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Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife
High schoolers examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...
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Sun Seeking Plants
Students investigate the story "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle. This story is used to introduce the children to the concept that seeds change and grow into plants when conditions in the environment including temperature, light, water and...
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Life Is a Cycle
Pupils investigate about cycles through games, shared readings and a shared writing activity. They play a game of Ring Around the Rosie to be introduced to the concept of "cycle."
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Simple Cycles
Students use Inspiration to map cyclical events. They recognize links between separate events and structural patterns. They explore the Internet Connection section to browse additional resources on teaching about cycles used in...
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Beaver Ecology
Young scholars explore the lives of bgeahvers. They identify the physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive in their environment. Students compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and...
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Getting a Handle on Your Bee
Students observe dried bees, carefully glue them to toothpicks, and use them for cross pollinating their Brassica plants. They also describe reasons why two similar investigations can produce different results. Finally, students...
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Frog Metamorphosis
Students play 20 Questions with animal characteristics and then view an animation of how a tadpole changes into a frog. They consider the importance of camouflage to frogs and write out the story of a frog from tadpole to adult.
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From Seed to Apple
Students identify the stages of apple growth. In this agricultural instructional activity, students read the story I Am Apple and sing the song "Round the Apple Tree." Students place pictures of the stages of an apple into the correct...
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Sunflowers
Students grow their own sunflower and create their own sunflower art work. In this sun flower lesson plan, students base their art work after Van Gogh and other artists that used sunflowers.
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People-Growing and Changing
Second graders study how people grow and change. For this health lesson, 2nd graders describe how they have changed over the years and guess who each student is after looking at everyone's baby pictures.
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Investigating comparative biodiversity of wetland and schoolyard sites
Fourth graders participate in an activity dealing with the environment.
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Powerful Potato
Students are introduced to the growth process of a potato. As a class, they place a potato on a plate and observe how long it takes for the eyes to appear. In groups, they follow a recipe to make potato soup that is shared with the...
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The Global Impact of Insect Borne Diseases & Agriculture
Students study the global impact of insect borne diseases, the appropriate use of pesticides, and the concept of human interrelations on a world wide scale. They examine how to safely apply a pesticide, according to the label.
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Window Gardens
Students use a plastic sandwich bag containing a damp paper towel taped to a window as a model system to observe the germination and early growth of radish seeds. They are challenged to pose a question about seed germination and growth...
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Fungus Among Us- Non-Fiction Reading Comprehension Worksheet
For this fungus non-fiction reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 3 page selection that describes the characteristics and life of fungi. They answer 10 questions based on the reading which include true or false, multiple...
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If It Smells Good, Is Edible, and Attracts Wildlife, Then It's a Practical Garden
Students explore landscape design. In this practical gardening lesson, students design landscape plans that call for shrubs, trees, and plants that can be used for aesthetics, cooking, and wildlife.
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Ecosystem Food Web Mural
Learners create a food web mural about an ecosystem of the freshwater marsh. For this food web lesson plan, students write about the organisms and how each one depends on another.
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Mushroom Prints
Students create a mushroom spore design on paper while studying the facts on fungi.
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the Naturalist's Notebook
Third graders, after brainstorming what they already know about trees and what effect the seasons have on them, create a model of a hollow log. They participate in a young naturalist's notebook writing activity while walking outside...
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Publishing With Photos!
Students create books with photographs as illustrations. In this book making lesson, students create books for different subjects to accompany what they are learning. They take photographs to match what they have written.
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The Role of Fire in Healthy Prairie, Brush and Forest Lands
Students create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast wildfires and prescribed fires. In this earth science instructional activity, students conduct a series of experiment to explore fire characteristics. They describe favorable...
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Milkweed and Monarch Butterfly puzzle
In this milkweed and monarch butterfly worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle about milkweed and monarch butterflies. Students complete 15 blanks in the puzzle.
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Milkweed and Monarch Butterfly Puzzle
In this milkweed bug and monarch butterfly worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle dealing with milkweed bugs and monarch butterflies. Students answer 15 questions in the puzzle.
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Food Web Follies
Seventh graders cut and paste animal pictures to create a food web and trace the path of energy. They write a paragraph explaining the importance of photosynthesis in all food webs.