Curated OER
The Intertidal Zone
Students research the diverse animal and plant life that inhabit the intertidal zones along the Pacific rocky coast. As students progress through this lesson, they begin to recognize distinct behaviors, adaptations, and characteristics...
Curated OER
Fish Fashion 101
Students explore fish anatomy. In this fish anatomy and adaptation lesson, students define and identify the location of fish body parts. Students add these parts of a fish's anatomy to a life-sized fish costume worn by a student. ...
Curated OER
Water Quality and Temperature
Students evaluate the effects of temperature changes on the metabolic rate of a clam. Conclusion questions are addressed which help students to process and articulate their experiences.
Curated OER
Pond and Pond Organisms
Students explore pond ecosystems. In this pond organism activity, students will use pond water and a plastic bad in order to locate and identify freshwater organisms. The activity is designed for younger grades, but...
Curated OER
Assessing Water Quality in a Local Creek by Sampling Aquatic Macroinvertabrets
Pupils experiment collecting macroinvertebrates from a stream and identify the specimens collected and then log in the information into a data table. From the data, they make qualitative and quantitative interpretations of water quality.
Curated OER
ProjectWILD Aquatic: Migration Headache
Young scholars explore the important factors that affect habitat quality and the associated survival of migratory water bird populations. They discuss an organisms dependency upon a variety of habitats and habitat quality. Students play...
Curated OER
Land Plants and Algae
Students compare and contrast algae and land plants. In this plant lesson students discover what algae and land plants require for growth. The students discuss experimental design. The students experiment with different treatments of...
Curated OER
Plant Lifecycles
Students examine the life cycle of plants. In this plants lesson, students identify the various stages of plants and their parts. Students compare the life cycle of a plant with that of an animal. Activities suggested can be modified for...
Curated OER
World of the Pond
Field trip! The class will review what they know about organisms that dwell in freshwater ponds, then trek down to the old water hole to collect specimens for examination. This includes several web links, useful tips, and an excellent...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Food for Thought: Climate Change and Trophic Cascades
Learners examines the arctic food web with a short video about polar bears and an article about bears and warming temperatures. They design an arctic food web and discuss the trophic cascade that could come from climate...
Prince William Network
The Incredible Journey
Divide your school gym into breeding grounds and non-breeding grounds so that your zoologists can play a game simulating the seasonal migration of shorebirds. Players pick one of the included game cards and follow its directions, which...
Curated OER
Historical Pollution in the Hudson: Part 2
Ninth graders practice how to format and enter data into an Excel spreadsheet, make a graph, and interpret graphed data. They recognize how the pollution in the Hudson River has changed over time, and explain the consequences of these...
Wild BC
Greenhouse Gas Guzzlers
Teams of six to eight players imagine that they are driving in a vehicle and collect balls that represent carbon dioxide emissions based on their different activities. "Greenhouse Gas Guzzler" cards tell teams how many balls to collect...
Curated OER
The Wonderful World of Slugs
Examine a slug? Of course, what else would a 2nd grader do with it? Pupils use clues and go on a slug hunt, read a slug story, or make a cooperative group mural of a slug's habitat. While older learners catalog slugs, go on a slug hunt,...
Curated OER
Is Our Water Healthy?
Students test water for a least one chemical characteristic. They hypothesize how a storm event might change the chemical characteristics of a stream. Students collect water samples and use the chemical test to test the water.
Curated OER
How Much Water is in That River?
Students practice measurement using the Hudson River. They calculate the discharge measurement at a location on the Hudson River using ingenuity and a topographic map.
Curated OER
Go Fish!
Students are introduced to the culture of the Kumeyaay. Using their text, they discover how they used their native flora and fauna in San Diego. They participate in a matching game and examine the types of organisms who make their home...
Curated OER
Wetland Habitats
Eighth graders explore the program Alice and the Internet to research wetland habitats. In this habitat lesson plan students build their own Alice world that includes wetland habitats, food sources and ways to protect the...
Michigan Sea Grant
Food Web II
A food web consists of complex food chains and the more complex the web, the better likelihood of survival. Learners compare and contrast food webs and food chains and discuss concepts like the predator-prey and consumer-producer...
Curated OER
Water Quality And pH
Young scholars determine the pH level of water and its effect on aquatic plants and brine shrimp eggs. This is a three part lesson that leads the student through the development of an understanding of water pH. They form a hypothesis and...
Curated OER
Roaming Biomes
Students use the Internet to research the capabilities of earth-observation satellites. Using the information, they write a report on how remote-sensing technology is used to measure the impact of climate change. They identify the...
Curated OER
Precious Water: Is it a Need, a Right, or a Commodity?
Students determine whether water is a need, a right, or a commodity. In this water instructional activity, students investigate land and water ecosystems through activities. Students also discover water as a resource and energy source as...
Curated OER
What A Tangled Web We Weave
Learners of many ages discuss how all organisms rely on other organisms for their survival. They construct a food web and energy pyramids, and write an informative essay about the food web that they have designed.
Curated OER
Empty Oceans
In groups of four, pupils brainstorm about seafood. They view the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website to examine the problems caused by the seafood industry. Learners are then brought back together to discuss what they...