This informational text explores adaptations that allow penguins, whales, walruses, seals, and …
This informational text explores adaptations that allow penguins, whales, walruses, seals, and fish to live in the cold water of the Arctic and Southern Oceans. The text is at reading level appropriate for students in Kindergarten through first grade. It is a PDF file that contains the text as well as a glossary.
This Readers Theater script includes parts for 11 students. It is based …
This Readers Theater script includes parts for 11 students. It is based on the Feature Story, At Home in the Cold and discusses various adaptations that allow animals to survive in the cold oceans of the Arctic and Antarctica. It is designed for use with students in grades 2-3.
In this feature, adapted from Interactive NOVA: "Earth," students explore the relationship …
In this feature, adapted from Interactive NOVA: "Earth," students explore the relationship between oxygen concentration and the well-being of various organisms by simulating a change in oxygen levels and observing what happens.
Students are introduced to the concept of engineering biological organisms and studying …
Students are introduced to the concept of engineering biological organisms and studying their growth to be able to identify periods of fast and slow growth. They learn that bacteria are found everywhere, including on the surfaces of our hands. Student groups study three different conditions under which bacteria are found and compare the growth of the individual bacteria from each source. In addition to monitoring the quantity of bacteria from differ conditions, they record the growth of bacteria over time, which is an excellent tool to study binary fission and the reproduction of unicellular organisms.
Students construct paper recombinant plasmids to simulate the methods genetic engineers use …
Students construct paper recombinant plasmids to simulate the methods genetic engineers use to create modified bacteria. They learn what role enzymes, DNA and genes play in the modification of organisms. For the particular model they work on, they isolate a mammal insulin gene and combine it with a bacteria's gene sequence (plasmid DNA) for production of the protein insulin.
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students tabulate and graph data on bacteria …
Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students tabulate and graph data on bacteria density vs. time for a culture. Data start with innoculation and progress through the peak and decline.
On April 24, 1984, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History successfully hatched …
On April 24, 1984, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History successfully hatched its first captive-bred eaglet. The years leading up to this milestone saw declining numbers of Bald Eagles in the wild—a consequence of the use of the pesticide DDT, as well as unregulated hunting. But our efforts helped to preserve this majestic species, which is now abundant throughout the state of Ohio and beyond. In this week’s Creature Feature, learn about Bald Eagles from Harvey Webster, the Museum’s Chief Wildlife Officer & Museum Ambassador. Worksheets available for grades PreK-K and 1-2.
Brookhaven Lab's property is home to hundreds of different animal species. Learn …
Brookhaven Lab's property is home to hundreds of different animal species. Learn about the tools scientists use to observe animals in the wild and how you too, can be an animal observer.
This Nature video segment focuses on the four foods most important to …
This Nature video segment focuses on the four foods most important to the grizzly bears' survival, and it describes the threats to the supply of each of them.
This Nature video segment explores how the relationship between humans and grizzly …
This Nature video segment explores how the relationship between humans and grizzly bears has changed over the course of American History, and it describes the closing of the Yellowstone National Park garbage dumps in the 1970s.
This video segment explores the world of the beaver, including the biology …
This video segment explores the world of the beaver, including the biology of the species and, more importantly, its ability to transform an ecosystem for its own benefit.
This video segment describes how the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton known as Lucy …
This video segment describes how the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton known as Lucy could have been fossilized. Footage courtesy of NOVA: "In Search of Human Origins."
The study of biomimicry and sustainable design promises great benefits in design …
The study of biomimicry and sustainable design promises great benefits in design applications, offering cost-effective, resourceful, non-polluting avenues for new enterprise. An important final caveat for students to understand is that once copied, species are not expendable. Biomimicry is intended to help people by identifying natural functions from which to pattern human-driven services. Biomimicry was never intended to replace species. Ecosystems remain in critical need of ongoing protection and biodiversity must be preserved for the overall health of the planet. This activity addresses the negative ramifications of species decline. For example, pollinators such as bees are a vital work force in agriculture. They perform an irreplaceable task in ensuring the harvest of most fruit and vegetable crops. In the face of the unexplained colony collapse disorder, we are only now beginning to understand how invaluable these insects are in keeping food costs down and even making the existence of these foods possible for humans.
What role or roles do elephants play in a food web? How …
What role or roles do elephants play in a food web? How might they affect the other animals around them? This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as scientists and thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please feel free to adapt them according to your students’ abilities. You may find it more successful to lead activities and discussions as a whole group rather than using individual Research Plan sheets. Certain scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students’ level of understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a greater chance at success.
Cocos Island, a remote volcanic summit in the middle of the Pacific …
Cocos Island, a remote volcanic summit in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, serves as a beacon for hungry predators, including thousands of hammerhead sharks that travel here each year in search of prey. This video segment from NOVA: "Island of Sharks" depicts some of the common predator-prey interactions that take place in the nutrient-rich waters surrounding the island.
Students toss coins to determine what traits a set of mouse parents …
Students toss coins to determine what traits a set of mouse parents possess, such as fur color, body size, heat tolerance, and running speed. Then they use coin tossing to determine the traits a mouse pup born to these parents possesses. Then they compare these physical features to features that would be most adaptive in several different environmental conditions. Finally, students consider what would happen to the mouse offspring if those environmental conditions were to change: which mice would be most likely to survive and produce the next generation?
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