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• Why Do Dogs Have Floppy Ears?
• Did We Domesticate Dogs or Did They Domesticate Us?

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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• The Secret History of Dogs
(related lesson) here

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Potential read-aloud (3rd and/or 4th); could partner with Hum?

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Skip to Content

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

User Reviews

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This is the reason I love wolves. All in all a great book to read with your famiky, and a wonderful story. I was inspired to learn all about OR-7 because of thi... Continue reading

I loved how it was a little sad and the real life concepts where amazing and full of details. It was also cool as the author wrote parts in the book that the w... Continue reading

What's the story?

Young wolf Swift lives happily with his family in the mountains until another pack kills his father and scatters them all to an unknown fate. Unable to go home, he becomes A WOLF CALLED WANDER as he struggles to survive and travels hundreds of miles from his birthplace, hoping to find others of his kind and a new home. As he makes his way through forest and flatland, over water and highways, he struggles to stay true to his family's values while seeing many new sights and facing dangers his mother never told him about.

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Skip to Content The parents' guide to what's in this book. There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title. This is the reason I love wolves. All in all a great book to read with your famiky, and a wonderful story.

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Plant Life Cycle & Heredity

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Cut an apple in half horizontally, and you'll see five seed compartments arranged in a star. How many seeds are in each compartment?

Your students will find out in this activity from the Willet Garden of Learning. Students predict the number of seed they will find in each apple, then work in groups to count seeds and compare the results.

Apple growers use seed counting to find out how successful the bees in their orchard have been. Empty seed compartments mean that some of the apple flower's eggs were not pollinated. Some farmers think that apples with more seeds are bigger or juicier. Ask your students what they think, after observing their apples and counting the seeds. (You'll find more information about apple seed counting here.

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Cut an apple in half horizontally, and you'll see five seed compartments arranged in a star. How many seeds are in each compartment? Your students will find out in this activity from the Willet Garden of Learning. Students predict the number of seed they will find in each apple, then work in groups to count seeds and compare the results.

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What's going on in this picture? Does this bird have more than two legs?

Some animals look very different when they're born, compared to when they grow up. Can you tell what animals these are?

Are these real pandas? What do you think is going on here?

Why don't people eat ostrich eggs?

-Conor, 2nd Grade

What country has the largest population?

-Olivia, 4th Grade

Who invented the calculator?

-Seth, Year 4

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What's going on in this picture? Does this bird have more than two legs? Some animals look very different when they're born, compared to when they grow up. Can you tell what animals these are? Are these real pandas? What do you think is going on here? Why don't people eat ostrich eggs?

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Animal Survival & Heredity

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us -we will reply promptly and make things right.

Anole on rocks by JamieS93 , used under CC BY-SA

2 Anoles by numbers by Seadevil

tropical island by Christopher Michel , used under CC BY

brown geko by Michel Pierfitte , used under CC BY-SA

catching Anoles by Adam Algar

green geko by Tambako the Jaguar , used under CC BY-ND

white geko by Nick Hobgood , used under CC BY

Tokay climbing wall by Tokay Gecko

holding small Anole by txbowen , used under CC BY

green lizard with long tail by Melissa Gutierrez , used under CC BY-SA

Anole on log by Paul Hirst , used under CC BY-SA

lizard holding branch by L Church , used under CC BY

Cuban Anole by Thomas Brown , used under CC BY

cargo boat by Gerolf Drebes , used under CC BY-SA

large green lizard by Euku , used under CC BY-SA

fishermen by Anole Annals Blog

lizard on flowers by www.GlynLowe.com , used under CC BY-ND

Anole on pipe by Daniel Ramirez , used under CC BY

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission.

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Trait Variation, Inheritance, & Artificial Selection

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us -we will reply promptly and make things right.

ferry-morse pumpkin packet by Eliza Cross

pumpkin seeds by Shawn Campbell , used under CC BY-SA

wood background by Petr Kovar , used under CC BY-SA

pumpkin vine by furtwangl , used under CC BY-SA

hand holding cup/plant by UWyoExtension , used under CC BY-SA

large pumpkin by Christian Ude , used under CC BY-SA

celestia: north america by NASA , used under Public Domain

pumpkin patch by Sweet Posy Dreams

patch with sign by Sycamore Pumpkin Festival / we cropped the Sycamore flag from an image

