Curated OER
Introductory Bacteria and Virus Worksheet
Compare and contrast eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and viruses with a chart and a Venn diagram. Beginning microbiologists consider motility, reproductive ability, DNA content, and the presence of organelles. They write short answers to...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Review the difference between rocks and minerals using this resource. Learners identify and investigate the physical properties of these objects. They create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast types of rocks. This is a motivating way...
ARKive
Primate Evolution- Family Ties
If humans evolved from apes, why are there still apes? Using captivating pictures and videos of our primate cousins, young biologists examine evidence to dispel one of the most common misconceptions about human evolution. Depending on...
Cornell University
The Making of Macromolecules
Compare and contrast macromolecules made from the same elements. Young scholars learn how the structure of a molecule has as much influence on a compound as the elements in the molecule. They experiment with molecular model kits to...
Science Matters
Photosynthesis-Cellular Respiration Cycle
The balance of nature can be a wondrous thing! With the 19th lesson of the 21-part series on systems, learners explore the cycle of photosynthesis and cellular respiration using a lab-based activity. Groups set up different test tubes...
American Chemical Society
Liquids Have Properties
Liquids have many similarities, but their differences can set them apart. Using a student activity guide, learners conduct different property tests on water, oil, and syrup. They record their results and use them to rank the liquids by...
Curated OER
Pavement or Dirt?
What are the pros and cons to having either permeable or impermeable materials for building? How do they affect the environment? Use this role-play and the extension activities to get your environmental scientists thinking about the...
Curated OER
Crashed on the Moon
Students compare and contrast the environments of the moon and the earth. They discover how the differences might change one's daily activities.
Curated OER
Classifying Shells
Learners observe and classify different types of shells. They compare and contrast an exhibit they created with one that already exists in a musuem. They discover the different characteristics of shells.
Curated OER
Animal Coverings
Students compare and contrast the types of coverings found on animals. They identify a wide variety of animals in a museum room. They classify animals based on their coverings as well.
Curated OER
Tall as a Mountain, Flat as a Plain
Students examine a variety of landforms that are found on the Earth and compare and contrast the distinguishing qualities of these forms. A topographical model of the landforms is made.
Curated OER
Identifying Birds
Eighth graders identify and name birds in their school yard by comparing and contrasting pictures of 12 common birds in the Phoenix metro area using the Ecology Explorers Protocol. They formulate questions based on observations that lead...
Curated OER
Animals
Second graders explore the ways in which animals differ. They discuss the characteristics of insects and spiders. Students identify the characteristics of insects and spiders. They compare and contrast insects and spiders.
Curated OER
Learning To Identify Insects
Students utilize the Internet to locate a variety of insects. The pictures located are compared and contrasted and placed into a book which is published by the class.
Curated OER
Understanding the Layers of the Earth
Fourth graders explore the three layers of the Earth describing the composition, thickness, and temperature of each layer. Layers are compared and contrasted and data unearthed placed into graphic organizers.
It's About Time
Accidents
Did you know that cars weren't designed for passenger safety until the 1960s? The lesson starts with a quick quiz on automobile safety. Then, scholars evaluate three cars for their safety features. This is the third in a set of nine...
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Keep Away
As of 2015, there are 53,481 oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Scholars determine how species diversity is impacted based on the ecosystem's distance from a drilling platform. It focuses on finding the mean of data sets and creating bar...
Curated OER
Things That Fly
Students locate images of two things that fly on the Internet and print them. They develop graphic organizers to compare and contrast the two images and exhibit the images along with the organizers in a classroom gallery.
Curated OER
Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast
Biology learners investigate the effect of sucrose concentration on yeast alcoholic fermentation. During the activity,they compare and contrast the processes of cellular respiration and alcoholic fermentation. They design an experiment...
Curated OER
Rainforest Plant or Animal?
Learners explore the major functions of plants and animals. In this rainforest lesson plan students create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast animals in the rainforest.
Curated OER
Ready for Roots
Fourth graders sort seeds and predict what conditions are needed for them to germinate. They keep the seeds moist, observe and measure their growth and graph the results. As the seeds start to grow students compare and contrast the each...
Curated OER
Down in the Dumps
After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...
Curated OER
Farmers - Caretakers of the Land
Students explore resource management, specifically farming. After reviewing vocabulary words, groups of students explore what is conserved by each practice. They compare and contrast responses. Students describe farming procedures which...
Curated OER
Do You See What I See?
Students engage in a lesson plan that differentiates between right and wrong types of observations. In order to conduct the experiment they are provided with leaves and nameless objects with different designs. The two are compared and...