Can you train a worm? Biology buffs will have a blast trying! Using planaria or earthworms, they introduce a certain stimulus repeatedly until the desired response happens more quickly. They also explore the response of their own eyes to...

Learners investigate stimulus-response behavior, learned behavior in animals and innate behavior in animals. In this animal behavior lesson plan, students answer questions about their reactions to a toy cap gun that is fired off in...

Carbon dioxide is a very important gas; it is present in the air, used in cooking, and supports plant and animal life. Scholars investigate the properties of carbon dioxide with three different activities. They experience a color change,...

How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...

Students explore types of studied behavior animals acquire. Using a Smart Board file, students simulate rewarding a studied behavior. To further reinforce studied behaviors, students play "Pavlov's Dog" on an internet website. Students...

Think like an engineer and an agricultural scientist over the course of 12 lessons in a STEM based unit. Young scientists take on the roles of animal physiologists, animal geneticists, agricultural engineers, animal nutritionists,...

Get a little batty with life science! This fun simulation game replicates how bats use echolocation to hunt moths in their native Hawaiian habitat. After creating blind folds and discussing some basic principles of echolocation, students...

Dinnertime on the African savanna is a highly choreographed event! Introduce young ecologists to the concept of niche partitioning through a hands-on activity. Pupils research animal behaviors and use data to develop an understanding of...

Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...

What's so amazing about birds? Find out just how amazing birds are with a physics of animal behavior unit created by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Have learners explore and tap into their observational skills and notice how birds fly, what...

Students research various birds of prey on internet by following a worksheet with specific questions. Students answer questions on worksheet and write short response after completing research.

Learners explore biology by creating a report for the class. For this oceanography lesson, students research and identify the survival characteristics of a list of freshwater animals by utilizing the Internet and library. Learners...

Students explore biology by listening to an in-class lecture. In this plant science lesson, students sing songs with their classmates regarding anatomical parts of a plant and create plants from arts and crafts materials. Students listen...

Students participate in a game of charades to examine different animal behaviors. After reading an article, they discuss why bees waggle and how that behavior applies to humans. They research the behaviors of an animal of interest to...

Students investigate what a fossil is and how it came to be.  In this fossil lesson, students examine pictures of skeletons and identify characteristics that can and cannot be determined by a fossil.  Students complete diagrams...

Students recognize that bees are important in the reproduction of plants and to the survival of animals.  In this bee lesson, students become familiar with the parts of bees and how those adaptations help them pollinate plants....

Students discuss seasonal behavior of different animals. They participate in group activities and identify animals. They also examine the changes in seasons and how animals act differently in different seasons.

Students discuss the many different types of animal signs that can be used to identify and track all types of animals. They examine tracks, trails, homes, territory markings, and even "scat" left by animals and attempt to identify the...

Students compare wolves' behaviors to those of the human race.  In this wolf lesson plan students write a story that will show that wolves are either good or evil.

Here is an exciting exploration of a fascinating topic for your emerging ecologists: bird migration! They begin by visiting the US Fish & Wildlife Service website to discover which Arctic birds come to their areas. They are assigned...

Learners review the life cycle of apples before they study information about the inside of apples. They work in small groups to color and identify the parts of the inside of an apple. Finally, they use real apples to have an hands on...

Students make scientific observations. In this stimulus response lesson, students make observations and collect data to determine if cockroaches can learn. A secondary purpose of this lesson is to provide students with the opportunity to...

Musical chairs may be a classic game, but Ruffe Musical Chairs is a unique instructional activity on invasive species! Using the time-honored game, pupils role play the behaviors of the invasive fish called Eurasian ruffe. Learning about...

Students discuss the value of sampling in science. They, in groups, map cricket movement in response to various stimuli and graph their results.