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Observation Hike
Young scholars participate in an observational hike to study the natural surroundings. In this observational hike lesson, students hike through a state park and observe the plant and animal life. Young scholars learn about appropriate...
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Create Your Own Animal
Students design and create their own hypothetical animal. In this biology lesson, students identify the factors organisms need to survive. They classify their animals according to its correct phylum.
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Building a Butterfly Garden
Students examine the habitat and life cycle of a butterfly. For this early childhood lesson plan, students identify the parts of a butterfly, as well as the stages of the butterfly life cycle. Students also plant a garden in which they...
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Shedding Light on Watersheds
Students discuss what a watershed is, complete online activities showing them how to take care of a watershed, and create a model of a watershed that they experiment with to see what happens when it is disrupted by civilization.
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Make it a habitat
Students consider the adaptation of life forms through natural selection to fill various niches and accommodate changing environmental conditions. They select an ecosystem and conduct research to provide as much detailed information as...
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Ecosystem Interactions in Refuges
Seventh graders, using national parks as models, illustrate the energy flow in ecosystems. Working in groups, they use murals, flow charts, or other visual displays to record their findings. Students represent the food chains and webs...
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Global Warming
First graders discover the effects of global warming on polar bears. In this life science lesson, 1st graders model the polar bear's habitat and observe what happens as they raise the temperature. They record their observation in the...
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What does 'Endangered' mean?
Students discuss a variety of teacher led discussion questions about what makes an animal endangered. They take a short field trip to an open area and set a boundary for each child for them to either write or draw about how the location...
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Let's Go to the Video Tape!
Young scholars examine biological diversity and see how it relates to the concepts of variety and relative abundance. In this investigative lesson students view a video on biodiversity and complete an activity.
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Galapagos Adaptations
Students examine photographs of closely related species found in the Gal??pagos environment, observe differences and similarities between species, and form hypotheses about species differences and the relationship to the environment of...
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Habitat Mural
Students build a collage of an ecosystem. The goal is for them to understand interactions in a community, plant and animal adaptations, and how all life depends on plants. This activity is based on Wump World and students describe what...
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Web of Life Game
Learners participate in a web of life game. After reviewing new vocabulary, they play each round of the game and discuss the changes that occured in the last round. They are to survive in the game as long as possible given the...
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Explorit's Wetlands Quiz
In this wetlands worksheet, students complete a 31 question multiple choice on-line interactive quiz about marshes and wetlands.
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My Habitat Address
Sixth graders draw a habitat and write about what they would need to survive in the habitat. They define the input of items such as materials, energy, and information, and what goes out of the habitat. They play a "Habitat Address" game,...
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Building a Butterfly Garden
Students plant a garden which will become the habitat for butterflies as they go through their life cycle. In this life cycle lesson, students grow plants that attract butterflies and feed caterpillars in order to observe the entire...
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Mallard's Wet Olympics
Students investigate some of the different characteristics of living things. They make observations from reading and interactive media. Students observe that animals move in different ways and have adaptations to aid in that action.
Michigan Sea Grant
Survival Game
Musical chairs may be a classic game, but Ruffe Musical Chairs is a unique lesson on invasive species! Using the time-honored game, pupils role play the behaviors of the invasive fish called Eurasian ruffe. Learning about this aggressive...
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Who lives with Mallard?
Students explore how all living things have needs that are obtained from their surroundings. They identify the surroundings where an animal or plant lives is its habitat. Students identify that a habitat is a community of living and...
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Mighty Macroinvertebrates
Seventh graders identify the names and features of macroinvertebrates found in Turtle River. In this ecology instructional activity students use digital microscopes and take pictures of invertebrates.
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More Than a Campground
Fourth graders participate in a class disucssion on the term "habitat". The class brainstorms on what makes a national park special. In small groups, they research a a national park and create a mural depicting those factors that make...
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It Bears Repeating!!!
Learners research bears and their characteristics with a specific study on North American bears and polar bears. In this bear study lesson plan, students read books about polar bears and wild bears. Learners complete activities to...
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Critters in the Classroom
Students investigate with sea urchins. In this ocean habitat lesson, students observe sea urchins and other ocean grazers. Students work with lab equipment to examine the anatomy of these creatures.
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Everglades
In this wetlands worksheet, students will research and answer 11 questions about the Florida Everglades. Students will create a report.
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The Trouble with Crayfish
Fourth graders compare an ecosystem before and after they introduce crayfish to that ecosystem. In this ecosystem lesson plan, 4th graders see what happens when you introduce a non native animal to a habitat. Students then make...