Searchable Table of Lesson Plans
Since 2006 Fellows and K-12 Partnership Teachers have been creating lessons, many of them based on science taking place at KBS. Use the Search box on the table to find the lessons!
Virtual Field Trips
Ask us to join your class online! Recorded and live content available. Birds of Prey Interview and Exploring with Scientists themes help students learn about animal adaptations, careers and more!
Borrow a Kit: In the table below, search ‘Kit’ or Click here to see what is available, please email Kara Haas to confirm your reservation and arrange to pick it up or have it delivered. Fellows can help with implementing the protocols with your students, so ask Kara about that too.
| Lesson Title (short) | Grade Level | Time (hours) | Keywords | Activity Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fungal Partnerships with Plant Roots and Bioenergy Production | Middle | weeks | bioenergy, biofuels, plants, micorrhyzae | experiment, hands on |
| Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Classroom Materials | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | engineering, biofuels, sustainable | collections of activities, multiple types |
| Analyzing Water Usage by Bioenergy Crops | High | Variable | biofuel, water, hydrogeology, agriculture | observation, data collection |
| Student activity guide for 8 hands-on experiments designed to complement the learning in the online Edgenuity Biology A & B curriculum. Teacher guide for 8 hands-on experiments designed to complement the learning in the online Edgenuity Biology A & B curriculum. | High (alternative) | Variable | bioenergy, engineering, fermentation, adaptation, cellular respiration, heredity, cycling matter | hands on, experiments |
| Teaching Evolution in Action | Middle, High | Variable | evolution, resources for teachers | hands on |
| K-12 Education Resources BEACON: An NSF Center for Evolution in Action | High School | evolution, computation, engineering, biology | hands on, computers | |
| K-12 Partnership 2017 Spring Workshop | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | biology, photosynthesis, DNA, invasive species, biofuels, greenhouse gases, | experiment, hands on activity, measurement, demonstration |
| Lessons of History: Land Use Change 1830-3013 | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable, 1 for elementary, 3 for high school | land use, land cover, landscape, human impact, history | hands on, graphing, maps, Kit available |
| Ecosystem Services Lesson | High School | Variable, 1.5 hours | ecosystem services, ecology, field trip | outdoor walk, worksheet |
| Building Evolutionary Trees: how did New World Oriole colors evolve | High (AP biology) | 1.5 | Evolution, Evolutionary tree, Phylogeny, Cladogram, Common ancestor, Bird, Oriole, Model building | demonstration |
| Who’s the bravest of them all?: Using inquiry to explore cricket behavior | Middle, High | 4+ | Inquiry, Scientific Method, Animal Behavior | inquiry, data interpretation |
| A Game of Selection: Exploring Evolution by Natural Selection | Middle, High | 1-2 | Evolution, Natural Selection, Survival, Reproduction, Game, Animal Behavior | game |
| Farming for Ecosystem Services | Middle, High | 1 | ecosystem services, ecosystem function, biodiversity-ecosystem function hypothesis, decision-making game, agriculture, land management | game |
| Expecting the Unexpected: Adventures in Critical Thinking | Middle, High | 1 | hypothesis testing, evolution, inference, deductive reasoning, anti-vaccination, conspiracy, correlation | demonstration, data interpretation |
| Seeing the forest from the trees | Elementary | 1-2 | trees, light, water, leave shape, leaf size | demonstration |
| Putting Down Roots: The Evolution of Plants from Water to Land | Elementary, Middle | 1 | plant, evolution, adaptation, microscope | demonstration |
| The Chi-square goodness of fit test: Application for testing genetic inheritance hypothesis | High, AP Biology, 10-12 | 1-2 | statistics, chi-square, data | data interpretation, mathmatics |
| Why do species cooperate? A card-based simulation of the ant-acacia mutualism | Upper Middle, High | 1 | game | |
| Not in my stream! The Asian carp invaders | Elem, 3-5 | 1-2 | game | |
| Connecting Landscapes in a Changing World | Middle, High | 1-2 | fragmentation, human impacts, corridors, conservation, dispersal, reserve design, habitat requirements | data interpretation, graphing, demonstration |
| Coevolving with Crossbills: A Tale of Two Pinecones | Middle, High | 1-2 | fragmentation, human impacts, corridors, conservation, dispersal, reserve design, habitat requirements | game |
