Biology Junction
World of Insects: Characteristics, Orders, and Collecting
Every bug is an insect, but not all insects are bugs. A presentation lists the characteristics of insects, describes their body parts, and explains metamorphosis. It also details every order and includes photographs and multiple facts...
Curated OER
Understanding Cladistics
Students explore cladistics and create a cladogram of their own. They are shown how the scientist at the American Museum of Natural History use a method called cladistics to group animals. Students are asked how the animals (lion,...
Curated OER
Yerbas y Remdios: A New Look
Students explore human health by participating in a medicine class activity. In this herbs lesson, students identify plants which Native Americans used throughout history to cure illnesses. Students research specific herbs in groups and...
Curated OER
Products Made from Petroleum
Students research products made from petroleum. In this transportation lesson students try to find products other than fuel, made from petroleum. They look for the most unusual or surprising products and describe the history and...
Curated OER
Museum Adventure WebQuest
Students discover the background and properties of minerals. They examine fluorite and record data after testing it. They use the internet to help them discover information about minerals.
American Museum of Natural History
Journey to Deep Sea Vents
Take a deep dive into oceanography. The online interactive allows for learners to board a submersible to dive to the bottom of the ocean to investigate sea vents. On the way down, individuals see different marine life at different...
Curated OER
What's In A Name?
Students create a binomial system of nomenclature for classifying organisms they encounter in a field trip to a natural history museum or from pictures in library books. They work in small groups to create accurate drawings and place...
Journey Through the Universe
Impact Craters: A Look at the Past
The Galle crater on Mars is also known as the Happy Face crater because of its appearance. First, scholars use pebbles and flour to simulate craters and study their properties. They then apply this knowledge to help decipher the history...
American Museum of Natural History
Draw a Monarch Butterfly: Scientific Illustrations
One doesn't have to be an artist to appreciate nature. A thorough resource shows pupils how to create detailed illustrations of a monarch butterfly. The lesson highlights the benefits of creating scientific drawings as opposed to simply...
Curated OER
"The Science Times"
Students create their own newspaper after gathering information at the Museum of Natural History's Hall of Biodiversity.
Curated OER
Tracing the Origins of Man
Students discuss Hominid evolution through various websites and other resources. They examine online fossil skulls, discuss the use of tools by ancient man, and look for examples of sophisticated tools built by man.
Curated OER
Arkansas State Mineral: Quartz Mineral
The quartz crystals found in the mountains of Arkansas are among the purest and clearest in the world! This lesson has middle schoolers focus on this state mineral of Arkansas as they study the state's geography. A fun game is...
Field Museum
The Case of Darwin's Finches
One of the most striking pieces of evidence for Darwin's Evolution of Species was his observations of finches and how their beaks differed from island to island, depending on their primary food sources. So what would happen to the theory...
Curated OER
Building Up, Breaking Down
Students investigate how rocks are modified into construction materials. In this building up and breaking down lesson plan, students explore what happens to building materials over time and how people modify natural materials. Students...
Curated OER
A Natural Connection to the Azores
Learners use primary sources to examine whaling voyages, biology, and geography. In this geography lesson, students analyze ship logs and plot locations of animals and determine routes using latitude and longitude.
American Museum of Natural History
Being a Conservation Biologist: Eleanor Sterling
Eleanor Sterling responds to 21 questions posed by young learners about the challenges she faces as a woman conservation biologist. She also discusses her research of the aye-aye, an unusual animal that lives in Madagascar.
American Museum of Natural History
If Rocks Could Talk
Meet some interesting rocks. Learners discover information about the three types of rocks and different rocks that are within each group. They read imaginary interviews with six rocks as each rock tells the story of their formation and a...
Curated OER
The Greatest Show on Earth: The World's Smallest Animals
Students create instruments to capture different types of insects. In this The Greatest Show on Earth: The World's Smallest Animals lesson, students compare the attributes of certain insects and record the data on a chart. After catching...
Curated OER
2105
Students read excerpts from Jon Scieszka's novel, 2095, prior to presenting their vision of the future in a creative project accompanied by written explanation. They design a museum exhibit which shows a scene from a science fiction book...
Curated OER
How Does Preserving Wilderness Enhance Forestry
Young scholars identify events of the environmental movement in the United States. For this environment lesson students study Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, who had a great impact on the environmental movement.
Curated OER
A Sense of West Virginia
Students consider their perceptions of the world through their 5 senses while visiting the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students discover how knowing about the past helps with their understanding of...
Curated OER
Three Dimensional Geology
Here is a fine lesson plan on geology designed for high schoolers. Learners use rocks, fossils, and other geological clues to determine the geology of an area. Then, they make recommendations to a fictitious city council about the...
Curated OER
A Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt
Students explain what a fossil is, learn six dinosaurs and tell one characteristic about each, then describe verbally what a dinosaur might have looked like.
Curated OER
Astronomy
Students examine a medieval manuscript on astronomy and create their own books based on modern discoveries in astronomy. In this astronomy lesson, students compare astronomy knowledge in the middle ages to today and research modern...