Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Covering You? and Why?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students take a closer look at human skin. In this biology lesson plan, students describe the four functions of the skin as they complete a hands-on activity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cells: Nature's Building Blocks

For Teachers 7th - 9th
What you will find on this page is the general outline of a unit on the use of a microscope and the structure of the cell. There is no actual educational content here, so you will need to design the details of each of the four student...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Onion Skins

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students explore the structure of a plant cell. They carefully peel a single layer of onion skin from a slice of onion and stain it with methylene blue to observe the structures inside. They use a Digiscope connected to a computer to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Fish: Anatomy and Diversity in the Chesapeake Bay"

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore a variety of basic fish body form and their functions. They differentiate between different species of fish found in the Chesapeake Bay and St. Mary's River. In addition, they match pictures with descriptions using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hypothermia: Temperature Changes Under Varying Conditions

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment to determine what type of clothing would be most suitable for outdoor activities. They determine the temperature changes of the skin under various wet clothing materials and graph the temperature changes. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Synthesis of Some Organic Compounds And Their Representative Structures

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how to represent organic compounds three-dimensionally. They write a synthesis reaction for three demonstrations, and construct a three-dimensional structure using a molecular modeling set.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You...Instead of the Onion Skin

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students observe their own epithelial cells from the inside linings of their cheeks using DigiScope technology. They prepare a slide with both onion cells and epithelial cells and make an illustrated booklet for a PowerPoint presentation...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes Bones Strong?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners explore the function of bone, muscle, and skin. Pasta and rubber bands are used to model how minerals and collagen contribute to bone strength. The effects of the reduction of these substances are explored in chicken bones.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Specialized Structures and Environment

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read about how different animals protect themselves, and how characteristics give animals an advantage in their environment. Students then discuss a variety of "outer" wear for humans, and what they might choose to wear in...
Lesson Plan
Serendip

UV, Mutations, and DNA Repair

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How effective are cells at repairing UV damage? An inquiry-based lesson has learners experiment with organism by exposing them to various levels of UV light and then examining their DNA after a period of time. Pupils test different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reconstructing a Fossil Pterosaur

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students reconstruct the skeleton of the fossil Scaphognathus crassirostis. In this fossil lesson plan, students discuss the Kingdoms of life, geologic history and the history of the skeletons of species. Students are given 20 minutes to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activities of the Immune System (Activity 1)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students cut an apple in half and cover half with plastic wrap. They place drops of liquid on each half and discover how our skin protects us. They answer discussion questions to end the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the Homunculus

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students determine the relative number of nerve endings located in the skin. By calculating the reciprocal of these measurements, students have the appropriate data for predicting the relative size of the homunculus found on the cerebral...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fighting Infection

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils study immune responses and the structures that are related to immune cells functions.  In this fighting infection lesson plan students construct antibody complexes and model the interaction of the immune system when it is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living in Water

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders perform a lab activity in which they examine the external structure of a preserved fish and find out why fish can survive and live in water. They perform a lab which is guided by a worksheet imbedded in this plan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using the Microscope

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students demonstrate their ability to properly make observations using a compound microscope. They prepare an onion skin slide and focus on it in both low and high power. Then they measure the diameter of one of the cells.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reptiles and Amphibians

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Introduce your class to various reptiles and amphibians. They will meet and identify a representative from each of the four major reptile families, then learn about and discuss reptile characteristics. Next, they will identify and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surface to Volume Ratios

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students measure the rate of diffusion and to calculate the surface area to volume ratios of varying cell sizes. The lesson is very clearly organized with a useful student worksheet provided. They perform a lab experiment which is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Method by Which the Body Defends Against Pathogens

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore disease caused by bacteria and viruses, how they are transmitted, and how they exert their effects on their hosts. They explain how diseases, such as AIDS, are spread by exponential growth.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Skeletal System

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders describe and identify the parts of the skeleton and how they support the body. They observe two chicken bones that have been soaked in vinegar for 5 - 7 days. They observe the bone's appearance after it has been removed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diversity And Adaptations Of Organisms

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders demonstrate the processes of science by posing questions and investigating phenomena through language, methods and instruments of science. They study the body features or systems of several animals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do Cells Reproduce?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners discuss the importance of reproduction of cells. They identify and describe the stages of Mitosis. They discover what happens to chromosomes and DNA during reproduction.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Periodic Table & Its Trends-Day 1

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners are introduced to the periodic table. They find the common trends among the electron configurations and the names of certain groups of the table. Students explore the atomic mass, atomic number, mass number, mass and charge...