Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet X

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students select a wide variety of presentation methods to compare Planet X and Earth. Students share these with their classmates. Students select other methods to present their ideas about a livable planet for human life forms. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rapid Mycological Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine types of mycology methods. They practice using new vocabulary and answer key questions. They complete a field survey and analyze their results.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Furbearers of Illinois

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Learners study fur bearing animals of Illinois. They research a specific furbearer (it's habitat, diet, current hunting regulations regarding the animal, conservation organizations that help the animal, etc.) and give a presentation on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at the Community Tree

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders review the characteristics of living and nonliving organisms. As a class, they observe a tree and describe the interactions between the living and nonliving organisms surrounding it. To end the lesson, they ask a question...
Lesson Plan
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Oceanography

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders identify saltwater and freshwater habitats and the resources found in them. They compare and contrast the two habitats and discuss their findings. They discover the resources bodies of water can provide.
Lesson Plan
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Molecular Approaches to Evolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to working with molecular data. The first activity does both simulated and original data are used to compare amino acid, protein or DNA differences to construct phylogenetic trees or cladograms. These activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

City Wildlife in a Vase

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine a still-life painting. They discuss the observation of nature by scientists and artists and explore the symbolism of biological life cycles depicted in a painting.
Lesson Plan
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Beach Zonation

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students identify and separate the different zones of the beach by observation. They investigate beach zonation by gathering and comparing sand samples gathered from different areas of the beach.
Lesson Plan
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The Woods and Pond

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars participate in hands-on activities to explore their natural surroundings. They recognize that ponds and woods are ecosystems and compare differences between the two. They identify trees by their bark and leaves.
Lesson Plan
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Particulate Matter: How Dirty is the Air We Breathe?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create a simple testing device and collect and observe the pollution in the air we breathe.
Lesson Plan
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Soil Factors

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study the nine soil factors to use in field study and to complete an exam. They learn the components and characteristics of soil.
Lesson Plan
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Leaking Underground/ Storage Tanks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in a lesson that is about the concept of storage tanks and how they are used. The advantages and disadvantages of them is discussed with the facts given by the teacher during lecture and concurrent discussion.
Lesson Plan
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Underwater Nature Trails

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students research dive sites on an underwater nature trail that would introduce divers to the wonders of the reef surrounding South Caicos. They then recreate each dive site using shoe box diorama and create an information station at...
Lesson Plan
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Think Green

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Pupils experience and practice compositing and recycling through hands-on-activities. They distinguish between which items from their trash can be recycled, composted and reused. The process for making recycled paper is also covered in...
Lesson Plan
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I Depend on You, You Depend on Me!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the interdependency between humans and the ecosystems. They examine how uncontrolled development threatens the rain forests. They discuss how human actions affect the rain forest.
Lesson Plan
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What's Hiding in the Air?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders conduct experiments to study the effects of invisible air pollutants including one with a bean plant. They examine methods of invisible air pollutants.
Lesson Plan
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The Rock Cycle

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, in groups, examine soil samples with magnifying glasses. They discuss the living and non-living things they find in their soild samples.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Repair and Cell Cycle

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore the cell cycle. They view pictures of different stages of mitosis and explain why cells reproduce. They identify the five phases of mitosis: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Earth Day

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this crossword puzzle worksheet, students identify the words that relate to Earth Day by reading the 14 clues. Students complete the crossword puzzle with the clues.
Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Our Big Backyard: How Does Our Local Ecosystem Change During the Year?

For Students 9th - 10th
Get students observing the environment around their school with this activity. In this lab experiment, students keep a journal containing written observations and digital pictures of how local flora and fauna change during the school year.
Handout
Environmental Education for Kids

Eek!: Community Action & Citizen Science: Biomonitoring

For Students 3rd - 5th
Biomonitoring is the term scientists use to describe the use of plants, animals, or entire ecosystems to tell if our environment is polluted. Biomonitoring has been used by biologists and scientists to give us information about our...
Handout
Environmental Education for Kids

Eek!: Nature's Recyclers Coloring Book

For Students 3rd - 5th
Did you know that nature has its own clean-up crew and recycling staff? Yeah, there aremany plants and animals that help recycle natural materials in our environment. They take deadmaterials and turn them back into rich soil. Use this...
Handout
US Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture: Ozone Spells "Ouch" for Some Plants

For Students 3rd - 8th
Ozone can damage plants and harm our lungs as well. Find out how in this this informative and interesting site.
Handout
National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain)

Ministerio De Educacion: El Reino Vegetal

For Students 9th - 10th
In this lesson you will learn to understand better the different plants in your environment, its characteristics and its presence in our daily lives. Learn how important the plants are for the survival of all ecosystems in the world and...