Students examine plant parts. In this botany lesson, students examine various edible plants and how their adaptations help them to grow. They observe stems, leaves, roots and flowers of plants and discuss the relationship between the...

Re-enact the flight of the pollinator. Pupils learn about the roles of butterflies, bats, and other pollinators in plant reproduction. The class acts out the migratory flight of Monarch butterflies and bats from the Sonoran Desert to...

Fifth graders work in small groups to brainstorm responses to a problem related to some disaster that wipes out half or all plant life on earth. Groups complete a graphic organizer to compare and contrast their ideas. Students select...

Let nature guide your engineering designs. By taking apart a flower, pupils learn about reverse engineering. They use the results to brainstorm designs for new products or ideas. This is the seventh installment of a nine-part Life...

Fifth graders brainstorm the relationship between trees and humans to determine how humans benefit from trees and how they benefit from us. They discuss oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, soil stablization, animal habitat, shade, medicine...

Fourth graders make a detailed observations about non-native and native grasses. They define reasonable policies that they expect to follow while working in the CRWA. Students list, in small groups, two treatments that have been used in...

The third in a series of six lessons is an engaging three-part activity defines that discusses phenology, focusing on the cyclic seasons of plants. Pupils then observe phenology outside before determining how climate change can...

Students explore water usage around the world.  In this "water" social studies lesson, students brainstorm ways in which water is used.  Students visit the Water in Africa website to view pictures of water usage in...

After brainstorming what they know about ocean acidification, youngsters place eggs in acid to determine the effects on calcium-containing organisms, and add carbon dioxide to solutions with sea shell material to discover the impact on...

Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...

If you're reading the story "Merry Christmas, Geraldine" by Holly Keller, this is a fantastic cross-curricular resource to use. Complete with activities for language arts, science, social studies, art, and math, you'll get the most out...

Here's a resource designed to serve as an introduction to a computer science course. Groups brainstorm an innovation that may improve technology or use technology to solve a problem. The plan guides the teacher through the introduction...

High schoolers are examine the purpose of dichotomous keys. In groups, they design their own in order to describe the characteristics of plants and weeds native to California. To end the lesson, they define new terminology associated...

Students explore habitats and see that there are a variety of plants that can be found and that biodiversity is an important characteristic.  In this biodiversity lesson students complete an activity that explains how to perform a...

Students participate in several plant-themed activities. They keep a food log, identify any plants they have eaten and then classify these foods by the part of the plant that is edible. Students sing songs about plants, make collages,...

Fifth graders complete a survey to decide what are most popular plants among the class. They test the water quality in a nearby pond. Studnts test the quality of soil samples taken from their homes. Different plants are moistened with...

Students explore the poinsettia and its symbolism as a Christmas flower. Students will listen to a story about the poinsettia and its origins in Mexico and discuss what they know about Mexico. They will discuss the poinsettia's...

First graders evaluate what it takes for a seed to become a plant. They brainstorm what they know, discuss what they want to know and interact with a Plant WebQuest that indicates what they have learned. They also examine how we get the...

Fourth graders use a plant database to discover new vocabulary associated with plants and ecosystems. Using a pile of dirt behind their school, they design a garden to make it a more enjoyable place. They print out the types of plants...

Seventh graders construct a large mural of a praire showing plants, and animals that would live there.

Students examine the relationships between plants, animals, and the environment in ecosystems. They sort animal cards, collect natural materials from the schoolyard, and record an ecosystem web in the form of a poster.

Students explore the concept of biodiversity. Through activities, they discover the importance of one species upon another. Students examine food webs, discuss animals interdependence upon one another, and brainstorm why biodiversity is...

Fifth graders brainstorm a list of animals that live on the prairie, and classify them as predators and prey. They conduct interviews where they ask the animals what they need to look out for to sustain life on the prairie.

Students 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 dissolved...