Great Lessons

See the water cycle first hand with a soda bottle terrarium. You simply need a 2 liter bottle, some soil, gravel, grass seeds and water. The 2 liter bottle needs to be cut in half at the top to set up the terrarium and then taped together with packing tape. Fun project that follows the scientific method and has follow up questions to target the middle school standards.

I have been doing this project for years and the kids love it! I've recently updated it to include the new NGSS standards which involve plant adaptations as well as animals. Really targets grade 7 and 8 standards! Includes checklist and rubric. I usually do some of this project in class and some at home. Students then present their projects in small groups and students peer grade each other using the rubric.

This chart lists and describes many animal and plant structural adaptations and plant structural adaptations. It also notes whether the adaptation is good for survival or reproduction or both. Goes well with any lesson or project about adaptations as a reference.