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Wildlife Conservation III
Discuss the importance of wildlife conservation. Learners talk about the animals and plants on the US Fish and Wildlife Services list of endangered and threatened species. Then, they engage in a detailed discussion of the reasons these...
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Wildlife
The centerpiece of this lesson plan is a predator-prey simulation in which colored paperclips represent different species of animals camouflaged against a colored background. Relevant follow-up questions are provided. The activity is...
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Symbiosis and Co-evolution
By choosing a species and researching an adaptive symbiotic relationship it shares with another species, your students are able to investigate a symbiotic relationship in a lab setting. They create a presentation using a variety of...
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Links in the Chain of Life
Using the prairie dog community as an example, middle school ecologists examine the food web. Pairs of learners take one species in the community and research its role in the ecosystem. They share their findings with the rest of the...
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Floating Fishes: Fishing Expedition
A referenced PowerPoint is not included, but this lesson can still make an impact with emerging environmentalists. After introducing them to the facts about overfishing, they experiment with a fishing simulation using colored beads and...
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Mussel Ecology
Students are introduced to the marine environment of the mussel. The emphasis of the lesson is upon what human factors are present to influence the environment in positive and negative ways. They brainstorm in groups in order to conduct...
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Antibiotic Resistance
Students using the scientific method, study bacteria as a covering surface of the earth in many forms. They discover that not all bacteria is bad and introduce the topic of antibiotic resistance. Science Fair expectations are addressed.
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Careers With an Aquatic Emphasis
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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Graphing the Population Explosion of Weeds
Students are introduced to the seed cycle and draw the specific steps. In groups, they identify the human barriers to the spreading of weeds. After calculating the rate of spreading of the Yellowstar Thistle, they create graphs to see a...
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Working for Water
Learners examine the ways that government works to help improve aquatic habitats. In this water habitats instructional activity students view a video and plan a school restoration project.
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Seals, Corals, and Dollars...
Students explore the interdependence of animals and their habitat. In this Hawaiian ecology lesson, students work in groups to research the necessity of preserving precious coral as a habitat for monk seals. Students prepare...
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Stream Habitats and Biota
Young scholars identify native and introduced species of fish, shellfish and insects that inhabit Hawaii's streams. They use this information to predict the impact of stream restoration projects in Hawaii.
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Learning the Causes of Extinction
Students are introduced to the five major reasons for extinction. In groups, they read scenarios and divide them into different categories. Using the internet, they identify which reason a certain animal became extinct. To end the...
Virginia Department of Education
Animal Phyla and Plant Divisions
Searched hours for an activity that allows individuals the ability to use multiple resources to learn about both plant and animal kingdoms? This discussion and activity provide pupils with the ability to visualize each organism...
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Field Trip to San Bruno
Students contrast a weedy annual grassland of introduced species with an undisturbed, ancient plant community of native bunchgrasses and wildflowers.
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Creating a Dichotomous Key for Amphibians
Students are introduced to the purpose of dichotomous keys and create one together as a class. In groups, they use a digital atlas to examine the different types of amphibians in Idaho. Using this information, they make their own...
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Population Growth
Students grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive species in...
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The Tree Detective - Basic Dendrology
Students identify tree species by their leaf characteristics. In this dendrology lesson, students learn leaf vocabulary and collect leaves. They identify the leaves using the leaf characteristics and the vocabulary that they learned.
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Survivors on the Ocean Ridge
Students discover the uniqueness of deep sea hydrothermal vent organisms through an exploration of the NOAA Galapagos Rift Expedition. They study the genetics and evolution of a shrimp species that lives near the vents then they...
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Managing Wildlife
Learners explore the relationship between wildlife and humans in northern New England. They also brainstorm ideas on why they think some species are greater in population than others in a given area.
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Ocean Expedition with Jacques Cousteau
Students role play that they are on an ocean voyage with Jacques Cousteau as they study plant, and animal species and adaptation. They write a five page journal, create artwork of the expedition.
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Selection and Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird
High schoolers investigate genetics and evolution of species. They simulate the breeding of birds using origami birds. In addition, using dice they introduce genetic variation into the species.
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Ant Farm
Students explore the value of insects in the natural world. In this insect lesson, students examine species of insects, collect and record data, and analyze the data.
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Biodiversity Count
Students count the number of species they can find in a five minute block of time in both an urban lawn and natural, remnant forest area. They are introduced to the concept of low and high biodiversity areas and engage in a discussion...