Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eutrophication Lab

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners 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...
Lesson Plan
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Cooking Up the Scientific Method

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify the different steps of the scientific method. In this life science lesson, 1st graders apply this method when conducting a series of hands-on activities. They collect data and write observations in their journals.
Lesson Plan
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Entering the Twilight Zone

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students describe major features of cold-seep communities and the process of chemosynthesis as it relates to organisms in each habitat.  In this deep-sea habitats lesson, students study the categorization of ocean habitats...
Lesson Plan
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The MPA “GamePlan”

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the purpose of having Marine Protected Areas. In this environmental science lesson, 8th graders simulate the planning process by playing a board game. They explain the positive and negative effects of trade offs.
Lesson Plan
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Coasts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explain the different types of marine coasts and where they are located in the United States and its territories. They explain and identify some of the life forms that inhabit different marine coastal regions.
Lesson Plan
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Mystery Boxes: Uncertainty and Collaboration

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students manipulate boxes with unknown internal structure and contents to become familiar with the concept of uncertainty in science.
Lesson Plan
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Cell Study

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students (females) are introduced to the cell. They discuss what a cell is, and students define what a cell is. Students comprehend that all living things are made up of cells. They comprehend that life is defined as something that...
Lesson Plan
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Friendly Volcanoes

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students discuss the benefits of volcanic activity on marine life. They explain the process of tectonic plates.
Lesson Plan
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What Makes Up a Healthy Watershed

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners, after observing the elements of a local watershed, explore the need to protect watersheds as water resources for the future. They examine the factors involved with a watershed: geology, ecology, and the effect of man's...
Lesson Plan
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Puberty/Adolescence Overview

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Young scholars inquire about life science by completing a worksheet in class. In this human sexuality lesson, students define the physical and emotional changes which occur to male and female young scholars during adolescence and...
Lesson Plan
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Deep Lights

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students investigate materials that emit light. In this deep ocean lesson, students compare and contrast materials that emit light under certain conditions and infer the light-producing process. They explain three ways this evidence is...
Lesson Plan
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Butterfly Adventure

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students in second grade are paired with fifth grade computer research buddies. They observe the characteristics of caterpillars, and identify the four stages of the caterpillar to butterfly life cycle. They graph the number of...
Lesson Plan
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Using and Creating a Dichotomous Key

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students assess what a dichotomous key is and how it identifies objects in a group through a process of answering yes/no-type questions about certain objects. They examine an interactive graphic key on sea turtles and then create their...
Lesson Plan
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Living Light

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain bioluminescence. In this life science lesson, students discuss bioluminescence and conjure examples of organisms that carry this trait and how it is useful in their environment.
Lesson Plan
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Prosthetic Party

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students examine human anatomy by creating a prosthetic limb.  In this medical engineering lesson, students view numerous images of prosthetics used in science today and define several medical terms associated with prosthetics....
Lesson Plan
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How Plants Help Us Breathe

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discuss how humans breathe and how plants help us to stay alive. In groups, they identify and label the different parts of plants and describe their functions. They compare and contrast the ways plants and animals breathe...
Lesson Plan
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Frosty the Snowman Meets His Demise: An Analogy to Carbon Dating

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners read and discuss an article about carbon dating, then participate in a hands-on lab to discover how carbon dating works. Students also write a letter to a friend explaining the process, and how archeologists use the process to...
Lesson Plan
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Photosynthesis

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct a variety of experiments on photosynthesis. In this biology lesson, students identify the factors required for the process to occur. They perform computerized experiments to test the amount of oxygen produced when plants...
Worksheet
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Absolute Ages of Rocks

For Students 7th - 10th
In this age of rocks worksheet, students answer five matching questions about terms related to the decay of atoms. They use a strip of paper to simulate half life of atoms and determine the total amount of time it took to deplete the paper.
Lesson Plan
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Natural Inquirer

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars explore the research process. In this scientific method instructional activity, students analyze data from an article, write their own informational article and express what they have learned. Young scholars create their...
Lesson Plan
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Soil Treasure Hunt

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore the concept of soil and decomposition. In this soil and decomposition lesson, students investigate bags of soil. Students then learn how  animals and other organisms help in the decomposition process. 
Lesson Plan
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The Sky is Falling!!

For Teachers 1st
First graders complete a variety of activities about fall. They study a plant's life cycle and what happens to plants in the fall. They make leaf rubbings and discuss seed dispersal. They write a creative story about a seed and visit a...
Lesson Plan
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Cells

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the cell and cell processes. They create "cytoplasm", make a model of the cell and its organelles, and simulate the osmosis and the diffusion of materials into and out of the cell.
Lesson Plan
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The Water Cycle

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify organisms and processes involved in three cycles: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle. They produce a pictorial or abstract water cycle, and appropriately place life forms onto an existing...