Students participate in an interactive lesson using the scientific method to study biodiversity.  For this insect monitoring lesson, students simulate the layers of soil and the insects that would live there. Students design...

First graders get out and explore two different habitats to examine how each one meets the needs of the plants and animals that dwell there. They discuss what they've learned about animal habitats as they explore the outdoor environment....

In a comprehensive project, teen ecologists read case studies to learn about successful conservation programs, then work together to research an ecosystem. The project culminates with either an in-class presentation about a conservation...

Fourth graders participate in an activity dealing with the environment.

Students explore threats to diversity in the Central African rainforest. They use a guided website to research animals that are threatened with extinction, examine human uses of the rainforest and think about what they can do to help...

High schoolers create a food web of the arctic ecosystem. In this biology lesson, students explain how global warming affects this ecosystem. They explain how losing a species affects the entire community.

Young scholars explore the Earth's various biomes and ecosystems using Internet research. They create a multimedia poem using the photos, sounds, and vocabulary from their research.

Fifth graders research dinoflagallates of the Bioluminescent Bay. They research the Internet for pictures of the Bio Bay and discuss the difference between ecosystems and ecoregions. They research a marine ecoregion and create a poster.

Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...

Students examine the characteristics of their own environment and compare them to another region. They prepare a box filled with items and stories about their own region, exchange the box with another class in another region, and...

There is nothing in the world quite like a bee. Here is a video that explains the importance of bees to pollination. Scholars consider possible solutions to the declining population of bees in the ninth and final installment in the series.

Study everything about plants! The 12-part series of lessons continues with an examination of many aspects of plants. Components of the laboratory activity address the growth and structure of plants by evaluating familiar plants. The...

Students are asked to respond to questions such as:" Have there been surveys of the area to inventory the species?" (For example, for a wetland area, do they know what amphibians live there and how abundant they are?) Are there any...

Learners examine the effects of various methods of fishing on fish populations and biodiversity. They read a handout, participate in a simulation of different fishing methods, record the results, and answer discussion questions.

Learners examine their own environments and make connections to larger ecosystems. They watch a video about the gulf of Maine and record the changes that have occurred. They research the gulf and create a food web.

Students calculate the area of grasslands needed to support a small pride of lions. They also identify food web links in an ecosystem and trace the energy pathways in an ecosystem.

Students research where in the world coral reefs are located. In this ecology lesson plan, students create food chains and food web. They simulate growing coral reefs to understand their characteristics better.

Tenth graders research and discuss factors that have an effect on the sustainability of national park ecosystems in Canada. They examine changes in thinking that have led to new park management practices.

Fifth graders use general knowledge to make educated guesses about the habitat and survival strategies of animals from Australia, Antarctica and Africa. They research to confirm and check ideas and group animals in a variety of ways.

High schoolers experiment collecting macroinvertebrates from a stream and identify the specimens collected and then log in the information into a data table. From the data, they make qualitative and quantitative interpretations of water...

Students observe aquatic plants and animals and identify their systems. In this plants and animals lesson plan, students compare systems of organisms and orally express how plants and animals rely on each other.

It's the attack of the clones! Not to worry; these are just plant clones. Teen horticulturalists will enjoy growing their own clone into a plant in an activity designed to be revisited after a few weeks. It is one experiment that kids...

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...

Students watch the video clip and create a web map showing the cycle between producers, consumers and decomposers. They also tell why it is important to conserve the old-growth forests.