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Coral Bleaching: Making Our Oceans Whiter
Students study coral reefs and the controversy over coral bleaching. They role-play a debate over the issue and come up with a compromise to protect the reefs and the economies that depend on them.
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Speedy Succession
Fifth graders investigate how a pond ecosystem can change into a prairie or grassland ecosystem. They observe a small pond ecosystem in a two liter soda bottle, and examine and record changes over a two-week period of time on a worksheet.
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Vertebrates
Students identify and describe five main groups of the Phylum Chordata. They discover that the Phylum Chordata is the vertebrates. Students identify the main difference between invertebrates and vertebrates. They read passages about...
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Animal Signs
Students discuss the many different types of animal signs that can be used to identify and track animals. They participate in an hands-on activity in which they examine tracks, trails, homes, territory markings, and even "scat" left by...
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Oceans-Coral Reefs
Second graders investigate coral reefs. In this oceanology lesson, 2nd graders discuss what constitutes a coral reef and the wildlife that lives there. Students watch a video about coral reefs and take an online quiz.
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Dynamic Wetlands
High schoolers construct and observe a model of two different types of wetlands. In this wetlands lesson, students create a model of a wetland with constant drainage and a wetland that maintains a well-saturated soil. High schoolers...
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Reducing Rain Runoff
Students compare roofing materials to determine which ones reduce rain runoff. In this rain runoff lesson plan, students use a milk carton, stickers, soil, and more to create this activity.
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Dare to Care for a Grizzly Bear
Students examine the relationship between humans and grizzly bears. In this biology lesson, students research about the bear's habits and living environment. They write a letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service petitioning them to...
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Monk Seal Research Expedition
Students study data. In this seal research lesson, students act as scientific researchers observing Monk seals in their habitat. They work in small groups to record data from a video and when through they share a piece of information...
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What Was for Dinner?
Students examine energy obtaining strategies that are used by organisms in deep reef communities. In this ocean lesson students complete an isotope activity.
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Learning From Leaves: From Observation to Inference
Students examine the adaptation of plants to their environments. They analyze and observe the structure, shape, and internal structure of various leaves, and make inferences about the structures.
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"Julie of the Wolves"
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson plan. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. ...
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Frogs and Camouflage
Students view a variety of pictures of frogs and discuss camouflage and habitat adaptation. Students look at color, skin texture, shape, size, eyes, and surroundings as well as the need for the camouflage. Students then design a frog...
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Eyes on the Estuaries
Students study estuaries and compare several ones in the U.S. In this estuary activity students interpret data and compare the distribution of different species.
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Forests/Natural Resource Management II
Students write about the importance of trees. In this natural resources lesson, students look at deforestation occurring across the globe and present what they learned to the class. As closure, all students write a poem about the...
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Save A Reef!
Students identify the major threats to coral reefs and the ways that they benefit from humans. In this coral reef conservation lesson students create a public education program on coral reefs.
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Rain Forest Animals
Students research rainforest animals from the book The Great Kapok Tree. They create an animal presentation using PowerPoint. Pupils demonstrate their comprehension of the interdependence of the animals, people, and plants in the...
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My Habitat Address
Sixth graders draw a habitat and write about what they would need to survive in the habitat. They define the input of items such as materials, energy, and information, and what goes out of the habitat. They play a "Habitat Address" game,...
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Oil Slick Emergency
Students examine how to recover and remove oil from an oil spill. In this oil spill clean-up lesson students use role play and act like a committee to determine how to clean up an oil spill.
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A Penguin is a Bird
Students compare and contrast the ways that penguins are different to flying birds.
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Making Connections, Linking Population and the Environment
Students find out that all habitats have a carrying capacity. They explore how the world's human population has grown markedly in the 20th century, and that humans impact environmental health. Students investigate that people can and...
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Breaking Away (Or Not...)
Students compare and contrast common reproductive strategies used by benthic invertebrates. They describe the most common reproductive strategies among benthic invertebrates on a seamount, and explain why these strategi
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Monsters of the Deep
Students describe major features of cold seep communities and list the organisms that are typical in these communities. In this deep sea environment lesson students work in groups and research their given cold seep group.
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One Tough Worm
Students explain the process of chemosynthesis and its relevance to biological communities. In this investigative activity students discuss chemosynthetic communities, then in groups they are assigned a species and are to calculate the...