Science - Biology

• Characteristics of Living Things
  This lesson uses Venn diagrams to help students understand the characteristics of living things.
• Circle of Life
  Everything that organisms do in ecosystems--running, breathing, burrowing, growing--requires energy. Of all the factors that influence how an ecosystem functions, none is more important than the flow of energy. Where do organisms get their energy? How does this energy move within an ecosystem? Why are food chains rarely longer than three or four links? What is the difference between food webs and food chains?
• Find your question
  Students will experience observe nature and from facts seen come up with questions and hypothesis that can be tested.
• Utah's Amazing Ecosystems
  Students will learn about ecosystems by researching different areas in Utah.
• What Goes Around Comes Around!
  The paths of water, carbon, and nitrogen are cyclic. In this lesson students will model the cycles of matter by creating an ecosystem in a jar. They will also give research-based oral presentations on the carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles.

• Biomagnification in the Great Lakes Ecosystems
  This lesson focuses on biomagnification as it relates to the ecosystems of the Great Lakes region in the mid-western United States.
• Birds of Prey
  Explore the predator/prey relationship and its impact on an ecosystem. Good background for food chain/food web discussions.
• Brine Shrimp Survival
  Part two of two lessons involving brine shrimp (see also Hatching Brine Shrimp). In the first lesson, students determined optimum salinity for hatching brine shrimp. In this lesson, students raise brine shrimp, designing an artificial environment in which they can survive.
• Burrowing Owls
  This lesson uses the example of the Burrowing Owl to illustrate how human activities can control the fate of a species. Students look at examples of both negative and positive human impact.
• Changing Natures Course: A Look at the Kissimmee
  Humans modify the natural environment on many scales. In this lesson, students will learn about a major event in which humans modified the physical environment in the United States.
• Food Webs in the Bay
  Students investigate Chesapeake Bay area plants and animals and create a food web. Involves students in research, presentations, and discussions.
• Hatching Brine Shrimp
  Part one of a two-part lesson involving brine shrimp (see also Brine Shrimp Survival). What is the optimum salinity for hatching brine shrimp?
• If You Hear a Hoot, Then This Site is Kaput
  In this EconomicsMinute, you will learn about which species are covered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act, the different organizations and their philosophies on how to protect these species, and how each group's policies are driven by self interest as you weigh each group's costs and benefits.
• Managing the Everglades Ecosystem
  This lesson explores conservation in the Everglades ecosystem. Students will investigate relationships between species and habitats, as well as evaluate human impact.
• Owls: Top of a Food Chain
  This hands-on activity teaches about food chains. Students dissect owl pellets to determine the the source of food energy, and determine where this energy has been distributed.
• Parasites and Disease
  In this lesson, students will research some parasite-borne diseases and report on how parasites infect their hosts and how people are trying to reduce infection rates.
• Using Venn Diagrams to Compare Two Ecosystems
  The following activity helps students identify and describe differences between two related ecosystems.
• Why Preserve Biodiversity?
  In this lesson students discuss the importance of maintaining ecosystems. They also explore the various arguments that people make in favor of preserving Earth's biodiversity.
• Yellowstone Wolves
  This investigation uses the conflict between ranchers and wolves to explore the relationships between living things and their environments, and the effects of physical and human forces on the natural world.