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Bird Ecology Unit
Tenth graders conduct various activities utilizing the scientific method to formulate a hypothesis, conduct a controlled experiment, collect and analyze the data and communicate their results through a poster. They also identify...
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Population Growth
Learners grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive species in...
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Prairie Restoration and Prairie Ecology
Students collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...
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Population Dynamics
Middle schoolers discover how organisms are dependent on one another for survivial. They also discuss how to conserve natural resources. They compare and contrast the different types of symbiotic relationships as well.
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Populations and Ecosystems
Sixth graders examine the factors that influence the stability of ecosystems. They construct a miniature ecosystem in a jar that includes plants, small fish, and snails, record the population changes over a period of four weeks, and...
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The Changing Coral Reef Community Game
Students examine organisms that inhabit the coral reefs and their living requirements. In this coral reef lesson students chart population changes and play a game.
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Forest Ecology or Who Lives Here?
Students explore a hardwood forest. In this forest ecology lesson, students examine the diversity and animals and plants as they explore their habitats at Poricy Park Conservatory. Students determine how biodiversity and abiotic elements...
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Down, Dung and Dirty
Students observe the changes seen in succession and the biodiversity of a community through its species richness and evenness. They create a dung culture in a clear plastic cup from horse, goat or cow dung then observe the numbers of...
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Machines: Designing Form and Function
Students design a boat model with simplified steam engine. For this ecology lesson, students compare renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. They determine the efficiency of their boat model.
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Ecological Organization
Students examine the concepts in the ecological organization unit. For this ecological lesson students explore news articles that have to do with the study of ecology.
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Zebra Mussel Population Simulation
Students are taught how to format and enter data into an Excel spreadsheet. They make a graph, and interpret graphed data. Students discuss the possible impacts of zebra mussels on the Hudson river. They graph zebra mussel data.
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Teaching Kids about the Environment
Fifth graders identify the species of plants and animals found in an environment. They compare these findings to plant and animal species found in an unlike environment. Students acquire and compare soil samples from the two sites chosen.
Energy for Keeps
Renewable Energy Action Project: What's in Your Energy Portfolio?
Uncover the renewable energy potential in your region. The activity outlines an approach to research current practices and trends. Learners conduct surveys to assess the attitudes of the local population and prepare a paper summarizing...
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The Rainforest Community
Students create a miniature rainforest ecosystem, a terrarium. Students then explain how the continuous flow of energy and food in the ecosystem allows it to sustain itself.
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Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Students survey and describe a stream ecosystem. They sample the benthic macroinvertebrate populations of a given stream and determine community structure through the use of the Chandler Index and a species diversity index.
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Species Interactions
Students study the scientific concepts of biodiversity and conservation through the use of basic equations of population growth and hands-on experiments/simulations. The lesson includes a take-home assignment which can be used for final...
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Succession and Microclimate
Learners compare the population of insects in different microclimates. In this biology lesson, students collect data using probes to tabulate temperature and soil data. They predict how certain parameters change as an area goes...
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Sun and Weather
How is the Earth's weather created? Middle schoolers will explain how the Sun's energy is transformed into different forms. They will perform mathematical calculations of volume, mass, and temperature. They they will explain the...
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Habitat Dynamics
Students develop an interactive diary to record bird seed consumption. In this habitat lesson plan, students predict and record the amount of birdseed eaten each week by birds.
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Flipbook Succession
Young scholars review succession charts for their native area before going to an outside site to view the changes. At the site, they follow the transect line and observe the changes in the plant life. They draw the changes on note cards...
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The Arctic and Taiga Ecozone of Canada
Students discover the differences in the Arctic and Taiga regions of Canada. They identify physical and human characteristics of both region. They also practice using an atlas.
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The Arctic and Taiga Ecozone of Canada
Young scholars examine the various sub-regions of the Arctic and Taiga zones in Canada. Using the online Canadian Atlas, they locate and describe the characteristics of each zone. They organize their information into a chart and share...