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Pulse
Pupils determine a baseline pulse rate then chart the changes in rate with exercise. They describe the changes and develop a rationale for their observations. The task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, determine...
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Beetle Rearing
Students investigate plants and the effects beetles have on the plants. In small groups, they collect plants and observe the beetles as they interact with the plants. They record the conditions including temperature, cloudiness, length...
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Monarch Migration
Third graders investigate the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. They experiment with various tools to simulate the mouth parts of insects, conduct research, record their observations of butterflies hatching, write a play, complete...
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Why Are Bees Important?
Students identify and analyze pollination and how bees play an important part in the life cycle of flowering plants. They also identify the process of plant pollination and how bees play an important part in the life cycle of flowering...
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Personal Ecosystem
Students build an aquatic ecosystem using large glass pickle jars. In this ecology instructional activity, students build and ecosystem then observe and collect data on the habitats. In this long term project students observe a...
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Making a Brassica Model
Students apply skills they have learned to construct an accurate model of the Brassica and then work together on a group project. They analyze how the parts of a system go together, and how these parts depend on each other. Finally,...
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Inside the Egg, Hatching Chickens
Students conduct an egg candling activity to show the life inside a fertile egg. Students discuss the needs the egg has of the hen, as well as similarities and differences between plants and animals. Students complete a life cycle wheel...
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Creature Features
Students examine why certain animals live in only specific places throughout the world. Using animals, they classify them based on their characteristics and identify their basic needs. They also observe and compare the life cycles of...
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Looking at Flowers
Students use their bee sticks to cross-pollinate their Fast Plants and also focus in on the anatomy of flowers. They analyze how the parts of a system go together, and how these parts depend on each other. Finally, students describe...
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What is Life? Demonstrations & Discussion
Display seven items for your biologists to consider. Are they living or non-living? How can you tell? This is a simple outline of what you can display and questions that can be discussed as this topic is explored. One way to use this...
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Week 3: Pollution Source and Effects
Lab groups set up an experiment to observe what happens over time in collected pond water when fertilizer, representing pollution, is added. This website does not include student lab sheets, but background information, materials, and...
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Frog and Toad Are Confusing
Third graders are introduced to the similiarties and differences between a frog and a toad. In groups, they compare and contrast them and identify distinguishing characteristics of each. They watch a video on the animals and answer...
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Learning in Cockroaches
Students make scientific observations. In this stimulus response lesson, students make observations and collect data to determine if cockroaches can learn. A secondary purpose of this lesson is to provide students with the opportunity to...
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Ecosystems
Seventh graders create a closed ecosystem and place it where is it visible to others in the school. They label it with posters describing the interdependence of living things in the ecosystem. They discuss what might happen to the...
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Explore Your Natural Habitat
Students identify habitats and understand why they are important to our environment. For this environmental lesson students design their own habitat, observe and record data on the impact their habitat has on the environment.
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Plants
Sixth graders examine how plants collect water and breathe. In groups, they participate in a variety of activities in which they discover how plants operate in terrariums. To end the lesson, they discuss why plants are important to the...
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Harvesting and Threshing the Seed
Students harvest and thresh the seeds. They count the seeds and compare that number with the original number of seeds planted (8) to determine their profit or loss. Finally, students think about additional questions they have about...
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Lessons from The Lorax
Students read and watch a video of The Lorax by Dr. Suess. As a class, they answer a set of questions about how the environment was affected by industries. They also brainstorm a list of possible solutions to help curb the pollution.
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Animals
First graders study the basic needs of animals and compare them to human needs. They make bird feeders using milk carton and pine cones. They review the basic needs of food, water, air, and shelter and discuss what happens when animals...
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Forests and Photosynthesis
Fourth graders explore the concept of photosynthesis. They investigate the effects of light on seedlings. Students grow plants and record the data. Students view satellite images that show the monthly amount of vegetation present in the...
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Ecology Club
Fifth graders measure their plants and take pictures, write down new
observations about their plants. They discuss taking plants home. When they take them home students carefully put a plastic bag over the top to keep the plants from...
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Organisms – Their Needs
Students compare and contrast different organisms characteristics. In this life science lesson plan, students design an experiment about plants and animals needs. They collect data and write their conclusion about the experiment.
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Skates
Learners gain understanding of structure, characteristics, and basic needs of living things and their role in world, identify parts of skate, observe details of skate's body and skate egg case, and identify unique characteristics of skates.
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Tree Study
Students measure the lengths of provided leafs to the nearest millimeter. Students identify trends in the data as well as sourced of inaccuracy and formulate additional questions that could be investigated to enhance their understanding.