| Does Size Matter? Investigating the Physical Properties of Soil and their Effects on Plants | Middle, High | 2 | clay, sand, serpentine, permeability, geology, weathering, calcium, magnesium, water | demonstration |
| Food Web Control of Beneficial and Pest Species: Who Eats Who and Why Should We Care? | Middle, Early High School, 5-9 | 3 | Food webs, biodiversity, pond, plankton, invertebrates, frogs, water chemistry, microscopy | inquiry, demonstration |
| Fun with plants: understanding the functions of mineral elements Jul 232014 | Middle, High School | 4-6 weeks | nutrients, hydroponics, pH, PPM & EC probes, limiting & essential nutrients | Inquiry, graphing |
| When mountains disappear where do they go? Inorganic carbon cycling in your belly and our ecosystems | High School | 1+ | tums, weathering, carbon cycle, geology, lime, buffer | demonstration, data interpretation |
| The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Species Interactions | Elementary, Middle, High School modifications | 2 | environmental change, mutualism, parasitism, pollination, beneficial, negative, | game, demonstration |
| Running the Gauntlet: Finding the Least Cost Path | Upper Elementary, Middle, Lower High School | 2-3 | animals, movement, dispersal, migration, map, habitat, Africa. | demonstration, design |
| Bringing Biology to Urban Design: All Abord the Poop Train! | Elementary, Middle | 1-2 | agriculture, algae, bioluminescence, recycling, urban design, city, energy efficiency | demonstration |
| The Pig Bang Theory: Implications of Ignoring Evolution | High School | 1+ | evolution, antibiotic resistance, organic, farming, food | game, date interpretation |
| Building Bliss for Butterflies | Elementary | 1 | migration, Monarchs, phenology, plants, flowers, insects, climate change | game, demonstration |
| What's in My Backyard? Identifying Winter Birds in Michigan | Advanced Elementary, Middle, High | 1+ | classification, birds, Michigan | demonstration, tour |
| Where the Wild Things Are: How Rainfall Drives Food Web Interactions | Elementary, Middle, High | .5-1 | food web, water cycle, Africa, migration, Serengeti | Game, Demonstration |
| Wetlands: Not just a swampy place | Elementary | 1-2 | wetlands, water, food web | demonstration |
| Sex Changes, Drugs, and Rockin’ Dead Zones | Advanced Middle, High | 3+ | dead zone, algal bloom, stratification, sex ratio, contaminants | demonstration, game |
| Chi-Square test: When and how to use | High (AP Biology) | .5-1 | chi-square, chi-square goodness of fit, statistics, data analysis, female song, wren | data interpretation, mathematics |
| BEST plots Landscape Legacy Application | Middle, High | 1-2 | Landuse, Google Earth | Inquiry, data interpretation, graphing |
| Variety is the spice of life! | Middle, High | 2 | genetic drift, heterozygous, homozygous, genotype, allele frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg | demonstration, game |
| Developing Research Questions Using BEST Plots | Elementary, Middle, High | 1 | inquiry, data interpretation | |
| Bug Lyphe! An NGSS observational biodiversity study | Middle, High | 2-5 | Ecosystem, Biodiversity, Invertebrates, Ecosystem Function, Observational Study, Graphing, NGSS, Next Generation Science Standards | inquiry, data interpretation, graphing |
| Survivor: Extreme Environments | High | 2 | Invasive plants | game, demonstration |
| Roid Rage: Is it just for boys? | Middle, High | 1-2 | Steroids, Hyenas, Competition | demonstration, game |
| Michigan's Most Unwanted | Middle, High | 1-2 | Invasive species, Sea lamprey, Dichotomous key, Graphing exercise | demonstration, graphing |
| What's the Buzz? | Middle, Upper Elementary | 1-1.5 | Plants, Flowers, Pollinators, Adaptation | demonstration |
| Forest of Fortune | Elementary, Middle, High | 2 | Management, Human impacts, Ecology, Wildlife | game |
| How do Scientist Study Succession? | High | 3-4 | Succession, Data, Graphing, Land management, Analysis | data interpretation, graphing |
| Where does plant mass come from? | High | 2-3 | Photosynthesis, Respiration, Plant growth, Carbon cycle | inquiry, data interpretation |
| To Fish or Not To Fish | High | 1-2 | Human impacts, Aquatic systems, Fish, Environmental sustainability | data interpretation, debate |
| Mycorrhizae: Mutualism or Parasitism? | Middle | 2 | Mutualism, Parasitism, Soil, Species interactions | Game |
| Light and Plant Biomass | Middle, High | 1-2 | Plant biomass, Photosynthesis | inquiry, data interpretation |
| Invisible Friends Underground | Middle, High, College | 3-4 | Soil, Species interactions, Microscopic organisms, Mutualisms | inquiry, demonstration |
