Curated OER
Richmond Nature Park Field Trip
Students identify different plants and their uses by attending a field trip. In this Canadian plant instructional activity, students explore the great outdoors of Vancouver, B.C. and discuss the uses of plants by the Native Americans...
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Creek Monitoring
Sixth graders conduct a variety of assessments at a local stream to determine if it is a suitable habitat for salmon. They measure temperature, tubidity, dissolved oxygen, pH levels, bacteria and nutrients. In this unit, 6th graders work...
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What's That Brown Fuzzy Stuff on My Plum?
Students use Koch's Postulates to determine that a specific organism is the root cause of a specific disease and identify what Koch's Postulates are within a protocol. They describe symptoms and signs of diseased fruit and isolate fungal...
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Eat Your Flowers
Students grow flowers in different soil mediums to determine the effect on flavor. In this investigative lesson plan students study flowers, plant them and taste them to see how they differ in different potting soils.
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Rosa Parks Community Garden
Students explore gardening and nutrition in the Rosa Parks Community Garden. They work in stations to discuss food choices, the life cycles of plants, and mini-composting. After starting in one station, they rotate to try each activity.
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Ecosystems - Plants and Animals Together
Students study the biotic and abiotic factors of an environment. For this exploratory lesson students examine the different trophic levels and how organisms are connected.
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Bugs in the Woods
Second graders identify insects and plants in the forest ecosystem in a structured field trip with stations and activity booklets. In this bugs lesson, 2nd graders explore the ecosystem of the forest, complete the booklet and play...
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Soybeans in Space
Students work together to design an experiment that compares and contrasts differnet plant cultivation systems. In groups, they evaluate the results of the experiment to discover if the cultivation system could be used in space. They...
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Carnivorous Plants: A Bugs Nightmare!
Students research carnivorous plants and how they trap insects. They role play as botanists to write a research field guide about a newly discovered imaginary carnivorous plant.
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Mini-Ecosystems
Students use plastic bottles to create terrariums and plant Venus Flytraps. They observe the plants and the terrariums for illustrations of the water cycle and species' adaptations to a specific environment.
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Weeds on the Windowsill
Students study farming and reasons to control weeds. They examine pesticides necessary for the control of weeds and the damage to the environment. Through experimentation, students plant seeds in different soils and determine if seeds...
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Vegetable Twister
Students review vegetables and their nutrient values and production. In this vegetable production worksheet, students read information about the nutrients in vegetables and how they are grown. Students participate in a game of Twister to...
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Plants
Second graders examine the characteristics of plants. As a class, they brainstorm a list of items plants need in order to survive. In groups, they complete various experiments in which they discover the functions of the parts of the plant.
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Making a Human Tree
Students explore botany by defining the anatomy of a tree. In this environmental exploration lesson, students research plant vocabulary terms and discuss the uses of each word. Students create a "human" tree by role-playing as one of the...
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An Investigation into Effects of Rhizobium Soil Bacteria on Nitrogen Availability
Young scholars identify the control and the variables in the experiment. They describe the growth of plants with and without nitrogen fixing bacteria, then name the bacterium responsible for making nitrogen available to the plant.
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Your Blooming Pond
Young scholars model a pond system that becomes enriched with nutrients (fertilizer). They manipulate variables, make observations over time, and draw conclusions that may lead to further inquiry. They, in groups, simulate a pond...
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Learning From Leaves: Adaptation Scavenger Hunt
Students participate in an adaptation scavenger hunt at. They obtain various plant specimens, and sort the plants based on whether they came from a desert, tropical rainforest, or wetlands.
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Aquatic Ecosystems
Students study ponds and wetland ecosystems and examine the food chains and webs in them. For this aquatic ecosystems lesson students answer questions about the diversity of the flora and fauna in a pond.
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Aquaculture Production in the Classroom
High schoolers study the basics of aquaculture and how to successfully raise aquatic plants and animals. In this water lesson students perform water quality tests on fish tanks, record and graph their results.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Role of Plants in Water Filtration
Investigate the amazing ability of plants to filter contaminants from water with this series of in-class demonstrations. After placing six small, potted plants in plastic cups, different solutions and mixtures are poured into them that...
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Eutrophication Lab
Students examine the effects of detergents and fertilizers on aquatic life and describe algae. Students define the term eutrophication as the process by which a body of water, such as a pond, lake, stream, or river, has a sudden increase...
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Soil Type and Management
Students study the basics of soil science. They research and gather data through readings, videos, and performance of laboratory investigations. As a team they generate oral and written recommendations for the amendment of soil.
Forest Foundation
Forest Health
Young foresters examine the strategies, like prescribed burns and thinning, that are employed to ensure healthy forests.