
Middle School
School garden-science lessons on this page encourage students to apply scientific principles to local ecological and biological systems.
March 15th - Go Green | Environmental impacts of transportation
February 8th - Climate Change and Biodiversity
January 11th - World Biomes Part 2
TIPS FOR COMPLETING YOUR BIOME JOURNAL
- You can use information from either the Biomes 1 or Biomes 2 lesson.
- Once you have explored all locations, select two (2) biomes that interest you the most. You may want to revisit the virtual field trips for these particular biomes as you fill out your biome journal.
- Create biome journal for your two favorite biomes.
- Description (2-3 sentences) of what you “experienced” while virtually visiting the biome. Note which virtual experience was most interesting.
- Record the biome’s climate.
- Record two types of plants and/or animals found in that particular biome and any relevant information on those species.
- Record an unusual piece of information on the biome that may (or may not) attract other (virtual) visitors.
- Write a postcard to someone you love and share a picture and information about why they should (virtually) visit this biome too. Make sure to include the URL so that they may visit your favorite biome experience.
December 14th - World Biomes Part 1
TIPS FOR USING THE APP
- You can use BiomeViewer online or download an iPad version from the App Store.
- Click and hold the globe to spin it and explore different parts of the world.
- Click and release a spot on the globe to drop a pin there to see a summary of the characteristics of the biome for that location.
- You can also search for locations by name, latitude/longitude, or zip code.
- In the biome summary panel, click on “More” to see a longer description, photos, a larger climate graph, and wildlife data.
- Click on “Compare” to view details on two biomes side by side.
- On the biomes legend, use the arrows at the top to see different layers including anthromes, temperature, precipitation, and terrain.
- Click the gear icon to toggle gridlines and political boundaries on and off.
- Click on the globe icon to switch between a spherical view and a flat projection of Earth.
November 9th - Ecology
October 26th - Biodiversity
Areas that have a high diversity of unique and threatened species are known as biodiversity hotspots. Explore some of the biodiversity hot spots from around the world with biodiversity hotspot case studies from the California Academy of Sciences.
Learn about some of the biodiversity hot spots from around the world with biodiversity hotspot case studies from the California Academy of Sciences.