| Into thin air: What happens to leaves when they decompose? | Middle, High | 4+ | Decomposition, Carbon cycle, Vernier sensors, Graphing | inquiry, data interpretation, graphing |
| Animal Motion | Elementary | 1 | Motion, Animals, Plants, Seed dispersal, Movement | demonstration |
| Albedo: How much of the sun's energy gets absorbed? | Middle | 4 | Graph data, Interpret graphs, Light absorption, Energy | Inquiry, data, interpretation |
| Humans and Biodiversity | High | 5 | Biodiversity, Human impacts | Inquiry, data interpretation, mathematics |
| The Subliminal Significants of Soil | High | 1 | Carbon cycle, soil, community ecology, human impacts | inquiry |
| Succession: patterns in the field and in seed | Middle, High | 2 | Session, Adaptations, Biodiversity | demonstration, tour |
| Rotten but not forgotten | High | 1-2 | Decomposition, Carbon Cycle | inquiry, demonstration |
| Microbes on Trial: A Case for the Benefits Provided by Microbes in Ecosystems | Middle, High | 2 | Microbes, Species interactions, Ecosystems | demonstration, student presentation |
| Lady Beetle Blitz | Elementary, Middle, High | 1-2 | Biodiversity, Invasive species | inquiry, data interpretation |
| From Molecules to Populations: Describing Diversity Using Molecular Tools | Elementary, Middle, High | Genetic tools, DNA, Genotype, Phenotype | data interpretation | |
| Conserving water and calculating your water footprint | Elementary, Middle, High | 1 | Water conservation, Human impacts, Human interactions | inquiry, student presentation |
| You're not you when you are hungry... | Elementary, Middle, High | 3 | Animal Behavior, Variation, Personality | inquiry, game |
| Groundwater Conceptions and Processes | Teachers, High | 1-3 | Water, Pollution, Human Impacts | demonstration |
| Gases matter! | Elementary | 1.5 | Gases, Mass, Matter | demonstration |
| Frogsicles: how frogs survive the winter | Middle, High | 2 | Water properties, Osmosis, Adaptations | inquiry, demonstration |
| Winter Schoolyard: Soil and Air Temperature | Elementary, Middle | 1 | Winter Ecology, Soil, Weather | Inquiry |
| Winter Cover Crops | Middle, High | 4 | Agriculture, Winter Ecology, Plant Traits | inquiry, student presentation |
| Volume of Snow and Water | Elementary, Middle | 1 | Physical Science, States of Matter | inquiry |
| Thinking About Waste | Elementary | 1 | Conservation | demonstration |
| Rainy Day Habitat Lesson | Elementary | 1 | Habitat, Invertebrates | inquiry |
| Microscopic Life in Water | Elementary | 1 | Algae, Aquatic, Water, Microscope | demonstration |
| Land Conservation Debate | Middle, High | 1 | Conservation, Land Management | debate |
| Is CO2 An Atmospheric Pollutant? | Middle | 2 | Pollution, Carbon, Gases | data interpretation, panel discussion |
| Iron in Cereal | Elementary | 1 | Nutrition, Magnetism | Inquary, demonstration |
| How Do Birds Fly? | Elementary | 0.5 | Birds, Animals, Traits | demonstration |
| Don't Shell Yourself Short | Middle, High | 2 | Evolution, Natural selection, Human impacts | game |
| Comparison of Historical Lake Ice Cover Data From Three Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin | Middle, High | 1-2 | Climate Change, Water, Lakes | data interpretation, graphing |
| History and Diversity of American Crops | Middle | 6 | Crops, Management | demonstration |
| Hairy Leaves | Middle | 1 | Plants, Physiology, Inquiry | Inquiry, graphing |
| Where does plant mass come from? | Elementary | 6 | Plants, carbon cycle, biomass, growth | inquiry, data interpretation |
| Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: The Good, Bad, and Ugly | Middle | 1 | Habitat loss, Management, Habitat Fragmentation | game |
| Food Chain | Elementary | 0.5 | Preditor-Pray, Food Chain, Ecology, Trophic levels | game |
| All About Corn | Upper Elementary, Middle | 1.5 | Plants, Agriculture, Math, Crops, Energy | data interpretation, mathmatics |
| Big Roots for Big Problems: Exploring the Ecosystem Services of Roots | Middle, High | 1.5 | Trees, Roots, Ecosystem Services, Flooding, Drought, Soil Retention, Project GREEN, Erosion | demonstration, inquiry |
| BoxCar2D ~ Evolving better cars | Middle, High | 2 | Evolution, Engineering, Local Adaptation, Fitness, Traits, Natural Selection | inquary, demonstration |
| BEST plots ~ Using real data in the classroom | Elementry, Middle, High | 2 | Biofuel, BEST Plots, Data Nuggets, Diversity, Competition, Nutrients, Plants, Inects, Invertebrates, Graphing, Claims, Evidence, Reasoning | data interpretation, graphing |
