It's About Time
Mass Extinction and Fossil Records
The focus of a fossil-based lesson uses graphs and charts that allow young paleontologists to make inferences about events of mass extinction. They must apply their previous knowledge about fossil records in this final lesson of the...
Michigan State University
All About Rodents
Get to the know the common house mouse and the Norway rat with an activity that reinforces reading comprehension skills. Scholars read a three-page document detailing key information about mammals, specifically rodents, and use their...
Virginia Department of Education
Biomes of the World
Incorporate knowledge about biomes and ecosystems in multiple ways while encouraging creativity. Emerging ecologists collaborate and perform research to complete a graphic organizer about various biomes of the world. They conclude the...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Seasons of a Plant
The third in a series of six lessons is an engaging three-part activity defines that discusses phenology, focusing on the cyclic seasons of plants. Pupils then observe phenology outside before determining how climate change can...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a instructional activity that encourages...
Rainforest Alliance
Colombia Biodiversity
How diverse is the rainforest? How much more diverse is a rain forest than a temperate forest? Explore these focus questions in a lesson that explores the plants, animals, and insects in forests. After listening to a reading about...
Biology Junction
Plant Structure and Function: Roots, Stems, and Leaves
Scientists found fossils of plants more than 420 million years old—but plants existed for up to 100 million years prior to these fossils. Learn about the importance of plants to the entire planet. Viewing a presentation helps scholars...
Southwestern Medical Center
Field Epidemiology: Investigation of an Unknown Disease
More than 90 percent of the people in a building have come down with an illness, and it is your job to investigate. Teachers give scientists the data needed to decide what is important and how they can solve the mystery. The exercise is...
Curated OER
Freshwater Fish Anatomy & Taxonomy
Tenth graders use a classification key to identify organisms. In this classification lesson students identify freshwater species of fish and document their observations.
National Institute of Open Schooling
Biomolecules
An informative lesson has learners read about, discuss, and study the classification, structure and importance of the following biomolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and enzymes.
Curated OER
Earth Science Lesson Plans on Geologic Time
Springboard your fourth and fifth graders into the study geologic time. They will complete 7 activities to learn about geologic time and the topics most often associated with it: astronomy, creation, planet formation, volcanology,...
Curated OER
The Age of Reason and Enlightenment
A presentation that truly covers the age of reason and enlightenment. Nearly every facet, event, and key player in 18th Century Age of Enlightenment is covered. The information is clear, easy to follow, and lends itself well to note...
Serendip
DNA Structure, Function and Replication
Before a cell replicates, its DNA must replicate. Take advantage of a hands-on guided lesson to teach budding scientists how this happens. Using a set of nucleotide cards, learners become the DNA and work to create matching strands...
Serendip
DNA
Get up close and personal with DNA! A two-part hands-on activity has learners extract DNA from a small organism and then their own cheek cells. Scholars then explore DNA replication using questions to guide their analyses.
Curated OER
Comparative Embryological Study of
Students complete two labs. They observe the fertilization and development of sea urchin and zebrafish embryos. They examine the similarities and differences in the development of an invertebrate vs. a vertebrate animal.
Curated OER
Parts of the Cell
Students examine plant and animal cells to observe the organelles present in the cell, to match the function of each to the organelle on a cell model and to build a model of the plant or animal cell.
Curated OER
Become an Expert
Students practice their researching techniques by preparing a presentation with little notice. In this information research lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to research one of several subtopics concerning panthers. Students...
Curated OER
DNA Diagnosis
Students describe the fundamentals of DNA such as structure and replication. Given a picture of a gel, they circle the band that represents the smallest DNA, the largest DNA, and show which DNA sources are the same.
Curated OER
Problem Solving in Genetic Disorders
A class of older and academically mature students are divided into pairs, usually one male and one female and are told that they are expecting a child. Unfortunately, their child may or may not have inherited some form of genetic...
Curated OER
Keep It Clean!
Fifth graders investigate the how water becomes polluted and how it effects the environment, animals, and humans. They watch a video and conduct experiments.
Curated OER
Insects Are Helpful!
Students see that insects do lots good and are very valuable to humans and nature. This is part of an ongoing effort to dispel fears of insects. They rotate through a series of centers that have examples of how insects contribute to our...
Curated OER
Niches and Adaptations
Learners present information about a species, its niche, and adaptations. In this lesson on animal environments, students explore how surroundings can affect a given population resulting in adaptation.
Curated OER
Lesson on Proteins
Learners examine the importance of proteins including their function and structure. In this protein lesson plan students play a game to help them better understand proteins.
Curated OER
Alien Invasions!
Students use video and Internet components, to gain an understanding of non-native invasive plants and animals and the ecological and monetary problems they cause.