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Edible Soil
Students model the soils layers using Oreo's. In this lesson students use their favorite food items to create a model of soil layers. A discovery lesson from a youth camp is adapted for classroom modeling and discussion of soil ecology....
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Is It Alive?
First graders explore living things and their habitats. They create an original It's Alive! book to demonstrate what they have learned.
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Bugs Lesson Plan
Students complete a unit of lessons on insects. They participate in a bug hunt, construct paper flowers, discuss pollination, create bug paperweights and insect mobiles, play bug charades, and participate in a bug scavenger hunt.
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Creek Monitoring
Sixth graders conduct a variety of assessments at a local stream to determine if it is a suitable habitat for salmon. They measure temperature, tubidity, dissolved oxygen, pH levels, bacteria and nutrients. In this unit, 6th graders work...
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Seeing the Cell as a System
Students explain how the components of a cell operate as a system. Students examine a bicycle and find out if parts were arranged differently, could the system still be carried out. They look at cells as well and see what function they...
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Colour Me
Students 'see' nature differently. They look closely to find the rainbow of colors found in a superficially-green dominated landscape. They find as many different colors as they can- selecting a color chip and matching it as...
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Habitat Preservation Project
Students demonstrate what happens when nature takes back land after humans have managed it. They find an area in the schoolyard, and mark it off with a boundary. Students build a simple fence with string and stakes. They put up a sign...
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Daisyworld: Stella Mac or PC
Students investigate Daisyworld, a very simple planet that has only two species of life on its surface - white and black daisies, and bare ground. They construct a Stella model of Daisyworld and perform guided experiments to explore the...
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A Habitat Is Home
Young scholars are introduced to the concept and components of a habitat. They discuss the key components of a habitat and describe how certain factors can cause disturbances in a habitat and change its population. Activities are...
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Predators and Prey
Students explain how the food chain works. They contrast predators with prey and describe their function in nature. Students discuss how the food chain aids in keeping nature balanced. In small groups, they play a game that simulates the...
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The Water Cycle
Students are introduced to the components and importance of the water cycle. They are shown how groundwater moves using a model. Students list 9 places on earth where water is found. They define the terms cycle and water cycle.
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Insect Challenge Project
In this biology worksheet, students identify insects by their name and write it in the correct box on the sheet. Then they catch insects with nets and bring them in to identify. Students also earn points for the number of insects caught...
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Eyes on the Estuaries
High schoolers study estuaries and compare several ones in the U.S. In this estuary lesson students interpret data and compare the distribution of different species.
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Vital Vitamins
Students study vitamins and who should take them and what ones to take. In this investigative lesson students plan a healthy diet after reviewing the types of supplements.
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Halloween Literature Unit: Pumpkin Patch Unit Project
Students simulate an agriculture project. In this sequencing lesson, students observe their classroom pumpkin patch, make journal entries, and predict how the pumpkins will grow. They discuss as a class how to keep their pumpkins safe...
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Monarch Egg
Students investigate the stages of the Monarch butterfly and its life cycle. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students discuss when, where, and how the Monarch butterflies lay their eggs. After discussion, students participate in...
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Just Spray 'Em!?
High schoolers read the label of an insecticide and identify pertinent information. They tell that the higher the LD50 the less toxic the chemical. Students begin to extrapolate the impact of pesticide use beyond the death of the insect.
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Plants
Students review the needs of animals, hypothesize the needs of plants, and set up experiments to test hypotheses.
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How Does Your Garden Grow?
Young scholars create a design for a school garden. In this garden design lesson plan, students analyze what plants grow best in their school's climate and work in teams to design a garden. Young scholars measure the existing space,...
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Lewis and Clark
Ninth graders study the plants and animals Lewis and Clark discovered on their expedition. There is a plant illustrator, a plant recorder, an animal illustrator, and an animal recorder. They research the plants and animals and the ...
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Use Concept Maps to Teach the Transfer of Energy
Practical tips, lessons, and ideas for teaching the transfer of energy.
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Light Microscopes
Seventh graders study the parts of a light microscope, and its proper use. They identify each part and explain why it is important to know how to use this tool. They practice observing newsprint on a wet mount slide.
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Plants
First graders explore the specific needs, characteristics, and uses of plants. They discuss the needs of plants as they grow. Students observe plants in various settings as they grow and note the changes they see.
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"Did You Eat That!"
First graders investigate why plants are an important part of our everyday lives, providing us with food, clothing, shelter, etc. In this lesson students participate in a series of hands-on, online, and multimedia activities to examine...