Curated OER
Our Link To The Past
Students explore how we are linked to the past and what that means. Inquires are made into the concept of history as the passage of time and changing seasons.
Curated OER
Desert Dynamics
Fourth graders examine the various types of plants and animals found in the deserts of Utah. In groups, they discover how the plants and animals have adapted to the harsh environment. To end the lesson, they compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
The Woods and Pond
Students explore nature in a living, experiencing way. In this woods and ponds lesson plan, students recognize that ponds/woods environments are ecosystems, identify three of the trees in the area by their leaves and bark...
Curated OER
Pocumtucks In Deerfield
Students read a story about the Pocumtucks' religious beliefs. Using the text, they discover their concept of land ownership and how they migrated within their territory in different seasons. They use primary and secondary sources to...
Curated OER
Desert Dynamics
Students investigate the plants and animals found in Utah deserts and how these organisms have adapted to their environment. They brainstorm ways that desert plants are different from or similar to wetland plants.
Curated OER
PLANTS LOVE AIR
Learners identify that plants cannot develop adequately without air and predict what happens to the leaf of a geranium brought to class. They draw a picture of what they think the leaf will look like after a week of being covered....
Curated OER
Autumn
Students examine the cycle of nutrients in a forest. They research the concepts of decomposing and recycling within a forest.
Curated OER
Animal Habitats
Students study the word habitat and its meaning. They also identify that in order for something to be classified as a habitat there needs to be the proper shelter, food, water, and space.
Curated OER
Alphabet Letter a Or N Theme
Students draw a tree with acorns. They depict roots and an acorn in the soil to review plant growth and practice handwriting letter A or letter N in the writing lines. They cut an additional page for the mini-book to include the word...
Curated OER
A Walk in the Tundra
Discuss the environment of the Arctic tundra using this resource. The focus of this lesson is the story A Walk in the Tundra by Rebecca L. Johnson. The appealing illustrations are bound to captivate your class! After reading the...
Polar Trec
What Can We Learn from Sediments?
Varve: a deposit of cyclical sediments that help scientists determine historical climates. Individuals analyze the topography of a region and then study varve datasets from the same area. Using this information, they determine the...
National Park Service
Living & Non-Living Interactions
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in...
Curated OER
Pocumtucks in Deerfield
As part of a study of colonial and Native American history, class members focus on the beliefs and land use of the Pocumtucks, who settled near Deerfield, Massachusetts. Young scholars examine their beliefs about land use and ownership,...
Curated OER
Hawk in Flight
Learners use information gathered by satellites to explore the migration of the Swainson's hawk from the western border of Minnesota to the southern portion of South America.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
American Indians and their Environment
People could take a page in ingenuity and survival from the Powhatans. Deer skins became clothes, and the members of the Native American group farmed the rich Virginia soil and hunted in its forests for food. Using images of artifacts...
Virginia Department of Education
A Salt Marsh Ecosystem
What a web we weave. Pupils use yarn as the primary resource to create a web depicting the intricacies of a salt marsh ecosystem. They participate in a question and answer session, which leads to an in-depth facilitated discussion...
University of California
Plankton
Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...
Curated OER
Holy Habitats or Meet Metamorphosis
Young scholars examine the metamorphosis of frogs and how it adapts to its environment. They research how world pollutants are effecting the amphibian population.
Curated OER
How Is A Frog Able To Swim In The Trees?
Fourth graders explore the interdependence of frogs and trees. They discuss the various things they need everyday to survive. Students select an animal from their local bioregion and research things that animal is dependent upon for...
Curated OER
Micro-Climate
Atmosphere aces investigate the microclimates that exist within a larger area. They use a thermometer to record the varying temperatures and identify the microclimates on a map that they have drawn. This exercise helps them to understand...
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
Curated OER
Building a Butterfly Garden
Students examine the habitat and life cycle of a butterfly. In this early childhood lesson plan, students identify the parts of a butterfly, as well as the stages of the butterfly life cycle. Students also plant a garden in which they...
Curated OER
The Big Wet
Students complete a research project. In this climate lesson, students learn about the climate "tropical wet and dry" found in Australia. Students work in groups to research aspects of this climate and then create a class presentation.
Curated OER
Vermicomposting
Second graders create an eco-bin and study the habitat of the worm in soil. In this vermicomposting lesson, 2nd graders observe the effects of water ( too much or too little) and other factors on the eco-bin.