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Eighth Grade, Zoology Projects, Lessons, Activities (37 results)

Animals have developed an amazing variety of body plans, behaviors, and strategies in order to succeed in the struggle for survival. Explore topics ranging from regeneration, camouflage, animal migration, how to attract hummingbirds, and more.

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Ocean Bioluminescence: Investigate When and How Dinoflagellates Glow
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Imagine the ocean water turning bright red or seeing ocean waves glowing a beautiful blue color. Sounds impossible—but it is not! Red tides and glowing waves are caused by microscopic organisms living in the ocean called dinoflagellates. Some dinoflagellates have the ability to produce light through a process called bioluminescence. When and how do these organisms glow? In this science project, you will investigate how changing the dinoflagellate's exposure to light and dark affects its… Read more
Scientific Method: How Do Scientists Make Discoveries?
Video Lesson Grade: 3rd-8th
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16 reviews
This lesson will introduce students to the scientific method using a fun, hands-on activity about the role of animal camouflage in evolution. During the activity, students will practice each step of the scientific method including doing background research, making a hypothesis, conducting an experiment, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. By going through this process, students will also learn how camouflage helps animals survive. Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • 3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
  • 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
  • MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
  • MS-LS4-6. Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.
Can You Hide in Plain Sight?
STEM Activity
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If you could choose to be an animal, would you rather be a predator or prey? For prey animals, survival in the wild means a daily struggle to escape potential predators. Predators, on the other hand, have to work very hard to make a catch. Some prey animals have evolved clever strategies to protect or defend themselves against predators. One common strategy is camouflage. Camouflage allows animals to blend into their surroundings so predators can't see them. Will this strategy increase an… Read more
Build a Bird Nest
STEM Activity
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Different types of birds lay their eggs in different places. Some build tiny nests in bushes, some build enormous nests in tall trees. Some lay their eggs directly on the ground or on rocky ledges. Those that build nests use many different types of materials. In this project you will try to build your own bird nest using only natural materials that you can find outside. Can you do better than a bird? Read more
Caffeine and Heart Rate: A Pharmacological Study Using Daphnia magna
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
In this project, water fleas (Daphnia magna), a semi-transparent freshwater crustacean, are used to study the effects of caffeine on heart rate. Don't worry about having to learn how to take a crustacean's pulse: you can actually see the heart beating under a microscope. Many variations of this experiment are possible. Read more
Classify Animals with Machine Learning
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
How do you tell the difference between a bird and a fish? Birds tend to have feathers and can fly, while fish have no legs and can breathe underwater. In this project, you will explore how to create a decision tree using machine learning that can classify different animals based on multiple characteristics. This project is designed for beginners and requires little to no coding experience. Ready to give it a shot? Read more
Make a Homemade Fly Trap
STEM Activity
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Have some pesky flies in your kitchen that you cannot seem to get rid of? In this project you will build your own simple fly trap from a plastic bottle. Get ready to get rid of those flies! Read more
Maze-solving by an Amoeboid Organism
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Can a simple organism that lives off of dead trees and that grows as a mass of protoplasm actually have intelligence? The goal of this science fair project is to test the ability of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum to solve the problem of finding the shortest path through a maze. Read more
Have a Cricket Tell You the Temperature!
STEM Activity
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Do you love to hear the pulsing chirp of crickets as you fall asleep? It is an unmistakable sound. Some people find the sound pleasing and peaceful, but other people find the sound loud and annoying, especially if a cricket happens to get inside a home to escape the cold. However you feel about crickets, their chirps hold a surprising message — they can be used to predict the temperature! In this science activity, you will investigate how the chirps of these tiny creatures can be used… Read more
Understanding Wolf Behavior from GPS Tracking Data
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
If you were leaving home for a long walk, how far would you go? One mile, 5 miles, 10 miles? How about 550 miles?! That's a long way, but some wolves have been known to travel that far when they are leaving their packs in search of a mate so they can form their own pack. But is that how far wolves normally travel? Try this wild wolf tracking science fair project to find out! Read more
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