Students define service learning and reflect on the purpose of the Global Youth Service Day. In this service learning lesson, students discuss and define service learning projects and the role youth has in their community. Students write...

Students study barrel sponges. For this science and art lesson, students discuss what sponges are, create their own sponge, and share what they created with the rest of the class.

Students examine coral skeletons. In this science lesson, view real coral skeletons. Students explain the differences between an observation and an inference. Students draw a coral skeleton.

Second graders examine compost piles and what invertebrates help decompose the organic matter.  In this compost invertebrates lesson students collect invertebrates found in a compost pile and examine them. 

Young scholars examine and dissect a worker honey bee to analyze the structures and functions of honey bees. They draw the structures they see and compare/contrast them to drawings or electron micrographs.

Students explore parts of nature. In this environmental lesson, students discuss how their actions can affect the environment and design a plan to clean up a specified area. Students practice good hygiene during the cleanup project.

Students discover the ocean life of the San Francisco Bay. In this ocean lesson, students take a Discovery Voyage of the Bay ecosystem through the Marine Science Institute. Also available are inland voyages, ocean labs, and tidepool...

Sixth graders study living cells and their functioning units.  In this cell lesson students color cell diagrams, answer questions and discuss the differences between plant and animal cells. 

Students work together to investigate familiar and unfamiliar ecosystems. Using the internet, they discover how different organisms use their environment to satisfy their needs. They also examine the relationshiops between organisms...

Fifth graders characterize insects and classify insects according to the Linnaean system. They use hand lenses or microscopes to examine insect body parts.

High schoolers determine the optimal temperature at which brine shrimp eggs hatch and develop. They evaluate the changes, if any, which occur in a brine shrimp culture at various temperatures.

Students isolate DNA from different food sources. In this biology lesson, students research DNA extraction. They analyze DNA stands collected from the lab, and compare the differences between each.

Students determine if brine shrimp eggs hatch and develop more readily in an environment which has an acid or a basic pH. They evaluate the pH level which is optimal for the hatching and development of brine shrimp.

Students determine the characteristics of a stream ecosystem and its organisms.  In this water ecology lesson students complete several labs that shows them presence of life, water appearance, and water flow.

Students use Koch's Postulates to determine that a specific organism is the root cause of a specific disease and identify what Koch's Postulates are within a protocol. They describe symptoms and signs of diseased fruit and isolate fungal...

Sixth graders create a type of notebook or journal using colored copy paper on which to take notes. They complete research on a certain disease and report on it and then design their own disease causing bacteria or virus. Finally, 6th...

Students classify the characteristics of butterflies and moths moths. In this life cycle lesson, students identify butterflies and moths common in the state of Iowa as well as their characteristics.  Students then learn the proper...

Students explore cells. In this science lesson plan, students investigate how the cell is the basic unit of life, that cells divide slowly to become mass of cells, and that there is a gradual loss of cells throughout life.

Students identify the different types of mushrooms. In this biology lesson, students explore different mushroom experiments they can do at home. They discuss ways to extend sliced mushrooms' shelf life.

Young scholars explore pond ecosystems.  In this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms.  The activity is designed for younger grades,...

Learners explore mold, the different types and the health risks that they pose.  In this mycelium lesson students grow different molds and see which type of foods mold the fastest. 

High schoolers are introduced to Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium without recourse to algebra. After participating in this activity, students gain a feeling for the significance of the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium without using algebra.

Young scholars explore aquatic life. In this science lesson, students visit an aquatic ecosystem and collect animals found there. Young scholars create a food chain for the aquatic ecosystem.

Students work together to compare and contrast sand particles. They identify what sand grains are composed of as well. They complete writing activities to complete the lesson.