The Future's
in the Genes
A lesson
plan for grades 3-5 from Education
World.
From Jeans to
Genes
A middle
school lesson plan introducing
students to the structure of chromosomes.
Our Genes/Our Choices
Five lesson plans for grades
6-8 or 9-12 from PBS.
The Genome: Controversy
for All Times
A secondary unit examining
the ethical and moral issues
surrounding research into
mapping the human genome.
Whose Life Is It?
A high school lesson plan
that uses a fictional story to
examine some of the ethical and
values issues related to human cloning.
The Clone Age
A
lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education.
Evolution
Lesson Plans
Understanding Evolution
From the
Evolution Wing,
this site provides information about
and links to other
sites related to the history of evolution.
See also
The Ultimate Creation vs. Evolution Resource.
Evolution
Lessons
A collection of high school lesson plans from
Evolution and the
Nature of Science Institutes.
The Evolution of Plants
Information and sample lesson plans from a high
school unit.
Hominid Evolution
Another unit for high school biology or advanced
biology.
Human Evolution
A high school lesson plan
from Discovery Education integrating the study of
human evolution and history.
Evolution
Also
from Discovery, a lesson plan for grades 9-12 in which students
learn about Darwin,
his theory of evolution, and some
of the controversies related to
it.
Darwin's Evolution
A high school lesson plan in which students learn
about Charles Darwin.
Origin of the Species vs.
Zoological Philosophy
A middle or junior high school lesson plan in which
students debate
the theories of Darwin and Lamarck.
Historical Thinking Matters: Scopes Trial
A 5-day lesson plan. See also
Whose ‘Truth’ Is Out There? for a lesson plan from the
N.Y. Times.
For background information, see
The
Antievolution Crusade of the 1920s,
Clash of
Cultures: The Scopes Trial.
Online Lessons
for Students: Learning Evolution
Seven lesson
plans providing " multimedia
pathways to help students
understand evolution and the nature
of science ."
Evolution
Project
A lesson plan from The
Biology Corner.
Tree of Life
Information about
phylogeny and
biodiversity. "The information is linked
together in the form of the
evolutionary tree that connects all organisms
to each other."
Botany/Plants Lesson Plans an d Resources
(
Including Lessons on Farms)
Botany
Activities and Lesson
Plans
About 20 lesson plans from the
Illinois State
Museum.
Botany Lesson Plans and Activities
Several lesson plans from the State Arboratum of Virginia..
Plants
Lesson plans from the Biology Corner.
Plant Science Lesson Plans
Plant tissue systems, angiosperm, and gymnosperm lesson
plans from NGSS Life Science.
All About Plants
An elementary lesson plan from Discovery Education.
Botany and Art and their Roles in Conservation
An interesting lesson plan from the Smithsonian.
Lesson Plan on Photosynthesis
For grades 7-8.
Photosynthesis, Trees, and the
Greenhouse Effect
A middle-grade-grade lesson plan.
The Importance of Photosynthesis and Respiration
A lesson plan from the New Mexico AgriScience Lesson Plan
Library
Plant Cycles: Photosynthesis
and
Transpiration
A lesson plan for grades 3-5.
Identifying Parts of a Flower
A detailed lesson plan.
Flowers for a Friend
A Pre-K-1 leeson plan from Crayola/
Wildflower Garden
A lesson plan in which students design about a wildflower garden. For information
on wildflowers, go to
The Wildflower
Center and
Wildflowers.
Gems from the Garden - Digging
Up Activities for All Ages
Many for gardening-related
activities from Education
World.
Butterfly Garden
An elementary lesson plan. See also
Sharing the Joy of a Garden.
The Great Plant Escape
An interdisciplinary program for students in grades
4-5 designed to
introduce them to plant science and
increase their understanding
of how foods grow. available in either
Spanish or English.
Let It Grow: An Inquiry-Based
Organic Gardening Research Project
An excellent
lesson plan for grades 6-8 from
Read Write Think.
Plants and Animals: Partners
in Pollination
Three lesson plans for grades 3-8 from the
Smithsonian Institute.
Apples & More
From the University of Illinois Extension,
this website offers suggestions
for accessible and stimulating activities for
a series of lessons about apples. The unit
encompasses many areas of the curriculum: math,
science, writing, literature, art and social studies.
Johny Appleseed Day Research Activity
An elementary-grade lesson plan.. See also
Johnny Appleseed or John Chapman: Which Character is Your Favorite?
