Curated OER
Water Creative Writing
Students red and discuss an example of a biographical essay. They read The Last of the Falling Tide by Car Hiassen, answer factual questions concerning the work, and create their own story about a natural place they are familiar with ,...
Curated OER
Understanding Cladistics
Students explore cladistics and create a cladogram of their own. They are shown how the scientist at the American Museum of Natural History use a method called cladistics to group animals. Students are asked how the animals (lion,...
Curated OER
Maple Syrup Production
Students make their own maple sugar and learn about how it is made on a grander scale. In this maple sugar instructional activity, students make their own maple sugar and learn about evaporation and what labor is put into making it.
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Prescription Pain Medications
Students study different pain medications and their side effects. In this drug usage lesson students read articles and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Loco for Cocoa
Third graders research the history of cocoa. In this cocoa lesson, 3rd graders investigate how the cocoa bean has been traded from one country to another. Students create a timeline and map to track the history of the cocoa bean.
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Teacher's Plant Collection Guide
Students explore a variety of guidelines that involve collecting plants in a responsible manner and participate in a plant pressing activity. In this teacher's plant collection guide lesson, students collect data regarding plants,...
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Gorillas In The Midst
Students consider the idea of the eco-tour, and examine different aspects of the Mountain Gorilla Project eco-tour in Rwanda. They synthesize their understanding by acting as expert panelists on a morning news show that focuses on the...
Curated OER
Digging into the Past
Students discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental conditions.
Curated OER
A Mendel Seminar
Students analyze Gregor Mendel's discovery of a process of biological evolution. They also explore how recessive and dominant traits are passed from one generation of living organisms to the next. This lesson involves environment...
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After the Garbage Can: Where Does Our Trash Go?
Students explore how waste disposal has changed over time and what the current issues are. In this disposal lesson students collect data and create graphs.
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Hunting Invertebrate Fossils in the Classroom
Students acquire a general knowledge of fossils and paleontology, the study of evidence of life in the past and identify the major invertebrate groups (phyla) commonly found in the fossil record.
Curated OER
Water
Students learn about the history of Indiana's water and understand how easily pollution can contaminate the water supply. They also learn how little fresh water we have and how important it is to protect it.
Curated OER
Landfills: A Solid Waste Management Plan
Students are able to list the types of household waste that they produce daily. They are able to describe some other types of waste that are produced by industry or agriculture to help maintain their lifestyles. Students are able to...
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Native American Three Sisters Gardens
Students investigate companion planting. In this communtiy gardening lesson students explore the tradition of the Native American Three Sisters gardening approach. Students act as botanists, anthropologists, folklorists, and curators.
Curated OER
Non Native Species: English Ivy-Landscape Plant or Deadly Killer?
High schoolers study the impact that invasive species have on biodiversity and more natural areas.
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Introducing Biodiversity
Students identify the basic components necessary for biodiversity, the critical and countless benefits of habitats, as well as the serious present and future threats to their ongoing existence.
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What Teeth Tell Us
Students view pictures of a variety of animals. They examine the animals' teeth and discuss the differences in them. They experiment with staple removers (carnivore teeth) and two flat rocks (herbivore teeth) and determine which are most...
Curated OER
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Students celebrate Earth Day by applying what they've learned about studying the natural world. In this Photo Scavenger Hunt lesson plan, students use a digital camera to capture outdoor imagery and to help them understand the...
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Dinosaurs 1: Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students study dinosaurs. In this dinosaur lesson, students watch a web based video about dinosaurs before discussing what they liked about the dinosaurs, telling about the sounds they heard, and explaining what the Earth looked like....
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Disappearing Rocks
Students explore the causes of erosion and observe how different surfaces erode differently. They recognize erosion and predict what type of erosion caused it. In addition, they predict the outcomes of erosion on different materials.
Curated OER
Migration Nation
Students study the concept of animal migration. They explore the migratory patterns of four different animals. Specifically, they search for on-line information about the natural history of animals and explore reasons why animals might...
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A Bug's Journey
Students research the art of John Baldessari. In this art history lesson plan, students examine Baldessari's drawing of a beetle and discuss the characteristics of these bugs. They write a story from a bug's perspective and create their...
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What Makes a Cat a Cat?
Students investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them. In this animal life lesson, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab. Students review the footage from the cat and other...
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Flight Dreams: Birds Flew First
Learners observe how bird flight and machine flight are similar. In this aerodynamics lesson, students observe how birds fly and the shapes of their wings, and investigate how observing birds helped develop the concept of machine flight....