Curated OER
Bacteria: Friend or Foe?
Students examine a variety of environmental and industrial roles of bacteria. explore where bacteria can be found and distinguish bacteria from other organisms.
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Diversity and Adaptations of Organisms
Eighth graders discover how animals adapt to their surroundings. They identify physical traits and behaviors that are important to survival. They examine the results of an organism's failure to adapt.
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Classify That!
Students get acquainted with diverse forms of life by using modern biological classification systems to group animals that are related. They explore basic scientific groupings like genus, species, mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and...
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Quadrat Sampling 101
Students explore the population of grass plants in a given area. They plan and conduct a sampling activity to estimate the population of dandelions or the number of grass blades on the school grounds.
Curated OER
Classify That!
Students explore diverse forms of life by using modern biological classification systems to group animals that are related. Students then study basic scientific groupings like genus, species, mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and...
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Tropical Treehouse
Students examine the tropical rainforest and issues involving the uses of rainforests. They explore the plants and animals that live in each level of the tropical rainforest. Students examine and discuss a case study involving the rights...
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Ocean Zones
Students create a mural showing ocean zones and the diversity of ocean life. They use reference books to create a list of plants and animals that would live in each zone.
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Plant Adaptations
Students identify parts of prairie plants. They sketch the plants indicating its adaptive parts and write brief descriptions of them. They present their findings to the class.
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Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Students discuss biodiversity and how to preserve it before examining biodiversity first-hand in an area close to their school. They collect as many leaves as possible from trees and plants and research them when upon returning to the...
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The Intertidal Zone
Students research the diverse animal and plant life that inhabit the intertidal zones along the Pacific rocky coast. As students progress through this lesson, they begin to recognize distinct behaviors, adaptations, and characteristics...
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Home Sweet Home
Middle schoolers examine the change in the diversity of animals living in an area before and after development. In order to do this, students need to have access to an area near their school which is undeveloped. A good, "real life"...
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The High Plains: Land of Extremes
Students complete activities surrounding the study of groundwater movement, energy resources, wind energy, and riparian areas. They debate/role-play the viewpoints of different interest groups in considering whether the black-footed...
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Digital Wildflower Collection
Students examine biodiversity and classify organisms. In this wildflower lesson students go out and take pictures of plants then create a presentation to show the class.
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Tackling Taxonomy
Learners study physical characteristics of separate phyla and place them into similar groups. This lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life. students develop a classification system by grouping animals into...
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What Do Parts Do?
Students review the components of the scientific inquiry method. In groups, they identify and describe the components and functions of all of the parts of a plant. Using a diagram, they label the parts of the plant chosen and share...
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Dirt Life
Students select and collect soil samples from a variety of locations (schoolyard, home, etc.). They do this lab after an interest-generating discussion about "dirt" and microbes. Students make a dilution in sterile water, plate it on a...
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the Wonder of Wetlands
Young scholars explore the importance of the wetland ecosystem, its properties and functions, as well as, the many birds, animals, and plant life found there.
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Insect Collection
Middle schoolers investigate about various biological aspects of life, while examining desert insect species. They see the diverse range of species that live in the desert, despite the apparent lack of life in the desert. students...
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Powdery Mildew Fungi: Classification and Ecology
Students use a written key or illustrated key to identify fungi on plant leaves into its genus based on sexual or asexual reproduction, host range diversity, and host-parasite relationships.
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Surveying an Environment / Ecosystem
Students visit a local ecosystem to survey the plants and animals present and identify interactions between organisms. They identify interactions that occur between living organisms and their ecosystem and present their ecosystem to the...
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Listening to the Prairie
Students, in groups, visit an exhibit and for a prairie scavenger hunt to locate sunflowers and name products made from them. After sketching a prairie dog, they find nature cues farmers use when growing plants and raising animals. The...
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If You Mess With A Wetland, At Least Try to Make Amends!
Eighth graders examine the role of wetlands in an ecosystem. In groups, they use the internet to research how humans have disturbed and ruined the effectiveness of wetlands throughout the country. They pretend they are in charge of...
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Relationships and Biodiversity
Students examine diversity on the planet and the differences within a species. In this investigative lesson students complete a lab that allows students to better understand the relatedness between plants.
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Water Quality And pH
Students determine the pH level of water and its effect on aquatic plants and brine shrimp eggs. This is a three part lesson that leads the student through the development of an understanding of water pH. They form a hypothesis and are...