Students discuss the criteria for living things with their groups. They come to a consensus on at least five or more characteristics of a living thing. They determine if the lab samples are living, non-living, or other.

Students describe environmental interrelationships using list of criteria. They are able to explain organism interaction, based on definitions provided. Also, students can use references and worksheets, to describe effects of pollution...

Seventh graders write a few sentences explaining the most important events of their lives during the past year. As a class, they discuss why they chose the elements they did for their sentences. To end the lesson, they read a variety of...

Young scholars observe interrelationships and interdependencies of organisms which may generate stable ecosystems. They also study that living organisms have the capacity to produce infinite sized populations, but environments and...

Students investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them.  In this animal life lesson, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab.  Students review the footage from the cat and other...

Wolves eat better when the bunny population increases, but how long does that last? A series of 12 biology lessons uses the sixth installment to explore the predator-prey relationship between bunny and wolf populations. Young scientists...

Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...

Students explore seed dispersal by designing their own wind dispersed seed structure. Using one piece of paper and a box fan, they construct a seed dispersal structure, record the distance their seed travels, and answer discussion...

Students conduct an experiment to determine whether plants need air in order to survive and grow. They discuss natural resources, analyze slides, and observe and record data from the experiment.

Starting with a simple food chain, young scientists interpret the difference and interrelatedness between herbivores, carnivores and producers. They answer questions related to cause and effect of food chain disruptions, including the...

Students identify general abilities that indicate animal cognitive intelligence. In this biology lesson, students create an intelligence testing challenge for ravens. They compare its ability to that of a crow.

Sixth graders set up an ecosystem, investigate conservation techniques, develop an action plan for conservation, and various other activities to explore the ecosystem.

Students explore ecology and biodiversty. They use the wet-mount procedure to make several slides to view using the microscope and draw what they see.

Students observe aquatic plants and animals and identify their systems. In this plants and animals lesson plan, students compare systems of organisms and orally express how plants and animals rely on each other.

Learners investigate the trees of the Mississippi Valley, specifically looking at the coniferous and deciduous forests. The research of the area is part of a field study when students conduct a survey of local forests in order to create...

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 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...

Students determine how and why soil needs to be prepared for the fall and winter seasons. In this agriculture lesson, students determine how to use gardening tools safely. They show how to work with compost material and fertilizer to...

Students are engaged in discussing air quality through hands-on demonstrations using balloons, sealed jars, and toy cars. Students conduct a home radon test to measure their air quality.

Third graders participate in an activity to determine which tool will work the best to gather food. They create analogies about how the experiment relates to birds. They brainstorm about which adaptation helps or hurts the survival of an...

Sixth graders role play predators, prey and other parts of the aquatic ecosystem. They show inter and intra-specific competition as well as the link between abiotic and biotic components in an ecosystem. Students play games about the...