| Water in the Classroom: Lake Mixing | Middle | 1 | Lake Mixing, Stratification, Turn-Over, Ocean Layering, Temperature, Salinity | demonstration |
| Water in the classroom: Lake Mixing | Elementary, Middle, High | 2 | Water, Chemistry, Winter, Lakes, Limnology | demonstration |
| Pollination: what’s on your flowers? | Elementary, Middle, High | 2 | Ecology, Mutualism, Pollination, Plant Ecology, Insects, Flowers | inquiry |
| Natural Selection in the Classroom | High | Full semester, year | Evolution, Natural Selection, Plants, Crayfish, Snails | inquiry |
| Effect of fish on pond invertebrate community structure | Elementary, Middle, High | 4 | Aquatic Invertebrates, Keystone Predator, Community Ecology, Insects, Fish, Field Trip | inquiry, data interpretation |
| Weeds! Tricks of the trade | High | 1 | Dispersal, Seed Bank, Landscape Ecology, Graphing, Weeds, Volunteers | demonstration, graphing |
| Seeds on the Run | Middle, High | 1 | Dispersal, Seeds, Trade-offs, Herbivory, Game | game |
| The Double Life of A Squirrel: Seed Disperser and Predator | Middle | 2 | Foraging, Project Squirrel, Observational Study, Animal Behavior, Dispersal, Predation, Seed Citizen Science | Inquiry, data interpretation |
| The New Farmer's Almanac: Agriculture and Climate Change | High | 1.5 | Climate Change, Michigan, Weather Patterns, Agriculture, Crops, Corn, Soybean, Wheat, Farm, Rain, Precipitation, Temperature | data interpretation, graphing |
| The Best Genes for the Job | Middle, High | 1 | Evolution, Mimicry, Game, Density Dependent, Predator, Prey, Survival | Game |
| Dividends from Diversity | Middle | 1.5 | Diversity, Game, Invertebrates, Ecosystem Services | Game |
| Why Fly South? How climate change alters the phenology of plants and animals | Middle, High | 1 | Phenology, flower time, lake ice cover, climate change, citizen science | data interpretation, graphing |
| It's Getting Hot in Here! | Elementary, Middle, High | 1 | Climate Change, Impacts on flora and fauna, Games, Polar Bear, Nemo, Clownfish, Bullwinkle | game |
| Why is there variation in personality type? Does fishing impact the variation? | High | 2 | Bass, Simulation, Evolution, Natural Selection, Phenotype, Heritability, Sustainability | Game |
| The Hunger Games | Middle, High | 1 | Evolution, Genetics, Genotype, Phenotype, Game, Graphing | game |
| Geeked About Beaks | Elementary, Middle, High | 1.5 | Survival, Reproduction, Animal Behavior, Game, Evolution, Environment, Environmental Change, Predator, Pray | game |
| Cannibalism | High | 1 | Tadpoles, Animal Behavior, Game, Evolution, Kin Selection, Strategy | game |
| Angry Birds | High | 1 | Birds, Animal Behavior, Game, Evolution, Kin Selection, Strategy | game |
| Algal Biofuels: An Emerging Renewable Energy | Middle, High | 1 | Algal biofuels, Sustainability, Alternative Fuels, Algae, Phytoplankton, Renewable Energy | game, demonstration |
| Evolving to Invade | Middle, High | 1 | Invasive Species, Evolution, Seeds, Game | game |
| Invasion: Total Take-Over! | Middle, High | 1 | Invasive Species, Biological Control, Human Impacts, Game, Michigan, Monsters | game |
| How seeds get around | Elementary | 1.5 | Seed, Wind, Water, Animal Dispersal, Physical Characteristics, Adaptation | demonstration, inquiry |
| Experimental Design and Communicating Scientific Findings | Middle, High | 1 | Scientific Poster, Presentation, Method, Controlled Experiment | demonstration, student presentation |
| Climate Change: the basis of belief | Global Warming, Quantitative, Claim, Graphics, Figures, Evidence | data interpretation | ||
| Biotic Resistance - What can stop invasive species? | Middle | 1 | Invasive Species, Enemy Release, Biotic Resistance, Herbivory, Disease, Predation, Game | game |
| The Marvels of Mud | Middle, High | 2 | Sediment, Aquatic Ecosystems, Water, Phosphorus, Experimental Control, Treatment, Observation, Ecosystem Effects | inquiry |
| Survivor: Who will be the best competitor? | Elementary, Middle, High | 1 | Survival, Competition, Game, Evolution, Predation, Preadator, Pray | game |
| How do mutations and invasions affect populations? | Elementary, Middle, High | 1 | Resources, Natural Selection, Extinction, Displacement, Competition, Theory, Graphs, Hypothesis, Observation, Advantageous Trait | Game |
| Sounds of Selection | Middle, High | 1.5 | Frogs, Survival, Reproduction, Strategy, Game, Human Impacts | game |
| N2O: It's No Laughing Matter! | Middle, High | 1 | Biofuels, Global Warming, Gas, Carbon, Greenhouse, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Nitrogen, Emissions | Inquiry |
