The purpose of this resource is to sample, identify, and count macroinvertebrates at a Hydrology Site. Students collect, sort, identify, and count macroinvertebrates from habitats at their site. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to understand that soil, under different environmental conditions, plays a role in the decomposition of organic materials. Students use bottle experiments to observe changes in the decomposition of vegetable scraps. Students vary temperature, moisture, and light conditions to determine the conditions that best facilitate the decomposition of organic material in soil. ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will investigate the idea of strength in dinosaurs, and decide for themselves which was the strongest. Background materials point out the difficulty in determining the strength of a dinosaur from fossilized remains, and that size may not be a good measure of strength. The students will review the background material and other printed and online resources, then write an essay ... Full description.

This page, from the University of Illinois Extension, has an animated cartoon designed to help young children (5-8 years of age) gain an appreciation of trees, observe trees in their every day lives and develop an interest in learning more about trees. It is intended for adults to work with children to explore the wonders of trees. It meets several of the Illinois statewide learning goals for second ... Full description.

Adaptations help animals find and eat food, avoid predators, move, and reproduce. During this activity students discuss adaptations in many contexts. They explore how desert animals are adapted to the harsh heat and dryness of their environment, and how animals in the Arctic are adapted to live where it is very cold with lots of snow and ice. Students use pictures and make a mural to investigate how ... Full description.

This Classroom Connectors lesson plan teaches young students about plants and how their environment affects their growth. Students learn about factors necessary for plant growth, that different plants require different environments to thrive, and how plants adapt to their environment. The site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time required, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. ... Full description.

This activity outlines the procedures for planting a tree, including everything from digging the hole to staking, mulching, and watering. There are also suggestions for stories and another activity to use in combination with this activity. Full description.

This lesson investigates familiar and unfamiliar ecosystems using Internet resources. Students will explore how various organisms satisfy their needs within their environments. They will also study the kinds of relationships that exist between organisms within an environment. This lesson is the first in a two-part series on microorganisms. It is designed to be used in conjunction with the second lesson, ... Full description.

From this activity, students will gain a better perspective on the diversity of dinosaurs, and understand that, while many were giants, there was great variation in their sizes. The class will use a large open space such as a gymnasium or playing field to mark out the size (length) of animals on the floor or ground. Comparisons between the length of the dinosaur and modern animals or objects will ... Full description.

In this activity, students explore deep-sea coral communities associated with seamounts. They will be able to explain at least three ways in which seamounts are important to biological communities, infer at least three ways in which deep-sea corals are important to seamount ecosystems, and explain why many scientists are concerned about the future of seamount ecosystems. In addition to being tied ... Full description.