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Ecosystems Connect
Students investigate ecosystems near their school and across the world. They examine both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements of each. They recognize ecosystems from various continents around the globe. The use of computers...
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Producers -- Focus on Trees
Students examine the needs of trees and plants. In this forest ecosystem lesson plan students use seedlings to investigate the basic necessities of plants. They discuss the consequences of these basic needs not being met.
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Biomass Energy
Junior ecologists relate how food chains and food webs route matter and energy through an ecosystem. They trace feeding levels of a food chain or food web through a pyramid of energy. As a reinforcement activity, learners construct three...
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Biomes and Plant Growth
Seventh graders design four biomes models and plant three types of seeds in them to observe growth. In groups for each type of biome, they predict the seeds' growth in each of the settings. Students follow the conditions on a biome chart...
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Boom and Bust in the Ozark Forests
Here is a hard-hitting, cross-curricular lesson on the effects that the deforestation of the Ozark forests in the 19th century had on the people, animals, and ecosystems of the area. The Dr. Seuss book The Lorax is used as a way of...
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Ecosystem Organization
Students examine the structure of ecosystems. In this ecology lesson, students listen to a lecture on relationships among organisms and biomes. Students use the information to create ecosystem organization pyramids.
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A Walk in the Woods
Eighth graders observe and identify the different levels of the forest. In this forest zones lesson students observe, identify and name a variety of forest components and describe how humans impact the forest ecosystem.
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What is a Dry Forest?
Learners explore the importance of the dry forest. For this science lesson, students discuss the history of dry forests and changes that have occurred due to human interaction. Learners create a map showing the historical range of the...
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Primary And Secondary Succession
Students cover the topics of primary and secondary succession with interest to its ties in the study of ecosystems. They study how the introduction of an insect can effect the ecological balance. Students make predictions and write them...
National Park Service
Aspect, Treeline, and Climate
Head to the treeline and beyond to examine how this feature of the landscape affects weather and climate, which gives scientists clues about its health. Class members' observations of photographs provide the data...
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Making a Food Web and Learning About Ecosystems
Third graders examine the difference between a food web and food chain. They also examine the importance of the sun in a food web and food chain. Students understand what happens when you remove parts of the chain.
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Building an Ecologically Balanced Living Space
Students design and build an ecologically balanced living space based on the principles of an old growth forest. They take one part of a house (or structure in the community) and redesign it according to the principles of the forest cycle.
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Community Tree Contest
Students observe trees in their neighborhood. They practice tree identification and incorporate math skills to determine the winner of a 'Tree-mendous Tree' contest in which they determine which is the biggest tree.
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Ecological Citizen
Students examine the interconnectedness of living and non-living things that constitute an ecosystem. They examine fallen trees,insects, living trees, leaves, food webs, and forests. They conduct various activities and write poems about...
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Ecology
Fourth graders research an ecosystem and its endangered species. They create a PowerPoint Presentation, oral report, poster or a booklet based on their research. They research on the internet and in biology texts in teams of 4.
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Land Associations
Middle schoolers identify and explore life forms of various biomes, define transitional regions, examine effects of abiotic and biotic interactions, research a biome, and produce newspaper that features environmental information. Lessons...
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Habitat, What is That?
Students explore animal habitats. For this environmental stewardship lesson, students match animals to their habitats in a classroom activity. Students also observe a firefly habitat and read Fireflies. Students create bulletin boards...
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Eco-Poetry
Students explore the Earth's various biomes and ecosystems using Internet research. They create a multimedia poem using the photos, sounds, and vocabulary from their research.
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The Prairie Climate
Ninth graders research the average temperature and precipitation of a prairie region to determine the type of climate it is, and how it differs from other biomes. They examine the types of adaptions animals have made to live in the...
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Title: Biodiversity Analysis and Comparison Within the New Jersey Highlands
Students explore the concept of biodiversity. For this environmental science lesson, students use field methods to examine the trophic relationship that allows for species diversity.
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Identifying Trees Using Their Leaves in the Summer
Students discover how to identify trees. In this research lesson students use dendrology to decipher what a trees classification is and explore each trees traits.
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Biomes of the World (and Canada)
Young scholars explore environments by analyzing food chains. In this biome identification instructional activity, students define a list of environmental vocabulary terms such as tundra, rain-forest and desert. Young scholars create a...
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Biomes
Students explore the worlds biomes and see how organisms adapt to these ecological communities. In this world's biomes instructional activity students research and write a paper about one of the world's biomes.
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Introduction to Biomes
Fifth graders use scientific skills and processes to recognize how living things depend on one another and on the environment for survival and the human use of natural resources impacts the environment. Explain how Earth's surface...