University of Southern California
Human Impact on the Sea
How far does the human hand reach? Five interactive lessons lead classes through a unit exploring the human impact on ocean resources, pollution, and even extinction. Learners discover how their decisions affect the ocean environment...
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ME402: Growth of Yeast
Students investigate the growth of yeast in a sugar solution. They verify the pressure of carbon dioxide using bromothymol blue. Students are asked to describe the difference between the contents of the test tubes used and to explain...
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The Changing Coral Reef
Students record changes in the composition of a coral reef. In this Coral Reef lesson, students recognize the needs of Coral Reef species to survive. Students chart changes in population over time. Students write an essay about factors...
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Where Growth Meets Growth
Students discuss fire risk factors for a property located near a wildland area. In this science lesson plan, students identify, number, and provide reasons for areas of increased risk on a worksheet they think should be changed. Students...
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How Many Birds Would It Take To Keep A Jackal Alive?
Middle schoolers examine the role of large families in some animal populations. They work together to complete an activity related to food supply. They discover the relationship between preys and predators.
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Monumental Disappearance
Fourth graders compare the emissions listed on the EPA isopleths over the past five-year period for ten key states. They use this information to rank each region according to the degree of acid rain problem in those parts of the United...
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Nature of Science and Ecology
Students identify the different biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem. In this ecology lesson, students perform a case study on current environmental problems. They write a position statement about their chosen topic and share it...
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Ecology
Students gain an understanding of necessary components required within a healthy, sustainable environment and ways human actions can impact that balance while discovering how to recognize and analyze explanations and models used in...
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Some Similarities Between the Spread of an Infectious Disease and Population Growth
Students compare and contrast the spread of infectious diseases and population growth. In this biology instructional activity, students identify the exponential growth pattern of spreading diseases. They relate this to HIV infection and...
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Food Web Follies
Seventh graders cut and paste animal pictures to create a food web and trace the path of energy. They write a paragraph explaining the importance of photosynthesis in all food webs.
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Wild Animal Science
Students discover how environmental factors impact the survival of a population. In this landscape design lesson, students create a new animal and discuss the relationship between the animal and its environment before creating a habitat...
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Farming in a Fishbowl: How Ethnic Groups in
Seventh graders research Chinese agricultural needs and practices. They conduct an experiment with aquaculture and germinated rice as they take measurements and apply the scientific method.
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Predator/Prey Relationship
Students study and analyze data collected on the relationship between the snowshoe hare and lynx in Canada over a 28 year period and create a graph. Students also write a response to a proposal to reduce the lynx population.
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Introduction to Biomes
Fifth graders use scientific skills and processes to recognize how living things depend on one another and on the environment for survival and the human use of natural resources impacts the environment. Explain how Earth's surface...
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Genetic Disorders with Cultural Roots: International Insects
Students recognize that certain populations have specific genetic disorders that could benefit or harm them in their environment, work out punnett square problems and infer offspring probabilities from results, and provide advantages and...
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Connect the Species
Fourth graders, in pairs, explore energy transfer and species interrelationships by viewing slides on a microscope. hey explore phytoplankton (producers) and zooplankton (consumers)
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Oceanography
Fifth graders use scientific skills and processes to recognize how living things depend on one another and on the environment for survival and that the human use of natural resources impacts the environment. They research how Earth's...
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Marine & Aquatic Habitats Activities - Marine Ecology
Students enact the life cycle of a sessile animal and quantify the possibility of survival under the conditions given. They then present to the class a new adaptation which will increase the animals chance of survival.
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Saving the Bay
Students investigate water pollution prevention. In this ecology wastewater instructional activity, students activate prior knowledge about sewage, then view a video explaining the waste water sewage system used in the San Francisco Bay...
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Ecology
Students research ecology terms, define the terms, given examples of the term, and present the term to the class. In this ecology terms lesson plan, students use PowerPoint to present their term.
University of South Carolina
Home Sweet Home
Fifth graders will research a biome (land or aquatic) and create a project (diorama, model or another idea of the student's choosing) which includes the geographic features of that biome as well as plants and animals found there and...
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Radish Seed Garden
Fifth graders explore the effects of overpopulation in an ecosystem while applying the scientific method. They discuss overpopulation and its meaning. Students as an organism competes for space in an overpopulated area. They plant...
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Field Experiments on Succession
Student develop a hypothesis regarding the effects of either mowing or fertilizer upon the diversity of plant species in a grassland ecosystem. They set up experiment field plots and measure species richness.
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Estuarine Habitats
Sixth graders study the important habitats, flora, fauna, and physical factors of coastal habitats. They compare the aquatic habitats to terrestrial habitats by researching and completing tables with the information.