Virginia Department of Education
A Designed Organism
How can you encourage pupils to demonstrate creativity while still meeting the objective of applying technical knowledge? This activity is your answer! Scientists will create an imaginary creature and prepare a graphic organizer with...
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Pond Water Web
Learners identify the different organisms in the food web. In this biology lesson, students create food chains using the information on cards. They explain what happens if an organism is removed or added in the web.
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What A Tangled Web We Weave
Learners of many ages discuss how all organisms rely on other organisms for their survival. They construct a food web and energy pyramids, and write an informative essay about the food web that they have designed.
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The Future of Arctic Sea Ice
Students research about the importance of sea ice to world climate and sea organisms. In this earth science lesson, students create a model of present and future Arctic sea ice communities. They discuss how ice melting affects...
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Exploring the Natural World of the Balkan Peninsula
Students explore the different habitats in the Balkan peninsula. In this ecology instructional activity, students research about a species and create a 3D diorama of its environment. They present project in class and share their research...
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Dare to Care for a Grizzly Bear
Young scholars examine the relationship between humans and grizzly bears. In this biology lesson, students research about the bear's habits and living environment. They write a letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service petitioning them...
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Marine Food Webs
Students examine how food webs illustrate the ways in which organisms depend on each other for energy and nutrients, and make food webs showing the feeding relationships among organisms encountered in the Gal??pagos coastal waters.
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Spring
Students examine lichens in an outside field trip. Students explore the diversity of this organism and ask questions about them.
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Composting Conundrum
Students research cafeteria composting. In this composting lesson, students design a vessel that would allow the cafeteria staff to collect food scraps for composting. Then students build a prototype and present it to the class. Lastly...
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Kalahari Explorations
Students explore world geography by completing graphic organizers and researching the Internet. In this Kalahari desert lesson plan, students identify the geographic location, weather and creation of the Kalahari desert. Students define...
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Naming New Species
Students explore science of taxonomy and the Five Kingdoms of life,
categorize organisms into Kingdoms, and create multi-media presentations illustrating knowledge of a Kingdom. They collect data and related pictures on the Internet,...
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The Environment and Interactions of Living Organisms
Students study the environment and interactions of living organisms. They identify abiotic and biotic factors and create a foldable and vocabulary cards. They create a poster illustrating soil and watch a video to study symbiosis.
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Coming to America: U.S. Immigration
Students study immigration in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this immigration lesson plan, students participate in activities including creating maps, responding to non fiction text, memorizing and analyzing poetry, and...
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Animals, Animals, Everywhere
Fourth graders participate in a variety of activities dealing with animal characteristics and classifications in this multi-task instructional activity. They use graphic organizers, make booklets, and make models.
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Choose Your Defense: Spines, Vomit and Camouflage
Young scholars investigate defensive mechanisms of insects and organisms. In this biology lesson, students draw imaginary caterpillars as well as imaginary parasites that will harm the caterpillar. Young scholars utilize the Internet...
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Organisms and Habitats
Second graders investigate biomes and the plants and animals that are native to particular biomes. They participate in a class discussion, conduct Internet research on a selected biome, and create a shoebox biome using their Internet...
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Bats
Learners model how the bones in a bat wing are organized. They develop questions about bat body parts based on photographs. They hypothesize how bats locate their food.
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Time Management
Students are taken through the design process to develop a system of time management for themselves and others. They practice participating in a critique of other students' time schedules and modify and improve their initial time...
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Pheed the World: Edible Phyla
Students discuss the contributions of different organisms to our world. In this biology instructional activity, students research countries with limited food supply. They create an improvement plan for a fictitious country assigned to them.
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Kwanzaa Science
Learners study the parts of a plant in order to better understand the muhindi as one of the seven symbols of Kwanzaa.
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Effects of Oil Spills on Environment and Marine Life
Learners explore oceanography by conducting an environmental experiment in class. In this oil spill instructional activity, students discuss the human need for oil and what is at stake when we drill for oil in our oceans. Learners read a...
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Flutter Farm
Students create their own butterfly garden and follow a participation plan to ensure that everyone will have a hand in the garden. In this gardening lesson plan, 5th graders log their progress with their garden by taking photos, and...
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Pick a Pet
Young scholars design informational materials to educate people on the importance of matching a new pet to the family's lifestyle and living arrangements. Students use critical thinking skills to make a decision on the appropriate choice...
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Sink or Float?
Students predict and test different items to see if they sink or float. In this sink and float lesson plan, students predict whether an item is buoyant or not, and learn that size and weight do not matter when it comes to buoyancy.