A link to a comprehensive macroinvertebrate guide gives you the information needed to prepare for this field study activity. Sample macroinvertebrates are collected from areas representing different environmental conditions. Junior...

An engaging unit on wildfires includes three sections, including a background section with eight lessons and five activities, a field experience section with 13 lessons and five activities, and a conclusion section featuring an...

Students carry out an outdoor land study in which they identify organisms living in the soil, and any other animals living within the site. Groups also examine abiotic factors. They respond to a series of questions concerning their data...

Ecology explorers collect soil and invertebrates from a monoculture and a polyculture area. They relate the number and types of invertebrates to the surrounding environmental conditions. This activity can be used as an introduction to...

Take a deep dive into Oregon's ecosystems, plants, and changes from the past to the future. Many hands-on activities in an environmental science unit delight scholars, including creating a field guide for a local park. The in-depth study...

Observing plant succession doesn't have to be a decade long process. A hands-on lesson plan has groups study succession over a designated space. Learners use their observation skills to record differences in plant and soil...

Many fields of study require a specialty and a sub-specialty as you progress through your education. Scholars learn about six sub-specialties of life science. From botany to zoology, our knowledge of the world of living organisms expands...

Students study techniques for conducting a local environmental assessment in an ecologically sensitive area. Identification of native plants and methodologies for sampling is taught in the classroom and then reinforced in the field. The...

What caused the collapse of the environment on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)? Who constructed the Moai? What was their purpose? Class members assume the role of investigators and use evidence drawn from field studies, ships' logs, and...

Students collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...

Students take a field trip to Lynn Canyon. In this Temperate Forest lesson plan, students visit the Lynn Canyon. Students collect samples of leaves and water to take with them to study. Students view the samples under a microscope.

Producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers. To begin a study of the forest ecosystem, learners examine the connections among the members of ecological communities.

Young scholars study pond life by visiting a pond and completing an associated worksheet. They play an online game based on the pond learning experience.

Middle schoolers create accurate, detailed map showing physical features, plants and trees, and other details of three school sites.

Hedgerows prevent soil erosion, capture pollutants running off fields, store carbon to help combat climate change, and provide homes for predators of many pest species. The biodiversity lesson begins with an activity that...

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...

Learners study the interdependence of an ecosystem that allows it to sustain itself. They examine the Western lowland gorillas for an example.

Students explore their environment. Given a question and a scenario, they conduct a field study of a designated area. In that area, they count and tally the number of insects that are present.

It's time for a field trip! Scholars take their new-found knowledge of adaptations and seed dispersal on a field trip to a local botanical garden. They gain an up-close look at how ecological interdependence works in a distinct...

Part two in a series of four explores the effects of climate on succession or the changing of plant species in a forest. Groups review how to identify trees and then spend a day in the field collecting extensive data on trees to...

Students conduct an ecological assessment of a small area on school property. They inventory plant and animal life of a sample area and make calculations to determine implications for a larger area.

How can you tell what an owl has eaten? Study the food chain and flow of energy in an ecosystem by dissecting an owl pellet and noting the bones found inside. Additionally, the lesson includes a game about consumers and producers with a...

Young scholars conduct an ecological assessment of a small area on school property and apply findings to the greater area. They inventory the plant and animal population of a sample area and extrapolate results to a larger area.

Students, in groups, take samples from a creek and keep a field journal on their samples. They also perform tests on their samples.