giant pumpkins by Yourcsd , used under CC BY-SA

tree by Public Domain Images

pumpkin in hand by Olichel

giant pumpkins + cowboy by Mike Mozart , used under CC BY-SA

frame by Alvaro , used under CC BY-SA

swirly watermelon by Alvaro , used under CC BY-SA

modern watermelon by Stefan Schweihofer , used under Public Domain

fruit stall by Daderot , used under CC BY-SA

peach evolution by James Kennedy

full size peach by PublicDomainPictures , used under Public Domain

corn evolution: small by Paul Ransome

ear of corn by U.S. Department of Agriculture , used under CC BY-SA

three shovels by Lothar Wandtner

plethora of fruit by Olearys , used under CC BY-SA

pink roses by StockSnap , used under Public Domain

wild pink rose by Efraimstochter , used under Public Domain

pink rose by Carla Nunziata , used under CC BY-SA

pumpkin isolated by PublicDomainImages , used under Public Domain

family genetics by Manuel Corpas , used under Public Domain

gardener pruning by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Fresnel

fresh vegetables by Mary LaFrance

pumpkin patch by liz west , used under CC BY-SA

citrouille blanche by Chef Simon

yellow & blue gourds by Michael Schwarzenberger , used under Public Domain

yellow gourd by Efraimstochter , used under Public Domain

gourd with bumps by Robert Couse-Baker , used under CC BY-SA

orange pumpking with streaks by Jim Linwood , used under CC BY-SA

gourd & pumpkin exhibition by Kathastrophal

gourds & pumpkins by blickpixel , used under Public Domain

orange pumpkin vs. by Petr Kratochvil , used under Public Domain

orange pumpkin guts by Denise Torres

white pumpkin guts by Mirko Erakovic

pumpkin flower by PublicDomainPictures , used under Public Domain

pumpkin flowers by Toshiyuki IMAI , used under CC BY-SA

butternut squash by PublicDomainIssues , used under Public Domain

cucurbita maxima by J.M.Garg , used under CC BY-SA

granny smith by Steve Buissinne , used under Public Domain

red delicious by Apple and Pear Australia Ltd. , used under CC BY-SA

decorative squash by Hans , used under Public Domain

pumpkin face off by William Warby , used under CC BY-SA

cherry by Amanda Slater , used under CC BY-SA

grape by Andrew McFarlane , used under CC BY-SA

plum by Alan Levine , used under CC BY-SA

cherry blossom by James Petts , used under CC BY-SA

cherry interior by Nova , used under CC BY-SA

cherry leaf by Rosser1954 , used under Public Domain

grape blossom by Jckowal , used under CC BY-SA

grape interior by Yelkrokoyade , used under CC BY-SA

grape leaf by Forest and Kim Starr , used under CC BY-SA

plum blossom by Christopher Pluta , used under Public Domain

plum interior by Evan Amos , used under Public Domain

plum leaf by Plum leaves , used under CC BY-SA

cucumber by Rasbak , used under CC BY-SA

dosakai by Jamain , used under CC BY-SA

cucumber blossom by Petr Kratochvil , used under Public Domain

cucumber interior by viZZZual.com , used under CC BY-SA

cucumber leaf by Bincymb , used under CC BY-SA

doaskai blossom by Bicanski , used under Public Domain

doaskai interior by helsesenteret

doaskai leaf by Scot Nelson , used under CC BY-SA

lemon blossom by Jessica Johnson , used under Public Domain

lemon interior by aleksandra85foto , used under Public Domain

lemon leaf by Tony Buser , used under CC BY-SA

tomato by tooony , used under CC BY-SA

watermelon by Shu Suehiro , used under CC BY-SA

zebra fruit by Pirate Alice , used under CC BY-SA

tomato blossom by Earth100 , used under CC BY-SA

tomato interior by Rasbak , used under CC BY-SA

tomato leaf by Jerry Nettik , used under Public Domain

watermelon blossom by Pinus , used under CC BY-SA

watermelon interior by liz west , used under CC BY-SA

watermelon leaf by TonyCasanova33 , used under CC BY-SA

zebra fruit blossom by Niek Willems , used under CC BY-SA

zebra fruit interior by Dan , used under CC BY-SA

zebra fruit leaf by Jerry Nettik , used under Public Domain

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How could you make the biggest fruit in the world?

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Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission.

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

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Chrissie Masi, Educational Technology Specialist, Morristown, NJ

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Your Next Generation Science Solution Mysteries, Labs and Engineering Challenges for 4th-8th Graders

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Nearpod: Foster a love of learning in every student

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Create active learning experiences students can’t wait to be a part of.