| Mutualism in Action | Middle, High | 2 | Mutualist, Symbiosis, Soybean, Rhizobia, Bacteria, Nitrogen, Light, Agriculture, Plant, Crop | inquiry |
| Invasive Species Game | Middle | 1.5 | Invasive Species, Michigan Plants, Enemy Release, Introduced Species, Native Species, Human Disturbance | game |
| Take students on a field trip to do a forest walk! | Elementary, Middle | 1.5+ | Outdoors, Michigan, Animals, Plants, Observation, Identification | demonstration, tour |
| Do herbivores prefer local or exotic foods? | Elementary, Middle, High | 2 | Invasive Species, Enemy Release, Herbivory, Disease, Oaks, Galls, Native Species | inquiry, data interpretation, graphing |
| BEST Research Network | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Soil, Chemistry, Nitrogen, Inquiry | Inquiry, BEST protocol, Kit available |
| BEST Plot Landscape Protocol | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Land use, Human Impact, Inquiry, Maps | Inquiry, BEST protocol, Kit available |
| Best Plot Biomass Protocol | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Biofuels, Bioenergy, Inquiry, Data Interpretation | Inquiry, BEST protocol, Kit available |
| BEST Plot Biodiversity Protocol | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Biofuels, Biodiversity, Inquiry, Data Interpretation | Inquiry, BEST protocol, Kit available |
| Decomposition: The Ultimate Disappearing Act! | Late middle, Early High | 2 | soil, microbes, carbon loss, matter transitions | inquiry, data interpretation, graphing |
| Invasion Meltdown: Will Climate Change Make Invasions Even Worse? | Middle, High | Invasive species, climate change | experiment, data, graphing | |
| Growing energy: comparing biofuel crop biomass | agriculture, biofuels, climate change, fertilization, plants | data interpretation, graphing, scientific method | ||
| Springing Forward: Does climate change cause plants to flower earlier? | Middle, High | climate change, plant life cycles, phenology | data, scientific method | |
| The ground has gas! | High | climate change, temperature, greenhouse gasses, nitrogen, plants | data interpretation, graphing, scientific method | |
| Fertilizing biofuels may cause release of greenhouse gasses | High | biofuels, climate change, fertilization, greenhouse gasses, nitrogen | data interpretation, graphing, scientific method | |
| Fair Traders or Freeloaders? | High | Mutualism, evolution, legume, plants, rhizobia, nitrogen | data interpretation, graphing, scientific method | |
| Does a partner in crime make it easier to invade? | High | Invasive plants, mutualism, evolution, legume, plants, parasitism, rhizobia, nitrogen, | data interpretation, scientific method, | |
| Do invasive species escape their enemies? | High | invasive species, native plants | ||
| Do insects prefer local or foreign foods | High | Ecology, enemy Release Hypothesis, environmental, herbivory, insects, invasive species, plants | ||
| Dangerously Bold | Middle | |||
| Carbon Time | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Systems and Scale, Animal, plant, decomposers, ecosystems, human energy systems, carbon | |
| Bird Feeder Survey | Elementary | Basic needs of birds, common bird species identification, counting | Inquiry | |
| Habitat Selection | Middle | Habitat selection, density, scientific process | experiment, data collection, graphing | |
| Physics of Flight Investigation | Middle | Lift, drag, thrust, weight, pressure, scientific process | data, experiment | |
| Butterfly Bonanza | Elementary | Metamorphosis, life cycles, life requirements | demonstration | |
| Diversity in a Leaf Pack (MSP Lesson) | Middle, High | biodiversity, energy and matter, fresh water stream ecology | hands on, experiment | |
| Summer Institute, June 26-28, 2018, The Natural History of NOW | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | summer institute, workshop, natural history, habitat fragmentation, ants, data collection, kellogg forest | worksheets, inquiry, data collection, hands on, field trip |
| 2017 K-12 Partnership Summer Institute Aug. 9-11, 2017 | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | summer institute, workshop, Lux arbor, bird conservation, pork, microbes, invasive aquatic plants | worksheets, inquiry, data collection, hands on, field trip |
| 2017 K-12 Partnership Fall Workshop, Oct. 24, 2017 | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | prairie plants, Tyler Bassett, carbon time, underwear experiment, data nuggets | worksheets, inquiry, data collection, hands on, field trip |
