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This site offers an abundance of information on Earth's biomes (rainforest, tundra, taiga, desert, temperate, and grasslands), as well as marine and freshwater ecosystems. The site features relevant facts, pictures, maps, indigenous plants and animals, additional links, and much more.

This resource is a wonderful reference, not a lesson plan. Teachers will need to provide an objective and structure for student interaction with the website.

Type: Educational Software / Tool

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to distinguish among the types of mangroves common to Florida and understand their zonation within the coastal community. They will also be able to describe how mangroves, as an essential biotic component, help stabilize the coastline and protect it from erosion and storm surges. Lastly, students will provide argumentation supported by evidence for the protection of mangroves. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to identify abiotic and biotic factors of an assigned Everglades ecosystem, discuss how these factors influence adaptations, and identify structural and behavioral adaptations that help organisms survive in their ecosystem. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to explain the concepts of ecotone and edge effect and describe how the edge effect relates to biological diversity in a watershed.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will help their teacher figure out where her water samples came from by determining their relative salinity. With this information and a picture map of areas of the Intercoastal Waterway, they will locate possible sources of the samples.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson uses an informational text resource intended to support reading in the content area. The text informs readers about siphonophores, a relatively little-studied organism related to jellyfish and corals. It can grow as long as 160 ft. (49 m) and can move through the water column in a coordinated fashion, and knowledge of its locomotion may help humans propel themselves efficiently underwater. The lesson plan includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric. Numerous options to extend the lesson are also included.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is intended to teach students regarding similarities and differences that are found within and between terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Students will become familiar with major terrestrial biomes and major aquatic biomes.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students explore the general definition of an ecosystem and reinforce the idea using ephemeral wetlands as a specific example. Students apply and share knowledge through presentations about specific Florida ecosystems.

Type: Lesson Plan

Explore living and nonliving factors affecting populations of ants in Kenya and learn a bit about the importance of the acacia tree in this savannah ecosystem. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Patrick Milligan discusses biotic and abiotic factors that affect populations of ants in the Kenyan savannah.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

Will Ryan describes how linear regression models contribute towards his research on sea anemones.

Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast

Take a hike! This teacher presents an idea for students to learn about nature by collecting and categorizing specimens.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Teaching Idea

The student will describe various adaptations and how they enable the organism to survive in its habitat.

Type: Teaching Idea

This informational text resource is designed to support reading in the content area. The article relates the findings of a study by four scientists about siphonophores, a relatively little-studied organism related to jellyfish and corals. Their study focuses on this organism's ability to move through the water column in a coordinated fashion and how this knowledge may help humans propel themselves efficiently underwater.

Type: Text Resource