Smithsonian Institution
Trait Tracker
Help mice beat the odds with an exciting activity about traits. Biologists discover the role of diet and other factors on animal traits by participating in a simulation activity. Teams collect and evaluate data to understand how certain...
Curated OER
Animal Self-portrait Mosaics: A Visual Arts Elective
Out-lined here is a two-week procedure that has the class creating ceramic animal tiles that are metaphorical representations of their own personalities. They discuss animal images found throughout history, what they mean, metaphor, and...
Curated OER
What Class Are You In?
Classifying animals has never been this much fun! Pupils discuss the animal groups, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, and also identify their characteristics. Then, they take pictures of animals and classify them in a group...
Curated OER
What Kind of Animal Are You?
With the descriptions of six different animal groups (amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, reptiles), students match different examples of animals to their proper groups (lizard to reptiles, girl to mammals, etc). The activity...
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 2 - Grade 3
A discussion of bioluminescence launches an investigation of animal adaptations. After re-watching the opening minutes of Dark Water, class members listen to a reading of What Do You Do with a Tail Like This, and then create a new animal...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Children Resemble Their Parents
Gregor Mendel's work revolutionized agriculture from an art to a science. Explore Mendel's work with an interactive lesson that includes animations, video, and practice problems. The instruction describes the early discoveries that...
Curated OER
Mexican "Tona" Animal Masks
Students study the Mexican legend related to masks. They select an animal with traits they can identify with and recognize in themselves. Afterward, they create a mask that will retain some human features, but take on the life of the...
Virginia Department of Education
Mendelian Genetics
How did Mendel know which pea plants would demonstrate certain characteristics? Pupils explore the answer this question, among others, as they complete Punnet squares, research dominant and recessive traits, and explore hereditary...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Don't Blend
Yellow and blue make green—unless you're studying the inheritance of genetic traits. An interactive lesson explains the difference between blended traits and pure traits and gives examples of their occurrence. The resource includes a...
Biology Junction
Introduction to Animals
Out of all animals, elephants alone lack the ability to jump. Scholars learn all about animals using a presentation full of fun examples. It describes different types of animals, the biological similarities and differences between...
Curated OER
Animal Classification
Young scholars recognize the six groups of animals (Mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods) and their characteristics. In this animal characteristics lesson plan, students sort animals by their traits. Young scholars...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Adapt-A-Bird
Not every animal has the best features for its environment. Learners study the characteristics of birds and the implications of these characteristics as related to their environments. They use what they learn to create their own new...
Curated OER
Artificial Selection
The second lesson in the series begins with a starter activity discussing wild versus domesticated animals. Then, scholars play a card game, with optional variations, to emphasize artificial selection. Next, they attend a field trip to a...
Curated OER
Skull Science
What can your class learn from a skull? With proper facilitation, they can learn about diet, physical adaptations, special differences, and even the environment. Pupils will examine a series of mammal skulls and pelts to help them...
Curated OER
Marine Animal and Plant Adaptations
Learners examine nature by creating their own animals. In this animal adaptation lesson, students define scientific vocabulary terms dealing with adaptation such as sea stars, sea cucumbers and exoskeleton. Learners utilize their...
Curated OER
What Makes a Hero?
Students identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing lesson plan, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Students explore individuals and charitable...
Curated OER
Changing Cicada
Students discuss inherited traits and relate to the inherited traits in a cicada. In this cicada lesson plan, students follow the life cycle of the cicada and observe the changes as it grows. Students discuss the characteristics of the...
Curated OER
Wolves At Our Door
Young scholars investigate the wolf. In this animal adaptation lesson, students examine the social characteristics of the wolf. They discuss the role of human intervention in reestablishing the wolf population.
Agriculture in the Classroom
Roll of the Genes
Animal reproduction in sheep and cattle is explored with the help of Punnet squares. Scholars employ tools using probability to conclude the color of wool a sheep's offspring will have. Acting as animal geneticists, pupils then take...
Curated OER
Create a New Animal
Students understand what physical adaptations are and how they help an animal to survive. In this adaptations lesson, students research four animals and then make an original animal that has adaptations to make them survive.
ReadWriteThink
The Chinese New Year Starts Today
As part of a celebration of Chinese New Year, class members research the Chinese zodiac and examine the description of the personality attributes associated with the animal of their birth year. Individuals then craft a persuasive essay...
ARKive
Penguin Diversity – Mask Making
Penguins are very diverse and well-adapted birds; they live on islands, in warm and cold climates. Little ones examine penguin diversity and discuss the highly functional adaptive traits that have helped them survive in some of the...
Curated OER
Traits of Living Things
In this characteristics of living things worksheet, students will brainstorm five traits of living things and fill in a graphic organizer.
Columbus City Schools
Get Your Organisms Organized
From large to small, show your class how to organize them all! Included within the guide is everything you need to take their knowledge of classification from the cellular to the species level. The worksheets focus on building vocabulary...