Curated OER
I Wonder How the Manduca Life Cycle Compares To the Human Life Cycle...
Students study life cycles including developing their understanding of the human life cycle. They decide where they are in the human life cycle and provide reasons for that placement. They compare the human life cycle to that of the...
Cheetah Outreach
Life Cycles
How does a cheetah life cycle differ from a human life cycle? Kids graph weight gain for humans versus cheetahs and compare other life cycle events such as gestation and life span
Curated OER
Health Care
Students analyze information and draw conclusions about the reality of human life expectancy; the battle between health care technology and our own internal time clocks. Students answer questions such as "Why does aging occur and can...
Curated OER
X-ray Spectroscopy and the Chemistry of Supernova Remnants
This link takes you to a comprehensive unit that delves into emission spectra and supernovas. There are four parts: How and where elements are created, electromagnetic radiation, spectroscopy, and the newest technology for studying our...
EduGAINs
Go Eco! Ecosystems
How is a movie theater like a desert biome? Compare systems to ecosystems with a set of activities that focuses on accessing multiple intelligences and building upon knowledge. As learners discuss the ways elements of an ecosystem depend...
Curated OER
Digestion Simulation
Middle schoolers study the human digestion system and the functions of the stomach and small intestines. For this digestion lesson students view a demonstration on the process.
Teach Engineering
Get the Word Out at McDonald's!
To get the word out that the Great Pacific garbage patch (GPGP) contains millions of pounds of non-biodegrading plastics, individuals research the GPGP and write an article for a newsletter. Researchers present their facts in a way that...
Curated OER
Smallville Prairie Development Project
Young scholars research the characteristics of the prairie habitat focusing on scientific, social/historical and aesthetic values. They investigate how humans impact the prairie habitat while maintaining a daily journal of research and...
Curated OER
Monarch Migration
Third graders investigate the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. They experiment with various tools to simulate the mouth parts of insects, conduct research, record their observations of butterflies hatching, write a play, complete...
Population Connection
Where Do We Grow from Here?
Did you know that the population is expected to grow to 11 billion by 2100? The resource serves final installment in a six-part series on the global population and its effects. Scholars interpret data from the United Nations about the...
Curated OER
Cherishing the Water of Life
Students work in small groups to brainstorm a list of all creatures, plants, natural, and artificial processes that use or depend on fresh water. The class views an aquarium filled with water representing all the water in the world. The...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Microbes and Microbes Are Everywhere
Seventh graders define the term microbe. They identify the five main groups of microbes. Students give examples of ways in which microbes have impacted or currently impact human life. They create a hypotheses for where they expect to...
Curated OER
Conserving Marine Life
Students discuss the different threats to various marine life. Through research, groups examine threats to specific marine life, evaluate the situation, and develop possible solutions to help marine life regain stability. Conservation...
Serendip
Food, Energy and Body Weight
High schoolers learn why humans need calories, how they control weight with food choices, and the impact of exercise on energy. Scholars then apply their understanding to a case study of lunch choices and exercise.
Michigan Sea Grant
Water Quantity
It may be tricky for a young mind to conceptualize that less than 1% of all water on earth is useable for humans to drink. Simulating the amount of fresh water available on earth by removing measured amounts of water from a five-gallon...
Curated OER
Teen Smoking: Designing a School Anti-Smoking Publicity Campaign
Young scholars review the human respiratory system and the effects on the human body. In this design instructional activity students brainstorm and create a prototype then present it to the class.
Curated OER
Doctor, Doctor, Gimme The News
Seventh graders work together to develop a health-related experiment to display at the school health fair. Using the human body systems, they use the Internet to research a health problem through a controlled experiment. They are...
Curated OER
Oasis in the Desert
Students explore the challenges of building a thriving human civilization in a desert environment. They design new technologies to assist people living in the desert.
Curated OER
Smallville Prairie Development Project
Students, through group activities, explain the important scientific, social/historical and aesthetic values of a prairie habitat. They analyze the impact of humans on prairieland and solve a problem regarding potential development of a...
Wild BC
Is Climate Change Good for Us?
Is it really that big of a deal if the global climate undergoes a little change? Young environmentalists consider this very question as they discuss in small groups the impact of different climate change scenarios on their lives, their...
Curated OER
Earth: Our Big Blue Marble
Students investigate Earth and its resources. In this Earth, space, and nature lesson plan, students collaborate to design presentations on the Earth, its cycles, and how humans have impacted the planet. Images, diagrams, and background...
Teach Engineering
Live Like an Animal
When your parents say that your room's a pig sty, tell them about biomimicry. The sixth installment of a nine-part Life Science unit has scholars research the shelters used by animals in the natural world, like turtle shells. Using the...
Teach Engineering
Clean it Up!
Harness the power of bacteria. Scholars see how using organisms that exist in nature can help solve human problems in the process known as bioremediation. They research and discuss several successful examples, such as using oil-eating...
Curated OER
Many Uses of the Forest
First graders examine pictures of forest wildlife and identify different animals that live in the forest. They discuss resources the forest provides for human use and explore the concept that the forest is used by many at the same time.