Curated OER
Selecting Soil Organisms in Compost
Students conduct an experiment to demonstrate that many of the enzyme systems needed to break down society's wastes exist in nature among the decomposers in a compost pile. They culture compost bacteria on starch agar to examine the...
Curated OER
Selecting Soil Organisms in Compost
Students demonstrate that many of the enzyme systems needed to break down--and therefore clean up-society's wastes already exist in nature among the decomposers. They select the best starch-munching organisms by altering the environment...
Teach Engineering
Optimize! Cleaner Energy Options for Rural China
What are the trade-offs when looking to get the most benefit from an energy source? Small groups compare the cost-to-emission levels of several energy sources by looking at the information graphically. The groups utilize this information...
Curated OER
Anatomy
Third graders explore the basic structures and functions of the human body and how they relate to personal health.
Re Energy
Build Your Own Biogas Generator
What is biogas and how is it made? After examining background information about the sources of biogas and biogas generators, class members follow the provided information and build a biogas generator that can be used in the classroom.
Curated OER
CONNECTIONS
Students study the interdependence of an ecosystem that allows it to sustain itself. They examine the Western lowland gorillas for an example.
Curated OER
A Design You’ll Dig: Designing a Habitat for Worms
Students discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson plan, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Students then create habitats for worms that allow them to do their jobs.
Green Learning
Build Your Own Biogas Generator
Where this is not exactly a lesson plan, it is a terrific outline of how to generate biogas from an animal manure sample. If you are up for the challenge, the generator can be built by your class as a concluding project at the end of an...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing: Fact or Opinion
What is the difference between a fact and an opinion? Middle schoolers categorize statements as either facts or opinions before writing a persuasive essay to support a thesis statement they create. This is a great introduction to...
Curated OER
The Perfect Cow?
Students examine how cattle have evolved through natural selection and selective breeding. In this natural selection lesson students compare and contrast natural and artificial selection.
Curated OER
Rice as a Source of Energy
Fifth graders investigate the nutrition in rice. In this rice lesson, 5th graders discover that rice is a great source of energy. Students compare foods to rice to see the differences in the nutritional value. Students classify foods in...
Curated OER
What is Coral?
Students discuss what they know about coral reefs and are introduced to the importance of preserving coral reefs. In this coral reef lesson plan, students make connections between coral ecology in the classroom and in the real...
Curated OER
Good Food, Good Health
Students investigate how food provides energy for the human body. In this physical health lesson, students access online resources to identify how certain foods can affect their health. Students discuss how many servings of each food...
Curated OER
Testing for Life’s Molecules
Want to hear a joke about sodium? Na. Young scientists test various materials to identify if they include protein, starch, and glucose by using the Biuret test, iodine starch test, and Benedict's test respectively. After practicing with...
Curated OER
Harvesting Energy from Food: How do Plants Help Humans?
Beginning botanists view slides of plant vascular tissue. They watch Magic School Bus Gets Planted, which you can find online, and then write a summary of what they have learned about plants. This lesson could be used with upper...
Curated OER
Fun Faces of Wisconsin Agriculture: Curley's Beef Fast Facts
Students explore animal slaughter by researching the Wisconsin beef industry. In this meat statistics lesson, students practice using different math functions to identify how many burgers or sports equipment can be made from one...
Curated OER
Inside Out: An Up-Close Look At Foods We Eat
Fourth graders identify the origins of meats and vegetables consumed by humans on a daily basis. They classify foods (meats, dairy products, grains...) and create a food pyramid.
Curated OER
9 Phyla of the Animalia Kingdom.
Students identify characteristics of all 9 phyla of the Animalia Kingdom. They create a table of the 9 phyla and research a representative organism for each.
Curated OER
Enzyme Lab
Students examine the effects of specific enzymes on samples of liver tissue, muscle tissue (chicken), apples, and potatoes.
Curated OER
Snot: NC Summer Tour Lesson 2007
Young scholars study various aspects of mucous. In this mucous lesson, students investigate the purpose of mucous. Young scholars create fake mucous.
Curated OER
Owl Pellet
Young scholars discover an owl's diet. In this animal science instructional activity, students observe owl pellets, determining what the owl ate. Young scholars put together the owl's food chain, after determining the animals in the...
Curated OER
Blend-A-Plant Levels of Organization
Students' identify and analyze the levels of organization and the emergent properties through experimentation. Students' apply the differences in the properties of a plant before and after it has been subjected to a kitchen blender.
Curated OER
Cooking Lesson
Fourth graders taste different flavors on their popcorn. In this taste bud lesson, 4th graders make predictions about taste and dip popcorn into four different flavors. They record how the flavors tasted - sweet, salty, bitter, or sour.
Curated OER
Blood
In this blood learning exercise, students describe the four functions of blood. Then they write what each part of the human body illustrated does below the picture. Students also complete the table on possible blood types of a receiver...