Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Save a Reef!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Design a public information campaign to improve understanding of the coral reef crisis. Read about and discuss the biology and threats to the coral reef. The class creates a public information program about the problems facing the coral...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turtle and Tortoise Preschool Lesson Plan

For Teachers Pre-K - K
One of the best parts about teaching the littlest learners is that you can create thematic lessons that use one topic to address every subject. Here is a nice set of thematic teaching ideas that uses turtles and tortoises to teach...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speedy Succession

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify how a pond can change into a grassland. An ecosystems lesson where learners identify pioneer and climax species, and recognize that ecological succession can take up to 100 years or more. Some excellent activities...
Lesson Plan
National Gardening Association

Migration Mishaps

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Two Rivers Ran Through It

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders discover the problems that early Mesototamian farmers faced while developing agriculture in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They design a working model that solves those unique challenges.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sensational Seaweed

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students compare kelp and land plants. In this sea plant lesson, students look at the role of algae in aquatic environments. They research the properties of kelp and explore seaweed. 
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Living & Non-Living Interactions

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Beneficial Insects

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
A lot of people think of insects as pests. But actually, some insects are beneficial because they get rid of pests! After learning about beneficial insects, class members research given insects to find out if they are pests or predators.
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Cool Corals

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Young oceanographers research deep sea corals that thrive on chemosynthesis. The lesson focuses on the biology of the animal, preferred habitat, associations, and interactions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wetland Metaphors

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students describe the characteristics of wetlands and identify their ecological functions. They inspect items and use them to create metaphors about wetlands.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cut-off Genes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Investigate the relationships between different deep-sea organisms by DNA sequencing. A worksheet provides instructions for DNA sequencing and space to work. They simulate gel electrophoresis by cutting out paper "DNA strands."...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Airport Control

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Young scholars visit a local wetland and record observations of waterfowl on downloadable worksheets. They compile class data and list similarities and differences among species of birds observed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mallard's Wetland Olympics

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students observe plants and animals of a wetland and then compare their ability to move with different animals by undertaking the exercises on a downloadable page.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Exchange Box

For Teachers K - 8th
Students examine the characteristics of their own environment and compare them to another region. They prepare a box filled with items and stories about their own region, exchange the box with another class in another region, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Week 7: Animal Adaptations - Bird Beaks

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students use tools to represent bird beaks and pick up different types of food with them in order to discover which beak would help the bird survive depending on their food type.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digital Video Lesson Plan: Brine Shrimp

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars participate in classroom experiment to gain better understanding of type of environment brine shrimp can best survive. Students then explore effects of common saltwater pollutants on survival of animals in sea.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Diverse is That?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Compare various types of biological diversity in a coral reef and calculate a numeric indicator that describes the diversity found in coral communities. Your class can work in groups to look at the abundance and distribution data of...
Lesson Plan
SF Environment

Waste-Less Lunch

For Teachers K - 5th
Is it possible to have a waste-less lunch? Can your class become leaders in conservation? Discuss the importance of reducing waste during lunch time with a fun lesson that can be extended to everyday practices. First the class examines...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Process- Expository Writing

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Expository writing is the focus of the language arts instructional activity presented here. In it, young writers review what expository writing is through a class discussion and teacher demonstration. Then, learners write expository text...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Through Robot Eyes

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How can a robot measure the length of something when we don't know how far the camera is from the object? The instructional activity explains the concept of perspective and many others. Scholars apply this knowledge to judge the length...
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Botany: The Plant Dissection Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Study everything about plants! The 12-part series of lessons continues with an examination of many aspects of plants. Components of the laboratory activity address the growth and structure of plants by evaluating familiar plants. The...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hopscotch Migration

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students examine the use of wetlands by migrating birds. They discuss reasons for the disappearance of wetlands. They discover how humans have affected wetlands as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Something's Fishy

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders identify parts of a fish. In this fish anatomy lesson, 4th graders identify parts of fish in a group setting and then complete a worksheet about the parts of a fish.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Matter of Survival

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders dance with inspiration from wild animals. In this creative movement instructional activity, 4th graders watch a video clip and then move like an animal might move in their natural surroundings.

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