National Gardening Association
Migration Mishaps
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
Curated OER
Sea Turtle Math
Students consider the future of endangered species. In this conservation instructional activity, students view a slide show and use mathematical data to construct a prediction for the survival of an endangered species. This instructional...
Curated OER
Using Math To Make Decisions About Animal Habitat
For this animal habitat worksheet, students read, analyze and solve 5 scenarios involving mathematics and animal habitats. Students work out each decision they decide as correct and write out a proposal for each one.
Prince William Network
The Incredible Journey
Divide your school gym into breeding grounds and non-breeding grounds so that your zoologists can play a game simulating the seasonal migration of shorebirds. Players pick one of the included game cards and follow its directions, which...
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...
Curated OER
The Coyote Population: Kansas Prairies
Students discover animal lifestyles by researching their ecosystem. In this animal statistics lesson, students research the geography of Kansas and discuss the reasons why wild animals survive in the open Kansas fields. Students complete...
Curated OER
How Many Animals?
Students use their math skills to develop estimates for the population of several animal species native to the Austrailian rainforest. It is a simulation that researchers at the Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia perform to...
Curated OER
Wildlife Burrows
Burrowing animals are busy! Get your middle school ecologists busy as well by having them create a scale model of a burrowing population. They also design a PowerPoint or poster to explain their models.
Curated OER
Mark-and-Recapture
Students investigate the mark-and-recapture method for estimating the population of an animal species. They evaluate given data to answer a set of questions.
Curated OER
The World is a Village
Students observe Americans through the eyes of the world. In this human population lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to view the World Pop Clock and follow the world's population by the minute. Students predict what the...
Curated OER
How Many Penguins Does It Take? Studying Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors
How does a population's habitat determine the size of that population? Teach learners about carrying capacity and limiting factors with an engaging roleplay activity. Class members pose as a colony of penguins who must gather food amidst...
Curated OER
Alice Computer Programming
Students explore multimedia components. In this science inquiry lesson, students read "Invitation to the Game" by Monica Hughes and they use the Alice Computer Programming System to better understand population dynamics.
Creative Learning Exchange
The Infection Game: The Shape of Change
Encourage the spread of knowledge in your class with this cross-curricular epidemic simulation. Pulling together science, social studies, and math, this lesson engages students in modeling the spread of infectious diseases, collecting...
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
Wildlife
The centerpiece of this lesson plan is a predator-prey simulation in which colored paperclips represent different species of animals camouflaged against a colored background. Relevant follow-up questions are provided. The activity is...
Curated OER
Populations
Students calculate the area of grasslands needed to support a small pride of lions. They also identify food web links in an ecosystem and trace the energy pathways in an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Line graphs
In this line graphs worksheet, students read 2 line graphs and answer short answer questions about them. Students answer 5 questions for each graph.
Curated OER
How Close Can You Get? Estimating
Students work collaboratively to determine how many crackers are in a large container. They then view a video to see how often people use estimation in their jobs, and another video to watch students work on figuring out appropriate...
Curated OER
Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West
Students write a day in the life story from the point of view of another endangered animal. Students write to your local newspaper to express their opinions on the issue. Students research a horse's diet and explain why horses have...
Curated OER
Loggerhead Nest Management Program
Students identify the sea turtle management documentary and complete an activity for each slide. They plot the location of nests laid on the island they patrol and discuss their rationale for management decisions. Finally, students...
Curated OER
Prairie Scales and Prairie Smoothies
Sixth graders explore the animals that live on the prairie and identify differences between amphibians and reptiles and the adaptations each have made to live on the prairie.
Curated OER
Rain Reasons
Students explore how climatic factors influence the growth of plants. They create an experiment to find how variations in water, light, and temperature affect plant growth and describe how precipitation and geography can affect the...
Curated OER
Forest Ecology or Who Lives Here?
Students explore a hardwood forest. In this forest ecology lesson, students examine the diversity and animals and plants as they explore their habitats at Poricy Park Conservatory. Students determine how biodiversity and abiotic elements...