This Classroom Connectors lesson plan teaches students to identify ways in which plants and animals are affected by and respond to various environmental stimuli, including light, water, and gravity. The site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time required, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. The Classroom Connectors address content with an activity approach while incorporating ... Full description.

This activity opens with background information for teachers about dinosaurs. As a class, students compare the stance of lizards and dinosaurs in drawings and try to replicate both reptiles' walks. Students learn that some paleontologists classify birds as dinosaurs, and then work in groups to compare a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton with pictures of birds. Full description.

In this lesson students investigate sea ice communities in the Arctic Ocean to determine what organisms and ecosystem processes characterize them. They will learn to identify major groups of organisms found in these communities, describe major physical features and how these features change during summer and winter, and explain how these changes affect biological activity. Students will also be able ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. Using research on environmental conditions of the prairie ecosystem (strong winds, hot and dry summers, cold winters, and plants and animals), students will design an imaginary animal, detailing how its physical and behavioral characteristics make it well adapted to the prairie. They will illustrate their animals ... Full description.

This resource will help teachers deal with common misconceptions about evolution, those that are simple misunderstandings and others that may stem from purposeful attempts to interfere with the teaching of evolution. First, five common misunderstandings about evolution and how it works are examined. They include the origin of life, ladder of progress, randomness of evolution, trying to adapt, and ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will explore the idea of fractals, and will make inferences about the importance of physical complexity to a seamount biological community. They will recognize that natural structures and systems often display recurrent complexity over many scales of measurement, infer the importance of structural complexity to species diversity and abundance in benthic habitats, and discuss ... Full description.

Information at this site will help teachers to avoid potential pitfalls when teaching evolution. It will help teachers to understand why they should use function not purpose, evidence not proof, and why they should refer to accepting what the evidence shows rather than believing in evolution. There are also cautions about when to use the terms 'primitive/advanced' and 'theory/hypothesis'. Other potentially ... Full description.

In this activity students will put into practice the evaluation component of the scientific method while comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences of the food chains and webs of polar animal life. Students will learn about classification and ecology through the real life experiences and connections of professionals who have been in the field. Through developing skills in teamwork ... Full description.

In this lesson students will investigate the three realms or biological communities of the Arctic Ocean and the issues surrounding primary productivity there. Students will be able to identify the three realms of the Arctic Ocean, describe the relationships between them, and identify major factors that limit primary productivity. They will also describe how these factors exert limiting effects and, ... Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades 6-8. It focuses on icebergs and water salinity, as well as the environment of the continent of Antarctica. Students research this area and do an experiment demonstrating the relationship between water salinity and ice floating or sinking in the ocean. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, ... Full description.