Lesson Plan
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The Ghost of Populations Past

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study population distribution and survivorship curves by collecting data regarding age of death of humans from either tombstones, newspapers, or other community resources. Students analyze data by creating graphs and...
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Bacterial Roles

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students study bacteria and the role it plays in the ecosystem.  In this bacteria lesson students research the roles bacteria has and submit a chart. 
Lesson Plan
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Bahamian Terrariums

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create a Bahamian terrarium. In this Bahamian ecosystem lesson, 6th graders watch a PowerPoint to see Bahamian biotic and abiotic factors. They bring in 2-3 items for their terrarium. 
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The Web Of Life - Overlapping Food Chains

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students perform an activity in which they discover what happens when food chains overlap in an ecosystem and discover the three components of a food web.
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Children's Health: Children Aren't Little Adults

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This lesson is a compilation of interdisciplinary, technology-infused activities that focus on the often complicated and sometimes controversial issues related to toxic chemicals in children's environment. Special emphasis is placed on...
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Wetland Ecosystem Conservation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners read articles about wetland ecosystem conservation in Florida and other countries. They summarize information found in the articles. Students reflect on the information in the articles and write their feelings.
Lesson Plan
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De"compost"ition Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the decomposition process and the parameters which influence the rate at which it occurs. They design a "controlled" experiment by comparing decomposition rates between two compost piles. Analysis questions include...
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Elements of Biology: Biomes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars describe the different types of biomes. In this biology lesson, students create a map of assigned biome with descriptive paragraphs. They share their findings to class.
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The Chain Gang

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars perform a food chain simulation to determine what happens when a food chain is broken.
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Ecology

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders are introduced to online research and beginning PowerPoint presentations that are integrated. They pass a plant and photosynthesis. Students locate information on a self selected animal online. They give a PowerPoint...
Lesson Plan
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Lake Superior Ecology Unit

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research Lake Superior and its ecosystem. Students investigate the lake's cycles of mixing and stratification and how these cycles affect the biology of the lake. This lesson contains five days of activities.
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Selecting Soil Organisms in Compost

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students conduct an experiment to demonstrate that many of the enzyme systems needed to break down society's wastes exist in nature among the decomposers in a compost pile. They culture compost bacteria on starch agar to examine the...
Lesson Plan
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Ecology - Ecosystem

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders research ecosystems, the work of ecologists, John Muir's contribution to the environment and an endangered species of their choice. They read books, participate in discussions, and write reports.
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Ecology: Trees

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research and identify the different layers of the forest. As a class, they observe real-life trees or analyze a poster, and discuss the characteristics of each forest layer. Students then draw a forest and label the...
Lesson Plan
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Strands Walk An Ecological Observation

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine an ecosystem and analyze the role of two abiotic factors in the ecosystem.  For this ecosystem lesson students complete an activity on their ecosystem.
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Ecological Citizen

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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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Amoeba This!!! Amoeba That!!!

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students investigate protozoa. In this protozoa instructional activity, students identify and classify different types of protozoa using different ecological samples and protozoa charts.
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The Salt Water Connection

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the hydrological cycle and oceans. They determine the factors that influence the Pacific Ocean. Students research an organism found in Monterey Bay. They describe the organism's biome and ecological factors that...
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Biotic vs. Abiotic Factors

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students share their prior knowledge of the elements of the environment. In groups, they are introduced to the concepts of biotic and abiotic factors in a specific environment. They discover their effects on organisms living in the...
Lesson Plan
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Energy Extravaganza

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders study how cells and organisms acquire and release energy through photosynthesis and cellular respiration. They explain that living organisms use matter and energy to synthesize a variety of organic molecules and they will...
Lesson Plan
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Habitats, Abiotic v. Biotic

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Learners explore and define ecosystem, ecology and habitat. They discuss abiotic and biotic organisms and the things needed for survival. After observing pictures of animals in their habitat, students compare and contrast habitats and...
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South of the Border Down Brooklyn Way

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students use the Internet to research the behavior and ecology of feral monk parakeets. They design a monk parakeet behavioral study, then post their results to a Web page.
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Populations and Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the factors that influence the stability of ecosystems. They construct a miniature ecosystem in a jar that includes plants, small fish, and snails, record the population changes over a period of four weeks, and...
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Saving the Bay

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students investigate water pollution prevention. In this ecology wastewater lesson, students activate prior knowledge about sewage, then view a video explaining the waste water sewage system used in the San Francisco Bay area. Students...