Curated OER
Growing a Native American "Three Sisters" Garden
Students explore plant life by creating their own gardens in class. In this food growing lesson plan, students discuss the types of gardening methods Native Americans used in order to keep healthy. Students plant corn seeds in their...
Curated OER
Kwanzaa Science
Young scholars study the parts of a plant in order to better understand the muhindi as one of the seven symbols of Kwanzaa.
Curated OER
Gametogenesis and Fertilization
Students explore how this module focuses on part of the cycle of alternation of generations: meiosis to produce haploid spores and fertilization to produce a diploid zygote which grows into the adult plant.
Curated OER
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Students discover gardening by documenting plants grown on school grounds. In this botany instructional activity, students utilize digital cameras to capture images of plants on photo hikes which are turned into a slide show....
Curated OER
A Seed Dispersal Investigation
Students investigate the function and purpose of seed dispersal. In this garden lesson plan, students examine the importance of wind in the plant cycle. Students construct a flying seed model from an attached design and discuss if it can...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: A Day at the Apple Orchard (Faulkner and Krawsky)
If your class is reading A Day at the Apple Orchard by Megan Faulkner, be sure to use this guide for vocabulary in context. Go over the orchard-related terms (cycle, harvest, orchard, pollen, and ripen) before reading...
Curated OER
Building Soil Nature's Way: Exploring decomposition and soil health
Students explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden. In this agriculture lesson, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their region....
Curated OER
Flutterings and Flowers
Fourth graders investigate the significance of natural resources and the habitats of butterflies. They create a list of their own favorite foods, then watch a video about habitats. Students identify things in the video that animals and...
Desert Museum
Daisy Ecology
Here's a fine lesson that combines poetry with life sciences. Learners carefully listen to a poem that's all about a food chain. As the poem is read, learners name the producer, the herbivore, the carnivore, and the omnivore. Lots of...
Curated OER
Native Chili Planting
Students discover the process of planting chili. After comparing two types of seeds students plant and with the use of a digital camera, record the seed progress. When ready for transplant, students take young plants to a retirement...
Curated OER
Fresh or Salty?
Students explore water bodies on the planet Earth and their various uses and qualities. They examine several ways that engineers are working to maintain and conserve water sources and think about their role in water conservation....
Curated OER
Seed Diversity
Learners explore agriculture by researching different seeds. In this seed identification lesson, students collaborate in small groups to analyze a package of different seeds. Learners utilize a magnifying glass to examine each seed...
Curated OER
Oxygen Factory
Fourth graders examine the interdependence of the oxygen and carbon dioxide cycle in an ecosystem through a laboratory investigation. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders complete the lab in groups.
Curated OER
The Alphabet Garden
Third graders transplant, tend and observe a plant for each letter of the alphabet in a school garden. They work individually to research and select a plant that will grow in their local climate. Students then care for and observe the...
Curated OER
Beetle Rearing
Students investigate plants and the effects beetles have on the plants. In small groups, they collect plants and observe the beetles as they interact with the plants. They record the conditions including temperature, cloudiness, length...
Curated OER
Worms, Nature's Recyclers!
Learners study what worms need to survive in different environments. They study how worm composting improves soil and reduce waste. They discuss composting techniques and present a puppet show about a worm's life.
Curated OER
Comparing Mitosis with Meiosis
Life science learners view an online animated mini textbook comparing two types of cell division. Working in groups, they use a digital microscope to capture images of cells in different stages of mitosis and meiosis. Then they create an...
University of Washington
Toothpick Fish
With colored toothpicks representing genes, youngsters practice passing them through generations of fish and learn about heredity. Consider this as an introductory activity since it does not represent recessive genes with lowercase...
Curated OER
Plants
Students illustrate the major parts of a plant, classify some plant foods we eat as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. They also name some animals that use seeds, leaves, and fruit for food.
Curated OER
Where Do Your Veggies Grow?
First graders investigate the origins of vegetables. In this Science lesson, 1st graders identify where fruits and vegetables come from. Students describe how people utilize plants.
Curated OER
Adopt a Tree
Young scholars adopt tress on their school campus for scientific observation purposes. In this tree science lesson, students adopt a tree at their school, observe the season changes for the tree, and create a PowerPoint presentation...
Curated OER
WET Science Lesson #11: How Light Affects Water
Scientists listen to the story of Wadja Egnankou who works to save African mangrove forests. They experiment with refraction and the introduction of particulate matter to water. They conclude with creative writing about the need for a...
Curated OER
Land Use Issues
Students discover seeds are a source of life. They also label the parts of a seed and examine the conditions which are needed for the seed to start growing. They follow the life cycle of seeds.
Curated OER
This Is Tree-rific!
Third graders view a clip of the video Backyard Safari, "Trees," and portray the life cycle of a tree. They also view a clip on structures of a tree and draw a diagram of a tree in their science journals.