Curated OER
Comparing Hares and Rabbits
Sixth graders research and investigate the Arctic hare and the snowshoe hare, and the order hares and rabbits. They explore an animal website and compare/contrast the two animals, recording their data on a chart.
Curated OER
How Can We Live Here? Life In Extreme Environments
Students explore the limits of life on Earth to extend their beliefs about life to include its possibility on other worlds. They investigate three hypothetical environments and the bacterial life forms that could exist on Earth.
Curated OER
Habitat Movies
Students create movies of various habitats and animals using their knowledge of the subject and the computer program iMovie. Emphasis is placed on cooperative learning and research.
Curated OER
Creating New Animals
Students navigate an interactive web site to create imaginary animals. They research one or more animals. They create one page report with pictures. They discuss attributes of animals they have researched.
Curated OER
Meadow Madness
Students explore the evolution from a pond habitat to a meadow. In this habitat lesson plan, students become familiar with a beaver meadow habitat. Students are aasigned an animal to research and find why the animal best survives in...
ARKive
Adaptation: Design a Species
Adapt is what an animal does to ensure it will survive in a specific environment; maybe it's more complicated than that. Your young animal experts can view this handy presentation to better understand animal adaptations and also complete...
Curated OER
Wildlife
First, biology pupils research land and marine habitats along the route of skipper Rich Wilson's Great American II. Then, using colored paper clips scattered across a colored paper background, they play the predator-prey game to...
Teach Engineering
Live Like an Animal
When your parents say that your room's a pig sty, tell them about biomimicry. The sixth installment of a nine-part Life Science unit has scholars research the shelters used by animals in the natural world, like turtle shells. Using the...
Curated OER
Praire Biome Models
Fifth graders, in groups, list the physical characteristics of a biome and think of ways in which animals might have to adapt to live there and make a biome mobile ball that show the different types of habitats that shape the praire biome.
Prince William Network
Migration Headache
During this game, kids become migratory shorebirds and fly among wintering, nesting, and stopover habitats. If they do not arrive at a suitable habitat on time, they do not survive. Catastrophic events are periodically introduced that...
Curated OER
Mallard's Wetland Olympics
Students observe plants and animals of a wetland and then compare their ability to move with different animals by undertaking the exercises on a downloadable page.
Curated OER
Forest Habitat Fragmentation
Seventh graders discuss the loss of animal habitats and the importance of refuge areas for them. They collect small pictures of animals found in their state and glue them to an outline of their state according to their range. Finally,...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Respect for Land
Youngsters examine how people show respect and care for the land. Specifically, learners see how the Native Americans truly did care for and respect the land, and still do so to this day! They also explore how they themselves can care...
Curated OER
Dining Out With Fishes and Birds of the Hudson
The class will make observations to determine how environment has shaped the way particular birds and fish eat. They will view a series of photographs, read two short articles, and then consider how food availability has determined how...
BBC
Ourselves
Young biologists identify parts of the body, sort humans from other animals, and list the difference they see. Learners are split up into groups of three, and each group must find pictures in magazines of humans and other animals. They...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Relationships to Places
Young historians take a look at how the Indian tribes of California promoted a mindful relationship between people and the land. They begin to understand how the Indians were champions of conservation, and at preserving the natural...
American Museum of Natural History
Life in the City
Believe it or not, biodiversity exists even in areas of disturbed habitat. An interactive activity challenges learners to look for species with a magnifying lens in an image of a city habitat. Pop-up images and descriptions explain how...
Curated OER
Jumanji
Third graders read the book, Jumangi. Then they divide into groups of four or five and choose a habitat - desert, wetlands, Arctic/Antarctic, etc. Then each group can research the habitat to learn what kind of animals live there.
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Schoolyard Biodiversity Investigation Educator Guide
In 1980, in the tropical rainforests of Panama, scientists discovered 1,200 species of beetles living in and around just 19 trees, with most of the species new to science—that's biodiversity! In the activity, learners work in teams to...
SF Environment
Waste-Less Lunch
Is it possible to have a waste-less lunch? Can your class become leaders in conservation? Discuss the importance of reducing waste during lunch time with a fun lesson that can be extended to everyday practices. First the class examines...
Curated OER
Wetland Metaphors
Students describe the characteristics of wetlands and identify their ecological functions. They inspect items and use them to create metaphors about wetlands.
University of Connecticut
More Than Just Dust Bunnies
Teenagers will never complain about cleaning their rooms after this activity. In the first lesson of a four-part series, budding scientists collect samples of dust, chalk, and other particulates from various areas of the classroom. They...
Curated OER
Readings in Hudson River Natural History
Reading and understanding informational text is a key element to understanding every discipline. Elementary learners read three different articles focused on various animals and habitats in the Hudson River. They answer comprehension...
Curated OER
Create a Habitat for an Animal
In this marine life learning exercise, students label the ocean animal and each part of its habitat. Students then draw one of the habitats including the animals and plants that live there.