New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Adaptations – Designs for Survival
What's the difference between behavioral adaptations and physical adaptations? Learn about the various ways that organisms adapt to their environment with a worksheet about the creatures of the Hudson River.
Curated OER
Animals Are Different
Each animal is different! Showcase animal characteristics through a series of questions based on simple images of well-known animals. This worksheet has learners examining 8 animals: rabbit, penguin, parrot, dolphin, bear, ostrich, duck,...
Curated OER
Winter is All Around Us
Students present what they have learned on Antartica. Students identify deciduous and evergreen trees and plants; identify and study about the habitats of animals that migrate, hibernate, and adapt; study the Aurora and Aurora Borealis...
Curated OER
Track Traces
Students explore animal characteristics by participating in an animal anatomy activity. In this animal tracks lesson, students identify the differences between specific animals and the shape of their footprints. Students utilize a...
Curated OER
Reading Research!
Students investigate the life of an animal and how it responds to winter. The lesson's focus is on reading and research skills using pictures to assist in the understanding of the information presented.
Curated OER
Read-Alouds for the Holidays and Winter
These five titles will inspire creativity, research, and reflection in your classroom.
Curated OER
Life in the Arctic
Students create a model of an arctic animal. In this animal adaptation lesson, students research an arctic animal, create a 3-D model of their animal, and explain the physical characteristics animals in the arctic need to survive.
Curated OER
Reading Research!
Students observe the pictures in non-fiction books that focus on animals in the winter. In addition, they also listed to some read aloud books about hibernation, migration, adaptation and dormancy. Students draw pictures and write notes...
Curated OER
Hibernation and Estimation
In this hibernation worksheet, learners first read the passage below about animals who hibernate to adapt to the cold weather. They then answer the 10 questions at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Habitat Basics
First graders get out and explore two different habitats to examine how each one meets the needs of the plants and animals that dwell there. They discuss what they've learned about animal habitats as they explore the outdoor environment....
K5 Learning
Survival in the Wild
How do animals survive in the wild? Read about the different adaptations such as camouflage and self-protection that animals use to survive.
K12 Reader
Fungi Are Alive
They are alive even though they are neither plants or animals! Yes, fungi are the subject of this two-part comprehension worksheet. Kids read the article and then use information found there to respond to comprehension...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Learners write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Learners research animals indigenous to the area.
Curated OER
In Arctic Waters
In this reading comprehension and following directions worksheet, learners read facts about Arctic waters, the Inuit, Arctic animal adaptations, polar bears, walruses, seals, narwhal, Beluga whales and create a mix-and-match animal...
Curated OER
Inuit Sled Dogs
This is a terrific resource! Have your class learn about Inuit sled dogs using this lesson. They discuss how the Inuit travel and the needs of their sled dogs. This lesson includes a math activity, discussion questions and a cooperative...
Curated OER
Playing Hot and Cold
Students read about homeothermy. Through research and poster projects, they gain insight into the diversity among mammals and the ways specific mammals survive in their native climates.
Curated OER
A Walk in the Tundra
Discuss the environment of the Arctic tundra using this resource. The focus of this lesson is the story A Walk in the Tundra by Rebecca L. Johnson. The appealing illustrations are bound to captivate your class! After reading the...
K12 Reader
Eastern Woodland Natives
Supplement your social studies instruction with a reading passage about the Eastern Woodlands. After reading the passage, learners respond to five related questions.
K12 Reader
Taiga Ecosystems
Introduce your class to another type of ecosystem, the taiga ecosystem, through a reading passage. Class members read the text and then respond to five reading questions about the content of the passage.
Curated OER
Wetland Metaphors
Young scholars describe the characteristics of wetlands and identify their ecological functions. They inspect items and use them to create metaphors about wetlands.
K12 Reader
Taiga Ecosystems
After reading a short article about taiga ecosystems, middle schoolers are asked to identify the characteristics of this chilly environment.
Curated OER
Stories Behind Pacific Northwest First Nations' Images
Students investigate Canadian culture by examining mascots of the 2010 Olympics. In this Canadian history lesson, students read a Vancouver Olympics guide to identify three Canadian mascots and their importance to the First Nations...
Curated OER
Treaties
Students talk about making promises. In this family life lesson plan, students listen to the story A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch and talk about what a promise is. This is part of a unit on how families take care of...
Read Works
Read Works: Animals Get Ready
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text exploring different ways animals prepare for winter. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.