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"Bug Hunt"
Fourth graders find bugs represented on a grid and then identify their name and physical characteristics that provide a picture of the bug using imagery.
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Cockroaches
Students listen to a lecture on cockroaches. They work in pairs to design a cockroach trap and attempt to trap a specimen. They complete various other cockroach-related activities.
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Pond Ecology
A lab activity is a great way to incite thoughtful questioning and scientific processes. Pupils will collect organisms with a Petri dish, make observations, sketch the organism, ask questions, then attempt to identify the specimen...
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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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Mallard's Wetland Olympics
Students observe plants and animals of a wetland and then compare their ability to move with different animals by undertaking the exercises on a downloadable page.
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Salmon in the Classroom
Students list the salmon life cycle stages in order. They draw a stream with the vegetation, animals, and water quality parameters that are necessary for salmon survival. Students explain the connection between animal morphology and...
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Habitat Assessment
Third graders demonstrate the effects of varying environmental components on plants and animals: chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a habitat. They find chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the lake at...
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Missing Macroinvertebrates - Stream Side Science
Field study groups collect samples of stream water and identify the macroinvertebrates found. Using their data, they calculate a water quality index to rate the health of the stream. They graph their data and discuss the value of a water...
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Rainforest Caterpillars Grades K-2
Students are told that after they discuss and examine of rainforest caterpillars, they are going to create their own rainforest caterpillar based on the information they have studied. They are given the habitat scenarios on 3x5 cards.
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Worms, Nature's Recyclers!
Students study what worms need to survive in different environments. They study how worm composting improves soil and reduce waste. They discuss composting techniques and present a puppet show about a worm's life.
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Habitats
Learners examine how different living things interact with their environment. As a class, they discuss the characteristics of a habitat and write the list on the board. In groups, they focus on one habitat and create a mural of the...
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Graphing the Population Explosion of Weeds
Learners are introduced to the seed cycle and draw the specific steps. In groups, they identify the human barriers to the spreading of weeds. After calculating the rate of spreading of the Yellowstar Thistle, they create graphs to see a...
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What can I do?
Pupils identify feelings and explore positive ways to handle conflict. In this mental health lesson students discuss feelings and how to constructively handle them.
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Creating a Pollinator Garden
Students build a pollination garden. In this pollination lesson, students read directions and build a pollinator garden that will produce flowering plants for pollinator organisms to use in pollination of other plants.
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Life-Cycle Sleuth
Young scholars analyze an animal's life cycle and behaviors, and examine what animals need to stay alive and reproduce. They develop theories and hypotheses about the reasons for migrations, using the Journey North online project.
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Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly
Third graders access prior knowledge of the monarch butterfly and discuss what they would like to know. In this Monarch Butterfly lesson,students read Monarch Butterfly and discuss the life cycle of the butterfly. Students gather...
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Investigating Animals in Soil
Students investigate and observe small animal activity on a plot of land on their school grounds. In small groups they identify the five kingdoms of animals, stake out a small plot of ground, collect samples, record and analyze any data...
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Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
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The Great Pollinators
Students discover the reproductive parts of a plant. In this biology lesson, students identify and categorize several different plants they dissect in class. Students record their information using a data chart.
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Into the Pond
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
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Nebraska Rocks & The Rock Cycle
Students study the rock cycle and relate it to rocks that are indigenous to Nebraska. Students collect rocks and draw a diagram of the rock cycle using their collection.
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Wacky Water Critters
Students visit a local creek or stream. They collect water samples from the creek and observe and sort the "water critters" they find in the sample, observing smaller organisms under a microscope if necessary. They identify each organism...
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Orchids and Evolution
Students study Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory and how he applied it to orchids. In this evolution lesson students repeat Darwin's orchid pollination experiment.
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Respiration
Students study the gas exchanges that occur during cellular respiration. They observe what happens as a result of a number of variables on the rate of respiration. They use microrespirometers to measure the oxygen consumption of...