Lesson Plan
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Food Webs in the Bay

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners get acquainted with a type of ecosystem and how different organisms of that ecosystem compete with one another for resources. They analyze the submerged aquatic vegetation of a bay ecosystem. Students study plants.
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Habitat Lap Sit

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders physically form a circle that shows the interconnectedness of the components of a habitat. They form circles and role play the parts of habitats.
Lesson Plan
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Understanding Estuaries

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers work together to develop their own estuarine ecosystem in an aquarium. They observe the aquarium daily and record them in a notebook. They discuss the different interactions they see with the class.
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Happy the Fish

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore the ways in which people's actions affect fish. They discuss pollutants that are in the water. Students define the terms chemicals, cooling pond, and pollutant. They create a book about Happy the Fish.
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Dissolved Oxygen

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students discuss the relationships between dissolved oxygen in a stream, stream temperature, organic waste loads, and stream conditions by studying and using a model of dissolved oxygen in the stream.
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Don't Marry the Mole!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the power of solar energy. In groups, they create their own pizza box solar oven to discover the power of the sun and how it is a source for heat and light. To end the lesson, they use the internet to examine...
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Mussel Your Way Through Photosynthesis

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners, using zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), elodea and an indicator dye, observe and record the role of light in photosynthesis. They consider plant production of carbon dioxide and the use of live materials in biological...
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Characteristics of Living Things: What Makes Them Tick

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students list the characteristics of living things and give specific examples of living things exhibiting these characteristics. They bring in examples of living things.
Lesson Plan
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How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly

For Teachers K - 1st
Student role play and draw the various stages an insect goes through to become a butterfly. They discover the different stages of how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Learners read The Very Hungry Caterpilla by Eric Carle.
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Wetland Safari!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students identify how humans, fish, plants, birds, insects and other wildlife benefit from wetland environments. They observe a wetland and its inhabitants, draw a migration map that represents how birds use wetlands in traveling long...
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Learning From Leaves: Adaptation Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students participate in an adaptation scavenger hunt at. They obtain various plant specimens, and sort the plants based on whether they came from a desert, tropical rainforest, or wetlands.
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DID YOU HELP CREATE THIS

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine whether their actions are positively or negatively affecting organisms and their habitats. They choose an animal to study then create a multimedia presentation including charts and graphs of data logger information and...
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Habitat Unit - Day 2

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students explore abiotic factors that affect habitats. After a class lecture, students work in groups to answer questions about plant tissue, production and growth. They share answers, complete a crossword puzzle, and create a habitat...
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Bats - Endangered Mammal

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students complete question sheet on Bats and research information using a list of websites provided by the teacher. They work with peers to complete a scavenger hunt worksheet about bats.
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WALK, DON'T RUN

For Teachers K - 1st
1. Bring two quarts of moist soil, a cake pan, a sprinkling can of water and a quart of grass clippings to class. 2. Share background material, and introduce the word "erosion." 3. Prepare a small model hill by mounding the soil in the...
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Exploring the Sun's Role in Living Systems

For Teachers K - 8th
Students create graphic organizer webs that illustrate their thinking about seasonal physical and biological changes caused by changes in sunlight. They identify the central role of sunlight in living systems.
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Terrestrial Communities

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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.
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Oil Spill Clean Up

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students use various methods and materials to clean up a simulated oil spill that has occurred. Once clean the students will decide which method or material was most useful
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Dissolved Oxygen Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate what dissolved oxygen is and why it is important to aquatic life and what factors influence levels of dissolved oxygen in a lake. They study how to use MS Excel to make charts to show trends and correlations.
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RIDE THE WILD LEAF

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify and interpret that leaves provide food for new trees and plants. Students cut out leaves and glue them on the appropriate number on included worksheet. Students collect different types of leaves and make leaf rubbings....
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Discovering the Oasis

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students focus on the types of vegetation and animal life living around local water sources. This lesson can be adapted to any local water source, whether it be a lake, a river, stream or ocean. It has a particular focus on the bird...
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De"compost"ition Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the decomposition process and the parameters which influence the rate at which it occurs. They design a "controlled" experiment by comparing decomposition rates between two compost piles. Analysis questions include...
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Marine Field Trip to Whytecliff Park

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students study the intertidal habitat, tidal pools and the organisms that live in them.  In this aquatic ecosystems lesson students take a field trip and experience first hand the local seashore environment. 
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Leaking Underground/ Storage Tanks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in a activity that is about the concept of storage tanks and how they are used. The advantages and disadvantages of them is discussed with the facts given by the teacher during lecture and concurrent discussion.