Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three Clouds Activity

For Teachers K - 4th
Students understand how clouds are formed. In this cloud lesson plan, students participate in three experiments to make clouds. Students complete activity sheets for each experiment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surveying and Assessing the Environmental Compatibility of a Building Construction Site

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students examine an area of land and assess its suitability for construction purposes. This project requires a vast amount of hands-on experimentation, data analysis, community involvement, and job shadowing/career awareness.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Terrestrial Sequestration- Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the differences between cellular respiration and photosynthesis.  In this cellular processes lesson students complete a group lab activity to see how climate change affects their lives. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photosynthesis and Cell Respiration

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders participate in scientific inquires regarding the concepts of photosynthesis and cell respiration. In this photosynthesis and cell respiration lesson, 5th graders describe the process of photosynthesis with relation to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Seeds to Plants

For Teachers 1st
First graders compare and contrast different seeds before planting them. They assess the basic needs to plants and conduct experiments of deprivation of those needs. They write stories and draw pictures of plants which are bound into a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birth, Growth, And Development

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars understand that all living things have a life cycle that includes being born, developing into an adult, reproducing, and eventually dying.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Cycle of Butterflies

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students identify ways plants and animals make changes related to the seasons, specifically focusing on the life cycle of butterflies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Cycle of the Butterfly

For Teachers K
Students listen a variety of books on butterflies and are introduced to their life cycle. In groups, they describe the life cycle in the correct order and watch the life cycle from larva to the butterfly in a demonstration. To end the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle in a Bottle

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study the water cycle. In this water science instructional activity, students complete a water cycle experiment using soda bottles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thinning and Transplanting

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify and observe one plant per section in their quad and to transplant the surplus seedlings to empty quads and interpret why this is important. They then discuss the purpose of thinning and transplanting. Finally, students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Cycle of a Frog

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students observe the life cycle of a frog.  For this life cycle lesson, students will observe and record the changes in the life cycle of a frog.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dynamic Wetlands

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students construct and observe a model of two different types of wetlands. In this wetlands lesson, students create a model of a wetland with constant drainage and a wetland that maintains a well-saturated soil. Students observe and...
Lesson Plan
Nuffield Foundation

Microbes Ate My Homework

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Now you have a new excuse not to do your homework. A long-term experiment has learners explore cellulose-digesting enzymes. They simulate how paper breaks down in a compost bin. There's no need to blame your dog for eating your homework...
Lesson Plan
Forest Foundation

Forest Watersheds

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Where does the water we use come from? To understand the concept of a watershed, class members study the water cycle and then engage in an activity that simulates a watershed.
Lesson Plan
1
1
University of Wisconsin

Rain Garden Species Selection

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
The activity really comes to life within its intended unit on starting a rain garden. Working in groups, participants research native plants and coordinate them with the conditions in the designated garden area. Give the class access to...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Chicago Botanic Garden

Seasons of a Plant

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
The third in a series of six lessons is an engaging three-part activity defines that discusses phenology, focusing on the cyclic seasons of plants. Pupils then observe phenology outside before determining how climate change can...
App
GiggleUp Kids

Happy Little Farmer

For Students Pre-K - 3rd
Pre-readers and primaries can help farmer rabbit to plant some delicious fruits and vegetables. From soil preparation and pest control, all the way to the harvest, little ones participate in the entire process!
Unit Plan
2
2
Core Knowledge Foundation

A Time for All Seasons - Fall

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
The weather is cooling down and the leaves are starting to change color; fall is right around the corner. Celebrate this special time of year with this earth and life science lesson series that teaches children about the...
Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

A Time for All Seasons - Winter

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
As the days get shorter and a chill enters the air, it's time to start teaching your little ones about the wondrous winter season. Through a series of teacher demonstrations, whole-class read alouds and discussions, and hands-on...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Why All the Wiggling on the Way Up? CO2 in the Atmosphere

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
The climate change debate, in the political arena, is currently a hot topic! Learners explore carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere and what this means for the future in the 11th installment of 12. Through an analysis of carbon dioxide...
Lesson Plan
Tech Museum of Innovation

Seed Dispersal

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!
Lesson Plan
1
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Leaf Litter Ecology Lab

For Students 7th - 9th Standards
Some organisms spend their entire lives in leaf litter. The third in a series of six is a great lesson plan exploring the community of leaf litter. Groups gather and then spread leaf litter over white paper and remove leaves/twigs while...
Assessment
Science Matters

Formative Assessment #3

For Students 3rd - 5th
Thirteen short-answer questions follow a brief food web activity in a formative assessment designed to test knowledge of ecosystems and the energy that flows through them.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moving without Wheels

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students observe a simple water cycle model to better understand its role in pollutant transport. This activity shows one way in which pollution is affected by the water cycle; it simulates a point source of pollution in a lake and the...