Farms and Agriculture Lesson Plans
On the Farm
Theme Unit
A kindergarten unit.
Wheat Lesson
Ideas
For grades K-2. See also
Growing Wheat in the Classroom.
Utilizing the School Garden
Ideas for incorporating horticulture into your classroom.
A Day on the Farm
A 1st-grade lesson plan.
From Maize to Milk:
A Barnyard Full of Activities
Several activities
from Education World.
National Agriculture in the Classroom
Search the new
Curriculum Matrix for lesson plans from the USDA. See also
Ag Lesson Plans
in Power Point Format.
Agriculture and Environment Lesson
Plans
A large number of lesson plans.
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
Select Teaching Resources in the top menu to find lesson plans for a variety of grade levels.
Apples & More
From the University of Illinois Extension,
this website offers suggestions
for accessible and stimulating activities for
a series of lessons about apples. The unit
encompasses many areas of the curriculum: math,
science, writing, literature, art and social studies.
See also
Apple Fast Facts
for information and teaching ideas from the
Wisconsin Apple
Growers Association.
Johny Appleseed Day Research Activity
An elementary-grade lesson plan.. See also
Johnny Appleseed or John Chapman: Which Character is Your Favorite?
Pumpkin
Themes
Links to many lesson plans and units on pumpkins.
See also Pump up the Curriculum with Pumpkins.
Go to
Fall Holiday Lesson
Plans
for Halloween ideas.
Forestry/Trees
Lesson Plans -
Click on a topic:
forestry,
trees,
leaves,
tree rings
Forestry
Sustainable Forestry
A lesson plan from the
Penn State School of Forest Resources. See their
From the Woods Series.
Lesson Plans for
Forest-Minded Teachers
Many lesson plans in pdf format for a
variety of grade levels from the Idaho Forest Products Commission. This
site takes a a while to load!
Forestry/Natural Resources Lesson Plans
Many lesson plans organized by grade level.
Lesson Plans
From the Virginia Department of Forestry.
Trees + Me=Forestry
An online booklet with activities and a great deal of
information.
LEAF Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Lesson Guides
Lesson plans for all
grade levels from
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
Biomes: Forests and Seeds
A middle-grade lesson plan from
Discovery Education in which students learn how seasonal changes affect
life in a temperate forest.
Deforestation
Lesson Plan
For 3rd-grade.
Trees
Planting
a Tree
A lesson plan for grades 1-3.
Parts of a Tree
A kindergarten lesson plan.
See also
Trees and Their Parts.
Seasons of Trees
An elementary-grade
lesson plan from the above site.
National Tree Day
Lesson plans from
Planet Ark.
See also
National Tree Day (Canada).
Is that Tree Safe?
A lesson plan for grades 6-8.
Uses of a Tree
A lesson plan for K-5..
How Does Your Tree Measure Up?
See also
Forest Measurements.
What Tree Is That?
A tree identification field guide.
Leaf Activities for Young Learners
From Project Learning Tree.
Fall Leaves Fall!
A lesson plan for grades K-2 using the
book by this title.
Mystery Tree Challenge
An activity for grades 4-12. See also
How Appropriate is that Tree?
and
Identifying Trees Using their Leaves in the
Summer.
Tree and Leaf Identification - Part 1
A
3rd-grade lesson plan. See Parts
2
and
3.
Leaf ID and Leaf Bingo
Another 3rd-grade lesson
plan from the above source. See also
What Can a Leaf Be?
Tree Rings
It's All in the Rings
A lesson plan for grades
7-12. See also
Tree Rings:
Living Records of Climate Change for another lesson plan
and
About Tree Rings
for an excellent resource.
Tree Rings: Living Records of Climate
A lesson plan from the EPA. See also
Tree Rings
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 from the National
Park Service. See also
What Has This Tree Seen?
Dendrochronology: The Study of Tree Rings
A lesson plan from the Mayne Island Conservancy
(Canada). See also
A Guide to Dendrochronology for Teachers.
Rain
Forest Lesson Plans
Rain Bird Rain Forest Teaching Curriculum
Curriculum materials and activities for all grade levels.
Rainforest
Alliance Curriculum
Click on the grade level you teach on the
left side to find the lesson plans.
Rain Forest Animals
A teacher's guide from Newton's Apple.
