This lesson plan allows students to read about bee bodies, draw, label, and describe bee body parts.
Lesson plan from OER Commons via Sweet Virginia Foundation
https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75846/overview

This unit on matter cycling and photosynthesis begins with students reflecting on what they ate for breakfast. Students are prompted to consider where their food comes from and consider which breakfast items might be from plants. Then students taste a common breakfast food, maple syrup, and see that according to the label, it is 100% from a tree.

Based on the preceding unit, students argue that they know what happens to the sugar in syrup when they consume it. It is absorbed into the circulatory system and transported to cells in their body to be used for fuel. Students explore what else is in food and discover that food from plants, like bananas, peanut butter, beans, avocado, and almonds, not only have sugars but proteins and fats as well. This discovery leads them to wonder how plants are getting these food molecules and where a plant’s food comes from.

The goal of this lesson is to introduce students who are interested in human biology and biochemistry to the subtleties of energy metabolism (typically not presented in standard biology and biochemistry textbooks) through the lens of ATP as the primary energy currency of the cell. Avoiding the details of the major pathways of energy production (such as glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation), this lesson is focused exclusively on ATP, which is truly the fuel of life. Starting with the discovery and history of ATP, this lesson will walk the students through 8 segments (outlined below) interspersed by 7 in-class challenge questions and activities, to the final step of ATP production by the ATP synthase, an amazing molecular machine. A basic understanding of the components and subcellular organization (e.g. organelles, membranes, etc.) and chemical foundation (e.g. biomolecules, chemical equilibrium, biochemical energetics, etc.) of a eukaryotic cell is a desired prerequisite, but it is not a must. Through interactive in-class activities, this lesson is designed to spark the students’ interest in biochemistry and human biology as a whole, but could serve as an introductory lesson to teaching advanced concepts of metabolism and bioenergetics in high school depending on the local science curriculum. No supplies or materials are needed.

This activity is a brief introduction to adaptations as the group observes a live organism together. Adaptations are inheritable structures and behaviors that help a group of organisms survive in their habitat. Students start out observing an organisms’ structures, trying to figure which might help it survive in its habitat and which are inheritable. Then, they do the same with behaviors: attempting to figure out which ones are behavioral adaptations. To build understanding of a complex concept like adaptations, students need multiple exposures to it, which is why this activity should be followed by other adaptations-focused activities.

Students will plan and design an imaginary organism that lives in the Temperate Deciduous Forest, Tropical Rainforest, or Desert. Students will then identify three adaptations of this animal, and determine how the adaptations of that animal may respond to a change in the ecosystem.

Tribal communities in southeastern Alaska are partnering with federal and state agencies to investigate increasing harmful algal blooms—events that pose human health risks to subsistence harvesters.

This is a lesson plan for activities intended to teach students what a habitat is, some of the types of habitats found around the world, and different animals that live in them.  It includes a discussion about the word, photos depicting various habitats, a game of guessing where a particular anmimal would live, a decodable/rebus page about habitats, and a drawing page/class book showing an animal in its habitat.   cover photo:"White Tigers, Singapore Zoo {Explore}" by Eustaquio Santimano is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

This is a lesson intended to help kindergarten students connect animal habitats to how those animals meet their need for water, food, shelter, and space.

This lesson takes students through 3 iPad apps to explore and explain animal habitats. Students will use the drawing tool in Pages to complete two pictures of animal habitats, use Keynote to follow links to San Diego zoo cameras and record their own audio describing the exhibits, and finally use iMovie to record themselves in their favorite animal habitat!*The thumbnail image was taken by Lindsay Stahl at the Living Planet Aquarium

This project is designed to help students create a short documentary film using the information they gathered to create an animal report. It can be used after writing an animal report or can be adapted to be used as the actual animal report. It can be designed to appear as a documentary series with all students having the same title opening, or be completely standalone. Students will be learning to find creative commons photos and videos to use in their film. They will create their film using iMovie on their iPads. Brown-Throated three-toed sloth female face.jpg- Wikimedia Commons

This in an Animal Unit designed for third grade science curriculum. It includes information on animal life cycles, inherited traits, and habitats.

Finding and eradicating invasive plants is a tough job that requires constant vigilance. County-scale maps that show where invasive plants are and where they have the potential to spread in the future are helping on-the-ground efforts to build the resilience of natural vegetation.

The axolotl is a Mexican salamander with an incredible ability: Cut its leg off, and the limb will grow right back! How it does this and why humans can't is still a bit of a mystery. Researchers like Susan Bryant of UC Irvine are studying these amphibians to understand the underlying mechanisms for their miraculous regenerative powers.

Yogurt is the byproduct of hungry bacteria that digest the lactose in milk. You can make more yogurt just by feeding the bacteria more milk.

In forested areas, students are often intrigued by mysterious sticks covered in carved tunnels–but students often think the patterns were made by human artists or termites. After students complete this activity, they’ll have the skills to identify bark beetle galleries, to make explanations about the patterns of beetle galleries, and to interpret what these tracks tell us about the life history of the organisms that made them.

In an optional discussion, students can consider outbreak levels of bark beetles that cause the death of many trees, make arguments based on evidence about possible effects on ecosystems, then brainstorm and critique possible management strategies. An optional extension for investigating student questions about bark beetles is also included.

This is an introductory lesson to get students ready to learn about macromolecules and how they can change through photosynethesis and respiration. They will learn how molecules bond and how it can change and bond with many different molecules. "Graduated cylinders and beaker filled with chemical compounds" by Horia Varlan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This is an introductory lesson to get students ready to learn about macromolecules and how they can change through photosynethesis and respiration. They will learn how molecules bond and how it can change and bond with many different molecules. "Graduated cylinders and beaker filled with chemical compounds" by Horia Varlan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This resource is a Nearpod lesson about learning the adaptations and features of raptors. It was created as part of the Reimagine Teaching program by HawkWatch International. HawkWatch International is a non-profit organization in Salt Lake City, Utah that works to protect raptors and our shared environment through scientific research and public education.

Hunt for prey and discover the meaning of evolutionary “fitness” in this physically active group game. In this simulation game, teams of predators equipped with genetically different “mouths” (utensils) hunt for “prey” (assorted beans). Over several “generations” of play, the fittest among the predators and prey dominate the population, modeling the evolutionary process of natural selection.