Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ECOLOGICAL BIOASSAY OF COPPER SULFATE IN DAPHNIA MAGNA

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students use this lab as a follow up to the introduction of the ecosystems and productivity levels, bioassays and what and how they measure, and Daphnia magna as an index organism, i.e., a species whose health within an ecosystem...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Micro-organisms and Ecology

For Students 9th - 10th
For this ecology worksheet, learners identify and locate various vocabulary terms pertaining to micro-organisms and the study of ecology. There are 30 biology terms located in the word search.
Lesson Plan
Baylor College

Can Nutrients in Water Cause Harm?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Ecology candidates culture pond water organisms over a few days time, then they experiment to find out how increasing nutrients affects the population. As part of a unit on water, this exploration gives your class an understanding of how...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Modeling Food Webs in Darién, Panama

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
It's a jungle out there! Young biologists journey to Darien, Panama to examine the intricate relationships between the organisms that inhabit the jungle. Groups begin by demonstrating an understanding of energy flow in ecosystems, then...
Lesson Plan
Serendip

Changing Biological Communities – Disturbance and Succession

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Niche Partitioning Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Dinnertime on the African savanna is a highly choreographed event! Introduce young ecologists to the concept of niche partitioning through a hands-on activity. Pupils research animal behaviors and use data to develop an understanding of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Microclimates

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars compare the land cover and temperatures in different microclimates to begin to explain why organisms live where they do. While exploring microclimates, students record temperature readings and detailed observations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revised: Adventures in Earth Day: Why Do We Care About Our Environment? - Biology Teaching Thesis

For Teachers 6th - 8th
To describe the ecological and aesthetic importance of the Potomac River, Middle schoolers name the ways in which the river's values are jeopardized and explain the purpose of Earth Day. They write a response to a newspaper article in a...
Activity
3
3
Teach Engineering

Constructing Sonoran Desert Food Chains and Food Webs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Investigate desert biomes by creating food chains and food webs. Groups first research feeding habits of organisms in the Sonoran Desert. This information helps pupils draw food chains and webs to determine relationship between organisms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spring

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine lichens in an outside field trip. Students explore the diversity of this organism and ask questions about them.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Am I?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students classify organisms into one of five categories: producer, consumer, decomposer, predator, or prey. Students play a "Who Am I" game. Signs are hung on the backs of fellow students They must ask questions to determine what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go To Sleep, Gecko!

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the interdependence of organisms using the book "Go To Sleep, Gecko!" They examine a variety of food chains, listen to the book, and answer story comprehension questions. Students then conduct research on food...
Lesson Plan
Michigan State University

Bug Lyphe!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Introduce ecology classes to biodiversity and interdependence in ecosystems with a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they get up-close and personal with the invertebrate world by collecting insects, classifying them, and graphing their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design a Reef!

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Using a miniature coral reef aquarium kit, young ecologists model this unique ecosystem. They research various coral reef organisms and their niches, and they culminate the project by working together to write a report. Use this activity...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fish and Zooplankton Through Remote Sensing

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Ecology aces examine sea surface temperature maps and relate temperatures to concentration in fish and zooplankton populations. Take your class to a computer lab and provide experience with actual remote sensing data. Some of the links...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission Possible: Energy Trade-offs

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Teams of electrical engineers work together to develop plans for increasing electricity to a fictitious, but growing community. They consider different sources of electricity, both renewable and nonrenewable, the cost of building and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Big Fleas Have Little Fleas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw...
PPT
Curated OER

Kingdom: Fungi

For Teachers 10th - 12th
The general characteristics that affect classification of fungi and other organisms in the domain Eukarya are detailed for the students on 12 attractive slides.  Teachers can access individual slides to cover life cycles or...
Lesson Plan
Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Eyes on Dissolved Oxygen

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learn about the factors that affect the way oxygen dissolves in salt water with a chemistry lab. After studying the molecular structure of water, young scientists figure out how aeration, temperature, and organic waste affect...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coral Reefs Endangered

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners research where in the world coral reefs are located. For this ecology lesson, students create food chains and food web. They simulate growing coral reefs to understand their characteristics better.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biome Exchange: Send the Stuff Not The Kids

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students exchange information with students from various geographic biomes. They explore the unique ecologically significant features of the biomes and share with other students.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Burnaby Lake Field Trip

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students identify different organisms found in the lake ecosystem. In this life science lesson, students discover the predator-prey relationship through a game. They explain how beavers adapt to the environment over time.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Quality

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students play the role of scientists testing for water quality in the area. In this ecology lesson, students determine the water sample's pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. They write a journal reflection after the activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wetland Ecosystems: Non-living and Living Components and Brine Shrimp

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students explore wetland ecosystems. In this wetland lesson, students discuss and observe salt ponds and the organisms that live there. They explain how abiotic and biotic factors of species are important to survival.