National Wildlife Federation
What's Your Habitat?
How do human habitats compare to animal habitats? Individuals begin their nature discovery by drawing their own habitats that extend beyond their houses. Pupils ensure their drawings include the four habitat elements of food, water,...
National Wildlife Federation
Endangered Species: What and Where?
What do endangered species have in common with non-endangered species? Given an endangered species to read about, individuals choose another species that is not endangered to compare it to. As a class, they create a species book with the...
National Wildlife Federation
Prairie Chicken Pageant
Diminishing habitats is a real concern that is threatening endangered species. Learners examine these concerns by studying the prairie chicken. Groups get a card with characteristics and threats to the species that they turn into skits.
National Wildlife Federation
Butterfly Life Cycle
Caterpillars and butterflies each have their own unique challenges. While studying the life cycle of butterflies, learners focus on the threats to each stage. While some threats will be the same, each stage has its own unique challenge.Â
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations: Grades K-4
Bird migration is a fascinating behavior. Budding scientists experience their own migrations using the school grounds for their flight patterns. They follow a map that leads them through a migration pattern that includes stops for...
National Wildlife Federation
Habitat Web
It's all connected. Classes create a web to connect living things in a local ecosystem. They create cards with both living and nonliving things found in their areas while considering the characteristics of each. After they have a good...
National Wildlife Federation
Habitat Hunt
Put yourselves in their shoes—or, in this case, their paws. Learners assume the role of an animal and scan a habitat looking for features to fulfill their basic needs. Based on their findings, they decide if the habitat is a suitable...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Birding Lane
Birdwatching is a popular hobby. Young scientists test their knowledge of bird characteristics on their own bird-watching expedition. They take their journals on a walk and sketch the key characteristics of the birds they find while...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Forest Floor Investigation
Most living things go unnoticed. Change that using a fun activity about the nutrient cycle. Pupils use hula hoops to mark areas of study and then make observations about the living things they see. They first make surface observations,...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
How Many Butterflies
Learners become butterflies to complete an activity that has them collect tokens that represent food, water, and shelter. They must collect their necessities while in competition with other butterflies in the same area. Once the...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Butterfly Gardening
Build a place for butterflies to call home. After identifying the needs of butterflies in terms of water, food, shelter, and reproduction, learners create a scale model of their ideal butterfly garden. Once the model is complete, they...
National Wildlife Federation
Habitat for Sale
Where would this animal like to live? Pupils choose an animal and write an ad to advertise that animal's habitat or home. For a little fun, learners create the newspaper ads to provide enough detail for classmates to guess what animal...
Purdue University
Mammals and Ecosystems
Mammals have unique interactions with their ecosystems. Using a multi-part lesson, learners research local mammals using recommended websites and use their findings to create their own paper ecosystems including appropriate mammals. They...
Purdue University
Ashes to Ashes: We All Grow Up
Ecosystems are constantly changing whether people notice or not. An inquiry-based lesson examines types of ecosystem changes and how they relate to wildlife conservation. Learners classify changes as succession and disturbance using a...
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
The Great Peregrine Scavenger Hunt - On the Internet
The story of one bird provides valuable insight into general animal behaviors and interactions. Young researchers investigate the peregrine falcon using a web search. They analyze the behaviors of the raptor including its migration...
Purdue University
The Scientific Process of Conservation Biology: Analyze, Design, Debate
Scientists use data to learn about species survival—and your classes can too! A set of four lessons guides learners through a process to draw conclusions about the fluctuations in the population of the Hellbender species. They read...
Purdue University
The Great Clearcut Controversy
Urban development and habitat retention are often at odds. A three-part lesson examines the pros and cons of forest clearcutting. Learners review data and characteristics of a specific mammal to make conclusions about the effect...
Purdue University
Explore Your Habitat
Get a hands-on look at a local habitat. A three-part activity begins with a discussion of the characteristics of a local habitat. Pupils then test their knowledge by playing a game to match animals to their habitats. Finally, they go on...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Jump, Glide, or Fly? Exploring Bird Evolution
How have birds evolved from prehistoric animals? With the three-part instructional activity, small groups first research different prehistoric animals and determine whether they are birds. Then, scholars explore different bird...
American Museum of Natural History
Calculating a Biodiversity Index
Biodiversity refers to the variety of animal and plant species in a specific habitat. With a collaborative activity, the habitat becomes a page from the white pages, and the species are the surnames in the book. Learners calculate the...
EngageNY
Asking and Answering Questions: Reading about a Frog's Habitat
Building upon previous lessons, scholars take to asking and answering questions about a frog's habitat. A partner discussion follows a read-aloud of an informational text in preparation for a worksheet that boosts reading comprehension...
Pace University
Grades 6-8 Ecology
Why are our national parks important? Scholars research the national parks and explore the basic ecology of these areas in a differentiated instruction unit on ecology. They learn about ecosystems, food chains, symbiosis, and biomes. The...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: 4th Grade Science
How does weather affect Earth? Learners understand the characteristics of water and make predictions about weather patterns. They recognize how water and weather affect rocks and minerals through erosion. They also learn about fossils...
Purdue University
Design of a Reindeer Habitat for an Indiana Zoo
What would Rudolph ask for in his ideal home? Pupils analyze the characteristics of the reindeer to create their perfect zoo habitats. A STEM lesson focuses on the design of the habitat while factoring constraints such as space, diet,...