Curated OER
Freshwater Fish Anatomy & Taxonomy
Tenth graders use a classification key to identify organisms. In this classification instructional activity students identify freshwater species of fish and document their observations.
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Classification Schemes
Junior biologists journey through the hiearchy of living things with these activites. Using a dichotomous key, they identify common algae, plants, and fish. They design their own key for a mixture of seeds and a collection of...
Larson Lab
Animal Classification
How are animals classified? Scholars explore animal classification by observing non-living and living specimens. They learn how to organize animals into vertebrates and invertebrates and identify the five vertebrate groups: mammals,...
Curated OER
Reading the River - Biological Classification
Youngsters create a list of grocery store items and then work together to categorize them as if they were setting up the shelves of the market. Then they are given a box of miscellaneous objects to practice categorizing. With these two...
Curated OER
The Five Classes of Vertebrates
What a terrific lesson! Learners discuss the animal kingdom, and classify them as vertebrates and invertebrates. They also identify them as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. There is even a taxonomic breakdown of popular...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Classification
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the history of classification systems and the scientific processes that influenced modern classification methods. They evaluate why classification and binomial nomenclature are necessary to the...
Curated OER
Do You Have the Key?
Students practice using a dichotomous key. In this classification lesson, students read an article about scientific exploration and identification of new species. They use a dichotomous key to identify objects and create their own key.
Curated OER
Classification and Identification
Learners, after exploring and analyzing diagrammatic and taxonomic keys and their association to marine sciences, identify and classify objects and organisms based on visual attributes/characteristics. They research and create their own...
Curated OER
Vertebrate Classification Challenge
Students determine which animals belong to the vertebrate phyla. In this classification lesson, students are given large papers with the names of the phyla of vertebrates. They must work together to place organisms into their...
Curated OER
Leaf - It's What's for Dinner
Learners discover correlations in food preferences of invertebrates, and assess stream health through use of kicknets, invertebrate keys, CBL systems and probes.
Alliance Theater
The Jungle Book Post-Show STEAM Lesson
An ecosystem is really just the flow of energy through many different living organisms. A study of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book leads to an environmental science activity in which learners study how various factors can affect...
Curated OER
Reptiles and Amphibians
Fourth graders explore biology by viewing animal videos in class. In this amphibian and reptile lesson plan, 4th graders identify the key differences between reptiles, amphibians and other animal classifications. Students view video...
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Ecology and the St. Lawrence River
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on ecosystems, organism interactions, and energy flow. They create a key for known species of fish, diagram the movement of energy through an ecosystem, and create and present food chains and food...
Curated OER
The Journey of the Pacific Salmon
Students examine the journey of the Pacific salmon. In this salmon species lesson, students review the stages of the salmon life cycle and conduct an experiment to determine how the water and habitat changes during each stage.
Curated OER
Into the Pond
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
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Math Mission
Second graders investigate the concept of Puerto Rican animals through using math word problems. They create a story to correlate with the word problems. The lesson also uses data of species counts to show increases and decreases for...
Curated OER
Goals of the Diversity of Life Unit
Students are introduced to the unit on the importance of diversity of life and the role that interdependence plays in our worlds. this is part of a multi-lesson unit on the diversity of life.
Curated OER
Animal ABC Book
Students in class choose a letter of the alphabet and uses the Enchanted studying web site to pick which animal they copy and paint for their letter. Students copy animal printout and paint or color it.
University of Michigan
Michigan Sea Grant: Teaching Great Lakes Science: Fish Identification
For this lesson, students examine the physical characteristics of fish that live in the Great Lakes and identify common features that help species to survive in that environment. Downloadable resources include a fish poster, fish family...