Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Alive! Or is it?

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students differentiate the characteristics of living and nonliving things. In this life science lesson, students compare and contrast robots and living things. Given an object, they decide whether it's is living or not and defend...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Testing for Life

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students test for organic molecules to determine if a solution contains once living molecules. In this characteristics of life instructional activity, students test common liquids for the presence of organic molecules, including starch,...
PPT
Curated OER

Introduction to Plants

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A vast overview of avascular and vascular plants, this PowerPoint displays all of the notes your botanists need to take. It lists primitive plant groups and their characteristics. It separates gymnosperms and angiosperms, also detailing...
Handout
Cornell University

Insect IPM

For Students 4th - 5th
Find out the characteristics that makes a bug an insect with a workbook designed to inform scholars about the crawly creatures that live around us. Scholars complete an ant-themed word search, answer questions using a solution key,...
Lesson Plan
Agriculture in the Classroom

Roll of the Genes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Animal reproduction in sheep and cattle is explored with the help of Punnet squares. Scholars employ tools using probability to conclude the color of wool a sheep's offspring will have. Acting as animal geneticists, pupils then take...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

A Dichotomous Key of Virginia’s Native Plants

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can your class correctly classify plant species? Individuals explore native plants of the local environment and correctly classify them into their respective categories. They investigate differences in the plants and discuss similarities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living And Non-living Things

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students identify what is living and non-living in the world around them. They also tell whether these things are natural or man-made
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine sets of four or five organisms and determine which organism in each set doesn't "belong", and determine a variety of characteristics that explain why it doesn't belong.
Activity
MOST

What Are Cells?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What's in a cell, anyway? Kids read informational text on what makes up both animal and plant cells, including a page of vocabulary terms they will need to be familiar with (cytoplasm, ribosomes, vacuoles, etc.). Full-color images...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

What is in that?

For Teachers 6th Standards
Invite your class to dig in to an engaging journey into the world of mining! Here you'll find the tools to equip young miners with knowledge of soil, rocks, and minerals, as well as types of mining operations. To round things out, the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going on a Living and Nonliving Hunt

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore various objects and organisms to begin to distinguish between things that are living, things that were once-living, and things that are nonliving.
Organizer
Curated OER

How Are Living Things Organized?

For Students 6th - 8th
In this living things worksheet, students complete a Venn diagram by comparing and contrasting the characteristics of simple organisms and complex organisms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Touch N Feel Box

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students discover the characteristics of living and non living objects without the use of sight.  In this sense of touch lesson, students touch items put in a shoe box and must identify whether the item was once living or not by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Systems of the Body

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders gather information by questioning, forming hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, reaching conclusions and evaluating results, and communicating procedures and findings to others. Then they demonstrate an understanding...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Characteristics and Functions of Money

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the function and characteristics of money. In this financial education lesson plan, 4th graders read the book The Go-Around Dollar by Johnston Adams. This book sparks a conversation on how money is used and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DNA, the Awesome Thread of Life

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine how traits are passed to offspring.  In this genetic reproduction lesson plan students develop a model of dna and learn about its structure, replication and function.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Power

For Teachers 1st
Here is an opportunity for your first graders to take a close look at plants: what they need to survive, how they grow, and the names of each plant part. The book, Corduroy's Garden is used to open the lesson. Then, youngsters utilize...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living in Extreme Environments: Havens on the Deep Sea Floor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the characteristics of an extreme environment in the deep ocean and consider what organisms need to survive in these elements. They research sampling and data collection methods in this environment.
Worksheet
Curated OER

What is Biology?

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this science of biology worksheet, students will review the concepts relating to biology including the characteristics of living things, the process of reproduction, adaptations, and evolution. This worksheet has 5 short answer, 3...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pio, Pio, Que Frio

For Teachers K - 1st
Students investigate the characteristics of living things. They determine that different organisms have different needs and describe and compare them. They draw and verbally respond about their favorite animal.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Wildlife Federation

Forest Floor Investigation

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Most living things go unnoticed. Change that using a fun activity about the nutrient cycle. Pupils use hula hoops to mark areas of study and then make observations about the living things they see. They first make surface observations,...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Wildlife Federation

Water Words

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Water is an interesting substance that all living things need to survive. Learners focus on the characteristics of water as they create a list of words related to water and then incorporate them into descriptive paragraphs. They then use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Molly Pitcher -- "Out of Many, One"

For Teachers K - 4th
Students research, brainstorm and analyze the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War. They critique a piece of artwork depicting a scene from the Revolutionary War. Each major battle is plotted on a map to show a visual...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Importance and History of Ecological Conservation

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Discuss and analyze a variety of information regarding the history of ecological conservation and preservation, as well as its importance. Scholars work in groups to complete four different activities, then report back to the class for a...