Curated OER
Endangered Species in the Sonoran Desert
Students identify and explain some caused of endangerment and extinction for species as well as explain the effects of extinction on an ecosystem. Teachers use this lesson plan before teaching students about collecting insects or plants.
Serendip
Changing Biological Communities – Disturbance and Succession
After cutting down a forest to make a farm, how long would it take the environment to turn an abandoned farm back into a forest? Scholars study this exact scenario while they interpret many charts and graphs of the changing ecosystems as...
Curated OER
Alien Invaders: An Invasive Species Game
Students are introduced to invasive species and how they affect the ecosystems they now occur in. They explore the basic life histories of several invasive species that are of regional and or national importance. Pupils investigate how...
Michigan Sea Grant
Survival Game
Musical chairs may be a classic game, but Ruffe Musical Chairs is a unique lesson plan on invasive species! Using the time-honored game, pupils role play the behaviors of the invasive fish called Eurasian ruffe. Learning about this...
Science 4 Inquiry
Snakes in the Everglades
The Burmese python is on the loose ... and he's hungry! Illustrate the differences between causative and correlative relationships through an inquiry instructional activity. Pupils examine several sources of information to determine if...
Curated OER
Population Growth
High schoolers grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive...
Curated OER
Water is Life
Krill is a very small ocean animal that is key to keeping the ocean ecosystem going. The class reviews food webs and chains, learns about the importance of krill, discusses krill anatomy, builds a model of a krill, and then has a...
Curated OER
Bioinvasion
Young scholars examine the role of organisms when they eliminate the native species of an area. They review cooperative and competitive relationships within an ecosystem.
Curated OER
In From Out of Town
Pupils explore how the introduction of foreign species negatively affects native Hawaiian bird species. In this science lesson plan, students discuss how various species were introduced to Hawaii and the effects of these species on...
Curated OER
Please the Trees, But Not These, Please!
Students study trees. In this forestry activity, students complete a variety of activities where they learn the basic parts of a tree and their functions.
Curated OER
Allelopathy Experiments
Students explore how allelopathy works in plants. In this botany lesson, students explain how this phenomenon affect other organisms. They read and analyze an article about allelopathy and discuss its flaws.
Curated OER
Cypress/Tupelo Swamps
Young scholars study the geologic history of terrain, soils, and drainage patterns. They recognize ecological processes that determine the dynamic nature of habitats. They investigate the influence of human activity on the landscape.