Curated OER
Functional Homes
Students observe and reflect on habitats built and used by various life forms. They discover the benefits of the "homes" to the creature and its life and apply the natural designs to human uses.
Curated OER
Walking Magic
Students conduct experiment with water striders by placing the insect in two different solutions and discuss their observations. They discover that weight and surface area are important factors in their experiment.
Curated OER
Fabulous Fractals
Young scholars view a video to discover how patterns in nature relate to math. They explore the concept of exponential growth by observing and creating fractals. They solve and design word problems.
Curated OER
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Here's a fine lesson plan on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy for your 5th graders. In it, learners list a number of natural resources on the board, then try to sort the resources into appropriate categories. This helps them...
Curated OER
Biodiversity in Sixth Grade
Sixth graders explore the nature of habitats on an ABC hike. In groups, they collect items that make up habitats including plants, feathers, and leaves among other materials. Students then classify and organize the collected materials...
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Habitats: must live with them....cannot live without them.
Students conduct an internet study regarding habitat, ecosystem, biome and the region they live in. They observe the habitat by visiting a State Park and observing the organisms in their habitat. In addition, they create their own...
Curated OER
Outgroup Experiment Reveals Bias, Stereotyping
Exploring bias and stereotypes, young scholars dress up as members of "outgroups" (groups of people who are often judged). Though the instructional activity specifies that it should be "respectful and not mock the outgroup in any way,"...
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
Succession: Patterns in the Field and in Seeds
Have you been wondering how to use that natural trail at or near your school? This activity gets kids outside with a purpose: learn about ecological succession through field observations and collecting seed and soil samples. The resource...
Illustrative Mathematics
Complex number patterns
Start off with the definition of the imaginary number i, then have your class practice simplifying expressions involving powers of i and look for patterns. See how the cyclic nature of powers of i translate to sums of powers of i.
Curated OER
DNA Structure and Extraction
Learners see DNA as a physical building block of organisms and comprehend the basic structure of DNA and the specific components in its structure. They can explain the specific nature of base-pair matching in DNA and that DNA bases form...
Curated OER
Our Geometic World
Students walk around the neighborhood and identify various polygons and lines in buildings, nature and other objects. They design a building using various geometric patterns, shapes and lines. Students complete a descriptive writing of...
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Turtle Legends
Students listen to the legend, Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back. They create a new moon for the calendar based on this natural part of everyday life in the seasons. They illustrate it under the story using water color paints.
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Composting
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...
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Rain Forest Terrariums
Fifth graders make rain forest terrariums in order to observe a simulated mini-environment. They place the layers and plants into container and place where it can be observed. They observe the closed water system in the container before...
National Park Service
Petrified Forest National Park
Poetry Soup, a reading and writing unit constructed by the Petrified Forest National Park, will have scholars hungry to learn about nature. The cross-content unit contains topics related to history, science, and language arts. Content...
Curated OER
I Wonder What a Pest Is...
Students observe what animals are considered to be pests and why. They conduct a mock trial of a honeybee arguing if it is a pest or not. They determine pros and cons of honeybees to prepare for the trial.
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A Lesson in Biodiversity: Making Comparisons Between Defensive Mechanisms Utilized by Marine Organisms
If your upper elementary or middle school marine biology learners are going to visit an aquarium, then here is a field trip activity guide for you. It is written specifically for The Maritime Aquarium, but the idea can be adapted to...
Curated OER
Why Are The Shore Birds Dying?
Students engage in a field study of birds and how they are in danger harm due to environmental factors. They list different possible causes in a prediction activity. The observations are done while writing up data and connecting it to a...
Curated OER
Follow a Fish
Students choose a fish from anywhere within the Ocean Center. They observe it for a given time, recording its behavior. Students comprehend the concept that living things have individual characteristics that enable them to live in their...
Curated OER
Regulating Freedom of Speech
Students examine the nature and limits of the Constitutional right to freedom of speech. They read and analyze the First Amendment, discuss various case studies, and research and record their own opinion on discussion questions.
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Ring of Fire
Students locate some of the 1,500 active volcanoes on a world map. Then by comparing their maps with a map of the world's tectonic plates, they discover that volcanoes occur because of the dynamic nature of the Earth's lithosphere.
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Air Pollution
Students seek solutions to environmental problems. They discover how to conserve and protect natural resources. They examine the role of acid rain on plants and discover how to filter pollutants.
Curated OER
Week 3: Pollution Source and Effects
Lab groups set up an experiment to observe what happens over time in collected pond water when fertilizer, representing pollution, is added. This website does not include student lab sheets, but background information, materials, and...
Curated OER
What is the Rock Cycle and Its Processes?
Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....