Curated OER
Responses to Changes in the Environment
Fourth graders study ecosystems, and see how plants and animals must adapt to changes in their environment in order to survive. Pictures of the snow shoe hare in the winter and summer are shown. Learners determine that the change in...
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Animal Habitat Dioramas
What a better way to have learners show what they know than with a diorama? Kids research an animal, its habitat, ecosystem, and environment in order to create a three-dimensional diorama. Have older children write a short paper on their...
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Legend of The Lorax
Students explore ecosystems. They read or listen to Dr. Seuss' The Lorax to draw conclusions and make predictions about the environmental impact and use of resources. They write poems about real forests and the wildlife which inhabit...
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Bugs in the Woods
Second graders identify insects and plants in the forest ecosystem in a structured field trip with stations and activity booklets. In this bugs lesson, 2nd graders explore the ecosystem of the forest, complete the booklet and play...
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Ecosystems
In this ecosystems activity, students complete a crossword puzzle with 35 questions about the different types of ecosystems and organisms in them.
National Park Service
Fitting In
Birds help other birds find food? Scholars are placed into one of five groups of different birds. Each group then "feeds" on letters of paper in a field and gather five pieces per person. As each group plays, more food is exposed,...
Wildwood Trust
Habitats
The circle of life is all around us, from the black bears in the nearby mountains to the pile of dead leaves in the backyard. Encourage young scientists to take a critical look at the world around them with a set of lessons...
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Forest Fires
High schoolers discuss the benefits and problems associated with fire. They discuss the role that fire plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Students brainstorm ways that fire can be harmful, such as damaging homes, communities, and...
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A Look at Tidal Wetlands
Here is a comprehensive and lengthy presentation on tidal wetlands. Many photos of grasses and the animals that live among them are included, making this a virtual field trip. The progression of the presentation is as if you would walk...
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Web of Life
Students collect information about various organisms in a forest ecosystem and create a mural that depicts organism interdependence. They then simulate a food web using a ball of string.
Living Rainforest
Finding the Rainforests
From Brazil to Indonesia, young scientists investigate the geography and climate of the world's tropical rain forests with this collection of worksheets.
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Ancient Ones
Students read the story Ancient Ones about a forest that is connected to all the life around it. In this reading lesson plan, students also create a tall folding book about the forest.
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The Forest Community And Ethnobotany Past And Present
Students describe a forest as a living community. They determine members interact, and in many cases, depend on each other for their basic survival needs. They investigate how dependent the Native Americans were on the forest...
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Life in the Kelp Forest
Young scholars research and create a marine food web to learn about plants and animals in a kelp forest. For this marine food web lesson, students draw lines between kelp forest predators and prey and show the flow of energy in the food...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Modeling Food Webs in Darién, Panama
It's a jungle out there! Young biologists journey to Darien, Panama to examine the intricate relationships between the organisms that inhabit the jungle. Groups begin by demonstrating an understanding of energy flow in ecosystems, then...
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Fish Are Animals Too
Students create posters that show how a shark is a major predator in kelp forests and coral reefs after studying the food webs for these ecosystems. They determine that fish are important animals in the ocean's web of life.
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Mystery Creek
Fourth graders are introduced to the Riparian Ecosystem. They define the following terms: riparian and riparian ecosystem. Students take a trip to the creek, where they make observations about the environment around them. They are...
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Fires and Fire Suppression
Students examine their assumptions about forest fires. They explore the conflicts involved with the forest service's new strategy. in addition, they will study one case where a prescribed natural burn had a significant impact on a later,...
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The Unique Rain Forest
Young scholars explore the unique Rain Forest. In this Rain Forest lesson, students watch a video about the dangers the Rain Forest faces. Young scholars create a Rain Forest mobile. Students choose plants or animals from the...
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Biodiversity
Students investigate the diversity of temperate forests and tropical rainforests. They catch and observe local insects, sort leaves and insects on a chart, listen to the book "A Walk in the Rainforest," and create a class bar graph that...
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Strands Walk-An Ecological Obseravtion
In this ecosystem worksheet, students investigate an ecosystem at a local park or national forest, they make observations for five minutes, they complete a grid of their observations and they construct a hypothetical food chain. Students...
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Costa Rican Ecosystems
Students read about the Cloud Forests in Costa Rica and then answer critical thinking questions about how to prevent loss in this forest and how to slow down global warming.
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Animals of Rainforest and Temperate Forest
Students research an animal from each type of forest, and compare/contrast them on a concept map. They write a letter from one animal to the other, using information from their research.
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Layers of the Rainforest
What a great way to discuss the rainforest! Learners discuss the importance of adaptation in the environment and how it is linked to survival. They use critical thinking and inference skills to place animals and insects in the different...