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Chicago Botanic Garden

The Carbon Cycle

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil Nutrients - Phosphorus Lab Lesson Plan

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students list sources of phosphorus in soil. They explain how phosphorus is removed from the soil and used by plants. Students list the symptoms of insufficient or excess phosphorus. Students perform experiments to examine the effect of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Role Do Forest Play in Continuing or Renewing Our Planet's Resources?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the interaction between the forest and wildlife. In this forestry lesson, students collect data about forest ecosystems, species of trees, photosynthesis, and interaction of organisms. They prepare a lab activity to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mighty Hudson Stretches its Mussels

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students brainstorm possible causes of zebra mussel migration and population expansion. They identify the key causes and effects of the disturbance of the Hudson River ecosystem and research causes and effects in the disturbances of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Milkweed Monitoring

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders study milkweed and see how it is effected by ozone.  In this air pollution lesson students complete a lab activity that includes data analysis. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Starch

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners examine the basics of starch and how it is used in food. In this photosynthesis lesson students experiment with variables that affect starch production in photosynthesis.
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Lesson Plan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lego Atoms and Molecules: Chemical Reactions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Show young chemists what a chemical reaction looks like with two parts of a hands-on experiment. First, learners conduct a wet lab where they observe the reactants (baking soda and calcium chloride, with phenolsulfonphthalein) before,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carbon Dioxide - Sources and Sinks

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Where does all of the carbon dioxide come from that is supposedly leading to climate change? Earth science pupils test animal, plant, and fossil fuels as sources in this investigation. Using an indicator, BTB, they are able to detect the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stomata

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore what the stoma does for a plant.  In this botany lesson students complete a stomatal peel experiment and measure its densities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Ice Research

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study sea ice and its importance in climate and climate change. They discuss sea ice as a presence of a food source for marine animals in the arctic and complete a lab activity. After completing the lab, they watch a video...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Testing Leaves for Starch: the Technique

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Like good scientists, kids often want to see first-hand why things are as they are; they can do just that in the starch-testing photosynthesis activity found here. Depending on the age of your pupils, you may wish to do the investigation...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Biology learners investigate the effect of sucrose concentration on yeast alcoholic fermentation. During the lesson,they compare and contrast the processes of cellular respiration and alcoholic fermentation. They design an experiment to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chlorophyll

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explain the importance of chlorophyll in plants. In this biology lesson, students extract chlorophyll from different plant sources using chromatography. They discover the different factors needed for photosynthesis to take place.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stomata: Microscopic Openings that Let Plants Breathe

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students participate in a lab experiment to observe and measure the opening and closing of stomata. They focus on photoperiod, locate and identify stomata on a leaf and explain the role of stomata in the daily functioning of a plant.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
What does it mean to grow? To germinate? For the plan detailed here, class members investigate the growth process of an oak tree while focusing on the beginning stages of planting and germination. They plant seeds and record observations...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glucose

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct various experiments on glucose. For this biology lesson, students differentiate the process of diffusion and osmosis. They test different foods for the presence of glucose and starch.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Monitoring Oxygen Level

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students measure oxygen percentages in room air and air exhaled after they perform various activities. They explore various websites, and record and analyze the data from the experiments.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harvesting Energy from Food: How do Plants Help Humans?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Beginning botanists view slides of plant vascular tissue. They watch Magic School Bus Gets Planted, which you can find online, and then write a summary of what they have learned about plants. This lesson could be used with upper...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life In Extreme Environments

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners work together to design and participate in experiments to determine the rate rotifers eat. After completing their experiments, they record and analyze their data and identify any challenges faced during the procedure. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mussel Ecology

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the marine environment of the mussel. The emphasis of the instructional activity is upon what human factors are present to influence the environment in positive and negative ways. They brainstorm in groups in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Transpiration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars conduct various experiments to investigate plant transpiration. For this biology lesson, students explain how this process helps maintain the hydrologic cycle. They measure the rate of water loss in plants using a potometer.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Color Change in Leaves

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the different leaf pigments and colors. In this biology lesson, students perform chromatography to separate them. They explain how light affects green leaf colors and causes falling leaves in autumn.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plankton / Phytoplankton

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the importance of plankton in the ocean ecosystem. In this biology lesson, students identify the different types plankton by observing them under the microscope. They explain how plankton population affect global climate.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) Separation of Plant Pigments - Chlorophyll, Carotene

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use TLC separations to identify various substances.  For this chlorophyll lesson students separate pigments found in different plants.