Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Survival of the Fittest - Variations in the Clam Species Clamys sweetus

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's In the Numbers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the careers available in the field of oceanography. They discover the difference between a job and a career and the need for a good education. They work together to create a presentation about oceanography.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Choosing a Career in Health

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe the role of hand washing in prevention of disease transmission, explore various careers in the health field, and describe a health career that is of interest to them, and explain why.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cranes, Crosswalks, and Big Gulps

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students watch a video and answer questions based on wildlife jobs. In this wildlife lesson plan, students learn that biologists don't just play with animals but that there is a lot of study involved.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wood is Everywhere!

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders diagram and label the parts of a tree. For this lesson plan on how trees obtain food, 5th graders diagram and label the parts of a tree, and determine the diameter, height, and age of a tree.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let’s Make Cottage Cheese

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars watch the process of making cottage cheese from milk, then season and taste the product.  In this making cottage cheese instructional activity, students make a connection between what they eat and where it came...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trees at Work... Just Look!

For Teachers K - 3rd
Pupils investigate the significance of trees. They collect magazine pictures of animals that live in trees, list products that are made from trees, collect twigs and create an item using the sticks, and bring in and discuss food from trees.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Structure And Functions of Proteins

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders investigate the structure of proteins and how it affects their function. They build a protein model with four helix units and describe how this structure aids the protein in doing its jobs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Family and Me

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students discuss the family unit and compare it to an ant colony.  In this family instructional activity, students draw their family and extended family and talk about their jobs and family roles. They compare this to an ant colony...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

BUS: Farming: It's A Fact (Ag)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create two different types of graphs from the information in the "Farm Facts" booklet (i.e., bar graph, pie chart, etc.). They calculate where your food dollars are spent (on and off farm).
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gifts of Trees

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars examine the various things trees give us. They read the book, "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, cook a food using a tree fruit, create notepads using unused paper, construct a picture frame with twigs, and write a poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classifying Space Food

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students write a written summary of what they have learned about the astronaut nutritional diet in comparison with their own diet habits.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Listening To The Prairie

For Teachers K - 1st
Students investigate the concept of agriculture and how it is part of the ecology and economy of the United States. They participate in a number of different classroom activities intended to raise agricultural awareness. The activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Buying and Selling: Getting Cherries into a Pie

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Kids keep score as they take on the roles of buyers and sellers in an agribusiness introduction. They play the game for five rounds, each round is made different by having a new economic element added, a discussion follows. Everything...
Lesson Plan
Green Learning

Build Your Own Solar Oven

For Teachers 6th - 12th
This is not exactly a lesson plan, but rather a six-page document detailing how to build a solar oven. A bit of background information, materials list, diagrams and photos, and clearly-written procedures are all included. There are no...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moo-Velous Butter!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate how temperature and motion (energy) create a chemical change that turns cream ( a liquid) into butter (a solid). They create a class pictograph of their favorite mils choices (white, chocolate, or strawberry)...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When I Was Young In Appalachia

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students comapre and contrast the lifestyles of the people of the Applachian region with their own community through in-class discussions, creative projects, hands-on activities, food preservation, homemade remedies, home construction,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dairy Shoppe

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research dairy farming and learn about dairy products as well as dairy processing. In this dairy lesson, 5th graders read background information about dairy farming and processing. Students discuss running a small business...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to: Build a Plant Cell

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students build a 3-dimensional model of a plant cell with household objects. In this plant biology lesson plan, students construct replica plant cells in groups of three. After completing their projects, students share their creations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

fun with Plants that We Use

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students become familiar with the products made from various plants.  For this plants lesson, students experiment with natural dyes from plants.  Students complete a list of things made from plants. Students answer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day in the life of...

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students read about and study insects--their distinguishing characteristics, habitats, camouflage methods, defense mechanisms, etc. They draw pictures and write a story from the viewpoint of an insect and share their pictures and stories...
Lesson Plan
Biology Corner

Cell Theory Rap

For Teachers 7th - 12th
All that this will link you to is a rap about cell theory and organelles. Use it as an example for a creative assignment in your biology class. Divide the class into groups and assign them a topic for which they write and perform a skit,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Honduras Finding the Top Bananas

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders complete an online scavenger hunt about banana cultivation before they visit a grocery store to examine banana products. They investigate "certified" means in relation to banana production and read the "Rainforest Alliance...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living at the Seashore

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine how the proximity of all areas of Japan to the ocean influences lifestyles and determines occupations for the people. This lesson includes lesson extensions and a concept list.