Biology Buff

This 2-page worksheet gives an overview of the process and gives an example (making a water filter with a water bottle). The second page is a question sheet where the student answers according to information gotten from the first page. It's a quick lesson you could have a sub do, or it could be a make-up assignment or an introductory lesson to a lab. To better coincide with the NGSS standards listed below, you could have them use a real world problem as they answer the questions.

NGSS standard 2-LS2 is about ecosystems and specifically, 2-LS2-2 asks students to develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants. Models can be drawing or physical representations. This worksheet can represent a simple model. You can use this to introduce pollination or use it as a stand-alone lesson. At the bottom of the enclosed "teacher notes" page, I suggest another idea where students can role-play pollination with one student bei

This little worksheet/coloring sheet can go along with your owl pellet lab. It explains about the owl's digestion and just where the pellet comes from. Students color as they follow the worksheet. You can have the kids color the sheet if they want to after they finish the required coloring. The answer key is included. Please see my lessons "The Owl's Anatomy 1 and 2, " listed as two separate lessons according to level of students. Level 1 is for grades 3 and 4 while Level 2 would be best fo

This is a good little worksheet for 5th and 6th graders. Kids often ask about chicken eggs: where they come from, how come their are chicks in some of them, why are some of them lacking a yoke, etc. So I decided to make a coloring worksheet that has some science in it. If you want to do a paper dissection of birds after or before this lesson, look for my pigeon paper dissection. This lesson can go with the discussion about human anatomy, etc.

This coloring sheet could be used when doing owl pellets or could be used when discussing human anatomy as a comparison. this sheet would be best for grades 3 and 4 since I enlarged the diagram and made the vocab easier. If you want a more difficult drawing, see "The Owl's Anatomy 2".

This dot-to-dot sheet shows a bee pollinating a flower and drinking up nectar. This goes along with 2-LS2-2 where students are to develop a simple model of pollination. Models can be drawings too, so this would work for that. It could be an introductory activity or part of the overall lesson. See my worksheet entitled "Bee Pollination" for more on this standard.

This reading challenges your students to learn some detailed information about our senses and how they tell our brain what we are sensing through receptors. 4-LS1-2 and DCI LS1.D ask the students to use a model (in this case a diagram as a model) to "describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways." Examples of animal's special senses are given to add interest. They are asked

The Next Generation Science Standards ask for students in elementary grades to understand the structure and function of animals and plants and be able to compare them. This worksheet compares the human and plant in such a way that the teacher can get a good discussion going about how plants and animals help each other survive and how their structures have some similar functions. For example, the blood vessels in humans and plant vessels (xylem and phloem) in plants both carry needed food and w

This is the first installment in my collection of spotlights on each cell organelle. This lesson features the plasma membrane where students study the diagram while coloring each component and molecule. Then, on the second page, students read the information paragraphs where I explain in more detail about each component and discuss what molecules and substances can cross the membrane either through the phospholipids or with the aid of proteins. Then, they are told to list the 18 components an

Here is an introductory lesson to what Science is. Many young students may not have a good grasp of just what science is so this worksheet give them the idea that there are really 3 areas of Science: Life, Earth and Physical Science. They are given the words that will be used in sentences on the next page. This worksheet would work for 2nd and 3rd graders who can read well. When this worksheet is done, you could have them cut and paste pictures from magazines into the 3 areas described as a

This worksheet simulates a hypothetical dissection of a tarantula. Since tarantulas are not normally dissected in school, the purpose of this worksheet is to show what a dissection might look like, and also to teach the general anatomy of the spider, comparing and contrasting its body systems with those of a human.

NGSS requires that students learn about body parts and their functions, learning about external parts in 2nd grade and both internal and external structures on a macroscale in 5th grade.(LS1A) furthermore, under LS4A, Evidence for evolution, students need to understand that comparative anatomy is one of the evidences. this worksheet shows various vertebrates in order of supposed evolution and shows their digestive and skeletal systems for comparison. 5th and 6th graders should be able to mast

This worksheet features a simple diagram of the female reproductive system, requiring that students color, label and write a short essay about the journey the egg takes. Might be appropriate for advanced 6th and 7th graders.

This activity really helped my students understand the food chain idea and the terms "first order consumer" etc. It turned out to be fun and interesting! A sample is included. Sometimes students needed to do some research to find out what a particular animal eats and whether he is then a first or second order consumer. For example, when eating bacon, they had to find out what a pig eats. They found that pig slop contains a lot of substances!

This is the 2nd installation on a study of cell organelles. This worksheet features the endomembrane system which is comprised of the Nuclear envelope, ER, and Golgi Apparatus. Students will color the diagram, read the information sheet, and then write the components of the system on another sheet of paper, defining each.

This little worksheet is formatted like a "big kid" worksheet, but is meant to answer one of the common questions young children ask. Other questions I want to answer in future worksheets are: What does my heart do?, How do we breath?, Why do we drink water?, Why do we have to sleep?, and more. Students color as they read each step in each process. If students need help reading, the teacher would help, and might want to do a wrap-up at the end to make sure they understand.

In this article, students learn about the short-wave blue light that is emitted from screens like computer, smartphone, etc and how it disrupts the production of melatonin which helps us sleep. Blue light has also been implicated in problems like obesity, diabetes, depression, etc. This is an interesting and important topic to impart to students.

This kindergarten worksheet helps students to understand the NGSS standard LS1-1 where students see how the sun, animals and plants interact in the life cycle. I also showed how the pumpkin develops from a seed, as a little nod to upcoming Halloween, and how a pumpkin can be made into pumpkin pie which shows how animals need food to survive. We also see a jack-o-lantern to see what the ultimate fate of the pumpkin is. The body is running off on the right after he has eaten the pie to indicate

This chart helps students to understand the characteristics of living things by having them look at 9 things and deciding if they contain all the characteristics of living things needed to be considered "alive". This is appropriate for the NGSS 3rd grade standards, but you may need to explain the characteristics with examples first. You could also use this for 4th and 5th if you like. I have a Middle School chart also which is a little more detailed appropriate for 6th-8th.

This article helps students understand what microbes (germs, pathogens) are and why they are not all bad. In fact, some are good and help us digest food, etc. It discusses why it might be good to GET a DOG!