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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

What's on a Penny?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
As a activity on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information. This is an...
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Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Rotting Away

For Teachers 2nd Standards
What happens at the end of a plant's life cycle? Show kids the natural way that plants show that they're decomposing, as well as the importance of compost, with a activity about living organisms. After reading Log Cabin by Anne...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature Art

For Teachers Pre-K - K
In this nature art instructional activity, students take a nature walk and collect items with different sizes, textures and colors. Students use the items they collect to make a collage.
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Weather Patterns and Seasonal Changes

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Notice and Wonder

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cycles of Life

For Teachers K
Students explore the metamorphosis of an insect as it changes from an egg to pupa to an adult. the process of change is observed, recorded, and transformed into a life cycle picture.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Learn About Plants!

For Teachers K - 1st
After listening to From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, learners take a walk around their school looking for plants. They use digital cameras to photograph the plants, then construct a class book which has the identities of the plants,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The See Family

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine photographs as primary source documents. Students are broken into groups and are given photographs of the See Family.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Unidentified (Flying?) Arthropods

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Beginning biologists learn the characteristics of the five classes in the arthropod phylum. A student handout lists characteristics to help them identify five specimens. You will need to collect an example of each: arachnida, crustacea,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat Assessment

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders demonstrate the effects of varying environmental components on plants and animals: chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a habitat. They find chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the lake at...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ant Bodies

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Learners name the three parts that comprise an insect body. In this ant lesson, students make connections regarding the curiosity of insects as it touches upon the learners' personal perspectives. Students then observe ants in class and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Caterpillars and Climate: How Temperature Affects Feeding Rate In Insects

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Do you eat more when you are hot or when you are cold? Young scientists observe the eating pace of two caterpillars at different temperatures. The differences in endotherm and ecotherm animals' ability to adjust to temperature change...
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Lesson Plan
Concordia College Archives

Introduction and Student Inquiry

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Introduce young musicians to the history of and different styles of music with an inquiry-based learning activity that asks them to play detectives to determine the similarities and differences among the sheet music found at a series of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at Leaves Lesson 1

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders visit an outdoor area and compare/contrast two different leaves using Venn diagrams. They create tree leaf rubbings from their leaves and examine their vein structures or needle patterns.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Bean Pods and How They Grow

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders observe and create a record of seed growth over time. After planting a seed, 3rd graders record their observations of the seed's growth over a three week period. Upon conclusion of the experiment, they write a paragraph...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Butterfly Pavilion

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students learn about butterflies through books and observation in a butterfly pavilion. In this butterfly pavilion lesson, students use hand lenses to observe the metamorphosis of the butterfly and record in their journals. Students feed...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The Soil Around Us" Project

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students look at Web sites containing information about soil and related subjects such as earthworms. They use Web site review sheets to focus their review of the content on the sites and to introduce evaluation concepts for the design...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seed Sorting

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine and sort seeds. In this life science lesson plan, students make general observations of a tub of seeds, then develop sorting criteria for sorting the deeds. Lesson includes extension activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock vs. Mineral - Lesson #2

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students visually distinguish between those rocks that appear to be made of one substance, vs. those that appear to have more than one. This leads to the distinctions that indicate the different types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Smile...you're on Insect Camera!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study insects. They go on an outdoor insect outing and look for insects in a variety of places--in the air, under rocks, on leaves, in water, etc. They record information about the insects they find, including habitat, weather...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sedimentary Rocks

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the basic properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil. They write descriptions in their Science journal and identify and discuss each type of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Science- Learning About Tadpoles

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate a frog's life cycle. In this tadpole lesson, students observe tadpoles in an aquarium and record results. Students fill in a KWL chart as an assessment.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flower Dissection

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students dissect three different flowers and compare and contrast them. In this flowers lesson plan, students learn about the flower anatomy and then dissect their own flowers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seed Socks

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners explore how seeds travel. In this seed disbursement lesson, students head outside in their bare socks. Learners walk around then before going inside they take the socks off and examine what their socks picked up. As a class the...