Teaching Science Through Picture Books: A Rainforest Lesson
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 from Read-Write-Think.
Rainforest
An
elementary-grade lesson plan from A to Z Teacher Stuff. A See
Virtual Rainforest for an online tour.
It's Goin' Down; The Rain Forest
A
4-lesson unit from Learning to Give.
|
Amazon
Deforestation
A lesson plan from
the BBC.
Amazon Rainforest
WebQuest
Invasive Species
Lesson Plans - Animals and Plants
Invasive
Species Educational Resources
Activities and lesson plans from the Wisconsin DNR.
Invasive Species
A lesson plan from the NPS.
Battlefield Earth
Learning activities about the dangers of invasive species from the National
Teacher Training Institute.
Teaching about Invasive Species
Several lesson plans from the Invasive Species Centre.
In the Company of Whales
A lesson plan for grades 6-8.
See also
Whales for another lesson plan for grades 6-8.
Whales
Resources from Sea
World. Scroll down the page to fing teacher's guides.
Tale of a Whale
A lesson plan adaptable to many grade levels from Smithsonian Education.
Exploring Our Oceans
A unit from the Yale New Haven Teachers Institute.
Coral Cam Lesson Plans
Fifteen lesson plans on topics related to coral
reefs. Most are adaptable
to a variety of grade levels.
Sea
Shells
A K-2 lesson plan. See also
Shells.
Horseshoe Crab Fun
An activity from the NWF.
Biomes: Freshwater and Seawater
A lesson plan for grades
6-8 from Discovery Education. See also
Aquatic Habitats
for another middle-grade
lesson plan from Discovery Education.
Fun with Fish Forms
An elementary lesson plan.
The Minnesota Fish Quiz
Not a lesson plan, but this interactive, online quiz is a fun way to learn
about Minnesota fish species and may be just what you need to motivate the boys
in your classroom this spring!
Fish and Ladders
A lesson plan for grades 5-8 about the spawning migration of Chinook Salmon. See
the
high school version of this lesson.
Creative Writing:
I
am a Fish
A lesson plan integrating science and creative
writing.
Something
Fishy
This lesson plan for grades for grades 6-9. For an incredible
amount of information
on fish, go to Fishbase.
Fish Dissection Lesson Plan
See also
Perch Dissection.
Science -
Fish Knowledge
Lesson plans from the Wisconsin DNR.
Getting to Know Some of Pennsylvania's Fishes
A lesson plan for grades 4-5.
Having Fish in the Classroom
See also
Tanks in Classrooms: Setting Up An Educational Aquarium.
Fish Information
Service (FINS)
An elaborate site providing
information for aquarists.
Animals:
Mammals Lesson Plans
(Lesson
plans for fish/marine animals
are listed above. Scroll
past mammals for lesson plans
on farm animals,
reptiles/amphibians,
birds, dinosaurs,
or insects/spiders.
For information and resources
on zoos and/or specific animals,
go to the Zoos
and Museums Page.
Animal Classification
A K-5 lesson from Discovery Education.
What's a Mammal
A K-5 lesson plan.
Oh Deer
"A game of animal populations" adaptable to many
grade levels/
Wildlife Lesson Plans
Many lesson plans for all grade
levels from Penn State.
Bat
Unit Study
Teaching ideas using the book Stellaluna.
North American Bear Center
Many lesson plans and activities.
How Polar Bears Stay Warm
A literature-based
primary-grade lesson plan. See
also Why Polar Bears Are White?
Bears
An ESL lesson.
The North American Bison Lesson Plan
For grades 3-5.
Tracking the Buffalo
Background information and classroom materials.
Big Cats
A lesson plan for grades
6-8.
Dogs
A lesson plan for grades
6-8 in which students learn
about characteristics of dogs
and dog breeds. See also
Breeds of Dogs
and
Dogs at Work.
Dogs and More Dogs
A classroom activity fro NOVA/PBS.
Endangered
Species 1: Why Are Species Endangered?
A lesson plan from Science Net Links. See also
Endangered
Species 2: Working to Save Endangered Species.
ABC of Endangered Species
A lesson plan for grades
K-6 from Education World. See
also Illustrating Endangered Species.
Endangered Species of PA
A high school lesson plan from Penn State University.
Schoolyard Habitats
A "How-To Guide" National
Wildlife Federation.
Farm Animals
Farm Animals
A kindergarten unit.
