Curated OER
Food Webs in a Pond
Students explore food chains and food webs in a pond and identify common creatures found in ponds. They look for tadpoles, fish, mites and other creatures in a pond during a field trip for first hand research.
Rainforest Alliance
Investments in Forest Carbon
One hundred metric tons of CO2 can accumulate in one acre of forest over time—that's a lot of carbon! In the activity, groups of middle school learners determine what makes forests important. They then solidify the concept by using a...
NASA
Consumers Get Energy From Other Living Things
How do plants and animals get their food? Learn about where energy comes from, how animals store energy, and aerobic respiration, in a instructional activity that allows scholars to diagram energy flows.
Curated OER
The Living Environment
For this living environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 34 clues about the various species in the environment that produce, consume and decompose. Topics also include photosynthesis, respiration, glucose,...
Curated OER
The Science and Technology of Food
Students examine the guidelines the United States Department of Agriculture places on food. In groups, they create a list of the foods they consume and discuss the political and environmental implications of purchasing the food. They...
Outdoor Learning Center
Outdoor Survival
Which of the following can you survive without for the longest time: water, food, or a positive mental attitude? The answer may surprise you. Guide learners of all ages through games, activities, and discussions about surviving in the...
Curated OER
Enzymes in Action
Students explore how enzymes are important in the chemical reactions of all living things. For this enzymes and catalysts lesson students complete an activity to see how enzymes change living things.
Curated OER
Everyone Up!
Students examine various agriculture careers, both direct and indirect, related to crop production and distribution. In this food production lesson, students role play the processing chain in which crops move from producer to processor...
Curated OER
Yummy Plant Parts
Students examine plant parts. For this botany lesson, students examine various edible plants and how their adaptations help them to grow. They observe stems, leaves, roots and flowers of plants and discuss the relationship between the...
Curated OER
The Virtual Electron Microscope
Students explore the world of the very small using a Flash plug-in Virtual Electron Microscope. They complete and discuss an activity in which unknown samples are placed under the computer simulated microscope to determine where the...
Desert Discoveries
Built for the Desert
The saguaro cactus has an amazing ability to survive in a harsh environment. Learners identify the many adaptations for desert life that the saguaro employs. They look at each part of the saguaro and determine what role it plays in the...
Curated OER
Enzymes in Action: An Inquiry Approach to the Effects of Enzymes
Students experiment with enzymes as key components of chemical reactions in all living things through this series of lessons.
Curated OER
Powerful Potato
Young scholars are introduced to the growth process of a potato. As a class, they place a potato on a plate and observe how long it takes for the eyes to appear. In groups, they follow a recipe to make potato soup that is shared with...
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
Curated OER
Fatty Acids
Identify the properties of fats and lipids. Compare the properties of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids Identify foods containing triglycerides and identify which foods contain saturated and unsaturated fat Discuss the function of...
Curated OER
Three Clouds Activity
Young scholars understand how clouds are formed. In this cloud lesson, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Young scholars complete activity sheets for each experiment.
Curated OER
Beaver Ecology
Students explore the lives of bgeahvers. They identify the physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive in their environment. Students compare and contrast how beavers influence the ecology of both forest and aquatic...
Curated OER
Fatty Acids
Students draw connections between chemical structures of fats and oils (lipids) and their use in food science and nutrition.
Curated OER
Sorting
Students explore how books are sorted in a library. For this sorting lesson, students play a game where they have to fill the shelves with books that share a common theme. Students compare this game to a real library. Students discuss...
Curated OER
Onion Skins
Students explore the structure of a plant cell. They carefully peel a single layer of onion skin from a slice of onion and stain it with methylene blue to observe the structures inside. They use a Digiscope connected to a computer to...
Curated OER
Outdoor Survival
Students are introduced to basic outdoor survival concepts. They identify the seven basic needs for survival. Students describe the symptoms and treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. They compare and contrast the value of different...
Curated OER
I'm Tellin'!: Kids Bringing Folktales Alive
Young scholars participate in a reading lesson that works on social and academic skills. They increase reading comprehension with direct instruction with the group reading of a folktale. Then students research their own stories to tell.
Curated OER
Habitat Is Home
Pupils are introduced to the concept and components of a habitat. They discuss the key components of a habitat and describe how certain factors can cause disturbances in a habitat and change its population. Activities are leveled for...
Curated OER
WEEDS ON THE WINDOWSILL
Discuss the suffix "cide." Have students name words having this suffix (homicide, suicide, genocide). Ask students what all these words have in common. Then ask students to define the word "pesticide." (Pesticides control organisms that...