Curated OER
Gone Fishing
Students examine the effects of various methods of fishing on fish populations and biodiversity. They read a handout, participate in a simulation of different fishing methods, record the results, and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
ProjectWILD Aquatic: Migration Headache
Learners explore the important factors that affect habitat quality and the associated survival of migratory water bird populations. They discuss an organisms dependency upon a variety of habitats and habitat quality. Students play a game...
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Species and Spaces - At Risk at Home
Eleventh graders explore and compare Canadian biomes and investigate species at risk. They describe population growth and eco-regions in terms of climate and geography. They research and create presentations about the natural history and...
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Are You Related?
Pupils study microsatellite markers and explain how they might be used to identify populations. They use data to make inferences about the populations of deep-sea corals.
Curated OER
Ladybugs in the Garden
Fifth graders estimate the size a population (ecosystems) Students make a chart from information collected then create a graph (line or bar) from this information. Students do a lesson where they observed, examine, and record data...
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Biotic Factors
Students identify individual organism, a species, and a population within the study community. They identify biotic factors at the site and attempt to characterize the site's species diversity.
Curated OER
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
Students complete a population pyramid for a city they are studying. They may complete a population pyramid for their city and another one for the country in which the city is located. They compare and contrast the results of the two...
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Night Creatures of the Kalahari
Students conduct an experiment to demonstrate how fruit fly populations are controlled by spiders. They observe a variety of environments with fruit flies and spiders and consider how vital spiders are to controlling the insect population.
Curated OER
Trappers Then and Now
Students study how trapping in the Illinois Territory in the 1800's effected the beaver population in the state. They compare methods, rules and regulations of the 1800s to those of today. In groups, they research a variety of...
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Sea Stars and the Northern Abalone: A Race for Life!
Students compare and contrast the ecosystem, structure and behavior of survival of the abalone versus the sea star. They consider the ramifications of reintroducing the endangered abalone. They present their findings to the class.
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Unit on Globalization and the Environment
Twelfth graders analyze issues affecting ecosystems. They examine the relationships between members of the international comunity. They also examine the concept of sustainable development.
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Mammals of Wisconsin
Students explore the exciting world of mammals as they learn the identities of some Wisconsin native residents. They examine their adaptations and learn how they survive in a state with a wide array of temperatures and ecosystems.
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Who Lives In The Water
Students investigate the environment of a stream or lake to collect and observe macroinvertebrates in their natural environment. They record data and summarize the information obtained. Students look to see if there has been any human...
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Sustaining Life Under the Ice
Students design and conduct experiments in order to identify the components of lake water environments that are affected by winter ice cover. They use the experiment results to propose effective human management of these ecosystems.
Curated OER
Ethical Decision Making in Biology
Students explore a model that illustrates the spread of HIV through an adolescent population. Acting in the role of epidemiologists, students explore the dilemmas of HIV infection presented by a simulation. Students produce a play, skit,...
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Amphipods
High schoolers identify organisms that live at the bottom of the body of water. For this biology lesson, students evaluate the effects of pollution to amphipods population. They examine collected data and create a bar graph comparing them.
Virginia Department of Education
Evidence of Evolution
What an impression fossils make! In this activity, aspiring paleontologists view fossils and construct a timeline to further understand how the lack of natural adaptation caused historical organisms to become extinct. While they...
Virginia Department of Education
Organisms in Symbiosis
Searching for an activity that allows emerging biologists to explore symbiosis up close and personal? Pupils collect samples and view lichens through a microscope and conclude with a discussion about the relationship they have...
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Exploring Ecology
Students explore the basics of ecology through numerous hands-on and relevant activities. They participate in an online food chain demonstration, which explores food web dynamics. They dissect owl pellets, examine the prey's bones, and...
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Lotic Environment
Students assemble a classroom river model as an example of a lotic system. They control and measure biotic and abiotic information for the in-class system and compare data with a lotic system in a natural environment.
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Exploration of 'pill bugs'
Fifth graders define words. They create a dichotomous key. After carefully examining pill bugs, 5th graders record observations. They compare and contrast habitats of pillbugs.
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Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
Curated OER
Using the Carbon Cycle Interactive Game in the Classroom
An online reading and interactive game bring the path of a carbon molecule to life for your earth science explorers! As an assessment, learners can map out or write about their experience in the carbon cycle. Thoroughly written...
Curated OER
Loss of Wetlands: Subsidence
Students observe subsidence and the effect it has on wetlands with a classroom demonstration. They think about the impact of global warming and the sea level and how it affects the marsh.