Farm Animals for Kids
A lesson plan with games and activities.
Fun at the Farm
Elementary-level activities.
Sheep to Sweaters
An idea for an activity from Crayola.
All About
Chickens
Chicken activities.
The Perfect Cow?
A high school lesson plan
The
Story of Milk: From the Cow to the Cup
A K-2 lesson plan. See also
Discover Dairy.
Wow that Cow: Cattle Byproducts
A lesson plan for grades K-4. See also
Ultimate Harvesting Machine for a K-3 lesson.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Reviled and Revered
Reptiles and amphibians from the Smithsonian Institution.
Scroll down the
page for 5 lesson plans and resources. Take a look at
the Reptile
Data Base
for information about snakes
and other reptiles.
Reptile Adaptation
A K-5 lesson plan from Discovery Education.
All About Reptiles
An elementary lesson plan.
Herp Care Collection
Advice for keeping a reptile in your home or classroom.
Snakes
A middle school lesson plan from Discovery Education.
See also
Basic
facts about Snakes.
Ambush Warriors
A lesson plan on snakes for grades 7-8. See also
The Guide to Snake Sightings Around your Home and
Dealing with Snakes.
Come Out of Your Shell: All about Turtles
An lesson plan for pre-K to grade 2.
Quick Color Wonder Turtle
An activity from Crayola.
Lesson Plans for Sea Turtles
A literature-based lesson.
A
Thousand Friends of Frogs
An Educator Activity Guide
Frogs: Fact and Folklore
A middle school lesson plan from Discovery Education.|
Life Cycle of a Frog
An elementary lesson plan.
The
Mysterious Tadpole
Activities for using the book by this title with your 4th-graders.
Frog Jump Measurement
A lesson plan for elementary grades.
Dissecting a Virtual Frog.
Birds
Raptor Center
Great site from
the Minnesota Raptor Center.
Birds
through the Seasons
A 2nd-grade unit from Core Knowledge.
Hummingbird Projects and
Activities
Several Activities from Operation Ruby Throat.
Watch the Birdie
A 6-week unit for grades 5-6
in which students develop language arts
skills while studying North American birds.
Bird Migration
A lesson plan from The Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. See also
On the Fly: Studying Bird Migration and Behavior.
Lesson
Plans About Migration
Several lesson plans from
Migration
Science and Mystery.
Birds
A high school lesson plan
from Discovery Education.
Birding Basics
A lesson plan for grade 4 from the Wisconsin
DNR. See also Avian Adaptations
for other lesson plans from this source.
Make Way for the Ducklings
An
"integrated engineering and empathy challenge" using this classic book
by Robert McCloskey.
See also
Make
Way for the Ducklings: A Bird's Eyeview of Geography.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
A discussion guide for this
book by Richard and Florence
Atwater. See also
Demonstrating Comprehension through
Journal Writing.
Winter Animals
A primary-grade lesson plan about penguins from Scholastic.
Dinosaurs
(Scroll down past
the lessons for links to
sites with dinosaur information,
pictures, and a dinosaur dictionary)
Dreams and Dinosaurs
Lesson ideas from Crayola.
Dinosaurs
A 2nd-grade unit.
Discovering Dinosaurs
A K-5 lesson plan from the
Discovery Education. See also
Dinosaurs in Argentina for grades 6-8 lesson.
Dinosaurs! Teaching Guide
For grades k-8 from Scholastic.
A Fossil's Journey
A Lesson plan for grades 3-5 from the National Parks
Service.
Dinosaurs: Meat-Asaurus
or Vegie-Asaurus?
An activity for grades 3-5 using
The Magic School
Bus: The Busasaurus.
Dinosaur Detective
A lesson plan for grades 6-8.
Zoom Dinosaurs
An on-line book with fact sheets, printouts, lists
of dinosaurs, a
dino dictionary, and more.
Insects
(general/lesson
collections/lifecycle/characteristics,
bees, butterflies,
insect information
and pictures)
Iowa
State Entomology Index of Internet Resources
A
directory and search engine of insect-related resources on the Internet.
What's Bugging You?
Ideas for lesson plans and
activities from Education World.
Using Live Insects
in
the Classroom
Information from the University of
Kentucky.
Insect
Mania
An elaborate 2nd-grade unit from Core Knowledge.
Life in a
Pine Cone
Another middle-grade activity.
Invent a Bug
A K-3 lesson plan..
