US Mint
Desert Dwellers
What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of shared reading...
National Science Teachers Association
Hop into Action
Young scientists find out what makes amphibians such unique and interesting animals in this simple life science lesson plan. After looking at pictures and discussing the characteristics of amphibians, learners complete a series of three...
Curated OER
Animals Around Us
Learners view and discuss a Discovery Channel video that compares the animals found in four different habitats. They compare and contrast the characteristics of forests, deserts, wetlands and grasslands then choose one to depict in a...
Curated OER
Mealworms
Crawl into the world of the darkling beetle with this scientific investigation. Watch as the insects move through the larval, pupal, and adult stages of life, recording observations along the way. Discuss the necessities of life as young...
Curated OER
Read Aloud Lesson Plan: Water for One, Water for Everyone
Pupils listen to a read aloud about African animals as they access a watering hole. They discuss the characteristics of Africa such as the temperature, it distance from the students, and lifestyle of the animals. They talk about how...
Michigan State University
Friend or Foe?
What one person thinks is a pest may not be a pest to someone else. Here, scholars examine the characteristics of living things and pests through grand conversation and a variety of activities. Class members play a game of pest or not a...
Curated OER
Animals and Their Biomes
Learners categorize animals according to their natural biomes using biome and animal flashcards.
Berkshire Museum
Camouflage!: Collecting Data and Concealing Color
Help young scholars see the important role camouflage plays in the survival of animals with a fun science lesson. Starting with an outdoor activity, children take on the role of hungry birds as they search for worms represented by...
Smithsonian Institution
Trait Tracker
Help mice beat the odds with an exciting activity about traits. Biologists discover the role of diet and other factors on animal traits by participating in a simulation activity. Teams collect and evaluate data to understand how certain...
Curated OER
Invertebrate Phyla
Students explore the invertebrate phyla. They discuss the characteristics of the invertebrate Phyla in the Kingdom Animal. Students classify organisms into Phyla based on their characteristics. They distinguish radial symmetry, bilateral...
Curated OER
What are Mammals?
Pupils differentiate between wild and tame animals, explain how to classify mammals into groups based on common charactertistics and comprehend the values of zoos. They listen as the teacher reads Psalm 50:10 and explains that all of the...
Curated OER
Transportation
Young scholars read about various modes of transportation for people, plants, and animals. In this transportation instructional activity, students read information about the transportation modes for people plants, and animals using water...
Curated OER
Loggerhead Turtle Fun Facts
Learners study loggerhead turtles and learn facts about reptiles. In this turtles lesson, students read information about loggerhead turtles and study their various sections and characteristics. Learners then make their own sea turtle.
Curated OER
Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
Curated OER
Acting Like a Bunch of Animals: Fables and Human
The video "The Tales of Aesop" traces for viewers the history of fables and identifies their characteristics. The class then goes to the web site "The Fisherman and the Little Fish" where they examine the classic and a modern version of...
Curated OER
K-5th Grade Lesson Plan on Diversity - Animals
Students investigate stereotyping and diversity by looking at dog breeds. In this diversity and stereotype activity, students discuss characteristics of dogs they are familiar with. They describe similarities and differences between the...
Curated OER
Rain Forest Animals
Learners research rainforest animals from the book The Great Kapok Tree. They create an animal presentation using PowerPoint. Pupils demonstrate their comprehension of the interdependence of the animals, people, and plants in the...
Curated OER
Plants And Animals in the Local Environment
Students observe the various living things they can find outside their playground making sure to look both on the ground and in the air. They develop a large poster Venn digram, as a class, of plants and animals that live in the air, on...
Curated OER
Classification of Intertidal Organisma
Students categorize animals. In this animal classification instructional activity, students group animals by their characteristics. Students break into groups and work together to classify the animals. Students fill out a graphic...
Curated OER
What's Wild?
Third graders define domesticated animal and wildlife. In this animal lesson, 3rd graders cut pictures out of magazines of both types of animals and make two collages with the pictures.
Desert Discoveries
The Sonoran Desert
Elementary schoolers study the geographic location of the Sonoran Desert. They pay close attention to the characteristics of the plants and animals found in this desert environment. The student handouts embedded in this plan are...
NASA
Biology Training Module
Are you a koalafied biologist? The lesson begins with research about human survival and our ecosystem. Then, an online training module simulates the effects of changes to the plants and animals in an ecosystem. Finally, scholars research...
Curated OER
Crustacean Critters
Students explore the habitats of hermit crabs. In this crustacean lesson, students discover what animals need to survive. Working with live hermit crabs, students explore how hermit crabs have adapted to their habitats.
California Academy of Science
Coral Reef Habitat Match
Different animals live in different habitats, and each animal has specifically adaptive traits that make them tailor-made for their environments. This is true on land and in the ocean. Little ones examine how various marine animals have...