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Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

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Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

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Elementary Learning Experience Platform | Seesaw

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Seesaw is a Learning Experience Platform with 25M+ users, enhancing elementary education, engagement, and school culture while improving academic success.

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Inheritance & Traits
Environment & Survival
Weather & Climate

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Measuring Matter
Water

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Measurement, the process of quantifying observations, is one of the cornerstones of science. Measurement compares nature - the unknown - to a standard unit - the known. Through such comparison, the organization of the world becomes more comprehensive. The Measuring Matter Module has four investigations that introduce students to tools and procedures for making comparisons of matter in its common forms - solid, liquid, and gas. In this module, students will:

Apply the conventions of measurement - accuracy, position, orientation, repetition.

Use tools to make accurate measurements and represent measurements by using numbers and units; use measurement data to construct explanations.

Plan a procedure, and apply it to solve a problem.

Use tables and graphs to organize and display data for analysis.

Weigh materials to confirm conservation of matter.

Investigate the relationship between phase change and heating and cooling.

Make and separate a number of simple mixtures; mix materials to observe solutions and reactions.

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Measurement, the process of quantifying observations, is one of the cornerstones of science. Measurement compares nature - the unknown - to a standard unit - the known. Through such comparison, the organization of the world becomes more comprehensive. The Measuring Matter Module has four investigations that introduce students to tools and procedures for making comparisons of matter in its common forms - solid, liquid, and gas. In this module, students will:

Apply the conventions of measurement - accuracy, position, orientation, repetition.

Use tools to make accurate measurements and represent measurements by using numbers and units; use measurement data to construct explanations.

Plan a procedure, and apply it to solve a problem.

Use tables and graphs to organize and display data for analysis.

Weigh materials to confirm conservation of matter.

Investigate the relationship between phase change and heating and cooling.

Make and separate a number of simple mixtures; mix materials to observe solutions and reactions.

For a description of each investigation in the Measuring Matter Module and the correlations to the National Science Education Standards, download the Module Overview PDF.

To view the PDF version of the module summary, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in. Acrobat Reader is available free from Adobe.

©2012 UC Regents

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This is the SSI WDF WebContent version of the page provides basic information about a particular module. Each FOSS module has some text explaining its subject, aims, and methods. Linked from the module detail, as well as from the module OVERVIEW, which comes from the scope and sequence.

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(Social Distance Version TBD)
-exploring building with different shapes
-bridge building (mystery science, EiE bridge unit)
-using paper, cardboard, support beams to build things that are stronger than they appear
-different types of bridges
-skyscrapers & taller building (test with wind)

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Engineering is Elementary
To Get to the Other Side
Water, Water Everywhere

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How do organisms get their traits? This is an unspoken question that underlies things many of us wonder about beginning at an early age, such as Why does my sibling have curly hair whereas mine is straight? How come I am shorter than others in my family? Why is my sister a faster runner than I am? In the Inheritance and Traits: Variation in Wolves unit, students dive deep into exploring patterns in the traits of organisms to answer the question of how those traits come to be. Students assume the role of wildlife biologists helping a class of students near the fictional Graystone National Park to solve the mystery of Wolf 44—a wolf they have observed to be different from the rest of its pack, which serves as the anchor phenomenon for the unit.

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There is an astounding diversity of traits among organisms living in different environments on Earth. How do the traits of different organisms make them more likely or less likely to survive in their environments? What happens to organisms when their environment changes? Biologists continue to study how organisms’ traits affect their ability to avoid predators and to get food and water. Many engineers in the field of biomimicry engineering draw inspiration from the traits of organisms to design innovative solutions for a vast array of problems, such as painless needles inspired by mosquito stingers or body armor inspired by fish scales. In the Environments and Survival unit, students assume the role of biomimicry engineers studying a population of grove snails to understand how the snails’ traits influence their survival in a changing environment. Students apply what they learn to plan, make, and test designs that solve problems. Reporting to the lead engineer at an engineering firm, students work to explain why the snails with yellow shells in the population aren’t surviving as well as the snails with banded shells. Motivated to figure out why some snails are more likely to survive than others, students use physical models, read informational texts, analyze data, and engage in student-to-student discussions to investigate factors affecting organisms’ survival. Students write scientific explanations about their findings to communicate ideas back to the engineering firm.
**PULL FINAL PART (LESSON 4) AND USE FOR BIOMIMICRY UNIT AT END OF YEAR: At the end of the unit, to help the engineering firm design a robot that aims to mitigate the effect of an environmental change, students use their newfound understanding of how the traits of organisms affect the organisms’ survival.