Insects
A WebQuest.
Insect Anatomy
A discovery-based lesson plan for grades 6-9.
Insects of the World
A WebQuest complete with an
evaluation rubric. See also
Creepy Crawly
Insect Collection.
Plants and Animals: Partners
in Pollination
Three lesson plans for grades 3-8 from the
Smithsonian Institute.
Canadian Honey Council
Curriculum activities for grades 1-3.
Bee Unit
Study
Information and activities for a primary-grade
unit.
Buzzbuzz
A lesson plan for grades 2-5. See other
Themes for
Learning from this source.
Bees
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery
Education. See also
Pollination Parties.
Butterfly Website:
Butterfly Teaching Tools
Scroll down the
page to find many lesson plans. Click on
gallery to see butterfly images.
Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle Introduction
Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the lesson plans.
The Monarch Butterfly
A lesson plan for grades K-2.
The Life Cycle of a Butterfly
A
lesson plan that uses Eric Carle's
The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Butterflies
A 2nd-grade WebQuest.
Symmetry in Butterflies
Kindergarten and PreK activities from the MN Science
Museum.
Orkin
Science Education
Educator resources, games and coloring, as well as
lesson plans.
Iowa State University Entomology
Image Gallery
More great insect
pictures!
Spiders
I'm Trying to Love spiders
Activities from Scholastic to use with the book by the above
title.
Learning about Spiders in the Classroom
A primary-grade lesson plan.
Spiders
A lesson plan for grades 1-3.
Spiders
An elementary unit with seven lesson plans.
Now We Know Spiders
One lesson plan
from the above unit using the book
Anansi the Spider
by G. McDermott.
Spider
Web Pattern Drawing
A lesson plan from Kinder Art.
Senses
Lesson Plans
The Five Senses
A lesson plan using My Five Senses by
Aliki.
Five Senses
A WebQuest for grades K-2.
The Eye: Structure and Function
A lesson plan for grades 6-8. See also
Sight and Light.
Virtual Cow Eye’s Dissection
Almost as good as the real thing! It could be used
as a high school level
pre-lab or an alternative to
an actual dissection.
Hearing
Twelve lesson plans for grades K-8. Also, see the
TheInteractive
Ear.
The Phenomenon of Sound: Waves
A K-5 lesson plan from Discovery Education. See also
Sound Vibrations.
Good Senses
A middle school lesson plan from The Discovery
Education. See also
Sight and Sound.
The Phenomenon Of Sound: Waves
A lesson plan for grades K-5 from Discovery Education.
Good Vibrations: The Science of Sound
Elementary Curriculum from Museum of
Musical Instruments.
See their other
resources.
Our Five Senses: What's That Smell?
A Kdg lesson plan.
Senses- Smell
A lesson plan for grades K-2.
Sense of Touch
Part of a 5 senses unit. Click "Previous" or "Next" at the
bottom of the page to find the other lessons in this unit.
Physiology/Anatomy
Lesson Plans
Inner Body
Human anatomy
online.
Cells Alive!
See images of
cells
Visible Human Body
A guided tour!
Body Systems
An elementary-grade lesson plan from Discovery Education.
Building a Baby
Lesson plans from the The Discovery Education.
Systems
of the Body: Movement and Choreography
A middle-grade unit that teaches about body systems
through movement
activities.
The Human Skeleton
A constructivist lesson plan for grades 4-6.
Give Me a Break
An elementary-grade lesson plan in which students develop a survey and collect
data on broken bones.
The Musculoskeletal System
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education.
See also
Muscles in Motion.
Here's to Your Healthy Heart!
A middle-grade lesson plan from Discovery Education.
The Heart
A high school
lesson plan.
An Insight Into the Hormones
of Life
A middle-grade unit on hormones.
Brain Awareness Week Lessons
Several middle school lesson plasn.
The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology through the Study of Addiction
A Teacher's Guide with five lesson plans for grades 9-12 from the
National Institutes of Health Curriculum Supplement
Series.
Brain Power
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 in which students
learn about the human
brain and memory functions. See also
Brain Watching for a high school lesson plan.
Neuroscience for Kids
Incredible online
information about
the human nervous system. Go to
Brain Awareness
Week Lessons
for several lesson plans on the brain and nervous system.
On ‘Punched Out’: Looking at Brain Trauma and Other Risks of Violent Sports
A lesson plan from the
NY Times
Learning Network.