National Science Teachers Association
Adopt-a-Dino
Earth historians research a specific dinosaur, write a paper about the Mesozoic era that it lived in, create an artistic rendition of the environment, and give a presentation in class about what they learned. Be aware that there are...
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Hunting for the Controversy
You can help students deepen their understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of hunting animals with these lessons and activities.
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Relationships and Biodiversity Lab
In this relationships and biodiversity worksheet, learners investigate the relationships between 4 plants sample using 7 different tests. These include looking at structural characteristics of the plants, seeds and stems, using paper...
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Cycles of Life in an Urban Habitat: Changes in Biodiversity
Second graders compare and contrast animate and inanimate objects. In this environmental science lesson, 2nd graders create simple food webs. They observe their environment and create a collage about it.
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The Great Jellybean Hunt
Students model natural selection by acting as predators of jellybeans. For this evolution lesson, students use plastic utensils to pick up jellybeans. They use different colors of backgrounds to demonstrate the effects of camouflage and...
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Dare to Care for a Grizzly Bear
Learners examine the relationship between humans and grizzly bears. In this biology activity, students research about the bear's habits and living environment. They write a letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service petitioning them to...
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Home Away From Home
Students discover some of the threats to tigers in the wild and some of the challenges of keeping them in wildlife preserves and zoos. They then sketch and explain their designs for sensible tiger enclosures in zoos.
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Relative Dating-Telling Time Using Fossils
Students explore how to read fossil range charts. They develop an knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the fossil record. Students become familiar with the concepts index fossil and fossil range. Students use bar graphs to...
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A Basin Filled With Time
Learners use fossil leaves and a mathematical formula to study climate change. In this climate change and fossil lesson plan, students determine the differences in temperatures during two different times during the Cenozoic era using...
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My Habitat Address
Sixth graders draw a habitat and write about what they would need to survive in the habitat. They define the input of items such as materials, energy, and information, and what goes out of the habitat. They play a "Habitat Address" game,...
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Food for Thought
Students understand the importance of each member of a food chain through a game. In this food chains lesson, students receive background information and then play a game to simulate what happens in the food chain of an endangered...
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Wildlife Sampling-Capture-Recapture
Seventh graders simulate the capture-recapture method of population sampling using beans. In this biology lesson, 7th graders calculate the total population of beans in the bowl. They assess whether this method is reliable or not.
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Tortoise Tales
Learners read journal entry from a Gal??pagos field researcher, find examples of five ecological relationships (competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism) and take notes on the details they find in the entry using a...
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Rainforest Alliance: Biodiversity
Fifth graders compare biodiversity in their neighborhood and in the rainforest. In this biodiversity lesson, 5th graders read stories and gather information about the diversity of life found in their area and in the rainforest. As a...
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Species Diversity and Phylogeny
Students explore the classification system of organisms: taxonomy. They examine prepared slides of Protozoans and record information on a Taxonomy Recording Sheet. Two additional classifying activities are also included in this lesson.
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Food Web
Students are able to define food web, and identify the interdependence of organisms within a system. They are able to describe how natural events and human activities can impact a food web.
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Postcards from the Edge: Endangered Species
Middle schoolers use the internet to identify the endangered species in their state. Using this information, they create a postcard with a picture of the animal along with facts. They discuss the main reasons to protect the endangered...
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Name Match
In this name match worksheet, students match up ten species to their description or history by drawing a line between one to the other.
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Endangered Species
In this science activity, students research and discuss twenty key terms/areas/animals associated with being connected to endangered species and then locate and circle each one in a word search puzzle.
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Endangered Species Word Unscramble and Sentence Writing
In this endangered species word scramble learning exercise, students unscramble 10 words that are associated with endangered species to complete a table at the top of the page. They use a number of the words to write sentences on the...
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Matching Science Words and Definitions About Animals
In this matching science words and definitions about animals instructional activity, students match fifteen science words about animals with the definitions.
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Animals Alphabetical Order
In this animals worksheet, students put names of animals into alphabetical order. Students put 15 animal names into alphabetical order.
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What Do You Know About Horseshoe Crabs?
Students create a learning tool based on information given on the assigned website. In this ocean life lesson, students read about the horseshoe crab and develop a worksheet, scavenger hunt, board game or any tool to aid learning. They...
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Environmental Security and Ecological Intervention
Students examine environmental changes . In this investigative lesson students view a film then complete and activity that includes a debate.