Curated OER
Folktales and Ecology: Animals and Humans in Cooperation and Conflict
Story elements such as conflict, character analysis, resolution, and moral are discussed and charted as elementary children read folktales involving animals. An element of science is also introduced as learners discover what a keystone...
Channel Islands Film
Human Impact on the Food Web of Santa Cruz Island
What happens when a non-native species is introduced onto an island? Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Island chain located off the coast of southern California, provides the perfect laboratory for young environmental scientists to...
Curated OER
Species Interactions
Learners research desert species to find where it lives, what it eats, and what species it interacts with directly. Upon completion of research, students construct a web of all the species as a class. This emphasizes the role each...
Curated OER
Ecosystem Tumble
Students create visual representations of ecosystems. In this ecology lesson, students discuss the interdependence of plants and animals in various ecosystems. Students cut pictures from magazines and glue them on sturdy blocks. Using...
Michigan Sea Grant
What's in This Water?
Pupils investigate the biological and chemical characteristics of water to determine where purple loosestrife occurs. They create data sheets to record water quality tests in several locations and work in groups to conduct the water...
Curated OER
Life in the Kelp Forest
Students research and create a marine food web to learn about plants and animals in a kelp forest. In this marine food web lesson plan, students draw lines between kelp forest predators and prey and show the flow of energy in the food...
Curated OER
Shark Attack Odds and the Importance of Sharks
Students examine an ecosystem. In this food web instructional activity, 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...
Science Matters
Island Fox Outreach
Off the coast of California lives a wild animal called the Island Fox. Experts discuss the importance of the Island Fox to the Channel Islands and the balance the fox creates within its ecosystem. The lesson concludes with a reading of...
Curated OER
Communication in Bees
Eighth graders identify and interpret a scientific investigation and a hypothesis through experimentation and testing a hypothesis. They identify what scientists hypothesized about the communication of stingless bees. Finally, 8th...
Curated OER
Fisheries in the Open Ocean
Students explore fisheries in the open ocean. In this ocean environment lesson, students study the impact fisheries have on the ocean habitat. Students complete a WebQuest and summary project regarding fisheries.