Curated OER
Major Organic Acids in Fruits
Students investigate the organic acids present in a variety of juices. In this organic acids lesson plan, students read about the effects of organic acids in juices. They use paper chromatography to separate out the acids present in a...
Curated OER
Life In the Soil: Home Sweet Home: Red Worms
In this soil worksheet, students complete 2 pages about the importance of soil in plant growth. Students read about red worms and answer 2 questions about composting. Students fill out a chart with their observations of plants planted in...
Curated OER
Biotechnology
A continuous cascade of information comes through this PowerPoint on biotechnology. The topic is defined, a history is presented, and basic genetic engineering techniques are explained. The topic is covered in an objective manner,...
National Park Service
Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!
Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready to start...
Curated OER
Keeping Milk Fresh
Young scholars identify the risks of spoilage and pathogens in fresh milk. They investigate the farmer's role in keeping milk safe to drink and identify safety procedures used in dairy farming.
Curated OER
Milk Glue
Students create glue from milk by curdling milk with an acid. In this protein denaturing lesson plan, students experiment with milk and vinegar to denature the proteins in milk, create curds and whey and use the curds to produce glue by...
American Museum of Natural History
Bio-Benefits
Kick-start a discussion of the importance of biodiversity with a colorful resource that touts the benefits of maintaining healthy ecosystems. The images stress the interdependence of all the elements of an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Nutritional Influence on Illness and Disease
Learners examine nutritionally related diseases and illnesses, evaluating studies and developing topics for a science fair project. They investigate bacteria, researching how it can be harmful or helpful, and create illustrated displays.
Curated OER
Circle of Life
Students consider why we eat and where our food obtains its energy. They illustrate food chains that might be found on an open field, dissect owl pellets, identify the remains of animals in the pellets, watch videos and participate in...
Curated OER
How Did That Get in My Lunch?
Middle schoolers view "The Danger Zone" to learn about food poisoning and the bacterial causes and prevention. Students look at slides, use a worksheet, "Microbial Bugs"and the internet to identify and learn about each bacterium.
Curated OER
Where's the Beef - Beef Facts or Hype, Is it Bad for You?
Analyze a Happy Meal™ for nutrient content and calories. Blend the contents into "McMush" and use Biuret's solution to test for protein content. There are a few problems with the lesson plan: the resource links are no longer valid, the...
Curated OER
Graphing Dairy Production Statistics
Students collect data about dairy production. In this geometry lesson, students formulate and model problem solving. They collect data and plot it on a graph.
Curated OER
Better Butter
Students explore the process of making butter. In this agriculture lesson, students discuss how butter is made today and how it was made in the past. Students make their own butter using baby food jars and some "elbow grease."
Curated OER
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Students explore organic and inorganic objects. In this environmental lesson students perform a composting experiment using flowers in different soils. Students record their observations.
Curated OER
Earth Systems Science
Students perform experiments designed to grow plants and bacteria in a controlled environment. In this ecosystems instructional activity students investigate varying conditions for growing plants and bacteria.
Nuffield Foundation
Microbes Ate My Homework
Now you have a new excuse not to do your homework. A long-term experiment has learners explore cellulose-digesting enzymes. They simulate how paper breaks down in a compost bin. There's no need to blame your dog for eating your homework...
Curated OER
Foiling Spoilage
In this agricultural education learning exercise, students read 6 descriptions of bacteria that cause food spoilage. Students then read 4 descriptions of preservatives that can be used to prevent spoilage. The learning exercise is...
Curated OER
The Chemistry Connection
In this proteins worksheet, students read about the chemical compound, protein. Students determine where proteins are found in the body and how enzymes help the body react. Then students complete 3 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Hands of Doom
Students discuss the four essential step used for safe food handling: clean, separate, cook, and chill. They identify the bacteria that can cause food poisoning, practice how to properly wash hands before and after handling food,...
Curated OER
Control of Prokaryotic (Bacterial) Genes
A nicely formatted set of slides that logically follow and define the structure and function of the genes in Bacteria. The repressor proteins and other gene regulators are listed and diagrams support the explanations of their function on...
Curated OER
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle is the focus of a well-designed science lesson. In it, learners see that plants and animals produce waste products and decompose after death. Many of the waste products include nitrogen which is absobed by other...
Curated OER
Circle of Life
Here is a well-designed science lesson plan that shows learners that everything that organisms do in ecosystems, including running, breathing, burrowing, growing, requires energy. After a thorough discussion of their own eating and...
Desert Museum
Daisy Ecology
Here's a fine lesson plan that combines poetry with life sciences. Learners carefully listen to a poem that's all about a food chain. As the poem is read, learners name the producer, the herbivore, the carnivore, and the omnivore. Lots...
Curated OER
Fungi - Review and Reinforce
Diagrams of possible fungi life cycles are printed on the worksheet for biology pupils to evaluate. Short-answer questions ask them to explain what a fungus is, how it obtains food, and what would happen if they ceased to exist. The...