, and peanut butter. By observing the birds, they...
Curated OER
Thinking Like a Scientist
Students examine what it is like to be a scientist. In this living environment lesson students complete a group lab activity and answer questions.
Curated OER
Cycles of Life in an Urban Habitat: Changes in Biodiversity
Second graders compare and contrast animate and inanimate objects. In this environmental science instructional activity, 2nd graders create simple food webs. They observe their environment and create a collage about it.
Curated OER
The Teaching of Biology and Difference
Seventh graders pretend they were Anton looking through the microscope for the first time. They describe the way he felt when he observed tiny moving objects in the sample of pond water. They look at their own samples of pond water,...
Curated OER
Desalination: Creating a Solar Still
To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...
Curated OER
Lab Experiments in Nutrition
Looking for authentic hands-on nutritional experiments? High schoolers will perform experiments to test for the presence of vitamin C in several solutions as well as the effect of caffeine on Daphnia. They will also consider the...
Curated OER
Observing Atherosclerosis
Young scholars develop a model to visually observe the change in blood flow rates between healthy and unhealthy arteries. They calculate data that they have collected and graph their results. They determine the relationships the flow...
Curated OER
Bivalve Biology
Young scholars place clams into a beaker containing saltwater. They place a small drop of food coloring just above the shell. Students observe the movement of the food coloring. Clams are then placed into clean beakers of saltwater with...