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Ecology: Why Are Rice Fields Suitable Habitats for Birds?
Fifth graders discover the uses for rice by reading about the habitats of certain birds. In this agriculture lesson, 5th graders research birds from the Gulf Coast and California and their reasons for living in rice fields....
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Exploring Limu Diversity
Students explore limu diversity. In this ocean ecosystem lesson, students classify limu according to its physical properties. Students work in small groups to generate scientific observations and sort limu by characteristics.
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Rice: The Global Crop
Students understand the uniqueness of the rice plant and how it grows. Students compare rice growing in Indonesia and California, observing the steps common to the process everywhere. Students comprehend the concepts labor-intensive and...
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A Natural Habitat: What, How and Why
Students understand what a habitat is. They determine why a habitat is important to our environment no matter where it is located. Students observe and recognize natural habitats in their surroundings.
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Wetland Adaptation
Students participate in a simulation to investigate the impact of the wetland environment on the migration of birds. They discuss the patterns of migration they took and why they avoided certain wetlands.
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How Does a Migration Move Forward?
Students record and examine migration data, and calculate how fast and far a migrating animal travels and what influences its progression. They utilize the Journey North website to follow their migrating animals.
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Weather, Migrations, and Plants
Students research the effects of day-to-day weather on animal migrations, plant growth and other seasonal events. They consult maps, observe and record local conditions, keep journals and use their collected data check hypotheses.
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Observing Brine Shrimp
Students observe brine shrimp eggs, create an appropriate environment for their survival, and observe their growth.
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Threatened Species and Public Policy
Students discuss the Endangered Species Act and its impact on people and the environment. They read the act and watch video footage. They examine why sea turtles are endangered and efforts to protect them. They analyze numerical results...
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Animals Lewis and Clark Encountered
Students conduct research on an animal Lewis and Clark encountered on their journey, compare numerous factors from past and present, and report findings to other groups by web page or discussion board.
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Wetland Wonders
Students study the characteristics of wetlands, and their importance to humans and wildlife.
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Bats, Bats, Everywhere!
Students research information on bats while working in cooperative groups. They design posters with the information from their research.
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Life Cycles: A Never-Ending Story
Second graders describe the sequence of events in the life cycles of a butterfly, frog, and a deer. They observe the differences and similarities of parents and babies. They also discover that at different stages the animals can be...
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Plains Indians
First graders create a KWL chart on Native Americans and listen to a speaker from a local Indian Reservation. As a class, they are read part of a Native American story in which they pick their own Native American name and identify their...
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Amazon Rainforest
Seventh graders complete a simulation in which they travel through the Amazon rainforest. Using their map skills, they determine the best route and where to see specific plants and animals. They develop their own database to organize...
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Case Study - An Ecotour
Young scholars plan an ecotour of the Australian rainforest. They prepare fact sheets about animals, create a mural, prepare a advertising brochure and a guided tour of the rainforest.
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River Study
Learners explore a stream in their area and show the class the topographic map of the stream. They locate the topographic map and name the streams, lakes and ponds in their watershed. They write a paragraph about their stream and...
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Winogradsky in a Bottle: Beginning a Winogradsky Column
Students use their measurement skills by marking a bottle for construction purposes. They record qualitative and quantitative data and analyze their results. Students demonstrate evaluation of a small scale systems as a model for the...
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Native Versus Exotic
Students investigate the presence of exotic and natural species in the ecosystem. They define the differences between exotic and native while looking at one specific ecosystem in Maryland. They write how the exotic species are considered...
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Wetland Adaptation
Fourth graders study the impact of the wetland environment on the migration of birds. They make a list of the important reasons on a large piece of paper to be posted in the classroom and point out the biggest wetland in the state (The...
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Bat Program
Students, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works. They take a quiz to dispel some of the myths associated with bats.
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Bivalve or Univalve (Clam or Snail)?
Fourth graders explore the meaning of the prefixes "bi" and "uni." In groups, 4th graders observe pictures of shells and handle real shells. Students create a chart to classify each shell as a bivalve or univalve. They identify the...
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Mollusk of Interest
Student choose a mollusk that they are interested in and research it. They present their research to the class and compile all the information on mollusks in a packet. Information must include common and scientific name, family,...
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Create a Display
Pupils identify mollusks, create a display, research a particular species, and present their findings to the class. They collect and bring in a shell of choice from their local beach. Then, students label his or her shell with the...