Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Isopod Behavior, of the Rolly Polly Lab

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners investigate the behavior of isopods. In this isopod lesson plan, students make observations of an isopod and sketch the pillbug. They study the orientation of the isopods in relation to moisture in a chamber they construct from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Behavior

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate stimulus-response behavior, learned behavior in animals and innate behavior in animals. In this animal behavior lesson plan, students answer questions about their reactions to a toy cap gun that is fired off in...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Gorongosa: Making Observations Activity

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Termite Trail Marking Behavior

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine termites and their trail-marking behaviors. They draw lines on paper with various ink pens and experiment to see which types of ink the termites follow--or which inks do and do not elicit trail marking behavior.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analysis of Grooming Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students engage in a lab that focuses on animal behavior in an open ended inquiry based laboratory experience. They build an ethogram, display a transition matrix and analyze a Markov Chain. They remove wings from the drosophila and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Behavior of Lumbriculus

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students perform a classroom experiment on the organisms of worms. They view the behaviors of the worms and analyze their results. This lesson introduces students to the techniques involved in behavioral studies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Open Inquiry Using C. elegans

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Ever wondered what motivates a roundworm? Introduce your biology class to C. elegans, a non-parasitic model organism that can help them understand behavioral stimuli. Paired pupils design an experiment to test the worm's reaction to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inquiry in Science Using an Animal Behavior Model

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students observe a planaria without a microscope and with a stereoscopic microscope. They draw the planaria and describe its motion and eating habits. Students research planarias various body systems and behavior. They design an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Goes There?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars discover behaviors of nocturnal animals. In this animal behavior lesson, students conduct a night time experiment with black light tracing materials to observe nocturnal animal behavior in the wild.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ants In Motion

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students brainstorm ants and their characteristics in a class discussion. They observe the ants and answer question pertaining to their behavior; then they apply the scientific method in creating and investigating a problem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Charlotte and Her Relatives Visit the Classroom: Spider Activities, Experiments and Projects

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students compare and contrast different spider species that they capture and maintain in the classroom for several days. They identify and research the species characteristics and living requirements then conduct an experiment on spider...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Raising an Animal

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students observe reproduction and behavior in several types of animals and nurture a sense of responsibility and cooperation. They then examine external features of several different types of animal groups.
Unit Plan
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Life In A Nest: Exploring Life Cycles With Bird Cams

For Students 6th - 12th
Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chain Reaction

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students study animal behavior and how it changes to its environment.  In this animal lesson students design and conduct experiments.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clay Hill Animal Sampling

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils create animal print casts from molds in the classroom. They use the cast patterns to identify animal prints on a field trip in which they locate animal tracks, identify the location with GPS and create field casts of the prints. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat Choice in Woodbugs

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students investigate woodbugs. In this scientific investigation lesson plan, students explore the steps scientists take when conducting an investigation using live specimens. Students explore habitat preferences for woodbugs in various...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Lumbriculus variegatus

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct two set experiments on Lumbriculus worms and create a third experiment of their own. The first of the two set experiments allows students to observe regeneration of the worms while the second allows students to test the...
Unit Plan
University of Southern California

How do Organisms Interact?

For Students 4th - 8th
Examine how organisms interact through a hands-on experience. Learners study population dynamics and distribution during an informative five-lesson unit. The focus is on the ocean environment and the organisms within it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hidden Animals

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students predict the safest seashore substrate for animals. In this animal habitat experiment, students predict, test their hypothesis, and record data about how wave shocks affect animals living on either sand, gravel or rock. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sexual Selection in the Animal Kingdom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research how sexual selection plays a role in driving evolution. They experiment how variation exists within not just obvious physical traits, but metabolically and behaviorally. They write a letter describing a problem, and a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes a Cat a Cat?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them.  In this animal life lesson plan, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab.  Students review the footage from the cat and other...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can't Wait - Gotta Migrate:The Monarch Butterfly

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the migratory behavior of the monarch butterfly and to carefully develop a scientific method for answering one question concerning their behavior. They perform many meaningful tasks which help them explain the Monarch...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Field Guide to Schoolyard Insects and Their Relatives

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Sometimes all you need to complete your perfect lesson plan is an awesome hands-on learning experience. Here is an extension activity that is sure to excite your learners. They'll head outside to observe the local insect community. When...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Migratory patterns

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use field research and traditional research to identify migrating species of birds as well as their migratory patterns. Students generate a list of questions regarding migration and a plan to research the questions. A...