Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Building Ecological Pyramids
Looking for a fresh take on traditional food/energy pyramids? Conduct an innovative activity where pupils build their own! The lesson uses research data from Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique for a real-life safari touch. Scholars...
Curated OER
Let the Pyramid Be Your Guide
Young scholars chart foods on the food guide pyramid and design nutritional food plans that include all the food groups.
Captain Planet Foundation
Energy Flow in the Garden
How can you tell what an owl has eaten? Study the food chain and flow of energy in an ecosystem by dissecting an owl pellet and noting the bones found inside. Additionally, the lesson plan includes a game about consumers and producers...
NOAA
Seafood and Human Health
Whether your young biologists realize it or not, humans play a significant role in marine ecosystems. To help them understand this fact children first create graphical representations that show homo sapiens' place in marine food chains,...
Curated OER
Food Web
Students identify producers and consumers, including scavengers and decomposers, and discuss role each plays in food web. They then make diagram of possible food chain that might include skull pictured on Montana's quarter, and...
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2009
Emerging ecologists need a full understanding of life, from the inner workings of a cell to the complex relationships among organisms. This examination is meant to assess high schoolers after an entire year course on the living...
Curated OER
The Food We Eat
Students plan a menu for one day after they study the food pyramid and learn about their daily food requirements. They are given an updated food pyramid with a summary fo dietary recommendations that replaces the old standard "four food...
Curated OER
Energy Flow Through Ecosystems
Middle or high school environmental studies classes will learn much from this presentation on energy in ecosystems. It covers the foundational topics of trophic levels, food webs, and nutrient cycles using informational text and...
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An Inside Look at Apples
First graders examine and identify parts of an apple. For this biology lesson, 1st graders cut an apple in half and locate all the parts, use the apple halves as stamps, and create a bar graph displaying which apple types the students...
NOAA
An Ocean of Energy
Young biologists trace the path of the sun's energy through marine ecosystems in the second part of this four-lesson plan series. Building on prior knowledge about producers, consumers, and decomposers students are introduced to the...
Curated OER
Pyramid Play
Students investigate the concept of the Food Pyramid. They use a game as a tool of discovery in order to classify different types of food in the pyramid. Upon completion of the game the students construct their own models of it.
Curated OER
Health: The Skeleton with a Message
Learners identify human muscles and bones from a cardboard skeleton, named "Mr. Skelly." Using dialog balloons as props, the teacher holds up advice from Mr. Skelly, such as noting he drinks milk to keep his bones strong. The activity...
Curated OER
Eat Your Plants
Students explore fruits and vegetables. In this fruits and vegetables lesson, students work in small groups investigating plant parts. Students discover that fruits and vegetables originate from different parts of plants.
Science Matters
Matter Cycles — Sum It Up
Scholars become part of the cycle of matter with a reader's theater that showcases producers, consumers, decomposers, and the sun. A diagram and discussion concludes the learning experience and enhances comprehension.
Curated OER
Nutrition and Energy Flow
In this energy flow learning exercise, students will complete 10 short answer questions based on a food web diagram. Then students will review different cycles in nature including the water cycle, carbon cycle, and energy cycle. This...
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Ecology and the St. Lawrence River
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on ecosystems, organism interactions, and energy flow. They create a key for known species of fish, diagram the movement of energy through an ecosystem, and create and present food chains and food...
Curated OER
Matter and Energy
In this matter and energy worksheet, students will complete 10 questions about the transfer of energy through a food chain, the steps of the water cycle, and how the nitrogen cycle works.
Curated OER
Ecology Study Guide
In this ecology study guide, students fill in a table about producers, consumers and decomposers, they draw the water cycle, they fill in diagrams about cell respiration, the food pyramid, protein synthesis and nitrification, population...
Curated OER
Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
Curated OER
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Students, in groups, create a slide show about the ecosystem and answer critical thinking questions based on their research.
Curated OER
Web of Life Game
Students participate in a web of life game. After reviewing new vocabulary, they play each round of the game and discuss the changes that occured in the last round. They are to survive in the game as long as possible given the...
Curated OER
Eggs Introduction
Students research eggs including their structure, sizes, grades, nutritional value, functions in recipes, preparation techniques, and storage guidelines. They prepare a recipe including eggs.