Curated OER
Dark Days on the Prairie
Students explore U.S. geography by researching agriculture. For this dust bowl lesson, students complete a cause and effect worksheet based upon the dust bowls that covered a large portion of Oklahoma and Texas in the early 1900's....
Curated OER
CSI on the Deep Reef
After some instruction, small groups prepare a written report on chemotrophic organisms. Though not clearly mentioned, this resource would work best if groups have the Internet available to research the vocabulary and different organisms...
Curated OER
A Tough Nut to Crack
Children, based on a set of criteria, evaluate the quality of pecans. They research recorded history of pecan trees as well as how their seeds moved across western Missouri into southeastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico. In...
Curated OER
The Art and Soul of the Land
Students study conservation and how different communication styles used by different conservationists. In this conservation instructional activity students obtain information on a cartoon or a few quotes from a conservationist and are...
Curated OER
GET THE POINT!
The student will measure the width of the horns on drawings of longhorn cattle and then convert the measurements from inches to centimeters and from inches to feet.1. Review with students the steps required to measure an item and to...
Curated OER
After the Garbage Can: Where Does Our Trash Go?
Students explore how waste disposal has changed over time and what the current issues are. In this disposal instructional activity students collect data and create graphs.
Curated OER
Rock Cycle: The Story of a Rock
Pupils examine the rock cycle by watching videos and then use creative storytelling techniques to tell the story of a rock as it undergoes geologic changes.
Curated OER
Relative Dating-Telling Time Using Fossils
Students explore how to read fossil range charts. They develop an knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the fossil record. Students become familiar with the concepts index fossil and fossil range. Students use bar graphs to...
Curated OER
Ocean Habitats:
Students investigate the creatures of intertidal zones. They explore the adaptations species make to survive .
Curated OER
The Formation and Value of Temperate Grasslands
Students study the Temperate Grasslands biome of North America. They explain that it is an endangered ecosystem because the rich soils have been converted to farming in most areas. They view videos imbedded in this plan, then complete...
Curated OER
Designing Babies
Learners analyze current and emerging techniques used to select specific characteristics in offspring. They examine specific case studies and make ethical decisions based upon the Ethical Decision-Making Model.
Curated OER
Threatened Species and Public Policy
Middle schoolers discuss the Endangered Species Act and its impact on people and the environment. They read the act and watch video footage. They examine why sea turtles are endangered and efforts to protect them. They analyze numerical...
Curated OER
Testing the Caverns
Students build model caverns using paper mache or clay and bury them in a tray of sand. They test the models by dropping balls onto them to simulate an asteroid hitting the earth. They evaluate the effectiveness of a structure against...
Curated OER
Native Species Restoration and its Impact on Local Populations
High schoolers watch video clips of ecosystems and answer questions relating to them.
Curated OER
3-D Posters
Students work in small groups to create 3-D posters to discourage throwing trash away and encourage recycling.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Preble's Shrew
Very little is known about the natural history of Preble's Shrew, which has been found in widely separate localities in much of the western United States. Specimens have been collected at elevations of 1,280 m in Oregon and 2,750 m in...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Brazilian Free Tailed Bat
Millions of Brazilian free-tailed bats spend their summers in the southwestern United States. Gigantic colonies summer in Bracken Cave, Texas; Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico; and even within the city of Austin, Texas, under the Congress...