Curated OER
The Basics: Life Science
Pupils develop an understanding of the different fields of study that are encompassed by the term, life science. They view and discuss a video on the topic. In small groups they focus on on of the examples shown in the video to create a...
Channel Islands Film
Human Impact on the Food Web of Santa Cruz Island
What happens when a non-native species is introduced onto an island? Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Island chain located off the coast of southern California, provides the perfect laboratory for young environmental scientists to...
University of Southern California
How do Organisms Interact?
Examine how organisms interact through a hands-on experience. Learners study population dynamics and distribution during an informative five-lesson unit. The focus is on the ocean environment and the organisms within it.
National Park Service
What Can We Do?
Motivate young conservationists to stand up and make a change. After learning about the efforts in Cascade Nation Park to reduce carbon emissions in order to preserve the wilderness, young scholars work in groups creating action plans...
Virginia Department of Education
Ecosystem Dynamics
Searching for an eccentric way to enhance lessons on ecosystems while ensuring pupils remain creative and motivated? Upon viewing The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, designated groups design and construct a pop-up book that depicts the specific ways...
Curated OER
Deer Tracks
Students use satellite images to track to movement patterns of deer and examine deer behavior. They write stories about a day in the life of a field scientist.
Curated OER
Termite Lab
Students examine insect behavior in a lab activity. Students explore the idea of chemical specificity and the reactions of termites to a chemical found in their trail pheromone. Students watch a demonstration with termites before...
Curated OER
Home on the Range
Students use maps and mathematics to determine the appropriate panther population in a given area. In this Florida ecology lesson, students research the area requirements of male and female panther and use a map to help calculate how...
Curated OER
Pika Chew
Students work in collaborative teams with specific roles, use the Internet to research the behavior and ecology of pikas, make predictions about survival rates of pikas in different habitats and organize their data in graphs.
Curated OER
Frozen Seas
Students research animal life in the frozen seas. In this researched based lesson, students use the Internet to create a poster about an animal that lives in an Arctic or Antarctic environment. Students will focus on the behavioral and...
Curated OER
Alternative Energy and Energy Saving Game
In this alternative energy and energy saving game learning exercise, students create a multimedia game to present facts and influence people's behaviors about alternative energy sources, with links to helpful web resources.
Curated OER
Wildlife Track Identification
Even though the PowerPoint slides for this lesson are not included, you may find it useful for the wildlife track preservation instructions provided. After demonstrating the steps for making track casts, take your class outdoors to make...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Beaks as Tools: Selective Advantage in Changing Environments
How does nature select some adaptations over others? Scholars experiment picking up seeds with two different types of tools simulating beaks. After practicing, they experience a drought where one type of seed suddenly isn't available....
Curated OER
Earthworm Movement and Landscape Structure
Students describe differences in animal usage of habitats depending upon successional status of site. They also design other experiments to test movement patterns of animals through habitats of differing structure.
Curated OER
A Walk in the Woods
Students observe an environment, ask questions about what they observe. and design experiments to answer one question they came up with in this upper-level High School or college lesson. The lesson requires an outdoor exploration or...
Curated OER
Laws of the Jungle
Young scholars build a video game on predator-prey relationship. In this biology lesson, students identify the variables that affect this relationship. They write a short description and play each other's game.
Curated OER
The Chain Gang
Students perform a food chain simulation to determine what happens when a food chain is broken.
Curated OER
Blue Planet: Seas of Life - Tidal Seas
After viewing the video Blue Planet: Seas of Life, students review oceanic concepts. In this earth science activity, students reflect on the effect tides have on living things and conduct research to create a "tidal trivia" game....
Curated OER
Spiders: An Organism for Teaching Biology
In this unit, the students explore basic ecology concepts and scientific processes using spiders as model organisms. They capture spiders, observe and care for them, and use them to answer their own questions about spider behavior....
Curated OER
Insect Biology and Ecology: A Primer
Students explore insects and closely related organisms. They examine the growth and development of a lady beetle. Students classify insects and organize them. They investigate pest management.
Curated OER
South of the Border Down Brooklyn Way
Young scholars use the Internet to research the behavior and ecology of feral monk parakeets. They design a monk parakeet behavioral study, then post their results to a Web page.
Curated OER
The Rain Forest
Students acquire knowledge about the basics of the tropical rain forest ecosystem. They analyze the cause/effect relationship between humans attitudes and behavior and the evnvironment. Students list the four general layers of vegetation...
Curated OER
Desert Animals
Students survive within an ecosystem, an animal must be physically and behaviorally adapted to the conditions of its environment.
Curated OER
Jurassic Park Debate
Students research behavior, phsyiology, and ecology of dinoaurs. Students role-play as scientific specialists such as geneticists and ecologists. They present their research findings in a research paper.