North American Montessori Center
Sun and Moon Autumnal Equinox Activities
Two hands-on activities celebrate the sun and moon autumnal equinox. First, scholars create a cairn using a shoebox, flashlight, and drawing tools to view the sun's progression. Second, learners take to the kitchen to bake mooncakes...
US Geological Survey
The Water Cycle for Schools: Beginner Ages
Explore a day in the life of a water droplet. An interactive infographic helps scholars learn how water cycles work from precipitation all the way around to condensation. Learners hover over each step of the cycle to read more as they...
Curated OER
Producers -- Focus on Trees
Students examine the needs of trees and plants. In this forest ecosystem lesson plan students use seedlings to investigate the basic necessities of plants. They discuss the consequences of these basic needs not being met.
Curated OER
Observing Trees
Students create a timeline of a tree in a given time span. In this life cycle lesson, students observe one particular tree at the beginning of the year, and continue their observations for several weeks to create a timeline of the...
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The Salmon Stream and Vegetation
Students explore the ecosystem and food chain by researching Pacific Salmon. In this fish habitat lesson plan, students discover the life cycle for salmon, where they spawn and what they eat to survive the harsh elements. Students...
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Weather and Seasons: Mt. Seymour Winter Fieldtrip
Students explore winter adaptations and glare. For this winter weather lesson, students discuss the season of winter and how animals and plants adapt to the changing weather. Students discuss the glare off snow and make goggles for their...
Curated OER
Soil Recipe
Learners examine the components of soil. They work together to use different materials to create their own soil. They make their own dirt cake as well.
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Buried Treasure
Students examine the role of micro and macro organisms in the decomposition process. They record their observations and discuss. They also read a book about decomposition.
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Autumn Colors Shine Through
Pupils create colorful stained-glass Autumn window decorations. They shave crayons with scissors, melt the crayons in wax paper with an iron, and cut out a leaf pattern to display on windows.
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Amazon Water Cycle Role Play
Students participate in a role play where they play clouds, the ocean, rain drops, and more in order to learn about the water cycle. For this water cycle lesson plan, students have discussions and learn vocabulary.
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Mother Nature Has Her Say
Students use their creative writing skills to develop interview questions for Mother Nature. Using writing, they respond to the questions another student developed and use the internet to research any topic they need more information on....
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De"compost"ition
Students develop an understanding of the decomposition process and the parameters which influence the rate at which it occurs.
Curated OER
Why Are Plants Green?
Pupils smash plant parts and wait for visibility of chlorophyl to show why plants turn green. In this green plants lesson plan, students use acetone and filter paper for this experiment.
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Photosynthesis
This relatively short PowerPoint contains all of the information necessary to give a clear summary of Photosynthesis. There are a few illustrations and clear descriptions of each stage of the main reactions.
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The Human Impact on the Environment
Despite the typos and formatting issues, the Word document found here has some great potential. There are two questions that ask learners to put several events in a logical order; these could easily be made into a card sort activity....
TerraCycle
What Can Nature Teach Us about Sustainable Design?
Talk about Velcro®, Gecko Tape, WhalePower turbine blades, and other innovations that mimic nature to inspire your STEM or engineering class. This set of worksheets gets them thinking about imitating nature in terms of sustainable...
Curated OER
Name that plant!
What is a dichotomous key? When your kids ask, hand them a learning exercise like this one, to explain it. They use the key to identify four different trees, based on the budding twigs they've produced. Tip: Have learners extend this...
Curated OER
Harvest!
A visually entertaining PowerPoint on farming is here for you. Specifically, the presentation takes you and your pupils through the harvest of corn and soybeans. All of the machinery used in harvesting, storing, and sending the products...
Curated OER
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
Young scholars discuss the differences between a storybook and an information book. Students use various materials found in nature to make a nature collage. Young scholars make a nature dictionary using pictures and their own definitions...
Curated OER
Biochemical Cycles
When learning about several different processes at a time, it can be difficult to differentiate between them. In the resource found here, you can see what your kids know about some of Earth's systems including the carbon, hydrologic,...
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Spring Awakenings
Pupils observe changes in a selected tree bud/leaf during spring. They record changes in the bud/leaf using words, pictures and numbers. They understand that trees adapt to changes in temperature, light, and moisture by sprouting leaves.
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RIDE THE WILD LEAF
Learners identify and interpret that leaves provide food for new trees and plants. Students cut out leaves and glue them on the appropriate
number on included worksheet. Learners collect different types of leaves and make leaf rubbings....
Curated OER
Powdery Mildew Fungi: Classification and Ecology
Students use a written key or illustrated key to identify fungi on plant leaves into its genus based on sexual or asexual reproduction, host range diversity, and host-parasite relationships.
Curated OER
A Seed Grows
Second graders begin the instructional activity by planting their own bean seed. Individually, they make predictions about how many leaves and roots their plant might grow and each day record their observations. They graph the results of...