Curated OER
Life Cycle of Trees
Turn your students into young tree-tectives with this fun science investigation into the life of trees. To begin, a class volunteer gets dressed up in a tree costume as the different parts of trees are introduced. Then, the class...
Kenan Fellows
Determining the Effects of a Golf Course on Stream Health
Do golf courses affect the water organisms in nearby streams and ponds? Small groups collect samples of water upstream and downstream from a golf course and analyze the macroinvertebrates found and the stream index values of...
Curated OER
Leaf, Tree and Prairie Study
Students are introduced to the topic of Botany and the process of photosynthesis. Using various habitats, they research the amount of destruction it is facing and how to solve the problem. They make a leaf booklet with leaves they find...
Curated OER
Tree Identification/Tree Art
Seventh graders identify and examine a deciduous and coniferous tree. Using the descriptions, they discover the types of tress in their local area. As a class, they practice identifying trees on a walk in a park collecting leaves. They...
Curated OER
Decidedly Different
Fifth graders inquire as to why scientists use observable characteristics, how they sort the characteristics, and why they do so. They write journal entries to be used throughout this unit.
Curated OER
SORTING ALL SORTS
Learners examine how the method of classification is used. In this sorting instructional activity students take a pre-test, classify organisms and complete a crossword puzzle.
Curated OER
Classifying Conundrum
Fourth graders identify plant characteristics from different environments and communicate that information in different ways. They use a simple scheme to classify Utah plants and animals and make observations and record them in a...
Curated OER
Forest Ecosystem
Learners take a field trip and explore a temperate rainforest. In this rainforest lesson plan, students discuss many items they see on their journey and experiment with different tree leaves.
Curated OER
Sorting Through Spiders
Students utilize their own drawings of spiders to analyze and sort the attributes that each student drew.
Curated OER
Hawaii's Freshwater Animals - Species Report
Students explore biology by creating a report for the class. In this oceanography instructional activity, students research and identify the survival characteristics of a list of freshwater animals by utilizing the Internet and library....
Curated OER
Micro-Ecosystems
Students create a sustainable, self-contained ecosystem in a ten-gallon aquarium.
Curated OER
The Tree Detective - Basic Dendrology
Students identify tree species by their leaf characteristics. In this dendrology lesson plan, students learn leaf vocabulary and collect leaves. They identify the leaves using the leaf characteristics and the vocabulary that they learned.
Curated OER
School Site Ecosystem
Fourth graders are introduced to the concept of ecosystem; specifically, the interrelationships among plants and animals within an ecosystem, and their relationships to the environment in which they live and interact.
Curated OER
What Critters Tell Us About Water Quality: A Macroinvertebrate Lesson
Students explore our ecosystem by investigating the quality of our water. In this aquatic insect activity, students examine a group of random insects collected from different streams and ponds in the area. Students record their...
Curated OER
Leaf Collection
Learners examine the tree species in Pennsylvania. In this Pennsylvania tree lesson students use field guides to assist them in identifying tree species.
Curated OER
Collecting and Pressing Plants
Learners engage in a lesson that is concerned with the study of native plants and classifying them according to a kind. They press them into a journal while identifying them according to species. Students compile the samples into a...
Curated OER
INSECTS
Seventh graders select, collect, and classify various insects by constructing an apparatus from materials that aid in the capture and containment of the insect.
Curated OER
Sea Turtles
Students investigate eight different species of sea turtles while being involved in classroom lecture and video presentation. The characteristics used to identify sea turtles is taught to help students identify unknown species.
Curated OER
Lamarck Is Dead!
Students read Lamarck's obituary and respond to questions. They discuss the four laws from Lamarack's studies. Students apply this information to scientific theories in general.
Curated OER
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Students survey and describe a stream ecosystem. They sample the benthic macroinvertebrate populations of a given stream and determine community structure through the use of the Chandler Index and a species diversity index.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Trees: Using a Dichotomous Key to Identify Local Tree Types
Using their own classification methods students will identify the types of trees found around their school and neighborhoods. Students will then present their classification methods to the class. Later students will use dichotomous tree...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Creation of Dichotomous Keys From a Bio Blitz
An outdoor lab where students investigate the environment and decide a method of survey to identify trees in their area. To finish the exercise they will create a dichotomous key of the ten they identified.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Using and Creating a Dichotomous Key
Middle schoolers will investigate classification through a sorting activity and discus real-life evidence of classifying objects.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Introduction to Dichotomous Keys
This lesson serves as an introduction to the classification of plants and animals or trees. Students will investigate how to classify objects based on their similarities and differences. They will use technical writing to explain their...