Alabama Learning Exchange
Botany Scavenger Hunt Where's the Ginkgo?
Learners use a science journal to log plants that are native to Alabama. In this plant lesson plan, students identify characteristics, describe environments, and classify the plants that they find.
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Plants
Third graders study the factors necessary for plant growth and how plants adapt to their environment. They examine ow different plants require different environments to thrive.
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Chemistry And The Nitrogen Cycle
Learners investigate the factors that compose the nitrogen cycle. The harmful effects of acid rain and ozone depletion are also discussed in the lesson. Students define the nutrient that is often limiting to plant growth through...
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Domestic Water Supply Case Study
Students follow the cycle of a raindrop from its source into the water supply for their houses and then back to the environment. They draw and, properly label and explain a diagram of a water treatment plant and a sewage treatment plant.
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Sun Seeking Plants
Young scholars investigate the story "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle. This story is used to introduce the children to the concept that seeds change and grow into plants when conditions in the environment including temperature, light, water...
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Major Functions
Seventh graders investigate the basic characteristics and needs of living things. They identify the major parts of plants and animals by making lists. Students focus upon one living thing and speculate how if one part is changed how it...
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Diversity of Life
Students study fungi and its characteristics. In this fungi lesson students collect and observe fungi then answer questions on what they saw.
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Forest Friends Forever
Students investigate how to use the senses to gather information about objects such as size, shape, color, texture, sound, position, and change (qualitative observations are utilized throughout this instructional activity). They...
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What is Photosynthesis?
Students investigate the similarities and differences of living things. Specifically, students will be able to identify the life processes of photosynthesis and describe the basic needs of plants.
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Mussel Your Way Through Photosynthesis
Students, using zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), elodea and an indicator dye, observe and record the role of light in photosynthesis. They consider plant production of carbon dioxide and the use of live materials in biological...
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Speedy Succession
Fifth graders identify how a pond can change into a grassland. An ecosystems lesson where learners identify pioneer and climax species, and recognize that ecological succession can take up to 100 years or more. Some excellent activities...
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Recyclers to the Rescue
Producers, consumers, food chains, and plants are the stars of this science lesson. Learners take part in an inquiry which helps them to discover the most effective and efficient way to grow a producer. They have a variety of containers...
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"Did You Eat That!"
First graders investigate why plants are an important part of our everyday lives, providing us with food, clothing, shelter, etc. In this lesson plan students participate in a series of hands-on, online, and multimedia activities to...
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Spring Migration, Milkweed Monitoring
Pupils watch for milkweed plants from the previous fall and choose several new plants to monitor. Then make observations and measurements about the plants. The connection with the weather is also made with the monitoring of temperature,...
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Lesson 4, Spring Migration. Milkweed Monitoring
High schoolers monitor the growth of milkweed plants. The observations are made to help make conclusions about growth and development.
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Speedy Succession
Fifth graders investigate how a pond ecosystem can change into a prairie or grassland ecosystem. They observe a small pond ecosystem in a two liter soda bottle, and examine and record changes over a two-week period of time on a worksheet.
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Living vs. Non-Living Things
Fourth graders describe the characteristics that determine if something is living, dead, or non-living. They determine the difference between living and non-living things. Students determine if an object is living or non-living and...
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Recyclers to the Rescue
Fifth graders examine the concept of the food chain and define producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore. They draw a food chain for a mouse and discuss the different organisms involved in the chain, and conduct an...
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Photosynthesis
Students recognize the importance of plants as they perform an experiment involving photosynthesis. Students determine the optimum wavelength of light for photosynthesis by exposing plants to different colors of light, collecting data,...
National Wildlife Federation
Citizen Science to the Rescue!
You don't have to be a scientist or even out of high school to contribute to scientific research. In the 12th instructional activity in the series of 21, scholars use this opportunity to add to the growing body of scientific knowledge...
Nuffield Foundation
Identifying the Conditions Needed for Photosynthesis
Budding biologists often ask how scientists know what they do about different topics. In the lab described here, they have a chance to find out first-hand about the requirements for photosynthesis. Three sequential investigations are...
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The Living Environment
In this living environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 34 clues about the various species in the environment that produce, consume and decompose. Topics also include photosynthesis, respiration, glucose, organic...
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Fossils!
Students explore what fossils are, how they are formed, what different types there are and why they are significant to both our present and past geology history. They participate in a hands on fossil observation of their choice and...
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Science: Making Trace Fossils
Students explore types of fossils and discover how sediment affects fossil preservation. They focus their study on trace fossils and create their own using sediment, water, and a small organism such as a snail or lizard. Students use...