Evolve Science Teaching

Adaptable to in-class, hybrid, or distance learning! In this highly differentiated, PBL project designed for the end of an ecology unit, students create a presentation that persuades a leader to protect, preserve, or restore the ecosystem of their  choice. Students select an ecosystem and focus on an issue that is disturbing the ecosystem that they research. They choose a leader who may be able to protect, preserve, or restore that ecosystem, and they select from listed formats for their present

True to its 5E lesson format, this extensive lesson plan uses constructivist theory to build student knowledge, challenge student problem-solving and thinking skills, and develop mathematical and computational thinking. Students are gripped from the beginning in the task of solving the mystery of the two demonstrations. Next, students use an online simulation to visualize the movement of gas particles under changing volumes and pressures, calculate a constant, and graph the relationship between

No - prep worksheet to engage students in thinking about the processes that move carbon dioxide throughout the environment, from aquatic plants and animals, to the atmosphere, to sediments and rocks, and back again! Available in digital format to post on Google Classroom or easily printed to hand out as a worksheet. Rigorous, academic vocabulary brings students up to challenge with visual supports and an easily understood picture organizer, which enhances understanding for all students, especia

Adaptable to in-class, hybrid, or distance learning! In this project combining creative writing and ecology, students choose a nutrient cycle (water, phosphorous, nitrogen, or carbon) and write a story from the perspective of a molecule of water, phosphorus, nitrogen, or carbon as it moves through the cycle.  Students are instructed to demonstrate the following concepts within their story: Nutrients are made of elements.Nutrients are found in different reservoirs on our planet. Nutrients can sta

This NGSS-aligned student project challenges students to apply knowledge of basic electricity to the question of how solar panels work. The electricity concepts include resistance, current, electrical work, and voltage, but the project also talks about energy transformations, such as radiant energy, thermal energy, and electrical energy throughout the solar system, and energy efficiency. A student-friendly checklist, with opportunities to exceed expectations, allows for self-evaluation of the pr

Adaptable to in-class, hybrid, or distance learning! In this assignment, students create a trophic table and a food web of an ecosystem of their choice. Students must apply the following vocabulary words to a specific context: producers, herbivores, carnivores, and scavengers/decomposers. Students use a digital program of their choice to create food webs. Students love this project because they can choose an ecosystem that is meaningful to them - perhaps it is the ecosystem where they live or a

In this highly differentiated project, your students will propose a water conservation effort relevant to your school using research and writing. This problem-based learning project is perfect for students to make connections to their own life and to practice advocating for a change in their school communities. It is recommended to tackle this project AFTER students can interpret a water cycle diagram and use scientific vocabulary to name parts of the water cycle. Project includes a list of topi

Adaptable to in-class, hybrid, or distance learning! In this assignment, students choose an ecosystem that is dear to them. Students describe the ecosystem using newly-learned vocabulary from an ecology unit. Students love this project because they can choose an ecosystem that is meaningful to them - perhaps it is the ecosystem where they live or a place they have always wanted to travel.  Students are instructed to demonstrate understanding of the following vocabulary words within their ecosyst

This differentiated check for understanding can work well for learners of any age, and I have found it to be particularly useful for English Language Learners! Type in a rich, exploratory question for your students. Print the worksheet. Ask students to represent their answer in three different ways, with a drawing (in the Venti cup), by writing 3-4 sentences (in the Grande cup), or one sentence (in the Tall cup). Instructions are included on the cups. Can be used by pairing students or grouping

This is a FREE Google form for students to submit their preferences for ecosystems that they’d like to study. This accompanies the project “Describing My Favorite Ecosystem”, which is sold on my page individually or within the PBL ecology unit.  This project exists within a PBL ecology unit sold on my page. I highly suggest assigning this ecosystem description as the start to a project based learning unit, where students will continue to investigate the ecosystem they select in this project. At