How much power does your state have in the presidential election? Young scholars investigate the mathematics of the Electoral College in the first lesson of a three-part series. The focus is on the measures of central tendency when...

A billion people here, a billion people there, world population is really starting to add up. Individuals look at past world population data to estimate when the population will surpass the next billion. Proportional reasoning is the...

Explore proportions through an interesting hands-on activity. Learners model the population of birds using beans. They tag a sample size of the beans and use a proportion to estimate the actual population size. 

Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...

Making an inference based on a sample is a great skill your learners will practice during this lesson. The narrator explains common mistakes when making an inference based on a sample, and why they may not represent the population...

When samples provide different sets of data, the best way to calculate a more precise answer is with the mean. The lesson provides three different samples of data from a population that your learners should be able to calculate and find...

Transmit to your class what an unbiased sample is with this video. The video goes into detail about what an unbiased sample looks like, providing examples and listing several different types of random sampling. This could be used when...

The students in this video discuss population around the world. They explain how to properly read a population map. Tip: Creating a video like this is a great way to for your students to show what they have learned!

Take a brief look at the Florida Everglades. What kinds of animal populations exist there? Use this video to help define introductory vocabulary for your unit on ecosystems, and click the links posted below the video to provide your...

Why do most populations remain stable over time? Usually it is a result of either environmental resistance or carrying capacity. Examine some of the factors that help stabilize animal populations, and explore some of the changes that...

With a discussion and a brief film, introduce populations. Using paper fish models, your class participates in a simulation in which they survey numbers of fish. As a class, they tally up the different types. The challenge with this...

When your biology or ecology class is studying populations, show this video to explain the concept of exponential growth. You could also use it with a math class. A nice addition would be to read the children's book, The Rajah's Rice: A...

Marine biologists gather abundance data for different marine species from an Excel spreadsheet. They calculate species richness, total number of individuals, and relative abundance for each species in the table. Using the Shannon-Wiener...

Emerging ecologists examine endangered species by visiting the US Environmental Protection Agency website. They consider human contribution to the decline of different species. They research an endangered animal and then craft a poster...

Pike fish pose a threat to native trout and catfish in lakes. Would you drain and poison a lake to get rid of the Pike fish? If the lake was drained and poisoned, then refilled and repopulated with trout and catfish, how would you...

Students explore how the population decreased in native cultures.

Students study populations throughout History.

Transmit to your class what an unbiased sample is with this video. The video goes into detail about what an unbiased sample looks like, providing examples and listing several different types of random sampling. This could be used when...

Students compare contemporary cultural differences with historical differences based on population percentage. In this cross-curriculum Gold Rush/math lesson, students analyze aspects of California's Gold Rush population and diversity...

Read 14 controversial environmental statements to your emerging ecologists. For each statement, learners decide if they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. They gather under a sign posted with their opinion. At each...

Using online and newspaper resources, small groups explore the issue of global security. They answer 13 different questions on three pages that have them consider multiple risks posed by a global security system. 

In this ecosystem exploration instructional activity, students complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use "Forest Ecosystem Gizmo" to conduct several activities, completing short answer questions when finished.

A 12-page midterm exam sample can be given to young scientists in preparation for an exam. This particular installment is geared toward a class that delves into both ecology and chemistry concepts. There is no way to separate the 50...

The typical introductory environmental questions are asked in this two-page worksheet. Emerging ecologists define populations, limiting factors, carrying capacity, and trophic levels. They analyze a population graph and consider the...