Polar Trec
Calorimetry Lab
Young people between the ages of 11–13 need on average about 2,000 calories per day. Within the lab, groups learn about calorimetry and respiration. They explore how it pertains to humans and animals living the Arctic where cold...
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Winter Survival
Students examine what animals need in order to survive. In this investigative lesson students play a "role" of an animal in winter.
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Laws of the Jungle
Students build a video game on predator-prey relationship. In this biology lesson, students identify the variables that affect this relationship. They write a short description and play each other's game.
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Organisms – Their Needs
Students compare and contrast different organisms characteristics. For this life science lesson, students design an experiment about plants and animals needs. They collect data and write their conclusion about the experiment.
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Scavenger Hunt: A Group Collection
Students be complete a collection of living organisms and systems from the school campus.
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Effects of Water Pollution on Aquatic Organisms
Students investigate water pollution. They develop an understanding of the behavior of organisms, of the structure and properties of matter, and of natural and human induced hazards by conducting lab tests. They present their data...
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Optimal Foraging
Students participate in a foraging activity that demonstrates environmental conditions playing an important role in determining the optimal foraging behavior of a particular organism.
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Discovering The Oasis
Students participate in a lesson that is concerned with the ecosystem of a local pond. The teacher makes arrangements for students to take a field trip. Time is spent in class for preparation and afterward for debriefing of lab...
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Activity 1: Please Pass the Energy, Food Webs in the Upper Ocean and Hydrothermal Vent Communities
Students create food webs for two different ocean communities. They are given cards showing organisms from the surface of the ocean. They arrange them in order of who eats whom. After this class activity, students create a food web for...
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The Web Of Life - Overlapping Food Chains
Students perform an activity in which they discover what happens when food chains overlap in an ecosystem and discover the three components of a food web.
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The Chain Gang
Young scholars perform a food chain simulation to determine what happens when a food chain is broken.
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Biodiversity: El Imposible National Park, El Salvador
Fifth graders explore the concept of how the more diverse an ecosystem is, the more interdependence of species exists within that system. The complex relationships among diverse species are difficult to identify. As species disappear or...
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A Study of Grasses on the American Prairie
Fifth graders study the ecology and impact of animal and human life as it relates to the environment of the Great Plains and its grasses. They compare types of grasses with a rainfall map to illustrate the effect of precipitation on...
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Spatial Characterization of Animal Movement
Learners identify biotic and abiotic factors which may alter the observed patterns in plant communities with different structural characteristics, climate, or environmental constraints.
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Insect Biology and Ecology: A Primer
Students explore insects and closely related organisms. They examine the growth and development of a lady beetle. Students classify insects and organize them. They investigate pest management.
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Seas Of Life
Young scholars brainstorm examples of predator and prey that are featured in a video they watch. For this investigative lesson students will research an animal from the video and explain if it is a predator or prey and how it helps...
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Desert Animals
Students survive within an ecosystem, an animal must be physically and behaviorally adapted to the conditions of its environment.
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BIOMIMICRY, Housing Naturally: Habitat as Model
Pupils explore natural animal habitats. In this lesson on biomimicry and habitation design, students will use classroom and field examples to examine animal habitats. Pupils will construct a model of a natural animal habitat. This lesson...
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City Animals
Students, in groups, conduct research, including interviews of people in various animal related occupations, to identify and describe how animal populations of cities have changed over time, to outline the benefits and problems...
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Wild Wildlife
Students assess how people both support and refute actions that lead to the extinction of animals. They examine how the wild tiger population has grown from near-extinction due to conservation efforts. They investigate an animal species...
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Backyard Wildlife Conservation
Students survey local wildlife. They distinguish between permanent and migrating or seasonal species. Students identify species and describe the ecological niche. Students research the food chain and food web for the backyard...
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Edible Soil
Students model the soils layers using Oreo's. In this lesson students use their favorite food items to create a model of soil layers. A discovery lesson from a youth camp is adapted for classroom modeling and discussion of soil...
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An Interdisciplinary Deer and Human Population Study
Students answer the question, "What environmental problems arise due to animal and human overpopulation and what might need to be done to combat these problems?" They play games, graph data and write proposals about the question.
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Make a Rain Stick for Earth Day
Students construct rain sticks. In this ecology multicultural lesson, students use recyclable items to construct a rainstick. Detailed instructions for making and decorating the rainstick are given.