Rainforest Alliance
Trees and Carbon
You'll find everything but the kitchen sink here ... or just a carbon sink. In the activity, pairs or groups of middle school learners go outside and measure a tree's circumference and height to estimate its carbon storage potential and...
Curated OER
Monterey Bay
Learners read background information about Monterey Bay, California, and conduct related experiments. In this ocean in motion instructional activity, students read information about the location, wildlife, and characteristics of Monterey...
Desert Discovery
Life Cycle of the Saguaro
Third graders make books which illustrate the growth and development of a saguaro cactus from its beginnings as a seed all the way through its death. They trace the life cycle of the saguaro, identify each of the stages in its life,...
Rainforest Alliance
The Carbon Cycle
Scholars learn about the carbon cycle, play a carbon cycle game, and then write a story based on their role as a carbon atom during the game. After the writings, pupils analyze the carbon cycle by leading a class discussion on the material.
Mascil Project
Closed Greenhouses
Controlling the efficiency of a greenhouse is a mathematical task. A collaborative project challenges learners to create an efficiency plan for a closed greenhouse. Using algebraic equations, they consider a set of constraints, design...
Space Awareness
Meet Our Neighbors: Sun
The sun isn't just a ball of yellow! Young scientists learn about the features of the sun using a hands-on modeling activity. They build models of the sun using common household items to represent sunspots, solar prominence, and the...
Curated OER
The Root Show
Students investigate plant roots. In this plant lesson, students discover the function and structure of plant roots. Students plant a plant in a milk carton with a clear section cut out in order to observe the roots of the plant.
Curated OER
The Three Sisters
Pupils read about the Three Sisters of the crops that helped the Native Americans and plant a garden based on companion planting. In this crops lesson plan, students complete garden designs and then create their garden.
BBC
Sorting and Using Materials
First and second graders see that everyday objects are made from a variety of materials. They interact with objects such as keys, plastic spoons, a wooden ruler, a towel, and a plastic bag. A discussion ensues which leads them to...
Curated OER
Prairie Adaptations
Twelfth graders consider the survival of prairie plants. They examine how some tallgrass prairie species are adapted to the conditions of their ecosystem. They make a prediction of how a species might change given new conditions.
Curated OER
What Should I Know About Photosynthesis
This four-page handout would work great as a reading guide or note-taking resource for teens learning about ATP, photosynthesis, the key scientists in the realm of photosynthesis, and more. It is designed to accompany a certain textbook,...
Curated OER
Log Hotel
Students identify how the different plants and animals work together to cause the changes in the log. Students discuss the sequence of events in the life of the tree and log. Students plant a seed to take home and care for. Students...
Curated OER
Parts of a Cell
Simplify the parts of a cell with this handout and brief activity. Learners read a two-page explanation of the parts of a cell that includes bolded vocabulary words. Using what they have just read, class members answer 19...
Curated OER
Meet A Tree
Students explore different types of trees with their senses. In this nature lesson plan, students play a game in which pairs use their senses to explore trees, blindfolded. Students then must find the tree they found when blindfolded.
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
Exploring Caves
Students explain why many caves have become National Parks. They determine that caves provide shelter from enemies, and from bad weather in the summer or the winter, and provide certain mineral resources. They discover that ancient art...
Curated OER
Windowsill Gardening: Food From Sunlight
For this windowsill gardening food from sunlight worksheet, students research photosynthesis, write about it, observe and record sunlight at home as it relates to the needs of a plant.
Curated OER
Charting the Growth of the Milkweed Plant
In this charting the growth of the milkweed plant worksheet, students use the data given to complete the growth chart, then answer 5 questions about the information in the chart.
Curated OER
Plant Word Search
In this plant production worksheet, students search for words in a word search about plant production. Students search for 10 words.
Curated OER
Soggy Seeds
Pupils conduct experiments to learn about seed germination. In this seed germination lesson, students write a hypothesis for the seed experiment. pupils complete the experiment for seed germination and graph the data obtained from the...
Curated OER
To Light or Not to Light
Students examine the role of light and dark in a living environment. In this photosynthesis lesson, students hypothesize about the best environment for plant growth, record observations using plant seeds in various light and dark...
Curated OER
Pumpkin Patch
Students create a pumpkin art project that outlines the life cycle of a pumpkin in order to learn the growth process of this particular vegetable. In this pumpkin art instructional activity, students first review the life cycle of a...
Curated OER
Green Apples
Third graders brainstorm the effects of light on the growth of plants. In groups, they participate in various activities in which they grow alfalfa sprouts and lima beans. They complete a worksheet on how the varying amount of light...
Curated OER
Terrarium Observation
Students observe the growth of plants in their terrarium. In this social studies lesson plan, students measure plant growth for several weeks. They predict what happens if other organisms are added in the terrarium.