Lesson Plan
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Section One: What is Biodiversity?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Four intriguing and scientific activities invite learners to explore the natural resources of their town. The activities cover concepts such as genetic traits, organizing species in a taxonomy, the differences between different species...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigation of Meiosis in Common Plants and Animals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students witness various stages of mitosis through preparing onion root tip slides. With teacher guidance, they learn a great deal through the hands-on process of preparing the slides themselves.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Capillary Action And Transpiration

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students engage in a study of the concepts of biology with plants known as capillary action and transpiration. They conduct a simple experiment to demonstrate the concept. The lesson includes a background discussion led by the teacher...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recyclers Revisited

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders observe their plant experiments that they started in a previous lesson and examine the role of decomposers in the nitrogen cycle. Two weeks after they set up a worm terrarium, they analyze any changes they observe, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Purple Loosestrife a Problem in Our County?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars identify purple loosestrife and see where the local infestations are.  In this plant species instructional activity students record their observations and complete an activity. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Allelopathy Experiments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore how allelopathy works in plants. In this botany instructional activity, students explain how this phenomenon affect other organisms. They read and analyze an article about allelopathy and discuss its flaws.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do You Need What I Need?

For Teachers 3rd
Student identify the basic human needs. In this life science lesson plan, 3rd graders compare the needs of plants, animals and humans. They apply what they have learned by playing a survival team game.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Growing Plants with Worm Castings

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students test worm castings for content and use them to grow seeds. They hypothesize which castings best sustain seed growth. They observe growing plants to test their hypotheses. Later they graph their data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Effects of Seed Soaking on Germination

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain the standard growth pattern of a monocot seedling and word process a finished essay.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cell Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate cells. They discover what cells are, where they are found, what they do and what they are made of. They construct a giant cell that is posted on the bulletin board.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Are The Dinosaurs?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine the concept of extinction in relationship to the dinosaurs. In this elementary science lesson plan students become familiar with dinosaurs and that they are extinct. Students differentiate between different types of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flower Powder

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars collect and observe pollen. In this plant reproduction biology lesson, students use pollen boards to collect pollen from flowers, then match it with the correct paper flowers. Young scholars move artificial bees from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature Superfish

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the behavior or ocean animals called  billfish. In this life science lesson, students create their own documentary about a local animal. They share their videos with the entire school.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deep Jungle: New Frontiers

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners watch a series of videos and observe the different plants and animals found in the rainforests. In this ecology lesson, students discuss how technology helped scientists study the jungle. They create 3D maps of Borneo rainforests.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can Photosynthesis Occur at Saturn?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify the different requirements for photosynthesis to take place. For this space science lesson, students simulate conditions in Saturn to investigate if photosynthesis is possible there. They use data and observations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eating the Rainbow: A Student's Guide to Healthy Foods That Grow

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the nutritional value of different foods. In this health science lesson, 3rd graders create a daily log of the foods they eat and categorize them. They plan a healthy menu for their family.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WET Science Lesson #3: Comparison of Aquatic and Terrestrial Plants

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Elementary life science explorers compare and contrast aquatic and terrestrial plants (elodea and soybeans) in a Venn diagram. Some background information is provided to support direct instruction, and general instructions are provided...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When Dinosaurs Ruled

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils research about plants and animals during Triassic period. In this earth science lesson, students draw pictures of their chosen plants and plants for the bulletin board. They present their project in class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Testing Soils for Garden Planting

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders collect soil samples and record the location of the samples by using GPS.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biology: Creative Cells

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students use various snacks to make large models of human cells. Items such as gumballs, gummy worms, and jelly beans represent the nucleus, golgi bodies, and mitochondria. As each piece of candy is added, the teacher explains what it...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Motion: The Untold Secrets

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars identify and categorize knowledge needed to design an experiment. They observe, recognize and describe the motion viewed. They document any changes caused by various solutions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure and Function of Seeds

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students study the functions of seeds. In this biology lesson plan, students observe the structure of a seed as they show the function of the cotyledons in providing nourishment to the plant during the early times after germination.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parts of the Cell

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers 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.

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