| 2018 K-12 Partnership Spring Workshop, April 18, 2018 | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | butterflies, junk drawer robotics, underwater ORVs, data nuggets, trees | worksheets, inquiry, data collection, hands on, field trip |
| Fall K-12 Partnership Workshop, Oct. 31, 2018 | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Science isn't Spooky, microbes, fish, sturgeon, pollinators, bioblitz, inaturalist, invasive species, drones, antibiotic resistance, Project BioDiversify, microbes | worksheets, inquiry, data collection, hands on, field trip |
| Teaching Science Outdoors_Winter Science | Elementary | Variable | Fall 2017 Workshop, Winter, Weather, Science Books, Reading, outdoors | data sheet, lesson plan, reading/book list, outdoors |
| Summer 2018 Institute Lessons | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | Summer 2018 Institute, plants, botany, herbaria, behavior, data collection, pollination, bees, dendrology, trees, microbiome, human evolution, ants, microbes, leaves, physical computing, Squareland Mysteries, bouyancy, turtle mark recapture, Wild Edibles | |
| Fall 2018 Workshop Lessons | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | antibiotic resistant bacteria, BioBlitz, birding, diversity, inclusion, drones, sturgeon behavior, invasive species, mycorrhizal fungi, pollinators, Fall 2018 Workshop | |
| Be a Botanist: creating a classroom herbarium | Elementary, Middle, High | 2-3 | herbaria, plants, specimen, observations, careers, biodiversity, plant identification | lesson plan, outdoors, classroom, hands on, art, data collection, observation |
| Learn about Birds Resources 2019 | Elementary, Middle, High | birds, migration, bird banding, native plants, habitat | resources, links | |
| Spring 2019 Workshop Teaching Materials | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | biodiversity, climate change, experiments, insects, birds, evolution, GLBRC, carbon cycle, school gardens, pollinators, population dynamics, population models, Data Nuggets, Spring 2019 Workshop | lesson plan, outdoors, modeling, worksheets, data, game, online, resources |
| Population Booms and Busts: modeling population dynamics in the classroom | Middle, High | 2, Variable | populations, population dynamics, population modeling, exponential growth, logistic growth, predator prey, invasive species, population growth rate | lesson plan, resources, game, data |
| Summer 2019 Institute | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | 3D assessment, pollinators, bee-friendly, 4J, bee houses, BioBlitz, biodiversity, insects, birds, evolution, chromebooks, probeware, project-based science, Create for STEM, adaptations, pollen, restoration, decision-making, nitrogen, nitrogen fixation, s'mores, solar ovens, seeds, dispersal, seed predation, granivory, clonal, rhizomes, water quality, macroinvertebrates, water, vernal pools, MNFI, eDNA | resources, links, lesson plan, outdoors, hands on, classroom, data collection, experiment, observation, worksheets |
| Fall 2019 Workshop | Elementary, Middle, High | Variable | fall 2019, climate change, global change, turtle, arctic, sturgeon, bird, sanctuary | resources, links, lesson plan, outdoors, hands on, classroom, data collection, experiment, observation, worksheets |
| Webinar Oct. 19, 2016 Teaching Science Outdoors | Elementary | 1 hour | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development | Webinar 4 of 4 |
| Webinar May 19, 2016 Teaching Science Outdoors | Elementary | 1 hour | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development | Webinar 3 of 4 |
| Webinar March 10, 2016 Teaching Science Outdoors | Elementary | 1 hour | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development | Webinar 2 of 4 |
| Webinar Feb. 4, 2016 Teaching Science Outdoors | Elemenatary | 1 hour | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development | Webinar 1 of 4 |
| What is the Grand River Watershed like? | Elementary | 1 hour | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development, Michigan Science Teachers Association, MSTA | lesson plan, outdoor, classroom, hands on, observation, watershed, phenomena |
| 2017 Teaching Science Outdoors website | Elementary | variable | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development, 2017, Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), Tollgate Farm and Education Center | professional development resources, lesson plans, teacher products |
| 2016 Teaching Science Outdoors Website | Elementary | variable | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development, 2016, Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) | professional development resources, lesson plans, teacher products |
