Curated OER
Mark, Recapture, Sampling
Learners conduct a simulation to explore how scientists estimate the size of animal populations. They analyze a random sample and then extrapolate those results to a larger population. Additionally, they will apply the principals of...
EngageNY
Margin of Error When Estimating a Population Proportion (part 2)
Error does not mean something went wrong! Learners complete a problem from beginning to end using concepts developed throughout the last five lessons. They begin with a set of data, determine a population proportion, analyze their result...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Immigration 2004: Issues for the Presidential Election And a Sample Department of Justice Naturalization Test (can You Pass?)
Learners read several handouts regarding immigration and naturalization. They complete the citizenship practice test and determine whether they would pass the naturalization test given to immigrants. They discuss how the issue of...
Curated OER
Sampling Variation in a Natural Population
Students examine the phenotypic variation within a natural population of a single species. They collect data on the species and analyze the data using statistical/spreadsheet software. Students interpret their results and present their...
Omaha Zoo
Monitoring Amphibians
What sort of shoes do frogs wear? Open toad sandals. If your scholars want experience collecting field samples, this is the instructional activity for you. After learning the proper way to collect field samples, pupils catch amphibians...
NOAA
Invertebrates
Crabs and lobsters ... yum! The 18th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program focuses on invertebrate marine life. After the lecture slideshow, learners conduct an activity to sample...
Curated OER
Insect Monitoring
Students practice the scientific method in the classroom, either in preparation or as a substitution for real-world field experience. They examine a simulated biodiversity research situation, using a "mini-plot" or
sampling square...
Curated OER
Middle East: Land, Resouces, and Economics
Learners identify and describe major geographical features of the Middle East and explain how these features and other natural resources influence the economy of the area. Then they research one of the middle-eastern countries listed,...
NOAA
What Killed the Seeds?
Can a coral cure cancer? Take seventh and eighth grade science sleuths to the underwater drugstore for an investigation into emerging pharmaceutical research. The fifth installment in a series of six has classmates research the wealth of...
Michigan State University
Bug Lyphe!
Introduce ecology classes to biodiversity and interdependence in ecosystems with a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they get up-close and personal with the invertebrate world by collecting insects, classifying them, and graphing their...
Curated OER
School Forest
Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity. In this biodiversity lesson, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment. Students also locate...
Curated OER
Beetle Collection and Release
Students investigate plants and compare them to the purple loose strife. As they observe the plants they predict possible impacts on plant populations based on their observations. They work in groups and present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Assessing the quality of habitat for Monarch Butterflies
Students use different sampling methods to determine the population size and appropriate space for monarch butterflies. In this averages lesson plan, students complete word problems where they can accurately estimate the size of an...
Curated OER
From Restriction Maps to Cladograms
Biology aces analyze restriction maps to determine the relationships among different primate species and then complete a cladogram. Preface this instructional activity with an explanation of how restriction enzymes are used to create the...
Curated OER
Quadrat Sampling 101
Students explore the population of grass plants in a given area. They plan and conduct a sampling activity to estimate the population of dandelions or the number of grass blades on the school grounds.
Curated OER
Ecology: Factors Influencing Animal Populations
Learners assess the factors affecting animal populations. Working in groups they define specific vocabulary terms and complete several activities from "Project Wild."
Curated OER
Clay Hill Animal Sampling
Students create animal print casts from molds in the classroom. They use the cast patterns to identify animal prints on a field trip in which they locate animal tracks, identify the location with GPS and create field casts of the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
Curated OER
Biological Succession in a Microecosystem
Young scholars investigate the concept of biological succession by simulating the process in a microenvironment with various microorganisms. By engaging in a lab, students determine the factors causing succession and learn population...
Curated OER
Wetland vs. Stream Macroinvertebrates
A link to a comprehensive macroinvertebrate guide gives you the information needed to prepare for this field study activity. Sample macroinvertebrates are collected from areas representing different environmental conditions. Junior...
Virginia Department of Education
Organisms in Symbiosis
Searching for an activity that allows emerging biologists to explore symbiosis up close and personal? Pupils collect samples and view lichens through a microscope and conclude with a discussion about the relationship they have...
Curated OER
Don't Let the Earth Down
Although recycling is definitely beneficial, reducing our waste and conserving our natural resources should really be the focus of environmentalists. Encourage the future generation to create a public service announcement about a...
Nuffield Foundation
Following Gene Transfer by Conjugation in Bacteria
After the lab, you'll be able to solve this analogy: Natural selection is to vertical transfer of genes as ___ is to the horizontal transfer of genes. Young biologists conduct an experiment on E. coli bacteria to explore the process of...