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Pond Life
Students explore pond ecosystems. In this living environment instructional activity, students observe the local pond and identify the living things they find by drawing pictures. Students observe organisms that were found in the pond by...
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Organisms and Their Environments
Students study a local ecosystem and research the organisms to create a food web. For this ecosystem lesson, students view a video and answer questions. They visit a local ecosystem and make a list of organisms to research. Students...
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Investigating Local Ecosystems
Learners investigate the habitats of local plants and animals. They explore some of the ways animals depend on plants and each other. Students observe living organisms in a local ecosystem and create detailed drawings and descriptions...
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Pond Safari
Learners investigate organisms and animals by examining a nearby pond. In this ecosystem instructional activity, students participate in a field trip to a local pond where they utilize a net to gather animals, plants and pollution items,...
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Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?
Students explore the characteristics of major ecosystems, the interactions of the organisms within the systems, and the effects of humans on the system. Both living and non-living components are examined in this five lesson unit.
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The Living Environment
Students explore the cycles of an ecosystem. In this environmental science lesson, students work in groups to research the nitrogen cycle, the water cycle, or the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle. Students prepare a PowerPoint or other...
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Animal Habitat Dioramas
What a better way to have learners show what they know than with a diorama? Kids research an animal, its habitat, ecosystem, and environment in order to create a three-dimensional diorama. Have older children write a short paper on their...
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The Woods and Pond
Students explore nature in a living, experiencing way. For this woods and ponds lesson plan, students recognize that ponds/woods environments are ecosystems, identify three of the trees in the area by their leaves and bark...
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Wild and Wetlands
Upper graders identify the major characteristics of a wetland. They explore the human factors that change a wetland and write a descriptive paragraph about wetlands. This comprehensive lesson also has an interactive "Watershed Game"...
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Water Wonders
Young scholars explore hydrology concepts. In this environment and biology lesson, students identify and describe macroinvertebrates using a variety of pictures and resources. Young scholars observe and write about a classroom aquarium...
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Water and Land Ecosystems
Students investigate the differences between a land and aquatic ecosystem. They use the information in order to present it in an assessment. There are target questions that can be used to guide research, lead a classroom discussion, or...
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Ecology - Ecosystem
Third graders research ecosystems, the work of ecologists, John Muir's contribution to the environment and an endangered species of their choice. They read books, participate in discussions, and write reports.
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The Woods and Pond
Students participate in hands-on activities to explore their natural surroundings. They recognize that ponds and woods are ecosystems and compare differences between the two. They identify trees by their bark and leaves.
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Graphic Organizers Aid Comprehension
Students create story webs to aid comprehension of ecosystems. In this reading strategies lesson, students discover the importance of organizing information while reading a nonfiction text. Students produce story webs to communicate...
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Nature and Fitness Trail
Young scholars plan stations for a nature and fitness trail and construct an accompanying e-Book for extended descriptions at each station. Data on the human impact on the environment is gathered in this lesson.
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Food Chains
Fourth graders investigate food chains. They review cycles and discuss ecosystems. They select an environment and create a food chain in small groups. They write their food chain and label it for the class to evaluate. They create...
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Fish Haunts
Students examine some of the different ecosystems that fish live in. While doing this they identify the species of fish and the ecological conditions needed for survival. Students use research resources to make fish cards that have...
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What Critters Tell Us About Water Quality: A Macroinvertebrate Lesson
Students explore our ecosystem by investigating the quality of our water. In this aquatic insect lesson, students examine a group of random insects collected from different streams and ponds in the area. Students record their...
NOAA
Stressed Out!
Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...
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What Goes Around Comes Around!
Students create an ecosystem in a jar to show a model of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle. Working in small groups, they research and present orally the information they find on this cycle.
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Migration Isn't Just For The Birds
Fourth graders explore the concepts of conservation using a reading story that describes a flock of geese. The ecosystems are also described in the lesson and the effects of pollution.
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Aquatic Communities
Students watch a video about aquatic communities. They conduct an experiment that shows how movement of rivers change the landscape. They compare fresh and salt water communities and its wildlife.
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The Great Pollinators
Young scholars discover the reproductive parts of a plant. In this biology lesson, students identify and categorize several different plants they dissect in class. Young scholars record their information using a data chart.
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Raindrops Keep Burning On My head
Students investigate the effects and causes of acid rain. They test pH of household items to familiarize themselves with pH scale and compare that information with acid rain solutions. They investigate impact of acid rain via internet...