Curated OER
The Great Jellybean Hunt
Students explore natural selection and its influence on the populations to fine tune traits and characteristics. The acquisition of traits developed out of need is examined through a game played in class.
Curated OER
Gene Puzzles
Students come to understand that in sexually reproducing organisms, such as humans, typically half of the genes come from each parent.
Students examine a fictional pedigree and determine which gene is responsible for a given trait. The...
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Where are the Dinosaurs?
Students construct their own diorama based on the life of a dinosaur. In this dinosaur lesson, students create models of dinosaurs and dinosaurs' eggs to explore the life cycle of this extinct species.
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Changing Cicada
Students discuss inherited traits and relate to the inherited traits in a cicada. In this cicada lesson, students follow the life cycle of the cicada and observe the changes as it grows. Students discuss the characteristics of the...
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Managing Wildlife
Learners explore the relationship between wildlife and humans in northern New England. They also brainstorm ideas on why they think some species are greater in population than others in a given area.
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Coping with Changes
Students build on knowledge of brain and nervous system in order to write about how their nervous systems help them cope with change in environment. Students navigate online sites to explore different parts of brain and nervous system.
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A New Slant On The Seasons
Students identify how the tilt and position of the Earth causes the seasons. After a discussion of the seasons and when they begin. Using themselves as the objects in the universe, they role play how the rotational movement of the...
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Shark Attack Odds and the Importance of Sharks
Students examine an ecosystem. In this food web lesson, students discover the importance of sharks and what threat sharks actually pose to humans. They participate in class discussions and work independently on a couple of different...
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Gravitational Acceleration
Students investigate the interdependence of mass and gravitational acceleration using computer simulation. In this physics instructional activity, students derive the formula for acceleration due to gravity. They calculate air resistance...
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Preserving Health Through Biological Diversity
Students research and explore the benefits of biodiversity, particularly as it relates to human health. They write an essay in which they explain the possible effect of human activities on the emergence of new diseases.
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Sketch a Scientist
Students draw their perceptions of a typical scientist, evaluate stereotypes in their drawings quantitatively, and then discuss the origins of these stereotypes.
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The Rise and Fall of the Mammoths
Middle schoolers develop an understanding of the evolution of species in the context of the woolly mammoth. They examine the fossil record to explain natural selection.
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Vision and Optics: Light and Lenses
Students gain a conceptual comprehension of the functioning of the Human Eye in relation to optics and optical vision correction. They explore optics with light sources and various lenses, relating these to visual acuity, accommodation,...
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Seashell Homes
Pupils listen to a story about seashells. They discuss shelled animals. Learners describe the function of seashell. Pupils relate the function of a seashell to their own dwelling. They differentiate between shelled animals that make...
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Finding the Structure: Pieces of the Puzzle
Students gather information about DNA. In this biology lesson, students watch video clips of scientists discussing their contribution to the understanding of DNA, then work a puzzle correlating information to scientist. Lesson includes...
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Dealing with DNA Controversy
Pupils research controversial statements about biological applications and write a persuasive essay. In this biology lesson plan, students are assigned a controversial statement as a research topic, then they use this topic to create a...
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Mountain Pine Beetles
High schoolers research and develop power point presentations that answer the question, "What is changing our forests?" In this ecology lesson, students research the niche of Pine Beetles and their increased effect on the forests in...
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Zoo Poo
Students use Internet research to determine the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit energy for biomass and coal. In this alternative energy instructional activity, students research to find out how much energy and carbon dioxide...
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Weather, Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
Students compare the carbon dioxide content of four different samples. For this chemistry lesson, students research the causes of global warming. They explain how humans contribute to rising global temperature.
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Tracking the Sun
Sixth graders plot the a day's movement of the sun across the sky using sun dials fashioned out of clear plastic bowls. They repeat the activity at various times throughout the year and record and compare their results.
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Pulleys and Gears
Students analyze an engineering problem. They contrast paper and pencil mastery of concepts with hands-on mastery. They present their design and rationale behind it, whether it works or not.
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Color and Light Spectrum Demonstrations
Students explore the light spectrum. The teacher uses holographic diffraction grafting film on an overhead to demonstrate the true nature of color. After observing a vivid rainbow, students recognize that white light is composed of all...
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Selection and Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird
High schoolers investigate genetics and evolution of species. They simulate the breeding of birds using origami birds. In addition, using dice they introduce genetic variation into the species.
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DNA Code
Students synthesize information gathered from the web on reading the DNA code. In this upper-level biology lesson, students use an online resource to gain information about DNA codes and then create posters on what they have learned....