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Discovering the Oasis
Students focus on the types of vegetation and animal life living around local water sources. This lesson can be adapted to any local water source, whether it be a lake, a river, stream or ocean. It has a particular focus on the bird...
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Survivor
Seventh graders investigate changes in the ecosystem within the school year. They see that ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms are dynamic and change over time. They, in groups, collect data in quadrants in the fall,...
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Rain Gardens for Controlling Excess Runoff
Students address the idea that human beings live within the world' ecosystems. They discuss how humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Students discuss how the human destruction of...
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Gwynns Falls
Learners investigate the question: What is the impact of urban development and expansion on the health of a decidious forest ecosystem and humans? They examine the issue of land development by responding to a specific scenario and...
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Bat Habitat
Ninth graders engage in a lesson plan to find the role of bats in the complexity of certain ecosystems. They identify where bats live and the daily role played in the ecosystem. Students also construct a bat house to help control the...
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Ecological Organization
Pupils examine the concepts in the ecological organization unit. In this ecological lesson students explore news articles that have to do with the study of ecology.
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Fisheries Research Methods
Students explore how scientists keep track of fish populations and why it is important to do so. They describe three methods currently used to sample fish populations. They participate in activities to simulate several of the sampling...
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Introduction to Simulation Project
Learners create a simulated self-sustaining ecosystem. In this biology lesson, students examine the different food chain and ecosystems in their model. They recommend some improvements and changes to an existing ecosystem.
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Illinois' Habitats Happening
Students use the scientific inquiry method to examine the ecosystems and biomes in Illinois. Using the characteristics of a local habitat, they identify the best conditions for an ecosystem to survive and how a slight change can damage...
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Land Use
Students examine ecosystems that covered Illinois 200 years ago, investigate some living and non-living components of ecosystems, identify components of prairie system, create food webs, and observe human effects on environment. Lessons...
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A Living Watershed
Students, through this series of lessons, use local resources, speakers, print and video materials, as well as standard text materials to study the ecosystem of the local watershed.
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The Effect of Medications on Daphnia
Students explore how human beings affect the world's ecosystem by examining the affects of medication on daphnia, a small freshwater organism very sensitive to pollution. Students use a computer model to repeat the experiment and analyze...
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Forest Management
Students explore the changes in the Sequoia forest ecosystem. They evaluate reasons for the changes and discuss opposing views of human activity, logging and fire management practices. Students observe a video, describe the location of...
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Identifying trophic levels and the skeletal system through Owl Pellets
Students identify a food chain sequence. They compare, identify, and record the rodent skeletal parts to a rodent skeletal diagram. Students construct a rodent skeleton from the skeletal parts found in the pellet. They are given the...
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A Coastal Arctic Food Web
Students create a food web of the arctic ecosystem. In this biology lesson, students explain how global warming affects this ecosystem. They explain how losing a species affects the entire community.
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Vocabulary: Kansas Prairies
Students explore the ecosystem by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this environmental awareness lesson, students identify the differences between abiotic and biotic factors and their relationship to the Earth. Students define...
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It's all Interconnected
Students participate in a number of activities to investigate the food web, species extinction, predators and prey, and biological diversity.
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Ecotourism in National Parks and Wilderness
Students develop a plan for ecotourism after researching a nearby national park or wild area.
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Reading the River
In collaborative groups, young ecologists measure the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen for three different freshwater samples. They examine each sample with a microscope and record observations on the microorganisms in the pond...
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Tropical Forest Food Chain
Learners explore the interdependence of the animals and plants in tropical rainforests. They explore the importance of conserving biodiversity and tropical food chains. They create a tropical forest food chain and identify species that...
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Mussel Ecology
Students are introduced to the marine environment of the mussel. The emphasis of the lesson is upon what human factors are present to influence the environment in positive and negative ways. They brainstorm in groups in order to conduct...
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Bye-Bye Bison
Fourth graders investigate the bison's struggle for survival. They discuss the importance of bison while participating in an role playing activity showing how important the food supply and surroundings are to their survival.
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Cicada Invasion
Students consider how some animals, periodical cicadas, survive well in a particular environment due to the species' life cycle. They have a discussion about life cycles and how a particular species' life cycle helps it to survive....
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Periodical Cicada Survival
Students explore defense mechanisms involved in predatory/prey relationships.They engage in a discussion about predatory/prey interactions. They reflect on the life cycle and behavior of the cicada.