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Creating a School Herbarium
Students develop working knowledge of common plants and awareness of plant diversity by starting a school herbarium.
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Animal Signs
Students discuss the many different types of animal signs that can be used to identify and track animals. They participate in an hands-on activity in which they examine tracks, trails, homes, territory markings, and even "scat" left by...
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Charting the Changes in Our School Forest
Fourth graders investigate the ecosystem and how forests are disappearing. In this environmental protection lesson, 4th graders analyze the changes in their school for 2 weeks. Students practice identifying trees, birds, and foliage...
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Species and Specimens: Exploring Local Biodiversity
Students practice skills essential to all scientific investigation: carefully observing and collecting data. They become field biologists in a series of hands-on activities to collect and identify specimens, and survey and calculate the...
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Investigative Case - "Malama Keone'o'io"
Students study techniques for conducting a local environmental assessment in an ecologically sensitive area. Identification of native plants and methodologies for sampling is taught in the classroom and then reinforced in the field. The...
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Most Troublesome Exotic Invasive Plant Species Web Quest
Students participate in a Web Quest activity in which they identify common exotic invasive plant species of the Southern Appalachian Region. After identifying the top 10 exotic invasive species, they choose one to research in depth.
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Four Seasons From Laguna Pueblo
Students study seeds and spring planting. They plant corn, chili, watermelon seeds in a local field and then invite a farmer to come to discuss the preparation, caring and planting of seeds in a field.
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The Great Migration
Sixth graders explore the uses of herbal plants. They read the book Pharmacy in the Forest and discuss the vocabulary words that pertain to the structure of a plant. Students create a summary of what they have read and watch a video on...
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Field Biology
Students work with 4th and 5th graders at Cascade Brook School in Farmington, to teach them skills in wildflower and fern identification, and then to help them implement a nature trail, which is accessible to the greater Farmington...
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Seed Diversity
Learners explore agriculture by researching different seeds. In this seed identification lesson plan, students collaborate in small groups to analyze a package of different seeds. Learners utilize a magnifying glass to examine each seed...
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How a Seed Grows and Who Grows It
First graders explore biology by viewing PowerPoint presentations in class. For this plant life lesson, 1st graders identify the life cycle of a plant and how to properly plant a seed outside. Students view a movie about plant life and...
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Do You Have the Key?
Students practice using a dichotomous key. In this classification activity, students read an article about scientific exploration and identification of new species. They use a dichotomous key to identify objects and create their own key.
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Planetary Orbits
Middle schoolers explore space science by completing a solar system identification worksheet. In this planets lesson, students discuss the different planets in our star system and identify their traits. Middle schoolers complete an...
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Richmond Nature Park Field Trip
Students identify different plants and their uses by attending a field trip. In this Canadian plant lesson, students explore the great outdoors of Vancouver, B.C. and discuss the uses of plants by the Native Americans that once resided...
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Disposable Diaper Comparison and Mystery Powder Identification
Students investigate which diaper is the most absorbent. In this chemistry lesson, students calculate how much water is absorbed by diapers. They identify an unknown powder based on physical and chemical properties.
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Modeling The Anatomy Of A Grass Plant
Students explore the structure of a typical and generalized grass plant. They visualize the structures of a grass plant by constructing a paper model. In addition, they identify the names and structural relationships of the parts of a...
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Pollen Collection And Identification
Students investigate plant reproduction, pollen collection and identification. They collect pollen samples over a twenty four hour period and examine them under a microscope.
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Prairie Find Outdoors
Young scholars take a field trip to a local prairie. Using identification books, they identify various forbs and grasses in the prairie. As a class, they discuss the importance of forbs and grasses to the ecosystem and review the various...
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Soil pH & Plants
Young scholars investigate the pH of the soil in which different plants grow. They design and carry out an experiment to determine the factors that affect the growth of a population of plants, identifying and controlling major variables...
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Identifying plants, animals, insects, reptiles, and birds on the prairie
Pupils identify all of the plant an animal life on the prairie. In this plant identification lesson students divide into groups and draw sketches of things they saw on the prairie.
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GPS Treasure Hunt
Students practice using a GPS receiver and reading directions in an on-campus field trip. Students can identify a building stone, tree, or plant at each stop depending on which area of science is being studied.
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Our School - Our Trees
Sixth graders observe school ground trees planted nearly 3 decades ago. For this ecology activity, 6th graders examine a group of trees planted near their campus and measure the diameter, circumference and growth of the tree compared to...
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Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)
Learners study flavinoids and how they exist in the plant kingdom. In this pigment lesson students complete a lab activity to see how flavinoids move in substances then record their observations.
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Teaching Kids about the Environment
Fifth graders identify the species of plants and animals found in an environment. They compare these findings to plant and animal species found in an unlike environment. Students acquire and compare soil samples from the two sites chosen.