Biologists Lesson Plans

1. Fisheries Research Methods
Introduction People Fish Habitat Activities Index Feedback New Activities Method Students will explore the methods biologists use to study fish populations through a simulation activity. Objectives: Students will be able to: Learn why monitoring fish populations is important. Be able to describe three methods scientists use to sample fish. Materials Needed: Research method diagrams An overhead projector Marker. Background:...

2. Estimating Fish Populations
Introduction People Fish Habitat Activities Index Feedback New Activities Method Students make math calculations with different colors of beans to learn a technique biologists use to estimate the total size of a population of fish. Subjects: Math Duration: One to two class periods Group Size: Any Grade Level: 6 - 12 Objectives: Students will be able to: Describe the mark/recapture method used to estimate fish populations. Explain why it's important to be able to accuratel...

3. EEK! Teacher Pages -- Conduct a Fish Survey
.... Without disturbing (touching) the bluegills in any way, have students guess the number of bluegills in their lakes and record their guesses on the student worksheet at the end of this activity. Discuss the difficulty of the task and the potential sources of error. 3. Explain that your job as fish biologists is to gain information about the number of bluegills in the lake. You're going to net and tag some bluegills. Have the students pour out about 30 beans to represent the portion of the bluegills netted and tagged. 4. Using a marker to color their fish, have students count and tag each bluegill that w...

4. Maine Black Bear Research and Field Study Activity
...cubs? What is the natural environment of the Maine Black Bear and how does the bear utilize that environment? What types of foods are eaten by Maine Black Bears and how do they affect its reproductive cycles and the population level of the bear? Why are bear populations tagged and studied by state biologists? The teacher will have to do the following: Make contact with state biologists within their area and gather any information they can on bears (or any other animal subject they might choose). Get the cooperation of a state biologist who will be willing to work with the teacher and students in the fie...

5. Classification
Lesson Plan :AELP-SPS0074 Classification An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan Author: Amy M. Gillespie Endorsed By: Dr. Blank at SUNY Cortland Date: March 23, 1998 Grade Level(s): 4, 5, 6 Subject(s): Science/Process Skills Understandings: Animals are classified according to different traits Biologists have a classification system that includes all living organisms Dichotomous keys are used to identify an unknown organism Objectives: Students will demonstrate these understandings by: classifying animals into meaningful categories; explaining what kind of classification system biologists use (Kingd...

6. Plant Restoration Project
...not opinions), collecting information, quantifying information, and observing patterns in nature. Hopefully, this activity will also stimulate students' curiosity, discipline and wonder about their environment. BACKGROUND Learning to make and record observations is an enormously important skill for biologists. These skills need to be practiced and improved through frequent use. Field biologists need to keep accurate, factual records of their field observations, so that they can refer back to them in the future. This activity introduces a particular format for recording field notes which may be used for a...

7. Dichotomous Key Lab "Shark Lab"
...aching Procedure Bellwork: Anticipatory Set: The Lesson: Dichotomous Key Lab 1. Guided Practice with Active Participation Dichotomous Key Lab 2. Independent Practice with Active Participation Closure (Student-centered): Reminded students that dichotomous keys are important for keying out organisms. Biologists can use keys to determine relationships between organisms. Lesson Extension and/ or Modification: Assisted modified students with lab. Assessment of Learning: Lab was graded. List Lesson Plans Home Login My eAssessment Online Modules ePortfolio Center Resource Media Center Accelerate Online Program...

8. Races worm
.... Again have each group report their distance to compose a second graph that the class can copy. Close: The races will never occur the same way twice. Ask students to look for patterns in the two different graphs. Look for similarities. Look also for simple explanations and descriptive conclusions. Biologists and zoologists use measurement of both time, distance and many other factors when studying animals in zoos and in the wild. Weather Pets Magnets Plants Rocks Colors Dinosaurs Experiments Static Oceans Our Class Centers Books Links for KIDS! Home

9. Teacher's guide - Lesson 9
...ial things, and their names all seem to have an "ist" on the end. Botanists study plants. Zoologists study animals. Ornithologists study birds. Herpetologists study snakes and frogs. Entomologists study bugs. Ichthyologists study fish. That's just a few of the "ists" in the woods. Fish and wildlife biologists study and manage the wildlife, especially game species for hunters and fishermen. At a Nursery. In a hospital a nursery is where new babies stay until they go home with their parents. Did you know there are tree nurseries too? People who work in nurseries grow new trees, shrubs and other plants. Tre...

10. Overview: Teaching People Plant Collecting
...ating A Desert Study Site" Overview By Dick Barber Activities Evaluation Collecting, preserving and naming plants is a great "hands on" way to introduce students to field biology. By applying the five activities presented here, students will become real scientists. They will use all the steps field-biologists use when making a scientific plant collection. Activity 1 shows how to make a quick and easy plant identification notebook from a spiral binder and clear tape. This plant identification notebook makes it easy for students to collect reference specimens and learn the names of plants they collect. Pla...