In this strawberry DNA extraction lesson, students will explore the fundamental building blocks of life by isolating DNA from strawberries. Using simple household materials, they will follow a step-by-step procedure to break down the strawberry cells and release the DNA. This hands-on activity will allow students to see and touch DNA, making the abstract concept of genetic material tangible and engaging. Throughout the lesson, students will develop their scientific inquiry skills, including making observations, forming hypotheses, and discussing their findings.

Students will observe the physical characteristics of flowers and explore the principles of pollination with this 3rd-5th grade lesson. From Bee Dancing to flower direction, this lesson will engage young minds and explore the miracle of flower reproduction with some amazing little pollinators! 

Did you know that honey bees dance? Or that they build their homes out of perfectly formed honeycomb? The Digital Hive Experience was created to educate about the inside of a beehive and our friends, the honey bees. Pair the Digital Hive Video with the companion Educator’s Guide! Included are a lesson plan mapped to the Common Core and NGSS, pre and post-assessments, discussion questions, and a KWL Chart for your students! Perfect for a classroom introduction or for programs that may not have live bees, we hope you enjoy your journey into the hive!

Did you know that honey bees can dance? Do you know why bees build honeycombs in the shape of a hexagon? Do you know how many eyes honey bees have? Bees live a secret life inside their hive...but NOW we can see what goes on in a live hive. The Bee Cause and its partners are on a mission to inspire children to learn about and protect these precious pollinators. That's why we've created the Digital Bee Hive Experience - to educate our community of learners about this vital ecosystem. 

This guide provides student-driven projects that can directly teach subject area standards in tandem with foundational understandings of what AI is, how it works, and how it impacts society.

Instead of simply learning about AI through videos or lectures, the students completing these projects are active participants in their AI exploration. In the process, students work directly with innovative AI technologies, participate in “unplugged” activities that further their understanding of how AI technologies work, and create various authentic products—from presentations to designing an AI robot—to demonstrate their learning.
• Project 1: What AI Does Well and Does Not Do Well
• Project 2: Training Data and Machine Learning
• Project 3: Senses vs. Sensors
• Project 4: Navigation and AI

Visit the ISTE website with all the free practical guides for engaging students in AI creation: https://www.iste.org/areas-of-focus/AI-in-education

This lesson from the National Agriculture in the Classroom Matrix is designed to teach students about the parts of honey bees, the stages of the lifecycle, and the role honey bees play in pollination. There are three activities including materials lists, vocabulary words, background connections, support documents, step-by-step procedures, and support videos. 

This Educators Guide provides everything you need to make this virtual field trip a huge success with your students! You will find lists of materials and resources, step-by-step instructions for three complete lessons, journal prompts as well as research topics, supplementary card work, and standards mapping.

This lesson highlights the similarities between human sensors and their engineering counterparts. Taking this approach enables students to view the human body as a system, that is, from the perspective of an engineer. Humans have recreated most human sensors in robots – eyes, ears and sensors for temperature, touch and smell. The lesson inculdes a PowerPoint file that is programmed to run a Jeopardy-style game as a fun assessment tool.

This lesson opens with students looking for evidence that growth is occurring in living organisms. Students will use a group of pictures of an animal at different stages of its life to find evidence of the changes that occur.

This integrated OER unit focuses on the 4th grade NGSS bundle addressing Structure, Function, and Information Processing (Performance expectations 4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-1, and 4-LS1-2). Students are engaged in a storyline which presents them with the problem of preserving the pika population who live in the Columbia River Gorge, a species which has recently been threatened in this region due to climate change. Through a series of activities, labs, and field STEM experiences, students engage in scientific modeling and investigation, while building their understanding of how an organism’s internal and external structures enable survival, growth and reproduction. The unit culminates with the development of a product that can be shared with a public audience to instigate positive change in the community and help protect the pika.

Four lessons related to robots and people present students with life sciences concepts related to the human body (including brain, nervous systems and muscles), introduced through engineering devices and subjects (including computers, actuators, electricity and sensors), via hands-on LEGO® robot activities. Students learn what a robot is and how it works, and then the similarities and differences between humans and robots. For instance, in lesson 3 and its activity, the human parts involved in moving and walking are compared with the corresponding robot components so students see various engineering concepts at work in the functioning of the human body. This helps them to see the human body as a system, that is, from the perspective of an engineer. Students learn how movement results from 1) decision making, such as deciding to walk and move, and 2) implementation by conveying decisions to muscles (human) or motors (robot).

Students experience a simulation of echolation, using the sensory method to walk along a path while blindfolded. This relates to the issue of bycatching by fisheries, which they learned about in the associated lesson. Bycatching affects marine animals, especially dolphins, which use echolocation to identify the location of objects in the water, but have difficulty identifying nets, and thus are often caught accidentally. Students learn how echolocation works, why certain animals use it to determine the size, shape and distance of objects, and how humans can potentially take advantage of dolphins' echolocation ability when developing bycatch avoidance methods.

You are part of the NASA design crew and your task is to design a suit to keep the human body safe from the hazards of deep space. Are you up to the challenge? This is an ADA compliant document.

Living and working in space presents many challenges for humans. Use this ADA Compliant student guide to explore what many of those challenges are as well as possible solutions.

While living in space can seem like nothing but exciting, astronauts encounter many physical, biological, and psychological hazards. Use this guide to explore more about living and working in space.

In this easy-to-do activity you will simulate the fluid shift felt by astronauts upon entering space.

Have you ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut? Use this slide show presentation as an introduction to the many challenges of living and working in space.

Living and working in space presents many challenges for humans. Use this student guide to explore what many of those challenges are as well as possible solutions.

This activity helps students understand the significance of programming and also how the LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robot's sensors assist its movement and make programming easier. Students compare human senses to robot sensors, describing similarities and differences.

As part of our continued commitment to education, the team at The Bee Cause Project has created this companion document, Educator’s Curriculum Guide, to supplement the Nature’s Partners curriculum.Our Tips from the Hive are designed to add layers of concept extensions, optional digital methods of delivering content, and support to educators that are either brand new or experienced environmental educators. The Buzz Worthy Resource Materials are video links, notable articles, and more printable resources, while the Bee Cause Book Club highlights recommended readings for students of all ages. Several titles have quality read-aloud links as well.