Organisms & Biodiversity Resources
Free educator-created and vetted lesson plans and videos on plant and animal biology
Can We Save Corals? Using Models and Evidence to Evaluate Solutions
Students investigate coral bleaching and evaluate human intervention solutions through ecosystem modeling, data analysis, evidence sorting, and CER argumentation.
To Burn or Not to Burn? Evaluating the Role of Fire in Ecosystems
Students evaluate the role of wildfires and prescribed burns in managing forests through multimedia analysis, group discussions, and evidence-based argumentation.
Redwood Resilience: Analyzing Tree Rings and Wildfire Recovery
Teach what influences redwood forest recovery after wildfires and how tree rings provide historical climate data, helping scientists understand past droughts, fires, and growth conditions.
Designing Solutions for Healthy Forests
Students explore climate change impacts on global forests and apply the fundamentals of CRISPR gene editing to design conservation solutions.
Rewriting Survival: Genetics and the Future of Coral Reefs
Investigate coral bleaching through hands-on experimental design, data analysis, and a bioethical debate on using CRISPR for conservation.
Life After Wildfires: Observing and Predicting Forest Recovery
1-period video activity exploring forest succession, observation practices, and science identity with elementary and middle school worksheets.
Lettuce Get to the Root of the Matter
Observe and compare monocot vs. dicot root growth with this hands-on germination activity for grades 3-12.
Genetic Engineering and Conservation
Should We Use Biotechnology to Save Endangered and Extinct Species?
Hormones on the Case! — Animal Behavior Investigations
Engage students in modeling hormonal pathways and redesigning zoo habitats to explore how stress impacts animal behavior and reproduction.
The Hidden World of Plant Roots
Uncovering the hidden, dynamic world of plant roots with Stanford biologist José R. Dinneny
A Walk in the Woods
What does a redwood forest look like, and sound like, in the wake of a devastating fire?
Corals: On the Brink
Can we save coral reefs from extinction?
Fire Among Giants
What happened after the redwoods burned?
Fire Among Giants: Extended Voices
In-depth interviews with forest experts about the Big Basin State Park after the 2020 wildfire.
The Future of Forests
Will they survive the threats of climate change?
Saving The American Chestnut
A case study in genetic engineering
The First Entanglement
Did we domesticate plants or did they domesticate us?
Charting an Original Path
Biologist, artist, and mother Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez redefines what it means to be a scientist by charting her own path in studying pigeon parental behavior.
