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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

2nd Grade - Act. 25: Creature Creation

For Teachers 2nd
Create a creature using some of the characteristics of a real animal. Second graders will read a book from the "Froggy," series by Johnathan London to learn about the characteristics of frogs. After discussing and recording various...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Penguins Around the World

For Teachers K - 5th
Students investigate penguins. In this Science activity, students compare and contrast penguins to flying birds. Students use a Venn diagram to illustrate the differences and similarities of penguins and flying birds.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Innovation for Good

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Many historical innovations were created for the common good. Get your students ready for life as a critical thinker with this lesson which defines the differences between innovation and invention. They will conduct Internet research,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birds of A Feather

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students observe and record the many types of birds they see in a month. They discover the many patterns birds follow and compare their results with other classrooms. They complete a field assessment as the final activity for this lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Week 8 - Sea Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to sea...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digital Animal Presentations

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore animals and digital presentations. They chose an animal and identify the physical traits of the animal. Students classify the animal using the physical traits. They create a presentation about their chosen animal.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aquatic Exotics

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students identify and describe the aquatic exotic species found in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the species origins and discover their effects on native species in the area. They discuss how appropriate it is to introduce...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Careers With an Aquatic Emphasis

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students are introduced to careers with an aquatic emphasis. They take a self-evaluation test on what they enjoy in school to determine which career is right for them. They listen to people in the field discuss what their job is like.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Illinois Biodiversity

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Leaf, Tree and Prairie Study

For Teachers 5th - 6th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Farm Animals Thematic Unit

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Student study farm animals by watching a teacher made PowerPoint presentation and visiting a farm. They research a farm animal with teacher assistance. They design a book about the animals using available technology and orally present...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Enemies and Threats to Sea Horses

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students research threats and enemies of the sea horse.  For this animal biology lesson, students use the Internet to find threats and enemies of sea horses and write a paragraph on their findings.  
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The 400-acre wood

For Teachers 6th - 8th
For this forest planning lesson plan, middle schoolers visit the 400-acre wood website and work in groups to learn about the specific aspects of forest development. Students create, label and color a forest planning map and present their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeds of Wetland Life

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students participate in several activities on seed exploration. In this biology lesson plan, students classify seeds according to their dispersal method. They explain the different adaptations plant have to disperse their seeds.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Identification: New Jersey vs. Ecuador

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders discover the different plants that grow in different climates through specimen collections.  In this botany lesson, 6th graders examine plants from both New Jersey and Ecuador and discuss what conditions could create such...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet Your Partners

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students become student scientists and work with Internet partners to collect, share, and analyze data needed to draw conclusions about the Waipi'o Valley Stream Restoration.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Lives in the Forest?

For Teachers K
Students investigate nearby forests and record their interactions with trees as well as wild life.  In this ecology lesson, students read the book, In the Woods: Who's Been Here?, and attend class observational field trips through their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rainfall Mapping

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore rainfall and habitats. In this rainfall lesson, students explore the relationships among rainfall, vegetation, and animal habitats. Resources are provided.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living or Nonliving

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders brainstorm a list of the characteristics of living and nonliving organisms. Individually, they find four nonliving and living items and the characteristics that make them fit into one of the categories. To end the lesson...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Fresh Water Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the fresh water ecosystems. In this environmental lesson, 6th graders work in groups to collect information about a fresh water ecosystem and report their findings to the class in the form of a brochure.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wetland Adaptation

For Teachers 4th
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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Interactive
Curated OER

Bluebirds Ecology Vocabulary Exercise

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this bluebirds worksheet, students categorize bluebird species found in their state and define vocabulary related to it. Students complete 6 vocabulary words.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecosystem Food Web Mural

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners create a food web mural about an ecosystem of the freshwater marsh. For this food web lesson plan, students write about the organisms and how each one depends on another.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Algae Experiments

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students describe the characteristics of algae. In this biology instructional activity, students perform a series of experiment to explore algae. They investigate the basic things algae need to survive.