Curated OER
Landscape Garden Makeover
A project-based learning plan focuses on landscapes in the community. After identifying problems, such as dead trees or misplaced automatic sprinklers, learners design solutions, contact local organizations to fix the problems, and do...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate and Forest Ecosystem Services
Forests, through sequestration, capture excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and store it, aiding in climate change. The third installment in a four-part series on how climate impacts forests explores carbon sequestration....
Curated OER
My Giving Tree
Students identify native and invasive trees. In this ecology lesson, students survey trees in their schoolyard and identify the species. Students adopt a native tree sprout and record the growth in a journal.
Curated OER
So -- What's Happening Here, On This Old Christmas Tree Farm?
Students review their prior knowledge on biomes and ecosystems. At a local Christmas tree farm, they work together in groups to identify the changes occuring in the area. They participate in solving a mystery in which they determine the...
Curated OER
Branching Out
Students investigate the causes and effects of the spread of tree diseases in the U.S., and research certain American species of trees and the diseases that commonly threaten them. They create pamphlets to help identify healthy and...
Curated OER
Seasoning the School Year
Students observe the changes a class tree goes through as the seasons change and record observations in journals. They investigate changes in the weather, changes in the length of the day, and how that affects people. They create...
Curated OER
Life in a Cup
Third graders make and maintain a mini terrarium. They keep a daily journal of what happens in their terrarium and record daily observations and measurements.
Captain Planet Foundation
Adopt-A-Plant
Note the way that plants change during the season by adopting a plant on your school campus. After your class chooses their plant, they research the plant's needs, how it differs from other plants, find ways to support their plant's...
Curated OER
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Fifth graders, after brainstorming why conservation of resources is important, distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources. They make a list of different types of natural resources on the board and then sort them into two...
Curated OER
So -- What's Happening Here? On this Old Christmas Tree Farm
Students take a field trip to an old Christmas tree farm near their school. In groups, they gather data at the site and analyze the data in an attempt to discover what happened to the area. They identify human activities that led to the...
Curated OER
Looking at the Community Tree
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...
Curated OER
How Fast Does This Tree Grow?
Students work together to determine how fast trees go. They make predictions and complete simple measurements. They answer questions to end the lesson.
National Park Service
Aspect, Treeline, and Climate
Head to the treeline and beyond to examine how this feature of the landscape affects weather and climate, which gives scientists clues about its health. Class members' observations of photographs provide the data...
Curated OER
Where the Buffalo Roam
Second graders explore what life in the Chicago area was like hundreds of years ago. They discuss how settlers impacted the environment, and why there are no longer herds of buffalo in the Chicago area today. They read an article and...
Curated OER
What's in Our Woods?
Young scholars observe their local forest and document the change that occurs over the school year. For this forestry lesson, students utilize a GPS to mark a certain area of the woods as their study area for the remainder of the...
Curated OER
“THE LORAX” by Dr. Seuss
Few children's books convey the message of conservation as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Read the story aloud, emphasizing the interconnectedness of plants and animals in an ecosystem and discussing different ways people can help...
Curated OER
Outdoor Activities: Taking Science Outside
Students participate in various outdoor science activities to enhance their observation, classification, and analysis skills. In this outdoor lesson, students begin by observing a tree from a straightforward angle, then from the...
Curated OER
Schoolyard Field Guide
Fourth graders observe, plan, research, and create a field guide for the trees that are in their schoolyard. In this trees lesson plan, 4th graders make careful observations of what they see around their school and create a guide.
Curated OER
Home Sweet Home
Young scholars examine the animals that live in trees. They identify their sounds, footprints and droppings. They draw pictures of the animals as well.
Curated OER
Tubularastic Roller Coaster
Students observe the effect of gravity on objects. They use tubing and other materials to simulate a roller caster. Afterward, they create a journal to write their observations and summaries.
Curated OER
Primate Primer
Students examine the different branches of the primate family tree. They create fact cards about various species of non-human primates and then write fictional skits about interactions among the different primates.
Curated OER
Wetland Plant Detectives
Sixth graders identify plants in the wetlands. In this plant detectives instructional activity, 6th graders complete a scavenger hunt on a local reserve, record observations, and respond in their journals.
Curated OER
Seasonal Cycles And Changes
Second graders recall the affect of direct and angled sunlight on the seasons, describe some results of warming soil and air in spring, predict the changes in buds when twigs are placed in water, and taste a product of tree sap and...
Curated OER
For The Birds
Students observe birds building their nests. In this habitat lesson, students develop a Best Building Supply Bag and record how the birds build their nests. Students keep a Field Journal.