Students examine nurse logs with hand lenses and identify animals.  In this ecosystem lesson plan, students gain understanding of the rainforest by studying nurse logs.  Students become familiar with vocabulary through their...

Students germinate a Mung Bean seed. In this seed lesson students conduct an experiment germinating a Mung Bean. They apply three different treatments to the seeds: dry, moist, and underwater incubation.

Students investigate the affect of non-native species on Pacific Salmon. For this non-native species and Pacific Salmon lesson, students participate in a competition and habitat loss game. They play the game in groups, while answering...

Students grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive species in...

Starting with a simple food chain, young scientists interpret the difference and interrelatedness between herbivores, carnivores and producers. They answer questions related to cause and effect of food chain disruptions, including the...

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...

Young scholars seek solutions to environmental problems. They discover how to conserve and protect natural resources. They examine the role of acid rain on plants and discover how to filter pollutants.

After a lesson on the human skeleton, hand out a worksheet that requires learners to identify the pelvis, rib cage, skill, spine, and thigh bones. They draw a line from the name of the bone to its location on the skeleton. Tip: Instead...

First and second graders see that everyday objects are made from a variety of materials. They interact with objects such as keys, plastic spoons, a wooden ruler, a towel, and a plastic bag. A discussion ensues which leads them to...

With The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry as the hook learners discuss the rainforest, the animals that live there, and conservation efforts. Then, students write a letter to the man in the story asking him not to cut down the Kapok...

Students study what worms need to survive in different environments. They study how worm composting improves soil and reduce waste. They discuss composting techniques and present a puppet show about a worm's life.

How does San Francisco supply its citizens with enough water, even during a drought? Learn about reservoirs and why desalination could be a good solution with a reading passage about water conservation. After kids finish the...

Students perform an activity in which they discover what happens when food chains overlap in an ecosystem and discover the three components of a food web.

Students discuss pollution and the steps in the hydrologic cycle. They follow a drop of water through a watershed simulation. They discover the components of a water cleaning system as well.

Students examine the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. For this living environment lesson, students view dinosaur video clips and define the word "extinction." Students visit the "Zoom Dinosaur" website to investigate various...

Students use the Internet to explore the four stages of a butterfly's life cycle. They make a model of a butterfly using macaroni, sticks and leaves.

Students research one of the many types of viruses. They create a 3-D model of the virus they researched with graphics software.

Students observe tadpoles as they gradually change into adults.  In this amphibian biology instructional activity, students watch tadpoles in a tank in the classroom, keep a daily record of what they observe, and chart the growth...

Second graders examine the characteristics of animals who live in a pond environment. In groups, they describe the various stages in the life of a frog and identify the characteristics of other pond animals. Using this information,...

Students explore the natural environment through a video and nature sounds tape. They keep journal's of the unit's activities and vocabulary terms. They play a web of interdependence game and compose a list of forest animals and write...

Fifth graders participate in scientific inquires regarding the concepts of photosynthesis and cell respiration. In this photosynthesis and cell respiration lesson, 5th graders describe the process of photosynthesis with relation to...

First graders study sunflower plants and identify its parts. They plant sunflower seeds and watch them grow and make sunflowers out of paper plates and colored paper. They watch videos and visit websites about sunflowers.

In a series of lessons, examine the impact on humans by microcosms in the biosphere. Among the plans structured for students with different abilities and learning styles, are activities describing the symbiotic relationship, drawing the...

Young scholars listen to the legend, Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back. They create a new moon for the calendar based on this natural part of everyday life in the seasons. They illustrate it under the story using water color paints.