Curated OER
This Life Stinks
Students study cold seeps and see how organisms obtain energy from methane. In this sinkholes lesson students examine the relevance of chemosynthesis to communities.
Curated OER
Keep it Complex
Students consider the importance of biodiversity in the ocean layers. In this oceanography lesson, students use the Shannon-Weaver diversity index to analyze data. Students analyze the information collected and write a report offering...
Curated OER
A Survey of Plankton Communities
In this biology learning exercise, students identify and define the vocabulary terms listed and make a prediction about the outcomes of the experiment. Then they complete the chart of the observations of the plankton diversity in drops...
Curated OER
Heat Pollution and Communities
Students examine thermal pollution by collecting temperature data on the school's photovoltaic panel. Students collect data for four consecutive days and retrieve information from other classes that meet at different times of the day. ...
Curated OER
Population Growth
A single slide depicts the normal population growth curve. The curve reaches a steady state when the population reaches carrying capacity. You can use this slide when teaching about populations, but it may be more effective to insert it...
Curated OER
Aquatic Communities
Students watch a video about aquatic communities. They conduct an experiment that shows how movement of rivers change the landscape. They compare fresh and salt water communities and its wildlife.
Curated OER
Biological Communities
Students identify consumers and producers in different communities. Students collect a variety of soil samples and record organisms found in the samples.
Curated OER
How Do Living Things Form Communities?
In this communities worksheet, students will write down 1 main idea about communities formed by living things. Then students will brainstorm 3 details to support their main idea. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Terrestrial Communities
Students watch a video about different terrestrial communities. They conduct an experiment with sponges conserving water. They research desert characteristics comparing them with other biomes.
Ocean Parent Letter
Send this letter home to parents on Thursday before unit begins on Monday. For next time, encourage participation by noting low tide times on weekends and evenings. For non-beach communities, include links to VR tours or other access to...
Curated OER
Exploring Biomes Lesson 5: You Need a Vacation
In cooperative groups, emerging ecologists research assigned biomes found in Arizona. Combining photos and facts, they use PowerPoint to produce a fully automated commercial that lasts 45 seconds. In addition to the lesson plan outline,...
Curated OER
Community Action
Fifth graders decide how one uses resources within a particular bioregion. In this decision making lesson, 5th graders consider the biodiversity and complexity of the ecosystem. Students select a resource (water, paper, electricity)...
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
New England's Ground Water Resources
Learn all about where ground water is stored, how it moves, and how it is accessed in a detailed and thorough 10-page reading. Whether supplementing reading for an existing environmental or earth science course or providing background...
Curated OER
All Hats for Ecology: Solid Waste Presentation
High schoolers investigate community issues with solid waste. In this mock trial lesson, students examine the issues of solid waste from an ecological and economical perspective. They will develop a mock trial which encourages...
Curated OER
AP: Chapter 54: Ecosystems
A lot of learning is packed into these 23 questions about ecosystems. Advanced biology classes apply their knowledge of communities, productivity, biogeochemical cycles, and human impact on the environment by writing short answers for...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Fading Corals
Show the six-minute video, "Changing Planet: Fading Corals," and then demonstrate how calcium carbonate forms a precipitate in the presence of carbon dioxide. Separate your scientists into small groups to gather information about coral...
NOAA
Understanding Food Chains and Food Webs
Jump into an exploration of marine ecosystems with the first lesson in this four-part series. After first learning about crustaceans, mollusks, and other forms of sea life, young marine biologists view a PowerPoint presentation that...
Curated OER
Designing a Hiking Trail
Put your students' map skills to the test with this engaging cross-curricular project. Given the task of developing new hiking trails for their local community, young cartographers must map out beginner and intermediate paths that meet a...
It's About Time
Taking a Ride on a Lithospheric Plate
Assist your pupils and broaden their horizons with several activities that determine the exact positioning of various communities over the globe. Pupils use data from the Global Positioning System to determine the position and rate of...
It's About Time
The Changing Geography of Your Community
Lead your class in exploring their local communities as well as the general environment. As they determine continental distributions by investigating minerals, rocks, and fossils located in their local region, pupils construct a...
It's About Time
Plate Boundaries and Plate Interactions
How does the Earth continually repair itself? Explore the answer to this question, and others, with a unit on plate boundaries and interaction. Pupils classify the types of movement at plate boundaries and identify the distribution of...
Teach Engineering
Weather Alert
Every time a bell rings ... there is lightning in the area. The activity provides directions to build a model of a lightning detection system. Similar to a system designed by Benjamin Franklin, the system uses static electricity to...
NOAA
A Quest for Anomalies
Sometimes scientists learn more from unexpected findings than from routine analysis! Junior oceanographers dive deep to explore hydrothermal vent communities in the fourth lesson in a series of five. Scholars examine data and look for...
Kenan Fellows
Industrial Knowledge of Acids and Bases
Over a 10-year period, EPA regulations cost businesses less than $30 billion, while businesses saved over $82 billion. Scholars experiment with acids and bases to better understand the pH scale. Then they debate environmental regulation...