| 2015 Teaching Science Outdoors Website | Elementary | variable | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development, 2015, Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) | professional development resources, lesson plans, teacher products |
| 2014 Teaching Science Outdoors Website | Elementary | variable | Teaching Science Outdoors, elementary teacher professional development, 2014, Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) | professional development resources, lesson plans, teacher products |
| What science job do you want? | Elementary, Middle, High | less than 5 minutes | career, careers, jobs, natural resources, science | online 'quiz' |
| 2020 Summer Institute Resources | Elementary, Middle, High School | variable | Summer 2020 Summer Institute, birds of prey live, | professional development, recordings of sessions, lesson plans, activities |
| Antibiotic Resistance Lesson | High School | 1 hour | Antibiotic resistance, bacteria, evolution | lesson plan, presentation, data |
| Online/Virtual K-12 Student Programs | Elementary, Middle, High School | variable | Birds of prey, meet a scientist, virtual, online, synchronous and asynchronous content, field trip | lesson plan, field trip, live online programs |
| Exploring with Scientists | Elementary, Middle | 45 minutes for K-5 OR 60 minutes for 6-12 | STEM careers, interview a scientist, evolution, conservation, frogs, herpetology | videos, online field trip, virtual program |
| Bird of Prey Interview | Elementary, Middle, High School | 35 minutes | birds of prey, raptors, red-tailed hawk, adaptation, biology, ecology | videos, online field trip, virtual program |
| KBS Nature Challenge | Elementary, Middle, High School | 20 minutes | video, Flipgrid, nature observation, Intro to Your Backyard; Things in Motion; Poetry Outside; Signs of Spring; Find the Rainbow; Tour a Tree; Where is the Water? | videos, Flipgrid |
| Padlet_Collaborative Teacher Climate Science SeriesNetwork | Elementary, Middle, High School | variable | collection of resources for place-based, outdoor education | professional development |
| Climate Science Series 2021_padlet | MIddle School, High School | 4 hours | professional development, webinar series, recordings, climate change, climate science, land use change, deforestation, enRoads Climate Interactive, biofuels, agriculture | professional development, webinar series, video series, recordings |
| HOW PLANTS RESPOND TO CLIMATE CHANGE: CLASSROOM DATASETS FROM HARVARD FOREST AND KELLOGG BIOLOGICAL STATION LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH | Elementary, Middle School, High School | 1.5 hours | professional development, webinar, recording, climate change, climate science, plants, KBS LTER, Data Nuggets, padlet | professional development webinar, Data Nuggets, worksheets, data analysis, padlet |
| ART + SCIENCE, Summer Institute 2021 | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | professional development, recording, webinar, poetry, dance, writing, fireflies, data visualization, engineering, butterflies, literature, multi-modal text sets, art, outdoor observations, climate change, sensory maps, equity | professional development webinar, Data Nuggets, worksheets, data analysis, padlet |
| Connecting and Restoring Landscapes: Fall Workshop Series 2021 | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | restoration ecology, noise pollution, habitat fragmentation, schoolyard restoration, community-based restoration, outdoor observations | professional development webinar, jamboards, videos |
| Biodiversity: Organisms as Tools for Discovery - Spring 2022 Workshop | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | biodiversity, sampling techniques, field day, outdoor education | professional development |
| Genetic Rescue with Matt from Galactic Polymath - Spring 2023 | Middle School, High School | 1 hour | gene flow, genetic rescue, habitat fragmentation | professional development, curriculum |
| Exploring a Place, Problem and Project-based (3P) Learning Environment at Comstock STEM Academy | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | habitats, iNaturalist, water quality, macroinvertebrates, outdoor teaching, plant identification | professional development |
| 2024 Summer Institute: The Power of Long-term Partnerships | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | biology, identity, scientists, political change, school gardens, outdoor learning, evolution, Monkey Flower, data, Data Nuggets, nature journaling, invasive species, BioBlitz, biodiversity, insect sampling, Bird Sanctuary, field trips, agriculture, Project Learning Tree, Climate, MEECS, Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Supplement, Social Studies, Project-based, Civic Science | professional development |
