It's an extravaganza of excrement! Do your pupils understand that waste doesn't really go to waste? Introduce the nitrogen cycle with an interesting activity and lab from the K20 series. The activities include a look at nitrogen in both...

Remember that time whales were the size of house cats and walked on land? It's true—the evolution of whales is stranger than many suspect! See it all unfold in a historical video from PBS Eons channel that presents the evidence proving...

Would you believe whales and hippos share a common ancestor? The video discusses the evidence from a variety of scientific disciplines supporting evolution, focusing specifically on whales and their connections to hippos. The narrator...

Science ... sometimes it really is about life and death! Examine sharks and whales that live for a really long time, as well as mosquitoes designed to die young in the final installment in a 143-part video series. Biology scholars...

Does perfume really contain whale excrement? Only the most expensive varieties! An intriguing video lesson explains the origin of the ambergris ingredient through a tour through the sperm whale's digestive system. Scientists only...

Alter a Jenga game to represent the food web for Baleen whales and watch as an ocean food web comes tumbling down.  Using playing cards to represent positive and negative impacts on the web class members observe how long can they play...

The blue whale is the largest creature ever to have lived on Earth. Scholars explore the world of these cetaceans, see how whales evolved, explore their characteristics, listen to their communication, and learn about their diet. 

Although little is know about why whales sing, researchers are developing theories that explain how whales are able to vocalize. Viewers get a short course in whale song and even get to listen to recordings of the haunting melodies...

Which pulley system will give us a whale of a good time? Teams compare the theoretical and actual mechanical advantages of different pulley systems. They then form a recommendation for how to move a whale from an aquarium back to the ocean.

Mammals of the ocean unite! Or not. The 20th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program investigates how warm-blooded marine mammals survive in water. In the class activity, learners use...

Practice comparing and contrasting details in informational text with a reading passage about whales. It explains the ways that fish and whales are similar, as well as the ways they are different, and specific characteristics of various...

For as small as they are, plankton sure play an enormous role in maintaining marine ecosystems. Dive into an investigation of these tiny organisms with a hands-on life science activity in which children cut out pictures of sea animals...

What do whales sing about? Invite your class to imagine the thoughts of whales before writing acrostic poems on the topic. The plan blends together a bit of life science with plenty of opportunities for creativity and writing.

Elementary learners complete a mini book on polar bears. The resource contains four pages, each a quarter of a page, including one title page with a picture of a polar bear and a space for kids to write their names. 

Print these as two-sided handouts from which elementary entomologists can make a flip-style book about beetles (or a variety of other animals that are available as well). They research the habitat, food, and other interesting information...

This is one of several printable pages on which little life scientists can write out their research on an assigned animal. The highlighted page is for alligator research, but several other animal pages are included as other materials....

Dr. Joy Reidenberg is an expert in comparative anatomy, but also quite relatable to preteens! Here, she lectures on echolocation by likening it to "farting with the face!" She explains with film, actual whale voice recordings, diagrams,...

The children's book Humphrey the Lost Whale tells an amazing tale of a community joining together for a common cause. Read this book with your class, making connections between the events in the story and personal experiences of young...

Here is a fabulous set of activities for your young scientists. Each lesson contains map, hands-on, and game activities that will help the class understand why and how animals migrate from one place to another. First they'll examine the...

Learn more about mammals with this fantastic video! It discusses mammals varying from whales to mice to elephants. Can your class tell the difference between a whale and a shark?

Staring out onto the ocean is often soothing and calm, but take a dip beneath the waters to find plenty of sounds and activity! This video clip studies the sounds of blue whales. Find out what their pulsing sounds might mean in this...

Two hungry killer whale brothers are on the prowl for their daily dose of sea lions. They swim up to shore to snag their meals and fill up their stomachs. Note: This video may be inappropriate for some viewers.

One of nature's most mesmerizing mammals, the humpback whale, can live up to 60 years. They can hold their breath for 30 minutes underwater. Watch this video to learn more about this large mammal!

By 2100, it is projected that nearly all of the Arctic's sea ice will be lost. Explore this region and learn about the effects of global warming on our polar bears, ring seals, whales, and narwhals. What will happen to our arctic sea...