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Tree Identification - Up Close And Personal
Fourth graders go to an outdoor area and are assigned a specific native plant to observe. They read about and answer questions about their tree. They draw the tree. Finally, 4th graders teach the rest of the class about their tree.
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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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Species Interactions
Students research desert species to find where it lives, what it eats, and what species it interacts with directly. Upon completion of research, students construct a web of all the species as a class. This emphasizes the role each...
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What on Earth is in the Earth?
Students explore the physical properties of sand, soil, and rocks and sort, classify, compare, and contrast the materials found in the soil. The differences between the living and non-living parts of the soil is discussed.
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Why Does the Cocoa Tree Need a Tropical Rainforest to Grow?
Fourth graders explore the requirements a cocoa plant needs to survive. They research where chocolate comes from and how humans can affect the growth of cocoa trees. Students create a 3-D model of a cocoa tree and compare and contrast...
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Prairie Find Outdoors
Students take a field trip to a local prairie. Using identification books, they identify various forbs and grasses in the prairie. As a class, they discuss the importance of forbs and grasses to the ecosystem and review the various types...
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The Origin of Life
In this origin of life worksheet, students write answers to five questions. They describe characteristics of the first life forms and how scientists believe oxygen accumulated in the Earth's atmosphere.
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Forest Communities
Students identify tree specimens. In this tree specimens instructional activity, students collect different parts of a tree from the areas around the school or their home. They then work in groups to create booklet that identifies tree...
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What is Life? Demonstrations & Discussion
Display seven items for your biologists to consider. Are they living or non-living? How can you tell? This is a simple outline of what you can display and questions that can be discussed as this topic is explored. One way to use this...
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Planting Wheat with Little Red Hen
Students discuss the cycle of growing wheat, and then plant their own in foil pans. After the wheat grows for a couple of weeks, students participate in a story retelling activity reinforcing the concepts of the process.
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Air Quality
Young scholars participate in many activities examining air quality. They examine the purpose of a greenhouse and make predictions. They also collect data and make graphs and charts.
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Plant Explorers
Students investigate how plants take in water, nutrients, and light. They create artwork showing how plants survive in different environments.
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The Alphabet Garden
Third graders transplant, tend and observe a plant for each letter of the alphabet in a school garden. They work individually to research and select a plant that will grow in their local climate. Students then care for and observe the...
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Tree Identification/Tree Art
Seventh graders identify and examine a deciduous and coniferous tree. Using the descriptions, they discover the types of tress in their local area. As a class, they practice identifying trees on a walk in a park collecting leaves. They...
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Perspectives on Animals
Engage your class in a discussion about humane treatment of animals by recognizing the basic rights of all races, religions, classes, etc. Have volunteers stand on a milk crate without shoes until they become uncomfortable as an example...
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Nature Walk
Students participate in a mini field trip around the neighborhood to observe nature and changes that are occurring during fall. They collect leaves of various colors, shapes and sizes on their trip. Upon return to the classroom, they...
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Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Read about sustainable agriculture and complete related Internet activities. After reading background information about the economics of sustainable agriculture and the problems with the industrial food system, your students click on...
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Making Weather-Tracking Tools
Young scholars build tools to help track the weather. In this weather lesson plan, students follow directions to build a rain gauge, barometer and hair hygrometer.
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Creating a Pollinator Garden
Young scholars build a pollination garden. In this pollination activity, students read directions and build a pollinator garden that will produce flowering plants for pollinator organisms to use in pollination of other plants.
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Adaptation Worksheet
Adaptation or acclimation? Young ecologists determine which is being exemplified in twenty questions. When teaching about adaptations, make sure to talk about acclimation, a short-term learned response to a change in the surroundings....
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Plants
Explore plant biology with your primary learners through this simple presentation. Each slide contains basic facts about plant survival elements such as nutrients, water, warmth, and sunlight. The colorful illustrations will engage your...
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Adaptations and Evolutions of Species
Examples of natural selection over time will make the concept of evolution more clear to your students. This presentation is short but summarizes the mechanisms of isolation and selection clearly. This presentation would be useful to...
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Parts of the Plant and Their Functions
Delving into this slideshow will help the students understand the composition of plants and their structures. Each slide identifies certain structures and explores how they support the plant's survival along with assisting our...
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Plant Growth
Examine the growth regions and tissues in plants. The structures and specialized areas of roots, stems, and shoots are defined and supported with diagrams and pictures. Your class will also learn the details of specific growth hormones.