Curated OER
Families and Heredity
Personality traits and physical appearance traits within families are the focus here. Learners make a poster which lists the shared physical traits they have with their family. Peers look at each poster and write down the traits they see...
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Specialized Structures and Environment
Fifth graders read about how different animals protect themselves, and how characteristics give animals an advantage in their environment. Students then discuss a variety of "outer" wear for humans, and what they might choose to wear in...
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Heredity And Environment
Students complete a pre-test on the relationship between heredity and the environment. As a class, they write down descriptions of themselves and identify which traits can be changed and not changed. In groups, they determine which genes...
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Patterns of Heredity
Students describe the differences between incomplete dominance and codominant alleles, and between multiple alleles and polygenic inheritance. They describe how internal and external environments affect gene expression. They then...
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Survival of the Fittest – Battling Beetles
Students explore natural selection. For this genetic adaptation lesson, students discover why certain traits continue and some traits disappear. Students discover how species evolve and change. Resources are provided.
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Where are the Dinosaurs?
Students construct their own diorama based on the life of a dinosaur. In this dinosaur lesson, students create models of dinosaurs and dinosaurs' eggs to explore the life cycle of this extinct species.
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Create a New Animal
Students understand what physical adaptations are and how they help an animal to survive. In this adaptations lesson, students research four animals and then make an original animal that has adaptations to make them survive.
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Who Am I Like?
Young scholars examine family structures. In this family structure lesson, students discover things about their own families and those of their classmates. They make a chart as they discuss nature versus nurture, complete a worksheet...
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Dinosaurs 1: Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students explore dinosaurs. In this dinosaur identification lesson, students watch video clips for different dinosaurs from the Discovery Kids website. Students discuss the clips with their teacher. Students may then role play the...
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Classification of Animals
Sixth graders examine two-way classification systems using four mutually exclusive groups and two dimensions simultaneously. They then are given a set of plastic animals, asked to create a two-way classification system, then asked to...
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Animal Games
Students explore a variety of games on the Internet that will teach them about animals; they focus on the Florida panther. Students choose the activity that is of interest to them, and then rotate between the games online and the games...
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Panther Scavenger Hunt
Students research a website to learn about the Florida panther. In this animal research lesson, students use the scavenger hunt directions to search a website about Florida panthers. Students also solve word puzzles within the activity.
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Become an Expert
Students practice their researching techniques by preparing a presentation with little notice. In this information research lesson, students utilize the Internet to research one of several subtopics concerning panthers. Students...