Lesson Plan
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Plastic Bag Pond

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students investigate the pond water from a local water source. They collect the pond water from the bottom or near vegetation in order to obtain the best sample possible. Then they use microscopes in class in order to examine the life...
Lesson Plan
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Discover a Pond Food Web

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study the biodiversity of animal life in a pond. They investigate the interdependence between pond organisms by completing a pond dipping activity and completing a checklist.
Lesson Plan
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Pond Life Identification Kit

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore ecology and biodiversty. They use the wet-mount procedure to make several slides to view using the microscope and draw what they see.
Lesson Plan
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Pond Life

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students explore pond ecosystems. In this living environment instructional activity, students observe the local pond and identify the living things they find by drawing pictures. Students observe organisms that were found in the pond by...
Lesson Plan
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What Is in the Water?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compare bottled water qualities to water found naturally in a pond habitat. They research their state's laws/regulations in regard to bottled water and study the advertising, cost, and quality of brands of bottled water. They...
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Pond Water Survey

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and describe various organisms living in a pond water environment. They describe the characteristics of living things. Students compare and contrast organisms created by asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction....
Lesson Plan
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Pond Ecology

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine pond ecology, testing how temperature affects the respiration rate of fish. They collect various living things found at a pond, and identify the animal and plant life discovered. They observe a pond community in an...
Lesson Plan
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Ecological Succession in Pond Water Cultures

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students collect samples of pond water, dried grass, and soil in a jar. They predict the order of ecological succession in their pond water cultures. They compare their expected results with their observed results.
Lesson Plan
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Invisible Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
By setting up an aquarium in the classroom, learners are able to describe some macroscopic and microscopic organisms that are found inside. This well-designed, and educationally rich lesson requires pupils to use microscopes to view...
Lesson Plan
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Pond 2: Life in a Drop of Pond Water

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars observe organisms found in pond water with a microscope. In groups, they discuss how single-celled organisms satisfy their needs for food, water and air. They compare and contrast the needs of macroscopic and microscopic...
Lesson Plan
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It's a Small World After All! (Pond Microcosms)

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Learners use microscopes to investigate the diversity of life that exists in pond water. They then conduct a controlled investigation to study the effect of a pollutant (rice) on a microcosm ecosystem.
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Microscopes: Is what you see, what you got?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the parts and functions of the microscope. For this biology lesson, 8th graders observe different samples under different types of microscopes. They compare and contrast the details they see.
Lesson Plan
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Pond 1: Pond Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students work together to investigate familiar and unfamiliar ecosystems. Using the internet, they discover how different organisms use their environment to satisfy their needs. They also examine the relationshiops between organisms...
Lesson Plan
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Pond Ecosystem Field Trip

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students investigate the environment by participating in a class trip. In this pond ecosystem lesson, students define a list of vocabulary terms associated with ponds such as invertebrate and metamorphosis. Students attend a field trip...
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Aquatic Life

For Teachers K - Higher Ed
Students explore aquatic life. In this science lesson, students visit an aquatic ecosystem and collect animals found there. Students create a food chain for the aquatic ecosystem.
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Microfishing

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students use a simple method to collect living microorganisms from natural and/or artificial environments and develop skills in microscopy, observation, drawing, speculation, hypothesizing, oral presentation, and raising questions.
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Life in a Drop of Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the structure, function, and characteristics of microscopic organisms that inhabit freshwater through collection of water samples and observation through microscopes.
Lesson Plan
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Pond and Pond Organisms

For Teachers K - 7th
Students explore pond ecosystems.  In this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms.  The activity is designed for younger grades, but...
Lesson Plan
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Life in a Mini World

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders observe, describe, and classify microorganisms found in water sources. In small groups, they make their own slide, observe the Protozoa under a microscope, and record and classify the microorganisms.
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Cell Study

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students (females) are introduced to the cell. They discuss what a cell is, and students define what a cell is. Students comprehend that all living things are made up of cells. They comprehend that life is defined as something that...
Lesson Plan
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Phytoplankton and Ocean Color

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify function of phytoplankton in the biospere by conducting experiments and simulations and reading for information. They detect the presence of phytoplankton in bodies of water by examining ocean in satellite images...
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The City From the Ooze

For Teachers K - 9th
Students investigate the life in the mud found around ponds. They create Ooze City using pond mud. Students investigate the various layers that form and what type of organisms are in the mud.
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Into the Pond

For Teachers 7th
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.
Lesson Plan
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Cell Structure and Function

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss scientific advances brought about by the Mars Surveyor Space Program which impact on daily life, identify laboratory apparatus like microscopes, slides and coverslips, and use the microscopes to view cells and organisms.