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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Field Guide to Schoolyard Insects and Their Relatives

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Sometimes all you need to complete your perfect lesson plan is an awesome hands-on learning experience. Here is an extension activity that is sure to excite your learners. They'll head outside to observe the local insect community. When...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Raising an Animal

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students observe reproduction and behavior in several types of animals and nurture a sense of responsibility and cooperation. They then examine external features of several different types of animal groups.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigative Case - Living in an Alkaline Environment

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Students are shown many ways in which Mono Lake water and distilled water are different. They demonstrate that the survival of common soil bacteria declines as pH increases. Students examine the behaviors, adaptations, energy transfer,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tread Lightly: Where We Stand

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students explore the concept of ecological footprints. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students calculate their ecological footprints and consider how to reduce them.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bat Ecology

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works and another to show how mother bats locate their young through their...
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Lesson Plan
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science

A Deadly Passion

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Depending on the level of maturity of your class, the case study presented here could be fascinating. It focuses on the mating behavior and post-mating rituals of the Australian redback spider, which involves the female eating the male...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecology

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students gain an understanding of necessary components required within a healthy, sustainable environment and ways human actions can impact that balance while discovering how to recognize and analyze explanations and models used in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecology - Biodiversity Lab

For Teachers 9th
Studnents examine the degree of biodiversity that exists in one's everyday environment, in order to develop an understanding of how scientists classify organisms and to explain why biodiversity is important for living things.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature Tribute

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore parts of nature. In this environmental lesson, students discuss how their actions can affect the environment and design a plan to clean up a specified area. Students practice good hygiene during the cleanup project.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

High School EcoHouse Curriculum

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How has the level of carbon dioxide changed over recent years, and what is contributing it? Groups work together to research and present their findings in a creative way. Also built into the lesson is a visit to a sustainable house, but...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Radical Raptors

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students define raptor, explain why raptors are important, describe unique physical characteristics of various types of raptors, and explain life cycle of raptors. Students then play Habitat Game, describe food and hunting habits of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cool Corals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore corals and polyps.  In this coral reef activity students divide into groups and prepare a written report. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Basics: Life Science

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars develop an understanding of the different fields of study that are encompassed by the term, life science. They view and discuss a video on the topic. In small groups they focus on on of the examples shown in the video to...
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Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Human Impact on the Food Web of Santa Cruz Island

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What happens when a non-native species is introduced onto an island? Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Island chain located off the coast of southern California, provides the perfect laboratory for young environmental scientists to...
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Lesson Plan
National Park Service

What Can We Do?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Motivate young conservationists to stand up and make a change. After learning about the efforts in Cascade Nation Park to reduce carbon emissions in order to preserve the wilderness, students work in groups creating action plans for...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Ecosystem Dynamics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Searching for an eccentric way to enhance lessons on ecosystems while ensuring pupils remain creative and motivated? Upon viewing The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, designated groups design and construct a pop-up book that depicts the specific ways...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deer Tracks

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners use satellite images to track to movement patterns of deer and examine deer behavior. They write stories about a day in the life of a field scientist.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Termite Lab

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine insect behavior in a lab activity. Students explore the idea of chemical specificity and the reactions of termites to a chemical found in their trail pheromone. Students watch a demonstration with termites before...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home on the Range

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use maps and mathematics to determine the appropriate panther population in a given area. In this Florida ecology lesson, students research the area requirements of male and female panther and use a map to help calculate how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pika Chew

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars work in collaborative teams with specific roles, use the Internet to research the behavior and ecology of pikas, make predictions about survival rates of pikas in different habitats and organize their data in graphs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frozen Seas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research animal life in the frozen seas. In this researched based lesson, students use the Internet to create a poster about an animal that lives in an Arctic or Antarctic environment. Students will focus on the behavioral and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wildlife Track Identification

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Even though the PowerPoint slides for this lesson are not included, you may find it useful for the wildlife track preservation instructions provided. After demonstrating the steps for making track casts, take your class outdoors to make...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthworm Movement and Landscape Structure

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students describe differences in animal usage of habitats depending upon successional status of site. They also design other experiments to test movement patterns of animals through habitats of differing structure.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blue Planet: Seas of Life - Tidal Seas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After viewing the video Blue Planet: Seas of Life, students review oceanic concepts. In this earth science lesson, students reflect on the effect tides have on living things and conduct research to create a "tidal trivia" game. Students...