| 2024 SPRING WORKSHOP: INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO TEACHING CLIMATE SCIENCE | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | climate, ELA, english, writing, deliberative discussions | professional development |
| Fall 2023 Workshop: Restoring Healthy Communities | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | ecology, restoration, hawks, Flint water crisis, chemistry, seed dispersal, nature journaling, climate, soil, data | professional development |
| Fall 2023 Workshop: Restoring Healthy Communities | Elementary, Middle School, High School | variable | climate change, science communication, women, farmers, teachers | professional development |
Contact Us_KBS K-12 Programs
Questions or requests for more information about opportunities for K-12 teachers and students are welcome here!
Additional Program Resources
Click on the titles below to open up boxes where you will find links to these resources on our website and others.
Bird Sanctuary Lesson Plans
Includes: Resources to be used in combination with a field trip visit, self-guided scavenger hunts, habitat selection experiment.
GK12 Program Lesson Plans
Includes: A searchable table of lesson plans created under the GK12 grants from 2006-2015. Ecology, evolution, biofuels and more.
Data Nuggets
Includes: Data Nuggets Worksheets/activities designed to give students practice interpreting quantitative information and making claims based on evidence. Data Nuggets originated from the GK-12 Partnership between teachers and MSU scientists at KBS. They are currently funded by the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.
Long-term Ecological Research resources for K-12 Educators
Includes: Teacher guide for the Agriculture and Ecology Student Activity Trail.
Math Science Partnership (MSP) Project
Includes: Teaching materials for Carbon Cycle, Water Cycle, Biodiversity and Evolution and Citizenship, assessments, research reports and publications.
Math Science Partnership Teaching Experiment
Diversity in a Leaf Pack is a great lesson that several K-12 Partnership Teachers continue to use. The Augusta Creek that flows through Kellogg Forest has been a productive and fun place to place the leaf packs.
Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy (Carbon TIME)
Includes: publicly available teaching units, teacher professional development, and teacher networks based in local education agencies.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Classroom Materials
Includes: Materials developed by teachers and professional educators associated with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) with input from scientists. The materials are designed to engage students in learning about science and engineering challenges associated with producing sustainable biofuels. All materials are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and designed to fit within the curriculum of standard K-16 science courses.
Materials include investigations, shorter stand-alone activities and readings, as well as longer integrated units.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Classroom Materials
Lessons created by KBS-based Research Experience for Teachers (RET):
Fungal Partnerships with Plant Roots and Bioenergy Production: created by, Summer 2015 GLBRC RET – Ashley Carroll (Gull Lake Community Schools)
Adapting Hands-on Bioenergy Activities for an Alternative Online High School: created by, Summer 2013 GLBRC RET- Matt Hawkins (Gull Lake Community Schools)
Analyzing Water Usage by Bioenergy Crops: created by, Summer 2012 GLBRC RET – Marty Green (Plainwell Schools)
Evolution Teaching
Lessons for Teaching Evolution: compiled by students participating in the Teaching Evolution project, summer 2015
K-12 Education Resources BEACON: An NSF Center for Evolution in Action
Includes: Box Car 2D, an interactive website where users can evolve cars using genetic algorithms
Gull Lake Gateway Academy & KBS Partnership
Includes: Alternative High School lesson plans (hands on modules to compliment the Edgenuity online curriculum used by Gateway Academy at Gull Lake Community Schools in Richland, MI), 5 modules covering heredity, how to use a microscope, energy in cells, human impact and the environment, cycles of matter, growing Wisconsin Fast Plants.
A legacy of conservation; a commitment to sustainability.
3700 E. Gull Lake Drive
Hickory Corners, MI 49060
(269) 671-5117
info@kbs.msu.edu