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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Portable Niche

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, in groups, research animals, plants, and conditions found in ecosystems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Everybody Needs a Little Sunshine

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Three activities introduce upper elementary ecologists to photosynthesis and food webs. In the first, an experiment is set up to determine how plants respond to different types of light. In the second, they connect organism cards with...
Lesson Plan
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Wild Thing!

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders view several segments of the video, "How Animals Survive." They discuss elements of survival. Students list living and nonliving things found in their backyards and schoolyards. Students work in groups to complete the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecosystems, Habitats and Survival

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars analyze the habitats of animals and people, how they are developed and maintained, and what factors affect shelter selection. They create a classified ad that describes a specific animal's habitat.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders perform various labs, create presentations, and do hands on activities to explore the ecosystem.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Predator-Prey Simulation

For Students 7th - 9th
In this predator-prey worksheet, students simulate the relationship between predators and prey using small squares to represent rabbits and large squares to represent coyotes. They complete 20 rounds of the simulation trying to get the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brine Shrimp Hatching Experiment

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students hatch brine shrimp in a classroom experiment. In this hatching brine shrimp lesson, students participate in two-week lab in which they study how brine shrimp hatch under different conditions. They record data about the control...
Worksheet
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Diatoms of Laboratory Indicators of Water Quality

For Students 9th - 12th
In this science learning exercise, high schoolers use the diatoms present in water in order to test water quality and perform data collection and interpretation.
Lesson Plan
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Lettuce Us Be Different

For Teachers K - 5th
Students evaluate their differences, then look at differences in plants. In this class team building and life science lesson, the class play a game that focuses on similarities and differences in the group, then students plant three...
Lesson Plan
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Plant Life in Action

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine various habitats and record the living creatures they found.  In this biodiversity lesson, 6th graders complete a worksheet recording their observations. Students draw conclusions about the climate and its...
Lesson Plan
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Oil Spills

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the San Francisco oil spill and the effects it has had.  In this investigative lesson plan students view a demonstration on oil clean up and how it works.  They see how wildlife is rehabilitated, how the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Math and Science in a Wetland

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students describe safe practice when doing field and lab investigations in a estuary or wetland. They create a model of an estuary and describe their value and function. They participate in field study in which they collect and analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simulating the Effects of Biodegradable Wastes on Dissolved Oxygen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students evaluate the relationship between biodegradable waste and dissolved oxygen in water.  In this biodegradable wastes instructional activity students complete a lab activity in groups then analyze their results.
Lesson Plan
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Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem

For Teachers 5th - 10th
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...
Lesson Plan
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Adopt A Twig

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore leafless twigs and identify leaf buds.  In this forest resources activity students complete a lab activity that shows them how to identify tree and leaf identification. 
Lesson Plan
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Acid Rain: Where Have All the Rainbows Gone?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study the pH scale and sources of acid precipitation.  In this acid rain instructional activity students complete a lab on acid rain then complete a handout.
Lesson Plan
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Ground Surfaces and Infiltration

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study permeability and apply the concept to different types of ground materials.  For this ground surfaces lesson students complete a lab and fill out a table of their results. 
Lesson Plan
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Groundwater as Part of the Water Cycle

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders study the effects of soil and rocks on filtering groundwater.  In this groundwater lesson students complete a lab activity that includes sources of contamination. 
Worksheet
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A Survey of Plankton Communities

For Students 9th - 10th
In this biology worksheet, learners identify and define the vocabulary terms listed and make a prediction about the outcomes of the experiment. Then they complete the chart of the observations of the plankton diversity in drops of pond...
Lesson Plan
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Bacteria: Friend or Foe?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine a variety of environmental and industrial roles of bacteria. explore where bacteria can be found and distinguish bacteria from other organisms.
Lesson Plan
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Mycorrhiza

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the symbiotic relationship between fungus and plants.  In this ecosystem lesson students complete several mycorrhiza experiments.
Lesson Plan
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Deserts KWL Chart

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students will define what a desert is through the creation of a KWL Chart. This will help students to tap prior knowledge and make new connections with the new curriculum being delivered in the lesson.
Lesson Plan
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Pharaoh Mountain Hike: Investigating Adirondack Life Zones

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students hike a local mountain and examine its life zones. They measure various components at each zone and collect leaf litter at the sites. At the mountain top, students make descriptive observations and complete a handout about the...