Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pond Life

For Teachers K - 3rd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dissolved Oxygen in an Aquatic Ecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain why dissolved oxygen is important in aquatic ecosystems. They evaluate the optimal dissolved oxygen levels for living organisms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wild and Wetlands

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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"...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pond Ecology

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine pond ecology, testing how temperature affects the respiration rate of fish. They collect various living things found at a pond, and identify the animal and plant life discovered. They observe a pond community in an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Local Ecosystems

For Teachers K - 2nd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Organic Materials in an Aquatic Ecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students evaluate the relationship between oxygen levels and the amount of organic matter in an aquatic ecosystem. They explain the relationship between oxygen levels, bacteria and the breakdown of organic matter using an indicator...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Woods and Pond

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Woods and Pond

For Teachers K - 2nd
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freshwater/Saltwater "Eggs-Periment"

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore water properties by conducting a class experiment. In this buoyancy lesson, students utilize freshwater, saltwater, plastic cups, hard boiled eggs and food coloring to experiment with the floating capabilities of salt...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effect of Medications on Daphnia

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore how human beings affect the world's ecosystem by examining the affects of medication on daphnia, a small freshwater organism very sensitive to pollution. Students use a computer model to repeat the experiment and analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does a change in pH affect the growth and survival rate of aquatic plants?

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students determine if changes in pH affect the growth and survival rates of aquatic plants. They evaluate the optimal pH levels for the growth of aquatic plants.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aquatic Communities

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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.