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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Watch the Screen!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can a sponge cure cancer? Life science pupils visit the drugstore under the sea in the fifth instructional activity of six. Working groups research the topic then get hands-on experience by testing the inhibiting effects of several plant...
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Activity
K-State Research and Extensions

You Ol’ Fossil

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Geologists are gneiss, tuff, and a little bit wacke. The fifth chapter of seven includes ten activities at four different levels. The hands-on activities cover fossils including how they are formed, vertebrates, invertebrates,...
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Lesson Plan
Habits of Mind

Haileybury Habits of Mind Learning Resource Book

For Teachers K - 12th
Imagine a learning community committed to using Costa and Kallick's Habits of Mind as the basis of curriculum design. The resource book is packed with lessons that are designed for and identify the standards and habits of mind targeted...
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Interactive
Scholastic

Study Jams! Arthropods

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
No need to be crabby! Here is a resource that teaches your class about the characteristics of arthropods and provides stunning photos of several of them. In addition to the superb slides and their informative accompanying captions, the...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Manduca sexta: Caterpillar Dissection

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Caterpillars have an amazing, yet tough job to perform in their short lives — eat much, avoid predators, and try not to let all those comments about being the unattractive stage of the life cycle get to them. How do they handle it all?...
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Lesson Plan

Brine Shrimp: Getting to Know a Salt Water Arthropod

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Gather small observations of arthropods. Using brine shrimp, pupils observe the life cycle of arthropods. Learners set up saltwater aquariums and observe the brine shrimp over a three-week period. To finish, they compare and contrast how...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Finding Fossils

For Students 6th - 12th
How does one go about finding fossils? Find out with an informative webpage that looks at the digging process, showcases rocks and common fossils, helpful tips, and a list of archeological do's and don'ts. 
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

The Tree of Life

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Groups of species can have more in common than meets the eye. An interactive cladogram shows some of the connections between important groups of species. Learners click on sections of the diagram to learn more about the connections or on...
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Activity
Alabama Wildlife Federation

Mesh Bag Collector

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Who knew bugs could be so informative? A hands-on activity has pupils assess the sustainability of a water ecosystem based on the presence of invertebrates. The class places a homemade trap in a local pond, and after several weeks,...
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Lesson Plan
Larson Lab

Animal Classification

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
How are animals classified? Scholars explore animal classification by observing non-living and living specimens. They learn how to organize animals into vertebrates and invertebrates and identify the five vertebrate groups: mammals,...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Echinoderms

For Students 9th - 12th
Turn a walk on the beach into an in-depth biology lesson! Scholars learn about the different classes of echinoderms in an informative PowerPoint presentation. The lesson explains the unique characteristics of the five different classes...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Cnidarians and Ctenophorans

For Students 9th - 12th
Cnidaria is a broad phylum of 11,000 different species from jellyfish to coral. Most Cnidarians are marine species with a few freshwater examples. A lesson presentation explains the important characteristics of different species of both...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Phylum Porifera – The Sponges

For Students 9th - 12th
They may not look like it, but sponges are living, breathing creatures! A PowerPoint presentation explains the important characteristics of the invertebrate Phylum Porifera, or more commonly known as the sponges. From their body...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Invertebrates

For Students 9th - 12th
How many different invertebrates can you name? A thorough presentation describes the eight different Phyla of invertebrates. Each slide gives a quick overview of the important physical characteristics of each of the Phyla.
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PPT
Biology Junction

Arthropods

For Students 9th - 12th
Even the creepy crawlers have pretty amazing anatomy! A thorough lesson describes characteristics of arthropods with an emphasis on their structures. Beginning with a review of the taxonomy hierarchy, the lesson explains the different...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Introduction to Animals

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Out of all animals, elephants alone lack the ability to jump. Scholars learn all about animals using a presentation full of fun examples. It describes different types of animals, the biological similarities and differences between...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Dissection of the Clam

For Students 9th - 12th
Is the structure of a clam really as simple as it seems? Young scholars explore the anatomy of the clam in an engaging lesson presentation. The lesson highlights the digestive process of the clam as well as how it moves and what it does...
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Lesson Plan
Nuffield Foundation

Monitoring Water Pollution with Invertebrate Indicator Species

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Healthy invertebrates mean healthy ponds. An outdoor activity has scholars collect samples of invertebrates from local lakes or ponds. They identify and count different species and use the information to estimate the level of pollution...
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Interactive
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NOAA

Chemosynthesis and Hydrothermal Vent Life

For Students 6th - 12th
What's life like in a hydrothermal vent? Find out in part five of a 13-part series. Learners journey to one of the harshest environments on the planet, the hydrothermal vent, to learn about the creatures that survive the extreme...
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Interactive
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NOAA

Deep-Sea Benthos

For Students 6th - 12th
Much like a distant planet, the underwater world of deep-sea benthos is strange and largely unknown. How do creatures survive and thrive in such extreme pressure and temperature conditions? Young oceanographers join the crew of Operation...
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Unit Plan
University of Southern California

What Lives In The Ocean?

For Students 4th - 8th
One of the most diverse environments on Earth is the ocean. Young scientists explore the living things found in the ocean during an exciting seven-lesson unit. Their study includes organisms from plankton to invertebrates and vertebrates...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

What Killed the Seeds?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Can a coral cure cancer? Take seventh and eighth grade science sleuths to the underwater drugstore for an investigation into emerging pharmaceutical research. The fifth installment in a series of six has classmates research the wealth of...
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Worksheet
Jude Mphoweh

Vertebrates and Invertebrates

For Students 4th - 6th
Spine or no spine? Vertebrate or invertebrate? Learners sort and classify a list of animals as vertebrates or invertebrates into a graphic organizer.
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Activity
New South Wales Department of Education

Invertebrates

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Of all invertebrates, insects by far are the most numerous. Scholars discuss invertebrates and then use a key to classify them. They see different examples and must describe features of each organism based upon the key.