Curated OER
Farm Products Help Me Grow
Young scholars view a display of empty food containers (or illustrations). They select a food and decide as a class if it has an animal or plant origin. Students view a display of common farm animals that are commonly eaten (cow, pig,...
Curated OER
Spring Nature Walk
Pupils go on a nature walk and look for specific plants and animals. They check off items they find and determine if they were a plant or an animal.
Curated OER
School Yard Park/Ecosystem
Fifth graders observe and categorize different sections of a park and it's ecosystem. In this categorizing lesson plan, 5th graders collect different facets of nature from a nearby park (without disturbing the ecosystem). They map,...
Curated OER
Layering the Soil
Young scholars study and classify soil. In this soil science lesson, students classify soil by texture and size and study soil horizons. Young scholars label the soil types with their specific soil horizon and learn about permafrost....
Curated OER
Worming Your Way Through the Soil
Students study soil, living and non-living particles in the soil, and learn about composting. In this soil study lesson, students study soil samples and discuss the living and non-living components of the soil. Students classify the...
Curated OER
Classy
Students explore the classification system in this seven lessons unit. The diversity of life forms and their characteristics are examined using a microscope. Kingdoms, classes, and families are investigated.
Curated OER
Exploring Limu Diversity
Students explore limu diversity. In this ocean ecosystem lesson, students classify limu according to its physical properties. Students work in small groups to generate scientific observations and sort limu by characteristics.
Alabama Learning Exchange
It's a Small, Small World
Students compare and contrast the different characteristics of animal-like, plant-like, and fungus-like protists. They list examples and describe the characteristics shared by the three protist groups. They create a brochure or slideshow...
Curated OER
Taxonomy Project
Students act as a taxonomist and, given a certain situation, classify existing organisms.
Curated OER
Soil Organisms
Students work together to collect soil samples from different locations. In the samples, they identify the macroorganisms and classify them. They identify the conditions that affect how macroorganisms grow. They also analyze and identify...
Curated OER
Insect Biology and Ecology: A Primer
Learners explore insects and closely related organisms. They examine the growth and development of a lady beetle. Students classify insects and organize them. They investigate pest management.
Curated OER
What Animals Eat
First graders organize animals according to what they eat. They compare the teeth of plant eaters and meat eaters.
Curated OER
Saving Habitat
Students pick an animal native to Maryland and research how populations of that animal might be affected by land use changes over the past thirty years. They predict population trends for the next thirty years.
Curated OER
Cows, Worms, and Compost
Students study decomposition. In this decomposition lesson, students discuss the background information about decomposition. Students then complete the 'Chew It Twice' worksheet.
Curated OER
From Curiosity Cabinet to Museum Collection
Learners study binomial nomenclature and museum-based research. They create a curiosity box, label the objects in their curiosity box , develop a classification scheme for the objects, and create a database of all objects collected by...
Science Friday
Fossil Detectives
What can this rock be? Pupils pretend to be paleontologists by sketching fossils and making predictions about their types. To determine whether they can identify the type of dinosaur, class members compare their observations and...
Curated OER
Understanding Science Vocabulary and Categorization
Students analyze scientific vocabulary words. In this life science vocabulary lesson, students complete a worksheet using VisualThesaurus as they evaluate words related to plants and animals and how the words are used.
Curated OER
Who Eats Who?
Young scholars recognize that some animals eat plants, some eat meat and some both. In this who eats who lesson plan, students chart animals in a food chain. Young scholars research information from reading articles. Students chart...
Curated OER
Identification and Classification Activities
Explore and understand your world with taxonomy.
Curated OER
Parts of an Ecosystem
Fourth graders study the Great Salt lake and the ecosystem that encompasses it. They study the relationship between an individual of a species, a population of that species, a community that includes that population, and the...
Curated OER
Species Diversity in Ecosystems with Different Techniques of Land Management
Learners visit numerous places to help in their understanding of Ecology. In this biology lesson plan, students will learn about characteristics and how to identify numerous plants and animals. This lesson allows for many field trip...
Curated OER
All About Seeds!
How do fruits relate to flowers and seeds? Identify the seeds and their purpose with a coloring activity for kindergartners. Once they color the seeds of apples, bananas, and peas (among others), kids get hands-on experience with bean...
Virginia Department of Education
Biomes of the World
Incorporate knowledge about biomes and ecosystems in multiple ways while encouraging creativity. Emerging ecologists collaborate and perform research to complete a graphic organizer about various biomes of the world. They conclude the...
Curated OER
Collecting Compost
Students observe a composting box. In this soil lesson plan, students create a composting bin by using a bin, newspaper, worms, and food scraps. Students create a composting food web.