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Students Solutions - Saving Our Surroundings
Students explore the environmental impact of humans on the plants and animals in their state. In this environmental impact lesson, students use digital cameras to photograph plants and animals in their state. Students investigate the...
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Making Nests
Second graders explore the lives of birds by researching their natural habitats. For this nest building lesson, 2nd graders investigate the craft of making a bird nest and discuss their useful qualities for the animals. Students utilize...
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Habitat Hopscotch
Third graders explore animal characteristics by participating in a bat environment game. In this natural habitat lesson, 3rd graders identify the physical anatomy of a bat and discuss their eating and sleeping habits. Students conduct a...
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Stop, Look and Listen
Students study and observe city wildlife and their local community's wildlife. In this wildlife lesson, students look for animal clues in their local places. Students observe animals using cameras and journals. Students make a...
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What's Down There?
Students analyze data on coral reefs and use this to help characterize reefs. In this mapping coral reefs lesson students identify and explain the major threats to coral reefs.
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Critters in the Classroom
Students investigate with sea urchins. In this ocean habitat lesson, students observe sea urchins and other ocean grazers. Students work with lab equipment to examine the anatomy of these creatures.
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Habitat Hunt
Students discover how hard it is for animals to find all the items needed in their habitat. For this habitat lesson, students play a game in which they pretend to be an animal, they discover that not all animals can find the food needed...
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Design a Reef!
Students design a functional model of a coral reef ecosystem. In this coral reef instructional activity, students identify the energy sources and material cycles of a coral reef. They write an essay about their niche in their own ecosystem.
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Oh No! Oil Spills
Students discover the threats of an oil spill. In this ecological awareness lesson, students examine the effects of oil spills on animals and our oceans. Students get simulated oil on themselves and discover ways to clean it up.
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Basic Needs of Living Things-Lesson One
Fourth graders explore the basic needs of living things. They observe a variety of living things and identify the basic needs of each living item. Students create food balls of peanut butter and nuts to feed animals. They hang their food...
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Zones of the Rocky Intertidal Zones
Sixth graders predict intertidal zones for organisms. In this intertidal zones instructional activity, 6th graders analyze an illustration of an organism and a class diagram of the intertidal zones. Students research to locate the zone...
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Coastal Threat: A Story in Unit Conversions
Students convert measurements from one unit to another. In this math lesson plan, students study the environmental consequences of oil spills. They replicate an oil spill event by modeling and scaling.
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Can We Keep the Lake Clean?
Students are introduced to the water cycle. They help draw a picture of a lake ecosystem, adding human impacts that affect water quality. Students help fill in the components of a drawing of a water system. At the end of the lesson...
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Biodiversity in Illinois-Pond Habitats
Second graders construct a pond habitat in the classroom using a small swimming pool partially filled with water, real cattails, a tree log adjoining, and plastic animal life appropriate to a pond setting. They examine the frog in detail...
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Summer Camp in the Classroom
Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. In this natural science lesson, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.
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Panther Scavenger Hunt
Students research the Internet to fill out their scavenger hunt sheet. For this research lesson students search the Internet for answers to the questions on the scavenger hunt worksheet.
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Invent a Critter
Students create a living animal that could survive in at least one specific region and use the digital desert library to gather information. In this invent a critter instructional activity, students draw a picture of their animal, ...
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Seas Of Life
Students brainstorm examples of predator and prey that are featured in a video they watch. In this investigative lesson students will research an animal from the video and explain if it is a predator or prey and how it helps...
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Understanding Interactions Among Local Species and the Local Environment
Students examine the differences between biotic and abiotic factors, explain the difference between habitat and niche and compare how organisms get their nutritional needs. In this local environment lesson students trace the path...
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Feeding in the Flow
Students examine current flow and describe ways in which it may effect food of reef building corals. In this coral lesson students identify two environmental factors that may affect the morphology.
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Dirty Mud
Students examine geological information to study benthic marine habitats. In this watershed project, students examine wetland habitats and land uses in a watershed. They will use geological information to discuss the impact of pollution...
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What is Cacao?
Students use the Internet to learn about the cacao plant. For this plants lesson, students complete a KWL chart on chocolate, learn about cocoa plants and discuss the parts of a plant. Students use the Internet to learn how...
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Hunt for Habitats
Students review components of a habitat and go on a hike around a pond and woods exploring different habitats and the plants and animals that use them. They examine mammal pelts and discuss the life histories, adaptations, and positions...
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Biggest Trees in the United States
Young scholars use the Internet (or printed sources) to locate information. They fill in missing information on a graphic organizer (chart) and use the data to answer questions. The research skills help students to develop higher order...