Curated OER
Basic Needs of Living Things - Lesson Two
Fourth graders study and identify the basic needs of a variety of organisms. Terrariums and aquariums are used to demonstrate what plants, animals, and fish need to stay alive. These two classic models are used to effectively convey what...
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Growing Jack and the Beanstalk Plants
First graders investigate how plants grow by growing their own "beanstalk", (after reading "Jack and the Beanstalk") and record their observations daily in a science journal.
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Dirt: Making Dirty Water Clean!
Fourth graders study soil and water. In this water instructional activity students work in groups and use a filter to clean water.
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Above & Below the Pond
Pupils search for information and pictures about life in and around a pond. They visit a local ponds to sketch life that they see in the water and nearby. Students identify all plant and animal life. They find out what happens to pond...
Curated OER
Water Pollution, Stream Ecosystems
Students participate in a series of simulated activities designed to demonstrate the interconnectedness between the environment and the organisms that live there. They explore how polluting one element of an environment affects the...
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Water Quality and Dissolved Oxygen
Students investigate the relationship between dissolved oxygen and organic materials and aquatic organisms. This is a 3-lesson series in which students explore dissolved oxygen and then design an experiment testing the effects of changes.
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Wild Waters Downtown
Fourth graders investigate how wild animals living in urba settings also need sources of clean water. They discuss the open water issues of West Nile Virus and what happens to urba animals as these poolings area are cleaned up. ...
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Water Quality Monitoring
Students comprehend the four parameters of water quality. They perform tests for salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and clarity or turbidity. Students comprehend why scientists and environmental managers monitor water uality and aquatic...
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Contaminated Water
Young scholars review and use the steps in the scientific method to complete the experiment. In groups, they research the importance of water to plants and animals in their local area. They examine how water can become contaminated and...
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Plants
Students plant bean seeds and draw pictures of the plants as they grow. They create their own garden, plant the seeds, and keep a journal of their growth.
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Let's Think About Water
Students explore the different forms that water can take and conduct simple experiments to demonstrate some of its properties in each state. They watch a short video that illustrates some of these concepts.
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Build A Model of the Water Cycle
Students identify and describe the steps in the water cycle. They discover the sun as the source of the cycle. They work together to create their own water cycle model.
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Water Quality
Students are presented with a hypothetical situation to investigate the water quality of the James River. They are given data to analyze and put into the graphic organizer that is included to help solve the problem. The lesson includes...
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Pond Water Web
Students familiarize themselves with the common organisms that live in a pond and discover their importance in a balanced aquatic habitat as they create food webs. They also investigate how an environmental change affects the habitat as...
Calculated Industries
Army Survival
Intended as a reference tool for US Army personnel, this application can be used in a classroom that is studying historic and current wars or as part of an outdoor education or wilderness survival course. Some of the subjects addressed...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Seed Dispersal and Plant Migration
There are five methods of seed dispersal. They include gravity, mechanical, animal, water, and air. Scholars study seed dispersal in lesson five of the series of six. Through discussions, hands-on analysis of different seed types, and...
NOAA
Make an Edible Coral Reef
Coral reefs are full of an abundance of life and color. Why not celebrate it with an edible coral reef? Learners and teachers alike use cake, icing, and candies to create a tasty version of a coral reef that's complete with colors,...
Curated OER
How Do Plants and Animals Change the Environment Around Them?
If you have elodea and snails in your classroom aquarium, or if you have access to a pond with these organisms, your young biologists can set up a controlled experiment to determine how certain ecosystems respond in light and dark...
Curated OER
Dependence and Interdependence
Third graders explore the dependence and interdependence that plants and animals in every environment have on one another. They examine how plants and animals depend on each other for survival. Students complete a variety of experiments...
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Fire Fighting
Pupils consider the effects of a wildfire on prairie life. They explore the ways that plants regenerate after a fire and create fictional plants that have adapted specifically to the prairie environment. They share models of their plants.
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Animal Tracks Program
Entice your learners with this lesson plan on animal footprints. After reading the story Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin, they use photos to identify animals and their footprints. Then they participate in an activity to...
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Dissolved Oxygen Introduction
High schoolers are shown how dissolved oxygen enters the water. They are taught the difference between a water sample that has been exposed to the air and one that has not. Students brainstorm what organisms need to survive. They use...
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Water Pollution
Students explore the causes of water pollution. In this environmental lesson plan, students conduct experiments with natural filtration systems.
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Oxygen Levels and Aquatic Plants and Animals
Students design an experiment to test the effects of a change in the amount of dissolved oxygen of water on aquatic plants and animals. Questions are offered for exploration and experiment design. Results are tabulated and conclusions...