Cornell University
Metamorphosis
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...
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A Whole Lotta Changin' Goin' On
Here's a fabulous lesson on the life cycle of a butterfly. Youngsters are able to identify and understand the four stages of life. They construct models of a caterpillar and write a sequence story about the life of a butterfly. This...
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Classifying Plants and Insects
Art and science come together in a lesson based on Flower Still Life by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder. Learners classify plants and insects in the painting by color, leaf shape, size, reproduction, and season of bloom.
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Get to Know- Insects, Spiders and Others
Students investigate live insects. In this insects and spiders lesson plan, students work in groups to explore the outdoors and capture insects. Students observe, discuss and record information about the insects they discover. Students...
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Salmon Life Cycles
Young scholars list salmon life cycle stages in order, list three threats that salmon face throughout their lives, and examine important role native fish play in aquatic food chains throughout their life cycles.
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Butterfly Life Cycle
Second graders explore biology. In this life cycle lesson, 2nd graders act out the stages a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. They spend days prior to this lesson observing caterpillars they have collected and developing...
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Urban Life: What Lives in Our Schoolyard?
Students research living organisms by exploring their school grounds. In this microscopic observation activity, students gather materials, insects, and objects from their playground and schoolyard and bring them into class. Students...
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Insects
Students observe and identify insects in their local. They record their observations by drawing a picture of the insect and writing a description.
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Insect Conservation
Students make a diorama. For this insect lesson, students review what they know and what they need to know about insects. Students define conservation, discuss why it is important to conserve insects, and make an insect diorama.
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Insects Are Helpful!
Students see that insects do lots good and are very valuable to humans and nature. This is part of an ongoing effort to dispel fears of insects. They rotate through a series of centers that have examples of how insects contribute to our...
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The Spider's Life Cycle
Students see that spiders have a life cycle, and reproduce by laying many eggs. We can count by ones, twos, fives, or as many as we want. They make two lists of animals on a chart.
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Life in a Log
Students identify insects living in rotting logs. In this decomposition instructional activity, students observe pieces of a rotting log, they look at the insects that have inhabited the log and create a chart that shows their findings.
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Are You One Of Us?
Students discover how to classify things based on their similarities and differences. Students give the characteristics of insects and create a classification list. Given examples of various types of insects, students classify them...
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Insect Anatomy
Students explore the anatomy of an insect. In this activity the characteristics of insects, students explore parts of an insect. Students gain knowledge through pictures and charts showing insects and their body parts. Students will...
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Aquatic Life
Students explore aquatic life. In this science lesson plan, students visit an aquatic ecosystem and collect animals found there. Students create a food chain for the aquatic ecosystem.
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Butterfly Metamorphosis Booklet
Students study the four different stages of butterfly metamorphosis, In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students construct a metamorphosis booklet by recording and illustrating the butterfly life cycles in the booklet. Vocabulary and...
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Larva and Adult Antlion Body Parts
Students identify the major body segments of antlions. Through the use of diagram worksheets, students label the various body parts of the antlion. They review the life cycle of antlions from the larva stage to adult. Several activities...
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Clearly Classified
Young scholars review the classification system for living organisms and apply it the classification of insects and flowers in the still life by Ambrosius Bosschaert. They create a chart classifying the animals and plants in the painting...
SeaWorld
Animal Migrations
Here is a fabulous set of activities for your young scientists. Each lesson contains map, hands-on, and game activities that will help the class understand why and how animals migrate from one place to another. First they'll examine the...
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"The Good, The Bad, and The Smelly."
Young scholars explore insects' use of pheromones and beneficial insects versus insect pests.
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Complete Metamorphosis
Students use a map and colored pins to plot the migration path of Monarch butterflies. They use data found at the Journey North website. Commas are also used in the activity to show how they are put in a series of words using butterfly...
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Termitology
Students engage in an inquiry-based study of the ecology of termites. Through hands-on investigations, they explore the life cycle of termites, the termite's role in the food web, and the unique social structure of termite colonies.
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Macroinvertebrate Mix and Match
Students are introduced to macroinvertebrates (primarily insects), the major segments of aquatic insects (the head, thorax and abdomen) and also differentiate between larval, nymph and adult stages. They investigate the head, thorax and...
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What's in Our Woods?
Students observe their local forest and document the change that occurs over the school year. For this forestry lesson, students utilize a GPS to mark a certain area of the woods as their study area for the remainder of the year....