Virginia Department of Education
Animal Phyla and Plant Divisions
Searched hours for an activity that allows individuals the ability to use multiple resources to learn about both plant and animal kingdoms? This discussion and activity provide pupils with the ability to visualize each organism before...
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Invertebrates and Vertebrate Evolution
Learners explore the major characteristics of the major animal phyla. They describe adaptive features that have contributed to the success of animals on land. Students explain how primate evolution provides a context for understanding...
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Show Some Backbone and Teach Invertebrates
Fifth graders identify two similarities and two differences between two phyla, assign fictitious invertebrate to its phylum and explain why it belongs in that grouping, and construct member of given phylum and explain why it should be...
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Microfishing
Students use a simple method to collect living microorganisms from natural and/or artificial environments and develop skills in microscopy, observation, drawing, speculation, hypothesizing, oral presentation, and raising questions.
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Classified Information - Part 1: Shapes
Third graders investigate how and why scientists use classification. They discuss classification strategies using animals, and as a class fill in a flowchart with their responses. Next, in small groups they cut out a variety of shapes...
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Invertebrate Classification
Students discuss the recent disovery of the "furry lobster" to peak interest in the animal kingdom. They classify various speciments using invertebrate dichotomous keys, identifying major animal phyla and classes. Thy the complete the...
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Leaf - It's What's for Dinner
Students discover correlations in food preferences of invertebrates, and assess stream health through use of kicknets, invertebrate keys, CBL systems and probes.
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Are You One of Us?
Students investigate how scientists sort and classify organisms. In this sorting and classifying lesson, students examine what systematics are as tools that scientists use. They examine images of invertebrates and sort them while stating...
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Wildlife in a Poa
Students examine the species that depend on a poa grass for their habitat and interpret data to demonstrate biomass and number pyramids. They examine the plant by digging it up and pulling it apart quickly to capture all the...
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Aquatic Safari
Students use an Internet Web site to locate the scientific information about various marine species. They use the Internet to find the scientific information about marine animals.
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Classification of an Echinoderm
Students study starfish through dissection. In this biology lesson plan, students explore the lives of starfish as they view a slide show, observe parts of echinoderms, and compare the classification of the starfish with other...
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Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
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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.
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Tackling Taxonomy
Students study physical characteristics of separate phyla and place them into similar groups. This lesson is part of a multi-segmented unit on the diversity of life. students develop a classification system by grouping animals into...
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Insects and Bugs
Students recognize the difference between insects and bugs while making connections to personal experiences. In this insect and bug lesson, students complete a pre-assessment to demonstrate prior knowledge, then gather information...
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Holy Starbucks Batman
Learners investigate caffeine as a potential new pollutant in a northwest river system. Effects of caffeine on invertebrates and salmon fry will be explored through field work and lab work.
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Insects?
Students classify animals. In this insects and bugs lesson, students discuss the characteristics of insects and other closely related animals such as spiders, ticks and centipedes. Students talk about the differences between insects and...
Habits of Mind
Haileybury Habits of Mind Learning Resource Book
Imagine a learning community committed to using Costa and Kallick's Habits of Mind as the basis of curriculum design. The resource book is packed with lessons that are designed for and identify the standards and habits of mind targeted...
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Animal clues
Fifth graders use general knowledge to make educated guesses about the habitat and survival strategies of animals from Australia, Antarctica and Africa. They research to confirm and check ideas and group animals in a variety of ways.
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Diversity of Life
Students explore the diversity of life forms and the role that interdependency plays in our world through a mult-segmented unit. This segment introduces the unit.
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Bug's Eye View
Learners explore biology by writing fictitious stories in class. In this insect life activity, students identify many different types of insects in the animal kingdom and the classifications they fall into. Learners collect insects on a...
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Diversity And Adaptations Of Organisms
Eighth graders study how and why animals are classified into eight groups in the animal kingdom. They work together to identify organisms. They use the key to determine the phylum for the included problems.
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The Three Worm Phyla
Ninth graders examine the three worm phyla. In this classification lesson, 9th graders observe, compare and contrast the planarian, tapeworm, and fluke.
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Centipede or Millipede?
Students discuss millipedes and centipedes in terms of their classification as arthropod. Using a diagram, students categorize and compare and contrast the characteristics of millipedes and centipedes based on their discussion of...