Curated OER
Sex and the Single Bacterium
High schoolers become familiar with microbiology and biotechnology laboratory techniques and observe the results of antibiotic resistance transfer from one bacteria to another via conjugation. They then calculate the "mating efficiency"...
Curated OER
The Effect of Tides & Elevation on Wetland Plant Communities
Students comprehend how tides can impact shoreline plant communities through the study of a freshwater tidal marsh. They use actual tidal data to show that tidal ranges differ among geographic locations, even those relatively close...
Curated OER
Polymerase Chain Reaction and DNA Profiling
Students examine DNA fingerprinting and polymerase chain reaction and how they are used in everyday life and for criminal investigations. They discover how these techniques can also be used to answer ecological and evolutionary questions.
Curated OER
The Peppermint Beetle
Learners describe various ways insects use their sense of smell, and examine why some insects use scent marking. They conduct a scent hunt, searching for a particular scent on the trees on school grounds.
Curated OER
Lights in the Deep
Young scholars describe, compare, and contrast bioluminescence, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and chemiluminescence. They explain the role of three major components of bioluminescent systems. They ex
Curated OER
Lake Billy Chinook
Students explore aerial photographs and maps of Round Butte Dam. They examine the land modifications necessary to create a dam. After reading a book about building a dam, students compare the environmental impact of Lake Billy Chinook to...
Curated OER
Groundwater Modeling
High schoolers evaluate the effects of point and non-pointy sources of water pollution using a model. They assess human impact on water quality. Students build a model which represents an aspect of the hydrosphere and compare their model...
Curated OER
Types of Legs
Students identify the characteristics of the legs of arthropods as well as how they are used. They compare and contrast the legs of various types of bugs in the arthropod family. A comparison worksheet is included in with this lesson.
Curated OER
The Debate Over North Shore Road
Pupils examine the impact of the North Shore Road Project in North Carolina. For this environmental science lesson, students share their views regarding this environmental issue. They compare and contrast the map of the Great Smoky...
Curated OER
Earthquakes
Students research statistics about the last five large earthquakes. They compare data in small groups and present their information orally to the class. They also attempt to predict the next large earthquake.
Curated OER
Design your own Water Temperature Experiment
Students use Robolab sensors and software to design an experiment that incorporates the use of temperature probes. They conduct the experiment, complete a lab sheet, evaluate the results and then consider if their hypothesis requires...
Curated OER
What is Remote Sensing?
Students learn about remote sensing in terms of what it is and how it is used.
Curated OER
Is It Grown or Mined?
Students are introduced to how to identify various minerals. In groups, they compare and contrast raw materials that were grown and mined. They discuss their views on mining and identify the ore minerals and their purpose to end the...
Curated OER
Watersheds:Stream Channels And Post-fire Stream Flows
Students draw cross sections of a stream channel from field data. In the field, using a GPS, they determine the depth of a stream channel and use a spreadsheet to graph the stream channel.
Curated OER
Comparison of Four-, Six-, And Eight-bp Cuts in Calf Thymus Dna
Young scholars investigate the use of restriction enzymes to recognize a four-, six-, and eight-nucleotide sequence. They utilize restrictive endonucleases to cut Thymus DNA and compare results by viewing the DNA fragments on Agarose Gel...
Curated OER
Where Should We Place Archaeopteryx?
High schoolers classify Archaeopteryx using pictures of actual fossils and scientist representations of how the animal might have looked. They compare Archaeopteryx's characteristics to those of the five extant vertebrate groups to...
Curated OER
A Parade Of Penguins
Second graders complete a variety of penguin-related activities. They discuss and compare different types of penguins, complete worksheets and Venn diagrams, make craft penguins and dioramas.
Curated OER
Microscopes and Crystals
Students observe crystals under the microscope. In this science lesson, students compare how the crystal look like using their eyes, hand lens and microscope. They identify the type of crystal based on the amount of light they allow to...
Curated OER
Hazards: Sixth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Sixth graders explore the damage associated with an earthquake by designing a structure that can withstand earthquake intensities on a shaker board. They then view tips for preparing for an earthquake, and what to do after an earthquake...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Nano Waterproofing
This instructional activity will make an impact, especially on scientist-athletes who may have an interest in waterproof clothing! Acting as materials engineers, they work collaboratively on waterproofing pieces of cotton fabric. This...
National Wildlife Federation
Why All The Wiggling on the Way Up?
Some of the CO2 emitted by burning fossil fuels is removed from the atmosphere by natural sinks, such as the ocean. The fifth engaging lesson plan in the series of 21 examines the CO2 data from three very different locations. It then...
University of California
Weathering and Erosion
Just how powerful is erosion? Interested scientists learn how to identify the results of erosion with a series of lab activities. They move through stations to experiment with different types of erosion and then design and complete their...
Columbus City Schools
Asexual and Sexual Reproduction
Can you name a type of reproduction that produces no variation in the offspring? The multimedia lesson covers both sexual and asexual reproduction through videos and discussions. It includes topics such as genetic modification, meiosis,...
Curated OER
Water and Polymers
Students conduct qualitative and quantitative investigations based on the interaction between water and various polymers. They determine the percent moisture contained in various plastics along with a qualitative procedure to determine...