Curated OER
Invasives and Macroinvertebrates
Students view macroinvertebrates, or discuss previous collection activity. They graph data on macroinvertebrates in the Hudson River. Students discuss the relationship between habitat, environmental changes, and invertebrate diversity or...
Curated OER
Arthropod Key
Young scholars identify the types of pests and categorize them. They identify their food chain and create a poster showing the food chain for the pests.
Curated OER
Motte Rimrock Reserve: Lesson Plan for Flora
Students study the flora of Motte Rimrock Reserve while observing organisms in their natural environment. They use a dichotomous key to identify plants.
Curated OER
Into the Pond
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
Curated OER
Animal Kingdom: Phylum Chordata
Students use a dichotomous key to classify various vertebrate jar speciments into classes. They examine the speciments for general characteristics of each class and fill in a corresponding chart and then complete a few final assessment...
Curated OER
Mystery Minerals
Learners minerals and how they form. They investigate the classification of minerals according to physical properties. Students watch a video about mineral characteristics. In groups, learners participate in hands-on activities and...
Curated OER
Lamarck Is Dead!
Students read Lamarck's obituary and respond to questions.Students can work individually or in small groups.This activity can be used at the beginning of an evolution unit.
University of Southern California
What Lives In The Ocean?
One of the most diverse environments on Earth is the ocean. Young scientists explore the living things found in the ocean during an exciting seven-lesson unit. Their study includes organisms from plankton to invertebrates and vertebrates...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Let's Identify and Classify
Middle schoolers participate in a creative activity to give them a good understanding of classification. They examine bags of chips and discuss their similarities and differences. Students work in small groups while participating in this...
Curated OER
Classification of Pasta, Rice and the Nine Planets
Eighth graders create a classification system of the planets and give a written rational for their choice of categories. In this investigative lesson students participate in an activity that helps them to explore classification.
Curated OER
How Appropriate is that Tree?
Students identify trees and their environments using a dichotomous chart. In this exploratory lesson students use the Internet to identify conditions needed for the trees and what the climate is in their area.
Curated OER
Tree Identification
High schoolers list four ways to identify trees. In this tree identification instructional activity, students use tree identification techniques such as leafs, bark, wood grain, soil type, and climate to create tables and graphs.
Curated OER
Life Cycle of Trees
Turn your students into young tree-tectives with this fun science investigation into the life of trees. To begin, a class volunteer gets dressed up in a tree costume as the different parts of trees are introduced. Then, the class learns...
Kenan Fellows
Determining the Effects of a Golf Course on Stream Health
Do golf courses affect the water organisms in nearby streams and ponds? Small groups collect samples of water upstream and downstream from a golf course and analyze the macroinvertebrates found and the stream index values of the two...
Curated OER
Leaf, Tree and Prairie Study
Students are introduced to the topic of Botany and the process of photosynthesis. Using various habitats, they research the amount of destruction it is facing and how to solve the problem. They make a leaf booklet with leaves they find...
Curated OER
Tree Identification/Tree Art
Seventh graders identify and examine a deciduous and coniferous tree. Using the descriptions, they discover the types of tress in their local area. As a class, they practice identifying trees on a walk in a park collecting leaves. They...
Curated OER
The Great Plant Escape-Plant Parts
In this plant parts worksheet, students use provided links to compete questions about plant and their parts. Suggestions and links for additional resources are given.
Curated OER
Decidedly Different
Fifth graders inquire as to why scientists use observable characteristics, how they sort the characteristics, and why they do so. They write journal entries to be used throughout this unit.
Curated OER
SORTING ALL SORTS
Learners examine how the method of classification is used. In this sorting lesson students take a pre-test, classify organisms and complete a crossword puzzle.
Curated OER
Classifying Conundrum
Fourth graders identify plant characteristics from different environments and communicate that information in different ways. They use a simple scheme to classify Utah plants and animals and make observations and record them in a...
Curated OER
Forest Ecosystem
Students take a field trip and explore a temperate rainforest. In this rainforest lesson plan, students discuss many items they see on their journey and experiment with different tree leaves.
Curated OER
Sorting Through Spiders
Students utilize their own drawings of spiders to analyze and sort the attributes that each student drew.
Curated OER
Hawaii's Freshwater Animals - Species Report
Students explore biology by creating a report for the class. In this oceanography lesson, students research and identify the survival characteristics of a list of freshwater animals by utilizing the Internet and library. Students...
Curated OER
Insects
Students construct a viable insect collecting apparatus. Students determine the effectiveness of the instrument he has designed by collecting specimens.