K12 Reader
Ecosystems
Examine how living and non-living things work together in a reading passage about ecosystems. Class members read the text and then respond to five response questions that relate specifically to the content of the passage.
California Education Partners
Lashelles Garden
Let knowledge grow bountifully like plants in a garden. Given a diagram of a rectangular garden split into plots, scholars determine the area of the entire garden and the areas of the individual plots. As a culminating activity, they...
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Moldy Jell-O
Mini mycologists plan an experiment to determine what affects the growth of mold on gelatin. A list of available materials is provided, but the procedure needs to be designed by the lab group. A data table is also provided in which to...
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We All Live Together
First graders examine the lifestyle of classroom and family pets in their natural habitat. They determine the needs of plants and animals, and how those needs are met. They listen to read alouds, sing songs, and draw using computer based...
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What is a Seed?
Students share experiences they have had with different types of seeds. After being read a story, they are given a lima bean in which they split apart and examine the inside. To end the lesson, they share their own ideas on how they...
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Making Pretzels
Young scholars explore how people use plants for food. They use pretzels to see how wheat can be turned into food.
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Name that animal
A great way to classify organisms, is by counting the number of legs it has or how it moves. Little ones count the legs on five different creatures, then match the leg count to the proper animal name. Tip: Have them come up with other...
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Bud the Spud Moves West
As part of a unit on Canadian agriculture, this focuses on how potato farms have increased in the west. Pupils participate in a discussion about the impact of consumer demand on production, and then they read an article about potato...
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Soil Nutrients - Phosphorus Lab Lesson Plan
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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Seeds in Flight Information Sheet
Seeds in flight are amazing things. Hand out a great information sheet for learners to read. They'll discover facts about seeds, why they spread, and examples of how different seeds get from here to there.
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Prairie Plant Investigation
Students carefully observe prairie plants and record their observations in a science journal. They examine the root systems of grasses and flowers and surmise how these plants can grow together on the prairie.
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Curricular Correlations
An interesting lesson on different types of soils is here for you. In it, learners discuss what soil is, and consider three piles of soil - clay, sand, and loam. During the rest of the lesson, third graders discover all sorts of...
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Can You See the Light?
Explore plants and flowers with this lesson. Learners talk about plants, conduct an experiment with suflowers, and track a plants growth. This is a motivating way to present this concept.
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Soil Stories
Tenth graders collect and analyze soil samples and extrapolate the characteristics needed to support different types of plant life. They research different types of prairie soil and how it supports plant and animal life.
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Food Chains: Simple or Complex?
Students explore the relationships within the food chain between plants and animals. They construct modules of food chains, keeping them simple and not complex. They focus on what the animals eat and not on what eats it.
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Your Own Greenhouse
Young science learners construct a greenhouse out of a plastic bottle. They use a nail to punch a hole through which a thermometer will be inserted to monitor the temperature. This simple experiment easily demonstrates the greenhouse...
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Protecting Philippine Reefs
Students watch a slide show about the Philippine Reefs to explore the topic of fish populations. In this reef and fish population lesson, students watch a slide show about fish populations and how the Peace Corps works with Filipinos to...
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What's Organic?
Students discuss background information presented by the teacher and read dictionary definitions for the words "organic" and "synthetic." In this gardengin lesson, students complete a worksheet on the material. Students grow and compare...
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Mitosis & Cell Processes
Students research the process of mitosis and how it progresses to the finished result of cell division. They reflect upon how this causes organisms to grow larger and helps tissues to be renewed.
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Animals and Engineering
Students study animal classification and their interactions. In this animals and engineering instructional activity students study animal communities and how engineers use this knowledge to create new technologies.
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Casual Patterns in Ecosystems
Ecology explorers or beginning biologists view a time-lapse film of decaying strawberries. They discuss how decomposition occurs and what factors might affect the rate of decay. Alone, the lesson plan is lacking engaging attributes....
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Honduras Finding the Top Bananas
Eighth graders complete an online scavenger hunt about banana cultivation before they visit a grocery store to examine banana products. They investigate "certified" means in relation to banana production and read the "Rainforest Alliance...
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Cloning a Living Organism
It's the attack of the clones! Not to worry; these are just plant clones. Teen horticulturalists will enjoy growing their own clone into a plant in an activity designed to be revisited after a few weeks. It is one experiment that kids...
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Altering a Plant Environment
Students investigate what a controlled group is by creating an experiment. In this plant growth lesson, students identify the different parts of a plant and discuss what is needed for a plant to be successfully grown. Students grow a...