Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photosynthesis

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students recognize the importance of plants as they perform an experiment involving photosynthesis. Students determine the optimum wavelength of light for photosynthesis by exposing plants to different colors of light, collecting data,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Light and Starch Production in Photosynthesis

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students are given the unique opportunity to see the contrast between parts of a leaf that have photosynthesized and parts of the leaf that have not. This visual image helps students see the results of this biological process. At the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Science: Introduction to Photosynthesis

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the process of photosynthesis in plants. They discuss the purpose of photosynthesis and its components. Students discuss the importance of photosynthesis for plants and they examine the parts of the plant that play an...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Producers Make Their Own Food

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
During an inquiry-based lesson, scholars decide which variable to test and then design an experiment to determine the needs of producers. After two weeks, they complete a full analysis and research paper.
Lesson Plan
Perkins School for the Blind

Building an Organic Molecule

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Glucose is a simple sugar and a molecule that can be illustrated through modeling. Scientific investigators with visual impairments use hands-on models to reconstruct the process of bonding molecules. The tools used in this activity are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure and Function

For Teachers 8th
Structure and Function SynopsisStudents choose some biological object, examine its structure, and identify or speculate on one particular function. Next they create a blueprint of the object, focusing on the particular function. Then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biological Sciences

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students examine biodiversity and interrelatedness concepts.  In this ecology lesson students go on a field trip and fill out a data sheet. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Moons of Jupiter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare deep ocean conditions to those found on the moons of Jupiter. In this Earth science lesson, students consider the possibilities and conditions needed to support simple life. Students examine the habitats and life found...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Consumers Get Energy From Other Living Things

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
How do plants and animals get their food? Learn about where energy comes from, how animals store energy, and aerobic respiration, in a lesson that allows scholars to diagram energy flows. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harvesting Energy from Food: How do Plants Help Humans?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Beginning botanists view slides of plant vascular tissue. They watch Magic School Bus Gets Planted, which you can find online, and then write a summary of what they have learned about plants. This lesson plan could be used with upper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting on Mass: Just how do Trees grow?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students articulate an explanation of photosynthesis. They identify problems they have with comprehension of how a plant gains mass. Students describe a historical experiment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy, Matter, and Organization

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders review the Energy, Matter, and Organization unit. They have one week to complete an essay. Students must submit a concept map or drawing. The activity is introduces by reading a short story line which presents a simple...
Lesson Plan
1
1
NOAA

Plankton

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Dive into the world of plankton. The 17th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces different types of plankton. Young scientists then use what they have learned to classify...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Life Stinks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Chemosynthetic communities of cold seep areas are considered in this lesson. Working in collaborative groups, marine biology or oceanography learners research and prepare a report about oxidation-reduction reactions involved with...
Lesson Plan
NASA

The Cycle of Matter

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
An educational lesson focuses on the idea of conservation of matter through a demonstration of the water cycle, a discussion of digesting food, and the path of carbon and oxygen atoms as they change form. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WET Science Lesson #11: How Light Affects Water

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Scientists listen to the story of Wadja Egnankou who works to save African mangrove forests. They experiment with refraction and the introduction of particulate matter to water. They conclude with creative writing about the need for a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Iron Fertilization - Pumping Iron

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The theory that adding iron to ocean water may increase phytoplankton ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is examined. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is monitoring conditions off the California coast to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Biology learners investigate the effect of sucrose concentration on yeast alcoholic fermentation. During the lesson,they compare and contrast the processes of cellular respiration and alcoholic fermentation. They design an experiment to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Life Stinks!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the process of chemosynthesis and contrast this process with photosynthesis. They consider the relevance of chemosynthesis to biological communities in the vicinity of cold seeps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dissolved Oxygen Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate what dissolved oxygen is and why it is important to aquatic life and what factors influence levels of dissolved oxygen in a lake. They study how to use MS Excel to make charts to show trends and correlations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching about the Effect of pH on Aquatic Organisms

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars perform experiments to determine the PH, acidity, and buffering qualities of a lake that make them sensitive to acid deposition.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microbial Influence on Earth's Systems

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students identify the different biogeochemical cycles on Earth. In this biology instructional activity, students observe microbes under a microscope. They compare and contrast respiration and photosynthesis.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coral Reefs

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students research coral reefs and identify their benefits to humans, threats to the reef, how to reduce and eliminate threats, and more. For this coral reef lesson plan, students research the reefs, and take a field trip to an aquarium.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Life Stinks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study how organisms that live in cold seep communities get energy from methane.  In this organism lesson students write a brief report and identify oxidation reduction reactions and explain if these are dependent of...