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FALL or SPRING: Biomimicry & Bio-inspired Design

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FALL or SPRING: Biomimicry & Bio-inspired Design

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-look at form/function/purpose of designs as inspired and related to nature
-physical things like helmets, backpacks, materials like velcro, systems, etc
-pull Lesson 4 from Environments & survival amplify unit
-use biomimicry padlet from COVID distance learning
-look at robots specifically (3-4 weeks) and systems (2-3 weeks)
-full PBL arc
At the end of the unit, to help the engineering firm design a robot that aims to mitigate the effect of an environmental change, students use their newfound understanding of how the traits of organisms affect the organisms’ survival.

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Water, Weather & Climate + [AMPLIFY + FOSS]

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Water, Weather & Climate + [AMPLIFY + FOSS]

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This unit focuses on Earth’s atmosphere, weather, and water. A good understanding of meteorology as an earth science isn’t complete without an introduction to the physics and chemistry that drive weather. Understanding weather is more than reading a thermometer and recording air-pressure measurements. The course consists of nine investigations. Students first learn about atoms and molecules, changes of state, and heat transfer. Then they investigate the water cycle, air masses, and fronts, winds and severe weather.

Students will:

Investigate the properties of Earth’s atmosphere and the processes that produce weather, including energy transfer, atmospheric pressure, and water cycle.

Study principles that govern temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation, and severe weather.

Collect and analyze local and global weather data using instruments and reports from various media.

Investigate fresh water as a vital resource.

Become familiar with and acquire vocabulary concerning these concepts: heat, radiation, conduction, convection, density, pressure, condensation, water cycle, drainage, and climate.

Exercise language, social studies, and math skills in the context of science.

Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, relating, and inferring.

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-good build off water/weather unit
The water you drink is clean and safe thanks to the environmental engineers who design and manage our water supply and water treatment systems. In this unit, the storybook Saving Salila’s Turtle introduces students to the problem of water pollution—and to some solutions. Students will investigate the properties of filter materials, apply their knowledge of water, and think like environmental engineers as they plan, construct, test and improve their own water filters.

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Many EiE lessons use materials that are commonly available at grocery, hardware, or craft stores. To obtain kit materials, either visit our EiE store to purchase a kit that includes materials for up to 30 students, or create your own kit based on the materials list printed in the teacher guide or the downloadable list below.

Each unit includes a letter to send home with student for materials donation for the unit. Click here to download a copy of this letter in Spanish.

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Water, Water Everywhere: Designing Water Filters

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The water you drink is clean and safe thanks to the environmental engineers who design and manage our water supply and water treatment systems. In this unit, the storybook Saving Salila's Turtle introduces students to the problem of water pollution-and to some solutions.

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ADAPT this middle school EiE unit: When it rains, it pours—and when water can't soak through pavement, rain collects pollution that washes into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Use your environmental engineering skills to redesign a city and control stormwater runoff.
-look at BUILT environments, great connection to natural environments Amplify unit
-sewage systems
-roads
-focus on systems and how engineers organize systems
-look at our own neighborhoods and communities
-good build up from bridges (which are also civil engineering)

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When it rains, it pours-and when water can't soak through pavement, rain collects pollution that washes into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Use your environmental engineering skills to redesign a city and control stormwater runoff.

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-using Bildopolis cardboard structures
-using pipes & connectors
-define base, supports, beams, roof
-test different sizes/types of bases and structures

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-focus on shapes, beams
-gumdrop structures
-testing how much weight things can hold

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Last week, we started exploring how building with different shapes makes certain types of bridges - including pillar and arch bridges - more structurally sound.
Students were challenged to only use two pieces of paper, scissors, and washer weights to design and test bridges spanning a 6 inch canyon. They experimented with pillar supports, stabilizers, and truss designs. This week, we will look at how shapes make up tall towers and experiment with suspension bridges.
-keva blocks over "bridge"

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To obtain kit materials, visit our online store to purchase a kit that includes materials for up to 30 learners.

Each unit includes a letter to send home with student for materials donation for the unit. Click here to download a copy of this letter in Spanish.

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To Get to the Other Side: Designing Bridges

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When civil engineers design bridges, they must take into account factors like balance and motion. This unit introduces the principles behind bridge design with the storybook Javier Builds a Bridge, about a boy who needs a safe footbridge to get to his island play fort.