Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Crusty Fossils

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners identify some of the different species of crabs and tell how they adapt themselves to their environment. They discuss the evolution and stages of development of the crabs. They identify the Phylum Arthropoda and the Class...
Lesson Plan
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Montana State University

Climb into Action!

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Climate change affects even the largest and intimidating of landforms—even Mount Everest! A resource helps teach learners the connection between global climate change and its effects on Earth. Activities include videos, class discussion,...
Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Mesozoic Museum

For Students 6th - 12th
Mini museum curators create an exhibit that showcases the Mesozoic era. Pupils use their knowledge of dinosaurs to make informative posters, drawings, and dioramas. Following three steps to complete the hands-on activity, scholars read...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify and describe rocks that contain records of the earth's history and explain how they were formed. They formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events in the environment, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eco Points Score Card

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students play a game in which points are assigned to daily activities which require fossil fuels or electricity. They compare the impact their energy and transportation choices have in everyday life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modeling an Oil Reserve

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment.  In this oil and natural gas lesson, students learn how geoscientists identify and explore reserves of petroleum.  Students make a model of an oil reserve, record how much it would cost to drill...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Species Diversity and Phylogeny

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the classification system of organisms: taxonomy. They examine prepared slides of Protozoans and record information on a Taxonomy Recording Sheet. Two additional classifying activities are also included in this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Evolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this evolution worksheet, high schoolers review genetic variability, gene mutations, biodiversity and adaptations. This worksheet has 22 fill in the blank and 10 short answer questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Are the Dinosaurs?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students recognize that they haven't seen a dinosaur because they no longer exist. In this dinosaur instructional activity, students view videos and understand what the dinosaur habitat was like. Students role play dinosaurs. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigation 6 - Dinosaur Extinction

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research and analyze theories on why dinosaurs became extinct. They need to find clues as to what the cause may have been. They record the evidence that they find to support their theory on the Dinosaur Extinction Theory...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do you see what I see?

For Teachers All
Students examine the importance of making and recording observations and accurately describing an object.  In this biology lesson students work in groups and report to the class what they learned.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Weather: Comparing Climate from Voyageur Times to Today

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare climates. In this weather lesson, 5th graders observe and record weather observations and discuss the impact of weather on people. Students also discuss the concept of global warming and determine how weather...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Muffin Mining

For Teachers K - 5th
Students participate in demonstrations of the problems of mining. They use blueberry muffins to represent their coal deposits.. They make predictions and record their observations. They discuss their results.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Radioactive Decay To Determine Age

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students explore the process of carbon dating fossils to determine their age. They simulate radioactive decay using pennies in a shoe box. Heads represents a decayed atom each time they shake the box. They use the data to calculate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not Just For A Baby's Bottom

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the presence of talc in the geologic record. The different characteristics of talc is covered. The lesson includes background information for the teacher.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Smog Be Gone

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students begin the lesson by identifying greenhouse gases. In groups, they observe and record the effect of the gases on the atmosphere and the temperature of the Earth. They participate in activities that describe the role of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Change — Change and Cycles Where Land, Air and Water Meet

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Pupils participate in an experiment to define a parts-per-billion solution. In this ecology lesson, students select a second substance to create a parts-per-billion solution and observe and record their results. Pupils work in groups to...
Lesson Plan
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1
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Ocean Acidification: Whats and Hows

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Open this lesson by demonstrating the production of acidic carbon dioxide gas by activated yeast. Emerging ecologists then experiment with seashells to discover the effect of ocean acidification on shelled marine organisms. They measure...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All in the Family: Calculating Cousins

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students view pictures of distant "cousins" to humans. They place them in order by their distance from humans. Students receive a packet of six pages featuring graphics and a cousins summary page. They work in groups to complete 5 cousin...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Speciation and Genetic Drift Worksheet

For Students 9th - 12th
Fifteen terms pertaining to speciation, extinction, and gene flow are to be matched to their definitions. This simple, easy-to-read worksheet can be used as a pop quiz for your biology learners when studying natural selection principles...
Activity
Discovery Education

The Key to It All

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Which characteristics make organisms unique? Dichotomous keys simplify the process of classifying organisms by focusing on these unique characteristics. Young scholars learn how to use the dichotomous key flow chart by creating their own...
Activity
Discovery Education

The Time of Our Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Mammals are some of the newest organisms to appear on Earth. Young scholars complete an activity that results in a timeline showing the appearance of different types of living organisms. Provided with a list that spans from prokaryotes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cyanobacteria Races: Cyanobacteria Motility Experiment for a Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students experiment to determine the effect of light on cyanobacteria movement. They graph the data of the experiment for further analysis. They watch a time-lapse video of cyanobacteria motility at a NASA website.