Curated OER
Animal Characteristics
Students investigate the characteristics of animals by creating a chart. In this animal life lesson, students create a KWL chart listing all the different animals a class can name. Students take a field trip to a science facility to get...
Curated OER
Just Graph It!
Students practice collecting data and organizing it into graphs. As a class, they collect birthday information from each of their classmates. To continue practicing, they examine the characteristics of different bugs and zoo animals. ...
Curated OER
Discovering New Species
Students identify animals observed by Lewis and Clark while evaluating the animal's habitat and describing the animal's behavior. Students construct a food web mobile to illustrate the animal's position in the food web in the 19th...
Curated OER
Zany Zoo Adventures
First graders create web pages. They design story books using digital camera pictures. They explore the Lowry Park Zoo web site. They visit Lowry Park Zoo and take pictures of animals.
California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
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
Learning About Animals' Bodies
Students research different animals (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, fish) and create books, murals, dioramas, puppets, and sculptures to illustrate the necessity of various body parts for overall survival. In this animal...
Curated OER
Animals
Second graders discuss the term "endangered". They identify the reasons some animals are in danger of being wiped out. They discover ways humans can help the species survive.
Curated OER
Invent a Critter
Students create a living animal that could survive in at least one specific region and use the digital desert library to gather information. In this invent a critter lesson plan, students draw a picture of their animal, describe their...
Curated OER
Working With Animals
Second graders study careers that involve animal care such as veterinarians, zookeepers and archeologists. They create a collage of animal drawings related to the careers.
Curated OER
Where is Shirley the Elephant?
Young animal lovers engage in a lesson that's all about elephants. They access an elephant sanctuary website and read a story about Shirley the elephant. They perform a series of activities based upon that story, and also study about the...
California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Curated OER
Pleistocene Mammals
Students research the causes of the extinction of Pleistocene mammals. In this Pleistocene mammals lesson, students read essays to understand the Pleistocene epoch. Students write an essay about the personal impact of this epoch.
Curated OER
Safari Sentence Scramble
Students use real life experiences for writing. In this identifying details lesson, students use information such as colors, numbers, sizes, shapes and locations to write sentences about the zoo. Students position the words from left...
Curated OER
Our Desert Backyard
Students make observations of their own backyard. In this environment lesson, students keep records of the plants and animals they see in their home or school yard. Students make notes of how the weather and environment changes over...
Curated OER
Sun, Sand, and Hippos
Students conduct research on varied aspects of hippopotamuses and in doing so, synthesize and evaluate a variety of information sources.They summarize content knowledge from varied resources and apply this knowledge by creating a mural...
Curated OER
We're All In This Together
Students discover what a coral reef is and the animals that live there. In this ecosystem lesson plan, students act out a story with ocean organisms. They answer questions that show the interdependency of the sea animals.
Curated OER
Natural Features of Our Community
Second graders read about and discuss natural features of communities. They listen to a guest speaker, such as a park ranger to expand their knowledge of natural features. They go on a field trip, if possible, to a local zoo or...
Curated OER
Pio, Pio, Que Frio
Students investigate the characteristics of living things. They determine that different organisms have different needs and describe and compare them. They draw and verbally respond about their favorite animal.
Curated OER
A Zillion Trillion Microbes
Students observe microbes under a microscope. In this biology lesson, students describe how Cargill uses them to produce methane. They research the benefits and harmful effects of microbes in society.
Curated OER
Cranes, Crosswalks, and Big Gulps
Students watch a video and answer questions based on wildlife jobs. In this wildlife lesson plan, students learn that biologists don't just play with animals but that there is a lot of study involved.
Curated OER
Four Animal Legs at Sunset
First graders listen to the book, 1, 2, 3, To The Zoo, and focus on the one-to-one correspondence while counting the animals and other objects in the story. They create page number four in their number books.
Curated OER
Look And Listen
Students bring their favorite thing to class as a visual aid while they describe it to their classmate. In this oral information lesson plan, students fill out a worksheet about their item that is provided.
Curated OER
Global Warming
First graders discover the effects of global warming on polar bears. In this life science lesson, 1st graders model the polar bear's habitat and observe what happens as they raise the temperature. They record their observation in the...