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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Succession

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The final lesson in a two-part series prompts scholars to create newspaper articles and succession events. Applying their knowledge of the ecosystem and the past examples of succession, they predict what will happen in the future using...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Go with the Flow

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How does nature's hierarchy relate to our local human environment? Answer this question, along with others, as the class visually depicts the natural hierarchy provided by nature. Pupils discuss each piece of the pyramid and its energy...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wetland Metaphors

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners describe the characteristics of wetlands and identify their ecological functions. They inspect items and use them to create metaphors about wetlands.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Filtration

For Teachers 6th - 8th
As an example of nature's water filtering system, young ecologists conduct an experiment in the lab. They construct a funnel out of a plastic bottle, fill it with specified layers of materials that simulate layers of soil, then run muddy...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soda Bottle Compost: Nutrient Cycling in Action

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore and observe significant contributions to wildlife and measure soil nutrient capacity by performing simple tests to determine the amount of phosphorous. They assess the importance of making and recording detailed...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Freshwater Food Chains

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What's in the water? Encourage your class to further explore this question and learn about pond ecosystems, food chains, and food webs as they complete this hands-on activity. They view the environment from a new perspective after...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Chemosynthesis for the Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Photosynthesis was discovered in the 1770s, but chemosynthesis wasn't discovered until 1977. While many have performed an experiment to show how photosynthesis works, the activity allows pupils to observe chemosynthesis. Scholars set up...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Terraqua Column

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create a TerrAqua column. In this ecosystems lesson, 6th graders build a TerrAqua column to conduct investigations on how living things impact the ecosystem.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making A Terrarium

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students make a terrarium from common household items that are brought to class. They can be creative with materials but the method is set for how the mini-lab is set up. Students read a book about an ecosystem to stimulate the topic for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build An Island

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore erosion. In this science instructional activity, students build an island and observe the effects of erosion on the island. Students discuss freshwater ecosystems in Hawaii.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personal Ecosystem

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Young scholars build an aquatic ecosystem using large glass pickle jars.  In this ecology lesson, students build and ecosystem then observe and collect data on the habitats.   In this long term project young scholars observe a population...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Predator-Prey Simulation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Do your pupils have the misconception that environmental predators are "bad" and harm smaller creatures? The simulation explains, in detail, the important role predators play in maintaining a stable ecosystem. Through web-based research,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speedy Succession

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate how a pond ecosystem can change into a prairie or grassland ecosystem. They observe a small pond ecosystem in a two liter soda bottle, and examine and record changes over a two-week period of time on a worksheet.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Pollution

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study the impact of human activity on water quality and on the ecosystems of Earth. After a discussion on the various ways that water can be polluted, groups of youngsters get together to figure out the best way to clean a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forest as a Filter

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students experiment using soil and water. In this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Students conduct a simple experiment, form a hypothesis,...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

A Survey of Plankton Communities

For Students 9th - 10th
In this biology worksheet, students identify and define the vocabulary terms listed and make a prediction about the outcomes of the experiment. Then they complete the chart of the observations of the plankton diversity in drops of pond...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mini-Ecosystems

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use plastic bottles to create terrariums and plant Venus Flytraps. They observe the plants and the terrariums for illustrations of the water cycle and species' adaptations to a specific environment.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nutrients Nutrients We Need

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the six nutrients humans need to maintain good heath. In this ecosystem lesson, 2nd graders learn about how plants grow and compare how humans need nutrients from plants to how plants need nutrients from the soil....
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

What's Is Soil Made Of?

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
It's time to roll up those sleeves and get a little dirty in the second lesson of this series on the science of food. Investigate where plants and animals get the minerals they need to live in this two-part exploration of soil. First,...
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Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Introduction to Climate

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Begin a full lesson on climate change by demonstrating how carbon dioxide gas contributes to increased temperatures. Be aware that pressure inside the antacid-containing bottle in Activity 2 may cause the lid to fly off; keep viewers at...
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Lesson Plan
Florida International University

Pipeline to the Coral Reefs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Discover firsthand the effects of internal waves on coral reefs. Through a series of experiments, learners simulate internal waves and upwelling events as they make observations on the movement of water and other debris. They then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Portable Niche

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, in groups, research animals, plants, and conditions found in ecosystems.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classroom Composting

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students observe and describe the cyclic nature of life. They identify and appreciate the importance of a balanced ecosystem. Finally, students compare and contrast biodegradable and non-biodegradable resources in nature and describe the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

De-composers - Terrarium

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students explore the environment by building a mock ecosystem. For this rainforest analysis lesson, students define many environmental and rainforest related vocabulary terms and discuss the current status of our planet's rainforests....

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