Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Chesapeake Bay in Captain John Smith's Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
When Captain John Smith visited the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 1608, what types of animals and habitats did he encounter? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents to answer this question, as well as compare...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat Basics

For Teachers 1st
First graders get out and explore two different habitats to examine how each one meets the needs of the plants and animals that dwell there. They discuss what they've learned about animal habitats as they explore the outdoor environment....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Did They Come From?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Give science learners nine questions about the biogeography of hydrothermal vents and turn them loose to research this fascinating habitat. Working in cooperative groups, they prepare a report that addresses each of the questions. A...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

What's Your Habitat?

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
How are third graders like rabbits? They both live in habitats and require food, water, and shelter to survive! An educational science lesson encourages your learners to think about their own habitats and survival needs, before comparing...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

A Matter of Density

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Larvae transportation on the New England seamounts is based on the density of the water. Scholars calculate density and graph salinity versus temperature to better understand the distribution of organisms in a water column....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sand Shakes & Mud Pies: Investigating Sediment

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Take a field trip to a location where water and land meet to study patterns of sediment organization in wet habitats: river or ocean beaches, sand dunes, tidal marshes, the edge of a pond, or a woodland stream. Small groups collect pairs...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Life is Weird!

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
A pool of brine in the deep sea can be up to four times as salty as the surrounding sea water. The deep sea ecosystem relies on chemosynthesis and the organisms that live there are often strange to us. The lesson focuses on researching...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Watershed Web: A Field Trip

For Teachers K - 8th
Observing plant succession doesn't have to be a decade long process. A hands-on lesson has groups study succession over a designated space. Learners use their observation skills to record differences in plant and soil characteristics in...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Calling All Explorers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Let's get moving! The second installment of a 2-part series of six adventures helps learners take part in individual explorations by sea and by land. After navigating the waters in an informative WebQuest, groups create and hide their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feeding in the Flow

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a tremendous library of ocean-themed lessons that can be used in a variety of science settings. "Feeding in the Flow" is one of those activities; Its focus is on...
Lesson Plan
Foundation for Water & Energy Education

How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity C

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Third in a set of lessons regarding reservoirs, dams, and hydropower, this involves a two-day hydropower plant simulation. Collaborative groups build, maintain, and finance the plant. The transparency of the reservoir setup can be...
Lesson Plan
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Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Water's Journey Expedition

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Step into a scientist's shoes to go online and discover the Florida Springs Expedition, and participate in two activities focusing on how humans impact the environment. The first activity asks scholars to summarize the six...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

It's a Roughy Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Scientists recently discovered several previously unknown species at the Bear Seamount off the coast of New England. Scholars research these new species — benthopelagic, benthic, and seamount fish — and find out what makes them...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Through Robot Eyes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How do robots assist ocean explorers in collecting data and images? The final installment in a five-part series has science scholars examine underwater images collected by robots and identify the organisms shown. Groups then calculate...
Lesson Plan
ARKive

Adaptations for Movement

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What animals are best suited for moving around a rainforest, or a desert? Design your own animal species based on a particular habitat, focusing on the characteristics it will need for optimal movement. Great as a group lesson or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carrying Capacity

For Teachers 5th
Young biologists identify how plants and animals are affected by changes in their ecosystem and environment.  The concepts of succession, maintenance of habitats, interrelationships, and adaptation are all discussed. This...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Faking It

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle school earth scientists describe the behavior of the Coriolis force. They compare and contrast conditions under which the Coriolis force has a significant impact with conditions under which it has very little. They model the...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Climate, Corals and Change

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Global warming isn't just an issue on land; deep ocean waters are also showing troubling signs. Young scientists learn more about deep water corals and the many recent discoveries researchers have made. Then they examine data related to...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

To Explore Strange New Worlds

For Teachers 5th - 12th
It's time to boldly go where your class has not gone before! The introductory lesson in a five-part series takes young oceanographers aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos to begin a study of ocean exploration. The lesson includes a comparison of...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

That’s An Otter Story

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scientists discover how sea otters' habitats have changed due to human impact. Through conversation, video observation, and story reading, scholars identify how human interactions change a specific ecosystem in both positive and...
Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

The Ups and Downs of Populations

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Life has its ups and downs ... especially if you're an animal! Biology scholars engage in a population study through an inquiry-based lesson. Pupils work together to explore the factors that affect deer populations, then examine the...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

What's the Difference?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Due to the isolation of seamounts, their biodiversity offers a great deal of information on the development of biological and physical processes. Pupils use simple cluster analysis to rate the similarity and differences in biological...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Massive Migrations

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
Turn your students into flocks of migratory birds for this fun lesson on animal migration. Prior to the activity, the teacher creates four different migration routes in the classroom or any available open space, labeling nesting...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Importance of Deep-Sea Ecosystems – How Diverse is That?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When judging diversity of an ecosystem, both species evenness and species richness must contribute. After a discussion of diversity and a guided example using the Shannon-Weaver function, scholars use the same function on two other...

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