Students discuss inherited traits and relate to the inherited traits in a cicada.  In this cicada lesson, students follow the life cycle of the cicada and observe the changes as it grows. Students discuss the characteristics of the...

Students construct and maintain a school garden. In this gardening lesson, students plan the construction of the garden by writing letters to local businesses asking for supplies and materials; students build the garden using their math...

Students observe and care for eggs and chickens. For this life cycles lesson, students recall facts about chickens and how they hatch. Students read the article Hatching Eggs in the Classroom and observe the life cycle of the chicken in...

Students examine the life cycle of the butterfly through literature. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students listen to a read aloud of Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and discuss the life cycle shown in the story. They...

Students create a timeline of a tree in a given time span.  In this life cycle lesson, students observe one particular tree at the beginning of the year, and continue their observations for several weeks to create a timeline of the...

Students view butterflies and participate in a butterfly activity to learn needed vocabulary. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students access prior knowledge of butterflies.  Students listen to a butterfly life cycle book....

Students delve into a study of sharks. In this science lesson plan, students examine the many different scientific occupations, as well as some possible specializations therein, and perhaps a little bit of other life considerations,...

Students collect and examine the life cycle of monarch butterflies. They also tag butterflies and release them as part of a nation-wide project to study monarch butterfly migration.

Students create flip books that illustrate the growth and change of a plant or an animal as it goes through its life cycle.

Students examine the types of organisms found in oceans. In groups, they read articles about the research done at certain sites. They work together to research their own water ecosystems and report the findings to the class. To end...

Students chart how milkweed bugs grow and change.  In this growth and life stages lesson, students read two stories and discuss how and why things grow.  Students brainstorm what can be measured about humans, review and discuss...

Students read The Apple Pie Tree and discuss the story and talk about what was living in the tree.  In this life comprehension lesson, students write the main idea of the book in a few sentences. 

Students investigate tides and create a model of an intertidal zone. In this hands-on marine science lesson based on a Magic School Bus book, the teacher leads students in a discussion about tides, then helps students model a tide and...

Students complete activities to learn about the ocean food web. In this ocean life lesson, students discuss how the tides affect feeding, learn about filter feeders, grazers, predators, and scavengers. Students then group the animals...

First graders visit the library or media center to research sea creatures using encyclopedia. They find two facts and research the Internet to find a picture of the sea creature. They create a class sea creature booklet.

Fourth graders access prior knowledge of simple machines to build a car. In this car design lesson, 4th graders create and race their cars.  Students evaluate what was good and bad about their designs. Each car will incorporate a...

It may be tricky for a young mind to conceptualize that less than 1% of all water on earth is useable for humans to drink. Simulating the amount of fresh water available on earth by removing measured amounts of water from a five-gallon...

Students create a compost cake. In this gardening and decomposition science lesson, students review and describe the "nutrient cycle." Students create a compost pile, measure and record the dimensions and temperature of the pile, and...

Marine biology masters will meet the horseshoe crab and red knot shore birds that feast upon the crab eggs. Begin with a discussion and then have learners write postcards from each animal detailing their migration trips. A few math...

Students create a diorama depicting Mesozoic sea life. They color a template and add shells and pebbles to the diorama to depict the ocean floor.

Students summarize the steps of the scientific method. In this life science lesson plan, students explain the importance of varying only one variable at a time. They analyze possible flaws in their experiment.

Students compare and contrast different organisms characteristics. In this life science lesson, students design an experiment about plants and animals needs. They collect data and write their conclusion about the experiment.

Learners perform experiments to examine whether trash can float, blow around, or wash away. The effects of these characteristics on the presence of marine debris in the environment are then discussed.