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Lesson Plan
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Section Three: What's the Status of Biodiversity?

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Biodiversity is essential for every habitat, but many species are at risk due to pollution and other factors. Explore several different species native to Illinois in a gallery walk with posters that learners have created after research...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Massive Migrations

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
Turn your students into flocks of migratory birds for this fun lesson on animal migration. Prior to the activity, the teacher creates four different migration routes in the classroom or any available open space, labeling nesting...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

The Sea with No Shores

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Some habitats are more bio-diverse than others. Scholars examine an especially diverse environment as groups research different species in a specific ocean habitat. The class then uses their research to create three-dimensional bulletin...
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Unit Plan
NASA

Engineering Design for Human Exploration

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What would it take to live on the lunar surface? Small groups build model rockets in order to simulate launching a habitat into space and rebuilding it. Divide the class into groups to design and build a model of a lunar habitat. The...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Calculating a Biodiversity Index

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
ARKive

Galapagos Conservation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. These wonderful islands will also be the topic of a lesson on habitat and conservation. In small groups, learners will collect and synthesize information regarding...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Plant or Animal?

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
Teach your class about the necessities of life using the book Tillena Lou's Day in the Sun. After a teacher-read-aloud, students make puppets depicting different plants and animals from the story and illustrating the habitat in which...
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Worksheet
Sea World

Arctic Animals

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Discover the coldest animals in the world with a lesson about the Arctic habitat. Kids use a glossary and information sheet about animals found in the Arctic Circle to complete several activities, including tracking the lemming...
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Lesson Plan
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Education Outside

Animal Homes in the Garden

For Teachers 1st Standards
First graders journey to the school garden to examine the habitats of garden animals. Using the provided graphic organizer, kids locate and sketch a critter and its habitat before returning it to its home.
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Activity
Star Wars in the Classroom

Star Wars Geography Unit

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What kind of animals live on an ice planet like Hoth? How would the habitat on Tatooine allow different organisms to thrive? Connect social studies, science, and Star Wars in one engaging activity that focuses on the ecosystems of the...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Deep-Sea Ecosystems – Cool Corals

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Young oceanographers research deep sea corals that thrive on chemosynthesis. The lesson focuses on the biology of the animal, preferred habitat, associations, and interactions.
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Lesson Plan
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Climate Change Impacts on Blue King Crabs

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Carbon dioxide is not only causing global temperatures to increase, it causes the oceans to become more acidic. Lesson focuses on the blue king crab and the fragility of the habitat due to climate change. Scholars create a concept map...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Build Your Own Ocean Ecosystem

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Hold the sea in the palm of your hand! Amateur oceanographers work together to create models of an ocean ecosystem in the sixth and final installment in a series. Raise awareness of global ocean health issues through guided research,...
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Activity
National Park Service

The Young Naturalist

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects. Scholars return to...
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

Take-a-Hike

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Learn about nature and health all in one set of lessons. Individuals use a scavenger hunt to record observations during a nature hike. They then complete activities to categorize their observations and rate the health of the habitat for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Extinction and Rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

For Teachers 5th - 8th
An incredibly thorough, and well-designed lesson teaches youngsters about the presumed extinction and rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas. Learners discuss the environmental factors that led to the birds disappearance....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adaptation and Diversity on Sheffield Island

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Written for an exploration of shoreline ecosystems on Sheffield Island, this gives ecology or marine biology buffs a hands-on experience. Using GPS or visual triangulation techniques, they lay transect lines on a high and a low energy...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Great Elephant Census Modeling Activity

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
They say elephants never forget—and your class won't forget an insightful modeling activity either! Junior zoologists take part in a mock elephant census using the sample count and total count methods. The included materials provide...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adaptations to Niches and Habitats

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Life science learners measure and record traits of seeds, leaves, and their own hands and then graph the data to find a continous distribution curve. They compare and color diagrams of seven different animals' forelimbs (not included),...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Symbiotic Strategies: The Secret Lives of Sharks and Rays

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners investigate the interaction in an oceanic ecosystem. For this symbiotic relationship lesson, high schoolers investigate how ecological relationships evolve over long periods of time in order to maintain balance and stability of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Dam or Not to Dam

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young ecologists explore the Aswan Dam in Egypt via the internet. Each collaborative group is assigned a specific article about the ecological impact of the dam. Then they prepare a presentation to share with the rest of the class. Some...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wildlife Burrows

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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. 
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Activity
Smarter Balanced

Uncommon Animals

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Need to prepare for a performance task assessment on the topic of uncommon animals? Here's an activity that ensures all learners have the knowledge of key terms and concepts to approach the assessment.
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Lesson Plan
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey

The Great Peregrine Scavenger Hunt - On the Internet

For Teachers 4th - 8th
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...

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