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Habitats of the World
Students complete a unit of eighteen lessons that cover climate, geography, location, plants, and animals of each of the five habitats. They are also introduced to habitat destruction and discuss ways to protect the environment. They do...
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Engineering and the Senses: Hearing
Students explore the sense of hearing. For this 5 senses lesson, students consider how humans and animals use the sense of hearing along with their other senses. Students discuss the body parts responsible for the 5 senses and...
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School Site Ecosystem
Fourth graders are introduced to the concept of ecosystem; specifically, the interrelationships among plants and animals within an ecosystem, and their relationships to the environment in which they live and interact.
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Stimulus Response
Middle schoolers explore the five steps in the stimulus-response pathway. They analyze the senses and the difference between animals' primary and secondary senses. Students collect information about animal behavior to debate the ethics...
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Mini-Ecosystems
Third graders identify the living and non living things in a book read aloud and discuss the interactions represented in the book. Then, they research and include a list of food that each animal needs in an ecosystem. Finally, 3rd...
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Radical Raptors
Students are introduced to raptors and their role in the environment. They identify three characteristics of raptors and list several types of raptors found in nature. Students discuss how raptors and humans can benefit each other and...
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Ecology and the St. Lawrence River
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on ecosystems, organism interactions, and energy flow. They create a key for known species of fish, diagram the movement of energy through an ecosystem, and create and present food chains and food...
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Traveling Nitrogen
Students demonstrate and understanding of the nitrogen cycle by taking roles and interacting with others in a simulation activity.
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Sea Connections: Marine Ecosystems
Students identify producers and consumers from marine ecosystems and describe the balance among them in the environments. After constructing a food chain from a marine ecosystem, they examine human activities that can upset the balance...
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Hands on Biome-Building: Build a Forest
Young scholars explore Earth science by identifying environmental factors. In this biome lesson, students discuss the importance of a functioning ecology and design a biome diorama. Young scholars utilize images of trees and plants which...
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Finding Caterpillars
Students examine how animals protect themselves from predators and camouflage themselves. They participate in a simulation in which they locate red and green yarn "caterpillars," organize their data, and generate a bar graph using...
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Panther Scavenger Hunt
Young scholars examine the Florida Panthers through a Web-quest. In this web-based lesson, students find clues that will help them to identify the habitat of the Florida Panther and the history of human activity which threatens these...
Michigan Sea Grant
Fish Habitat and Humans
Strict habitat requirements are needed for the survival of fish populations and fish variety in the Great Lakes. Young scientists become experts in the basic needs of fish and understand how survival necessities can vary with different...
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Build the Taiga: Hands on Biome-Building
Students explore environmental awareness by completing a construction project. In this biomes lesson, students identify the different elements for life to thrive in an ecosystem. Students utilize a cardboard or wood box to create a biome...
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Dive and Discover the Ocean
Third graders investigate the three zones of the ocean and the plants and animals that live in each zone. Projects produced are shared with classmates in a share circle where the unique features of the animal and zone selected are...
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Local Environmental Issues: Pollution
Third graders discuss the ways in which human interaction with the environment and production of waste products contribute to pollution. Through a pollution demonstration, they explain how various groups of plants and animals can be...
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Mother Nature's Laboratory
Students research how various plants and animals adapt over time to specific habitats and for specific purposes. Students produce a pictorial report on an example of an animal or plant's adaptation.
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Environmental Education
Second graders examine how their choices affect the environment. They identify different types of pollution and its source. They ask questions to end the lesson.
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Amazing Aussie Animals
Fourth graders are introduced to Australian animals through a PowerPoint presentation. They choose an animal of interest and conduct in-depth research using several websites. They design a presentation with their findings.
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Bird Beak Anatomy
Third graders participate in an activity to determine which tool will work the best to gather food. They create analogies about how the experiment relates to birds. They brainstorm about which adaptation helps or hurts the survival of an...
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Pond Exploration
Students take a hands-on approach to explore the world beneath the water in this activity. They examine the creatures they catch to study about the adaptations these animals have that allow them to survive in this harsh environment. They...
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Great Salt Lake
Third graders are introduced to the Great Salt Lake (GSL) environment and the various components of it. They make observations about algae and its environment and discuss why it is considered a living organism and various components of...
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A Rainbow Under the Sea: How Do Animals Survive in the Ocean?
Second graders, with adult help, create a PowerPoint presentation on a selected ocean animal.
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Endangered Species Furniture Project
Students work in groups to research an endangered species. They then refinish and paint a piece of furniture and incorporate facts and references about the animal they have researched.