Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Goes Around Comes Around!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students create an ecosystem in a jar to show a model of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle. Working in small groups, they research and present orally the information they find on this cycle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Predator and Prey Game

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the why the balance among producers, predators and prey is necessary in order for an ecosystem to be sustained over time. Through web games and activities, they discover how each component of the food chain works...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connect the Species

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, in pairs, explore energy transfer and species interrelationships by viewing slides on a microscope. hey explore phytoplankton (producers) and zooplankton (consumers)
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genetic Disorders with Cultural Roots: International Insects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students recognize that certain populations have specific genetic disorders that could benefit or harm them in their environment, work out punnett square problems and infer offspring probabilities from results, and provide advantages and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photosynthesis

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate a multidisciplinary unit with an emphasis in using technology in order to engage them. The students perform Internet research about photosynthesis with a written assessment taken from the WebQuest.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dirty Decomposers

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders design and conduct experiments to determine what environmental factors favor decomposition by soil microbes. They use chunks of carrot for the materials to be decomposed, and their experiments are carried out in plastic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Toward a Sustainable Agriculture

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars examine how to use ecological analysis to animal production systems.  For this sustainable agriculture lesson students examine where the nutrients flow in a system and complete several activities. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Choose Your Defense: Spines, Vomit and Camouflage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate defensive mechanisms of insects and organisms.  In this biology lesson, students draw imaginary caterpillars as well as imaginary parasites that will harm the caterpillar.  Students utilize the Internet to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marine Food Webs

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine how food webs illustrate the ways in which organisms depend on each other for energy and nutrients, and make food webs showing the feeding relationships among organisms encountered in the Gal??pagos coastal waters.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Ecology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore the basics of ecology. They discuss ecological succession, the water cycle and human impacts on the environment. Students explore the owls, succession, the human impact on the environment and complete the "Incredible...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biome-Ecology Unit with a "Design a Zoo" Extension

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students participate in a three part unit about biomes. Part one, students research the biomes of North America and part two consists of research on zoos and a field trip to a zoo. While part three ties together the first two when...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants 'R' Us!

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students investigate the interdependencies of plants and animals, and study what a food web is. They create a food web using yarn and images.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Estuarine Habitats

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study the important habitats, flora, fauna, and physical factors of coastal habitats. They compare the aquatic habitats to terrestrial habitats by researching and completing tables with the information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pond and Pond Organisms

For Teachers K - 7th
Students explore pond ecosystems.  In this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms.  The activity is designed for younger grades, but...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carbon and Oxygen Cycles

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students construct their own diagrams outlining the pathway of carbon and oxygen in the atmosphere. Students explain their diagrams outlining the pathway and teacher checks for accuracy and completion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Repair and Cell Cycle

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore the cell cycle. They view pictures of different stages of mitosis and explain why cells reproduce. They identify the five phases of mitosis: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hog Watch

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders assume the roles of the staff of an Environmental Regulatory Agency and must assess the amount of damage caused by hog factories. Working in groups, they make recommendations that will decrease the impact of hog factories...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Life on the Ocean Floor

For Students 7th - 10th
Why would water 2700 meters deep suddenly become warmer? Explore this and other ocean floor discoveries through this reading response worksheet. Scholars read information about the organisms discovered by Alvin, a deep-sea submersible....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who? Who? Whoooooooo?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read Poppy by Avi and then dissect an owl pellet. They complete a KWL chart and play vocabulary games to prepare for the dissection. They examine what the pellet can tell us about the owl's life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water's Edge Cafe

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students determine
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water's Edge Café

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students observe water birds feeding at a local wetland, record what they see, and construct an appropriate menu for a "Waterfowl Cafe." They also play a "flocking" game.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

St. Andrew Bay Story

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders produce a front page newspaper story about St. Andrew Bay (Fl) after completing a field trip to St. Andrew State Park (Fl) and viewing two videos about the bay system. They use a word processing computer program to...
Handout
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Flow of Energy in Ecosystems Study Guide

For Students 9th - 10th
Review the flow of energy through ecosystems with this study guide.