Methods of Analyzing Population Changes is a lesson plan to teach students that populations are dynamic and have identifiable characteristics and measurable growth patterns. Topics include population growth rate, life tables and equations, mortality and survival curves, and key factors analysis. The lesson plan provides objectives, skills, time required, content outline, materials, and significant ... Full description.

This lesson plan teaches students that populations are dynamic with identifiable characteristics and measurable growth patterns. Factors of population survival that are taught include immigration and emigration, environmental resistance, carrying capacity, and homeostasis. The lesson plan provides objectives, skills, time needed, a content outline, materials, and significant terms. The overarching ... Full description.

The concept that populations are dynamic with identifiable characteristics and measurable growth patterns is addressed in this lesson plan. Population characteristics are explained, including biotic potential, density, natality, mortality, and age distribution. The lesson plan provides objectives, skills, time needed, a content outline, materials, significant terms, and questions for the class. The ... Full description.

Students will study the following concepts based on this lesson plan: the area an organism lives in must provide it with its basic life requirements and the ability of the habitat to do so is affected by abiotic and biotic factors. Abiotic factors in the environment are explained in terms of light, temperature, precipitation, and the process of soil formation. The types of biotic organization covered ... Full description.

This lesson plan teaches students that the earth is a complex sphere composed of a variety of interdependent systems which can be placed in the following order of increasing complexity: organism, species, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere. The lesson plan provides objectives, skills, time needed, a content outline, materials, significant terms, a glossary, resources, questions ... Full description.

This Classroom Connectors lesson plan teaches students about ways to protect endangered species, as well as the concept of carrying capacity and its importance for wildlife and people. This site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time needed, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. Classroom Connectors address content with an activity approach while incorporating themes necessary ... Full description.

This data tip from Bridge, the Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center archive, focuses on invasive marine organisms and the harm they cause to native species. Students can view maps to follow the spread of the zebra mussel, an eastern European native, which was found in Michigan in 1988. Links are provided to information about other nonindigenous aquatic species. Full description.

This data tip from Bridge, the Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center archive, concerns populations of migratory and resident Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Resident geese remain in the same location year-round, ranging from southern Canada to the middle United States. The data activity uses bird count figures to examine Canada goose populations since 1950 in the four North American migration ... Full description.

In this lesson plan, students investigate sources of accurate, current information about the Chesapeake Bay and develop skills useful for topic selection and library research by: brainstorming topic concepts, organizing conceptual components, using library resources, and communicating needs via telephone and letters. Full description.

In this lesson plan, students investigate variation among aquatic habitats by: predicting patterns in relationships, devising a plan for the investigation, observing biotic and abiotic factors, measuring environmental parameters, collecting data, drawing conclusions, and communicating results. Guidance for locating sample locations in one of the Virginia state parks that adjoin the Chesapeake Bay ... Full description.