Lesson Plan
Community Resources for Science

A Whole New World of DNA and Proteins

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Lead your young scientists into an exciting world as they participate in a role play and experiment focused on proteins and DNA. After researching the Central Dogma of Biology, individuals or groups participate in a classroom...
Lesson Plan
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Arctic Smorgasbord

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Though the walrus spends roughly one third of its time on land, it eats organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean. The first in a series of five, the lesson uses a variety of plant and animal cards to have scholars build an arctic...
Lesson Plan
Forest Foundation

The Web of Life

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers. To begin a study of the forest ecosystem, learners examine the connections among the members of ecological communities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Chesapeake Bay in Captain John Smith's Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
When Captain John Smith visited the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 1608, what types of animals and habitats did he encounter? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents to answer this question, as well as compare...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Stressed Out!

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...
Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

The Last Supper: Identifying Macromolecules

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Why do medical examiners always state the contents of a person's stomach? Scholars learn about the importance of macromolecules through a case study of stomach contents. They perform multiple tests to determine a conclusion before they...
Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 2)

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
Abraham Lincoln's face may only be worth one cent, but the online reading passage and questions about his life are an invaluable resource. Pupils read a passage about Lincoln's experience with the Illinois Legislature, earning his law...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Metamorphosis

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Looking for an insect unit that addresses multiple skill strategies? Young entomologists explore multiple life cycles of insects that go through metamorphosis. The brainteasers and mobile activity spark learner interest before guiding...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mealworms

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Crawl into the world of the darkling beetle with this scientific investigation. Watch as the insects move through the larval, pupal, and adult stages of life, recording observations along the way. Discuss the necessities of life as young...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Web of Life

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students demonstrate the interrelationships of animals and plants. In this ecology lesson, students discuss the things plants and animals need for survival and study the glacier food chain. Students simulate the web of life by using a...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Is It Alive?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Birds of a Feather Flock Together

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify all parts of an egg, and explore their importance to the life cycle of a chicken. Learners compare all sorts of birds and place them in categories based on what they look like. This five-day lesson effectively...
eBook
Open Oregon Educational Resources

General Biology II: Survey of Molecular Life and Genetics (Mt. Hood Community College Biology 102)

For Students 11th - Higher Ed
What could be more real life than a biology course? Mt. Hood Community College offers a complete biology textbook with an emphasis on genetics. Topics range from DNA replication to biotechnology and inheritance patterns.
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
Ocean Explorer

Architects of the Coral Reef

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Coral Reefs are the focus of a life science lesson plan. Upper graders look at how coral reefs are formed, how the animals and plants reproduce, and the variety of ways that humans benefit from coral reefs around the world. Groups of...
Lesson Plan
ARKive

Turtle Life Cycle

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Explore the wonders of the life cycle by first focusing on the growth and development of the green turtle. The class will discuss the life cycle of different plants and animals, then turn their attention to the green turtle. They view a...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Genome: The Secret of How Life Works

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
What do you have in common with a fruit fly? About 60 percent of your DNA. The resource, divided into two units, is intended for grades four to eight and another for high schoolers. Both units include eight lessons covering the...
Lesson Plan
Desert Discovery

Life Cycle of the Saguaro

For Teachers 3rd
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,...
Unit Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

The Cell: the Building Blocks of Life

For Teachers 5th
Do you have early finishers asking what they can do next, or any budding scientists eager to learn more about plant and animal cells? Then here is a cell unit for you! The packet provides scholars with everything they need in order...
Lesson Plan
Florida International University

The Good, the Bad and the Nasty Tasting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Examine the benefits of chemical defense mechanisms. Organisms in oceans use chemicals to ward off predators. Duplicate this adaptation using a hands-on experiment in which you ward off your predators (your pupils) with some...
Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Help or Hype: The Ethics of Bio-Nanotechnology

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Ethical concerns are not always black and white. A well-designed lesson presents learners with scenarios for which ethics may come into question. Scholars learn to consider the different sides of a situation and make an unbiased...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Dragonflies of Summer

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
The best thing about dragonflies is that they make great topics for informational texts. Get those readers excited with a fun and interesting insect-related text passage that can help them increase their comprehension skills. As children...
PPT
Pearson

The Chemical Context of Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An educational presentation includes atoms, molecules, the four major elements, as well as neutrons and protons. Additionally, slides focus on atomic number, mass number, atomic weight, polar and nonpolar covalent bonding, ionic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whose Point of View? The Journey of Three Generations

For Teachers 5th - 10th
A reading of Whale Journey, a fact-filled picture book by Vivian French, launches a study of the life cycle and migration of three generations of gray whales. The interdisciplinary lesson offers opportunities extensions into all subject...