Browse lesson plans

Animal adaptation

This lesson focuses on the adaptations, body structures, and behavior of animals. The students will explore animal growth and adaptations of animals. This lesson is designed to be taught during the reading of Stone Fox.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Development and Science)

By Jennifer Fessler and Karen Wright.

At home in the tropical rainforest

Students will choose one rainforest animal to research using print and electronic resources. They will work cooperatively with a partner to create a PowerPoint slide with the following information: photograph of the animal, the layer of the rainforest it inhabits, the sound the animal makes, and an interesting fact about the animal.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts and Science)

By Sally Eller.

Bounce into rubber: Natural latex from Thailand

This lesson for grade nine investigates natural latex rubber sources from Thailand. Students complete research and experiments to determine which plants from Thailand are sources of latex, and explore images and audio recordings of rubber harvesting in Thailand.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 and 9 Science and Social Studies)

By Robin Bartoletti.

Getting down & dirty with soils

In this lesson, we will explore different kinds of soil (humus, sand, clay). The students will plant seeds in the different soils as part of further exploration.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts and Science)

By Amy Rhyne, Paulette Keys, and Sarah Carson.

Is ATP worth the investment?

In this lesson plan, students learn about ATP using an economic analogy. Students use simple financial tables to explore the concepts of cost, revenue, and return on an investment as it applies to ATP in aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)

By MaryBeth Knight Greene.

MaraLIMAthon

Kindergarten students will work with an older grade buddy (we worked with 1st grade students) to make predictions, and then over a two-week period, see changes in lima bean growth, and be able to document the lima bean's progress. The buddies will work together to create an illustrated short story about lima bean characters that they create.

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)

By Kristi Waddle.

Marvelous metamorphosis

Most kids love insects. This integrated unit will enable students the opportunity to observe, identify, and describe the life cycle a mealworm goes through during his metamorphosis into a grain beetle.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)

By Pam Maness.

Mix and match ecology: Human impact

This high-school biology lesson uses a group activity to teach students about the impact of human actions on natural resources.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)

By MaryBeth Knight Greene.

Mix and match ecology: Symbiosis

In this high-school biology lesson, students gain an understanding of the three kinds of symbiotic relationships by creating relationships between imaginary animals.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 )

By MaryBeth Knight Greene.

Odd organelles

In this lesson, students are given a set of odd objects that they must use to represent cell organelles. Students creatively draw analogies between either the structure and/or function of an object with that of an organelle.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)

By MaryBeth Knight Greene.

Persuasive pumpkins

Using observation skills and comparative language, the children will express their own ideas to compare likenesses and differences of pumpkins. They will sort by their own rules and explain their reasoning. Using cooperative learning, they will listen to other children's discussions and come to some agreements.

Format: lesson plan (grade K Science)

By RC Griffin.

Resources on the web

Exploring the Environment

Promotes science-literate and reflective students who are knowledgeable of the earth's processes and their responsibilities for stewardship using these instructional resources. Find activities and learning modules for coral reefs, global climate change, the... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: NASA