University of New Mexico
New Mexico Land of Enchantment
Third graders research Native American Cultures surrounding New Mexico. They analyze the history and geography of the state. They play a guessing game that incorporates the indigenous plants and animals of New Mexico. In groups, learners...
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LEAGUE: Into the Desert: Lesson 1
Students discover the human and physical characteristics of desert regions. In this regions lesson, students describe deserts around the world, discuss animals, vegetation, water conservation, and how humans can care for the land.
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The Desert Alphabet Book
Students explore world geography by researching a science book with their classmates. In this desert identification lesson, students utilize a U.S. map to locate the geographical locations of deserts. Students create an oral report based...
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Deserts: How Do You Define One?
Second graders identify what constitutes as a desert by reading a habitat checklist. For this environment lesson, 2nd graders read a nature website to discover facts about the desert and where they are located. Students...
Desert Discoveries
Sonoran Desert ABC's
Third graders make alphabet cards that depict the wide variety of life forms found in the Sonoran Desert. A terrific instructional activity that combines language arts, visual arts, and life science all into one wonderful package. Each...
Desert Discoveries
Built for the Desert
The saguaro cactus has an amazing ability to survive in a harsh environment. Learners identify the many adaptations for desert life that the saguaro employs. They look at each part of the saguaro and determine what role it plays in the...
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Sonoran Desert
In this Sonoran Desert worksheet, students read and analyze a letter that Jeremy wrote to his grandmother and then complete the picture that follows using information about the desert they learned from the letter.
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Desert Views - First Impressions: Travelers on the Gila Trail
Learners draw animals and plants that are described to them as they read passages of people who traveled across the Gila Trail in the Southwest. In this Gila Trail lesson plan, students also write a letter describing a plant or animal in...
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Fitting In-Animals' Adaptations to Their Environment
In this animals' adaptation to their environment worksheet, learners read for comprehension and ability to apply knowledge. In this T-Chart and creative activities worksheet, students answer three questions.
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Investigation 1 - Wetlands, Forests & Deserts
Fourth graders examine surface terrain and how plants and animals are affected by the temperatures and precipitation that elevation and terrain creates. Then students predict what type of environment plants and animals live in.
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Roxaboxen
Third graders discuss the story "Roxaboxen." For this reading comprehension lesson, 3rd graders discover new vocabulary words, discuss the story using story mapping, and take a reading test. Students investigate safety in the desert and...
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Survival of the Spiniest
In this earth science instructional activity, students identify and discover the amazing ways that desert plants adapt to harsh habitats. They use discussion and drawing to explore their existing knowledge about deserts. Then, students...
Desert Discovery
Saguaro Parts
Young biologists identify the basic structures of a saguaro cactus. They study the functions of each of the structures, and label them on a picture of a saguaro cactus embedded in the plan. This simple, and easy-to-implement...
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Whose Home Is This?
After reading a short and informative paragraph on animals and their environments, learners look at pictures of four animals, and write a short description of how each one has adapted to its environment. A suggested activity is that each...
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Camouflage
First graders learn how plants and animals adapt to their environments. In this camouflage lesson plan, 1st graders watch a movie that explains animal camouflage, design a butterfly that blends into a classroom habitat, create a...
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Habitats: Cactus Hotel
A reading of Brenda Z. Guiberson’s, Cactus Hotel, launches a study of animal habitats. Working with parent volunteers or teacher aides, groups travel outside the classroom to select a habitat, take digital pictures, and incorporate the...
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Animal Habitats
In this habitat activity, 3rd graders will focus on the four different habitats of plants and animals. Students will receive color photographs of the rainforest, desert, coral reef, and grasslands.
K5 Learning
Landforms
Valleys, mountains, and plateaus are just a few geographic landforms on our Earth. Read about these types and more in a brief landform passage. After reading, learners respond to six short answer comprehension questions.
Desert Discoveries
Creating a Garden Journal
Youngsters create science journals which are used to record observations from the school garden. The goal of this activity is to help kids tune into nature by making daily observations on the growth of the plants, and also to take note...
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Biomes of the World (and Canada)
Students explore environments by analyzing food chains. In this biome identification lesson, students define a list of environmental vocabulary terms such as tundra, rain-forest and desert. Students create a fictional self sustainable...
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Change or Adaptation
Students identify the adaptive forces in the life cycle of plants, animals, and humans, isolate and identify the role that change and adaptation play in extreme environments and research and write a short term paper using MLA citations.
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Camp Expedition
Students select an animal to research that lives in the camp environment. Students spend time using books and the Internet to research their animals, including size and appearance. Students create a mural to depict the environment and...
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Milkweed and Monarch Butterfly Mania
Students explore Earth science by completing a worksheet in class. In this botany instructional activity, students identify the relationship between the Milkweed plant and the butterflies which regularly feed on its nutrients. Students...
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The Plant Bartering System
Fifth graders explore plant characteristics by viewing a flower and seed presentation. In this environmental adaptation instructional activity, 5th graders identify specific traits plants have in order to allow them to grow in different...