Learners conduct a debate. In this wildfire and controlled burning lesson, students watch the video "Legacy of Fire" and discuss the topic of wildland fires and controlled burns. Half of the class researches the arguments for these...

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...

Learners choose a number from one to twelve and tell a number story about it. They listen to the teacher read "Numbers in Art" by Lucy Micklethwait. Students choose three numbers from one to twelve and view works of art while looking for...

Students investigate Puerto Rican boa constrictors and bats. In this animal science lesson plan, students read an article about the bats and snakes found in Puerto Rico. Students use various art supplies to create a diorama of the...

By studying the once-assumed extinction, then rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, learners look at the physical changes that have occured in habitats throughout Arkansas. This outstanding lesson is chock full of terrific...

In this activity students explore earth-friendly materials that can be used in home environments. They learn about the relationship between the environment and design, and use a variety of problem-solving strategies. They work in...

See how changes in initial populations and parameters affect a biological community. Individuals use a special software program to simulate a desert community with five species. They adjust initial populations to see how the community...

First in a two-part instructional activity on the greenhouse effect, this instructional activity involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways...

Students map and describe small area of the schoolyard and discuss habitats.

Mini-marine biologists use Scholastic Explorers website to learn about declining numbers of leatherback sea turtles and dusky dolphins. They fill out a K-W-L chart and observation journal worksheet, which are both provided in the lesson...

El Nino, La Nina ... and the Santa Maria? The 11th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program explains the mechanism of El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Pupils use previous data to determine...

Seventh graders, after predicting dominant colors foud in their habitat or garden, visit heir area on a monthly basis. They search for colored toothpicks, then graph the results, determining the dominant color for the month.

Middle schoolers discover how organisms are dependent on one another for survivial. They also discuss how to conserve natural resources. They compare and contrast the different types of symbiotic relationships as well.

Seventh graders cut and paste animal pictures to create a food web and trace the path of energy. They write a paragraph explaining the importance of photosynthesis in all food webs.

Third graders explore the dependence and interdependence that plants and animals in every environment have on one another. They examine how plants and animals depend on each other for survival. Students complete a variety of experiments...

Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of species habitats and ranges. They introduced to ArcView GIS as a tool for mapping. Pupils use query data for species withina county, elevation, range, rivers and streams, land cover, and...

Students explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. In this extinction lesson, students watch dinosaur video clips or complete a puppet finger play about dinosaurs. Students may then complete a dinosaur diorama or a...

Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...

Learners examine the connection between the habitat needs of endemic species to the habitat needs of humans.  In this habitat lesson students research the habitat requirements of a given family then develop an idea to improve the...

Learners of many ages discuss how all organisms rely on other organisms for their survival. They construct a food web and energy pyramids, and write an informative essay about the food web that they have designed.

Students map and describe a small area of the schoolyard.

Sixth graders examine the prairie food chain while designing a rescue strategy for an endangered species. They compare their strategy to that of a professional conservation expert.

Students come to understand vocabulary words through pantomime. In this vocabulary lesson, students first review several vocabulary words and their meaning, then they work in groups to pantomime the definitions.

In this ecology worksheet, students read information about ecology and the nine ecology subdivisions and answer comprehension questions. Students answer ten questions in this matching and fill in the blank worksheet.