Curated OER
Have You Ever Wondered?
Students use their personal knowledge and the Internet to discover where and how spiders live. In groups, they discuss their experiences with spiders and how their lives differ from other insects. They use new vocabulary to discuss their...
Curated OER
Biology: Butterfly Activities
Second graders examine various types of butterflies and insects around their school. They identify differences between beetles and butterflies. Students examine books about butterflies, complete symmetry drawings, and make ladybug key...
Curated OER
Solid Waste Recycling
Students seek scientific and technological solutions to envrionmental problems. They record class activities in a journal. They identify relationships among living things and their environments.
Forest Foundation
The Web of Life
Producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers. To begin a study of the forest ecosystem, learners examine the connections among the members of ecological communities.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Make a Difference!
We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...
Curated OER
Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students examine the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. In this living environment lesson, students view dinosaur video clips and define the word "extinction." Students visit the "Zoom Dinosaur" website to investigate various...
K12 Reader
What’s Eating You?
Introduce your class to producers, consumers, and pollinators with a reading passage. Class members read the text and respond to five related questions.
Michigan State University
Friend or Foe?
What one person thinks is a pest may not be a pest to someone else. Here, scholars examine the characteristics of living things and pests through grand conversation and a variety of activities. Class members play a game of pest or not a...
Curated OER
Arthropods at Home: Spider, Isopod, or any Arthropod
Second graders observe, discuss, and record the requirements of a healthy environment for both arthropods and people by designing and maintaining an artificial habitat for an arthropod, and considering the requirements for a healthy body...
Curated OER
Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
Curated OER
Spiders Catch Prey
Learners see that spiders catch and eat their prey and are also caught and eaten by their enemies. They sort the pictures into animals that spiders eat, those they do not eat, and those that are spiders.
Curated OER
Bats and Boas Abound
Students investigate Puerto Rican boa constrictors and bats. In this animal science lesson, students read an article about the bats and snakes found in Puerto Rico. Students use various art supplies to create a diorama of the habitat of...
Curated OER
Yuckiest Site on the Internet
Students investigate the worm and the cockroach. In this organisms lesson, students visit suggested websites to identify the characteristics of worms and cockroaches. Students dissect a worm and observe a live cockroach. Students report...
Curated OER
Regions of North America: The Chesapeake Bay
In this reading comprehension activity, students read an article on "The Chesapeake Bay". Students read 5 sentences and fill in each blank in each sentence with a word from the article. Students answer 3 short answer questions on the...
Curated OER
Home Sweet Home
Students examine the animals that live in trees. They identify their sounds, footprints and droppings. They draw pictures of the animals as well.
Curated OER
The Ant Attack
Third graders observe the daily activity of an ant farm. Through observations and journal writing, they gather data concerning the daily activities of the ants. Students use their observations to predict the effect of environmental...
Curated OER
Pond Ecosystem Field Trip
Students investigate the environment by participating in a class trip. In this pond ecosystem lesson, students define a list of vocabulary terms associated with ponds such as invertebrate and metamorphosis. Students attend a field trip...
Curated OER
What Makes up an Ecosystem?
Eighth graders design posters of working ecosystems using pictures from magazines. They label autotrophic, heterotropic, or saprotrophic energy sources, and identify predators and prey.
Curated OER
Ecosystem Damage from Household Cleaners
Third graders assess the damage done to various ecosystems by cleaning products and discover how scientists test water quality. Using stream water and common household cleaning agents, they work in groups to test for pH levels. Once...
Curated OER
Signs of the Seasons
Students closely observe the natural world, record data, and notice patterns as the seasons unfold, they build a deeper understanding of seasonal change! The definition of phonology is the focus of this lesson and how it changes...
Curated OER
Critters in Your Own Backyard
Learners identify various animals and their habitats, as well as their specific traits In this animal habitat lesson, students list animals they've seen in their backyard. Learners select one animal and do research. Students then answer...
Curated OER
Raindrops Keep Burning On My head
Pupils investigate the effects and causes of acid rain. They test pH of household items to familiarize themselves with pH scale and compare that information with acid rain solutions. They investigate impact of acid rain via internet...
Curated OER
Biodiversity in Illinois-Pond Habitats
Second graders construct a pond habitat in the classroom using a small swimming pool partially filled with water, real cattails, a tree log adjoining, and plastic animal life appropriate to a pond setting. They examine the frog in detail...
Curated OER
Ecology - Ecosystem
Third graders research ecosystems, the work of ecologists, John Muir's contribution to the environment and an endangered species of their choice. They read books, participate in discussions, and write reports.