Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of the Dust

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars choose an individual project or a group project to culminate the reading of Out of the Dust.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students have a choice of creative projects to complete after they have finished the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grapes of Wrath as a Primary Source

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders consider the plight of migrant farmers during the Great Depression. In this historical perspectives lesson, 8th graders watch the film based on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and then discuss the conditions the characters...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Holding Up the Water?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students read about the history and locate dams in Arizona. In this Arizona dams lesson plan, students write a summary about what they read focusing on word choice, ideas, conventions, and geography content.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hula Hoop Habitats

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore migration. In this science lesson, students play a game in which they explore bird migration. Students discuss the needs of birds and play a game in which they "migrate" in order to meet their needs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracking El Nino Conditions

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students identify major changes in ocean temperatures during an El Nino season.  In this climate lesson students complete an Internet assignment using datasets to determine periods of El Nino.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Southeast Region

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students write a song about the southeast region. In this southeast region lesson plan, students view pictures of landforms, hear music, look at maps of states, and more.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Adaptations

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Young scholars identify parts of prairie plants. They sketch the plants indicating its adaptive parts and write brief descriptions of them. They present their findings to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Production Method Uses Far Less Energy Than It Creates

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders explore the usage of alcohol fuel. In this Current Events lesson plan, 12th graders research the issue of using this type of energy.  Students complete a worksheet on their research. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stormy Weather

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare human and wildlife environments.  In this stormy weather lesson, 5th graders imagine they are an animal or human during a storm.  Students compose a story with comparisons and reasons for how an organism's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ESOL Safety and Security

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students discuss preparation and procedures for natural disasters. They discuss safety procedures for each natural disaster and then share their own personal experiences with natural disasters.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Survival

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars identify characteristics of Australia, Africa and Antarctica and compare and contrast them to each other. They work together to identify adaptations that animals have used to survive. They also practice classifying animals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Color

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine NASA's SeaWiFS Project Web site to explore how the SeaWiFS Project monitors environmental and climatic changes in the oceans and atmosphere. They answer questions and write a summary in support of continued funding for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Without Flight

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students keep a journal for an intire week recording their observations of the ways aircraft affect society, The students discuss their findings and categorize them into areas such as military, commercial, research, and so on.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Field Trip to San Bruno

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars contrast a weedy annual grassland of introduced species with an undisturbed, ancient plant community of native bunchgrasses and wildflowers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Biotechnology: Controlling Tissue Differentiation

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students demonstrate hormonal control of plant tissue differentiation and relate this differentiation to gene expression. They explore the effects of hormones (auxin and cytokinin) on the genes that control tissue differentiation in callus.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Biotechnology: Controlling Tissue Differentation

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students demonstrate skills of biotechnology stringent aseptic technique and statistical analysis. They describe hormonal control of plant tissue differentiation and relate this to gene expression. Students observe the effects of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hey, You Stole My Rain!

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students review various scenarios in regards to the water cycle to determine what the best solution is to the problem. Students write their opinions on the controversies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wildlife Sampling

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders use paper bags and crackers to simulate a wildlife sampling of salmon. They record data on spreadsheets and determine a formula to estimate salmon populations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What a Disaster!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the causes of major natural disasters in a written response and on a poster. They explain with a written response, on a poster and to peers in an oral presentation, how people adapt to living in an environment that may...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Putting Down Roots

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, in small groups, observe plants and note their characteristics. After drawing pictures of the plants, including their roots systems, they hypothesize in which environments the plants would best thrive. Finally, 4th...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters From The Diaspora

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of mass migration and conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create letters written from the perspective of a person who may have migrated during the time period.
Lesson Plan
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: Torrents, Droughts, and Twisters Oh My!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students review what scientists know and what they're working to understand about the relationship between extreme weather events and climate change.
Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Hhmi: Bio Interactive: Effects of Natural Selection on Finch Beak Size

For Students 9th - 10th
In this activity, students examine research on finches on the island of Daphne Major in the Galapagos Islands. The depth of the finches' beaks was measured before and after a drought. This data is displayed in graphs and students are...
Lesson Plan
University of North Carolina

Univ. Of Nc: Impact of Global Warming on Nc's Wildlife & Habitats [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Global warming is "the most dangerous threat to the future of wildlife," according to the National Wildlife Federation website. This visual matching activity was designed to engage students in learning about how a variety of NC species...