| Resource type | Theme | Title | Teaser | Grade Level |
Name |
Comments | Post date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning activities | Ecosystem health, Ecosystems, Invasive species | Aquatic Ecosystem Research Project | Students choose a body of water (preferably in Maine) to research. They focus their research on three questions: 1) What are important features of the body of water? 2) What is some data on invasive species or water quality from your ecosystem? 3) A question of student choice | Middle school (grades 6-8) | chotaling | 0 | 2009-11-05 |
| Field work resources, Learning activities | Invasive species, Scientific inquiry | Use your Senses! | Get your students thinking with their five senses so they are raring and ready to give good field notes. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | dallen | 0 | 2009-11-05 |
| Learning activities | Biodiversity | Classification and Biodiversity | How do you classify things? Students usually list size, color, and shape. This activity builds on their previous knowledge and can be used to broaden students knowledge into classifying by structure. Easy to fit into a single period and minimal preparation make this an ideal starter activity. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | ecollard | 0 | 2009-11-05 |
| Learning activities | Biodiversity, Ecosystem health, Invasive species | The Green Book by Jill Paton Walsh | Go green! This is a great science fiction novel to use with 7th and 8th grade students to get them thinking about taking care of our planet and what might happen if we don't. Discussions of evolution, adaptations, biodiversity, characteristics and needs of living organisms and much more will be sparked but this thought provoking novel. (69 pages) | Middle school (grades 6-8) | slittlefield | 0 | 2009-11-05 |
| Learning activities | Biodiversity, Ecosystem health, Invasive species | Ratatouille and Your Friend The Rat | Disney and the invasive species connection. Four-By-Rat activity. This is an adaptation of the quick write / quick draw activity. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | slittlefield | 0 | 2009-11-05 |
| Learning activities | Biodiversity, Invasive species | Comic Life Invasive Species | Research Maine invasive species and let your students use their new learnings to create comics. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | slittlefield | 1 | 2009-11-05 |
| Learning activities | Current events | Project New Media Literacies Learning Library Challenges | Clear and fun introduction to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons licensing |
Middle school (grades 6-8) High school (grades 9-12) Professional development |
team_zeezoo | 0 | 2009-11-05 |
| Learning activities | Biodiversity, Ecosystem health, Ecosystems, Invasive species, Scientific inquiry | Biodiversity Jenga | Pair up Bill Nye the Science Guy and Jenga to engage students with the concept of biodiversity, and to underscore the importance of maintaining healthy, diverse ecosystems. Students remove native species from an ecosystem, and add non-native or invasive species. They see and understand how these actions may ultimately compromise the health and stability of an ecosystem. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 0 | 2009-11-04 |
| Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Size Matters | Students hone critical measurement skills, and learn to quickly estimate size using their own body parts. These measurement and estimation skills will come in handy when students try to determine whether or not they find the native or invasive species they will look for at their study site during their Vital Signs investigation. | Middle school (grades 6-8) | vitalteach | 0 | 2009-11-04 |
| Instructional models, Learning activities | Scientific inquiry | Vital Signs Science Notebook | Scientists operate in an inquiry environment. They observe, ask questions, make predictions, record observations, analyze data, make and defend claims, and share their conclusions with the larger community. Similarly, students will carry out their investigations as though they are professional scientists. An online Science Notebook (available to registered participants on the Vital Signs website) helps students organize, document, and reflect on their investigation. It guides students through each stage of the inquiry process as they seek answers to their research questions. |
Middle school (grades 6-8) High school (grades 9-12) |
vitalteach | 0 | 2009-11-04 |
