Curated OER
Insect Monitoring
Students participate in an interactive instructional activity using the scientific method to study biodiversity. In this insect monitoring instructional activity, students simulate the layers of soil and the insects that would live...
Curated OER
Insect Monitoring
Students practice the scientific method in the classroom, either in preparation or as a substitution for real-world field experience. They examine a simulated biodiversity research situation, using a "mini-plot" or
sampling square...
Curated OER
Milkweed Monitoring
Young scholars monitor milkweed plants from their emergence in the spring to the time when they go to seed in the fall. They measure their height and the number of leaves on each plant and record any sign of insect damage. If any insects...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Tracking Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
What's that buzzing in your ear? An insightful lesson about genetically modified mosquitoes! Partnered pupils explore the creation, release, and monitoring of mosquitoes designed to reduce the mosquito population. After watching a video,...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Zombie Ants
One of the creepiest and coolest natural occurrences is a great forum for data analysis and discussion! Explore the phenomenon of zombie ants, or ants infected with the Cordyceps fungus, with a series of activities and experiments. Kids...
Curated OER
Placing Artificial Domiciles to Attract Bumble Bees
Students investigate how to entice bumble bees to accept artificial domiciles. They conduct research about bee biology and nest architecture, plan and construct an artificial domicile to attract bumble bee queens, and monitor and record...
Chymist
Landfills and Recycling
Examine the nature of landfills through experimentation. Scholars build miniature landfills and monitor changes over a six-week period. Observations allow individuals to draw conclusions about the different types of trash and their...
Curated OER
Ask the Antlion
Middle schoolers observe and examine the life cycle of antlions, recording their observations of the live insects in a journal. They view an antlion on a video microscope, draw the body parts, and replicate their experiment at home.
Curated OER
Water Quality Monitoring
Students comprehend the four parameters of water quality. They perform tests for salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and clarity or turbidity. Students comprehend why scientists and environmental managers monitor water uality and aquatic...
Curated OER
Inviting Butterflies to the Schoolyard
Pupils create a butterfly garden. In this butterfly garden instructional activity, students plot a garden with plant species that will attract butterflies. Pupils learn about the specific plants and items that will help butterflies use...
Curated OER
Wanted!!
Fourth graders study insects in their habitats looking at survival characteristics and whether the insect is a predator or an herbivore. They investigate characteristics that improve the survival of a species and its ability to reproduce.
Curated OER
Natural Gardening
Students study the effect of pesticides on plants and insects. In this gardening lesson, students discuss the importance of insects. They define pesticides, evaluate their effectiveness and the problems they might cause. Students...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Stream Consciousness
Fourth graders study how environmental engineers monitor water quality. They use environmental indicators to determine the quality of stream water in their area. They count the number of macroinverabrates and use the information they...
Curated OER
Children's Health
Students learn the basic parts of an insect, where they like to hide indoors, and how to safely get rid of them. They assemble the cockroach body and cut it out of a brown bag. They attach pipe cleaners as legs and attennae. They then...
Curated OER
Primary And Secondary Succession
Learners cover the topics of primary and secondary succession with interest to its ties in the study of ecosystems. They study how the introduction of an insect can effect the ecological balance. Students make predictions and write them...
Curated OER
Tracking the Weather Using Technology
Fourth graders explore the use of technology to monitor and forecast weather. They investigate the different types of weather monitoring and forecast tools. Students interpret radar images and discuss the traditional types of weather...
Curated OER
Death and Recovery
Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, devastating plant and animal life for miles around. Two activities are included in this lesson plan. In one, learners evaluate tree rings to determine the age of a tree and the year of a volcano....
Curated OER
Dream Stream
Investigate the parts of a healthy stream to build content-specific vocabulary and ecological awareness. The class builds vocabulary and determines why clean water is important for trout. They design a shoe box to show what a clean...
Kenan Fellows
Use of Dichotomous Keys to Identify Stream Organisms
What kind of organisms are living in the stream? After an explanation on how to use a dichotomous key, groups of three to four use the keys to identify macroinvertebrates from a local freshwater stream. Using the the concept of Stream...
Curated OER
Genetic Engineering
Keep your students up-to-date on the growing field of genetic engineering with these lesson plans.
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Death and Recovery
Students examine the aftermath of a volcano. In groups, they participate in activities focusing on the impact on plants and animals. To end the lesson, they discuss the positives to the environment after a volcanic eruption.
Curated OER
Salmon Life Cycles
Learners list salmon life cycle stages in order, list three threats that salmon face throughout their lives, and examine important role native fish play in aquatic food chains throughout their life cycles.
Curated OER
Interpreting Data and Building Hypothesis
Students define the term species, and graph species data together with previously collected data at the National Zoo. They interpret graphed data and recognize patterns in the streamside quadrant versus hillside quadrant. Students use...
Curated OER
Trout Are Made of Trees Crayon Mural
Students recognize that for a trout habitat to be ideal, several components must be present. In this trout activity, students explore what makes a healthy stream. Students create paintings for a mural of a trout habitat. Students...