Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mucket Mania: The Mussel Industry in Arkansas

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Middle and high schoolers read and discuss articles about the mussel industry in Arkansas. They pay close attention to the history of pearling and button making industries on the Black and White Rivers of Arkansas. This impressive,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects of Water Quality on the Growth Rate of Freshwater Mussels

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students participate in a field and laboratory study to determine if local freshwater mussels are environmentally stressed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Zebra Mussel Population Simulation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils are taught how to format and enter data into an Excel spreadsheet. They make a graph, and interpret graphed data. Students discuss the possible impacts of zebra mussels on the Hudson river. They graph zebra mussel data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mussel Anatomy Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students identify the parts and functions of a mussel. They explain how its physical adaptations help it survive in its habitat. They label the parts as a quiz to complete the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Great Lakes Ecology

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the Great Lakes, and describe the habitat of life of a loon. They are able to point to and explain one of the major river systems that enters the Great Lakes with a focus on the Clinton River and the food webs...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mouthwatering Mollusks

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate various forms of aquatic life. They use four senses, touch, taste, smell, and observation to explore mollusks. Students cook and taste various types mollusks, such as mussels, scallops, and squid.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Salt of the Earth: A Caddo Industry in Arkansas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the history of the Caddo Salt Industry found in Arkansas. Along with learning about how salt deposits formed in Arkansas, learners study the process of salt production and how valuable salt is as a natural...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Facts on Fish Species

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Here is a brief outline of facts on various Chesapeake Bay fish species. Use it as an example of what kind of information you want your life science learners to collect when you assign them a specific species to research. Another way to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seashell Homes

For Teachers K - 4th
Pupils listen to a story about seashells. They discuss shelled animals. Learners describe the function of seashell. Pupils relate the function of a seashell to their own dwelling. They differentiate between shelled animals that make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Great Lakes Ecology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are able to use a secchi disk to measure the turbidity of water by determining the depth at which the sechi disk is no longer visible and using the data in a formula to quantify the results. They are able to use Vernier probes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

BIOASSESSMENT OF STREAMS

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Young scholars work as a team to gather organisms from a stream to evaluate if the water quality is excellent, good, or fair to poor.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Relating Number of Insect Species to Water Quality

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are asked to respond to questions such as:" Have there been surveys of the area to inventory the species?" (For example, for a wetland area, do they know what amphibians live there and how abundant they are?) Are there any...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Pearls

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine where pearls come from and where mollusks are found. They discover how pearls are formed in nature and how they are they made by humans. They use ordinary oyster shells to examine mother of pearl.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Why We Should Protect Freshwater Mussels

For Teachers 5th - 8th
In this interactive lesson, students will increase their understanding of the important role that freshwater mussels play in our watershed. Students will learn about freshwater mussel species, how mussels improve water quality in rivers...