Students participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They work with their group to develop an island survival plan and summarize it in a journal. Students use a worksheet and challenge cards to earn points. They will be...

Students participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They apply their critical thinking skills and knowledge of oceans and islands to "survive" and ultimately return to safety. Lesson contains adaptations for all levels.

Why not walk in the footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt and become a conservationist? After discussing issues and reasons for animal extinction, the class creates their own conservation plans. Each small group is given mock data regarding a...

The Galápagos Islands are an amazing place of isolated adaptation, colonized by an interesting mix of plants and animals. The class plays a game to help them understand how these organisms came to live on the island through a combination...

Third graders practice brainstorming with their classmates as they discuss a role-play situation.  In this group discussion lesson, 3rd graders must present ideas of ways to survive on a deserted island by discussing with their...

Teens experience natural selection firsthand (or first beak) in an activity that has them act as finches foraging for food. Using different household items  to act as different beak styles, your little finches will collect as much...

Learners discover the uniqueness of deep sea hydrothermal vent organisms through an exploration of the NOAA Galapagos Rift Expedition. They study the genetics and evolution of a shrimp species that lives near the vents then they...

A video about the impact of climate change on butterfly populations and a PowerPoint about butterfly and bird adaptations warm science learners up for the activity to follow. Using a variety of tools that reprsent unique styles of bird...

Students participate in discussions and role-play to learn the hardships of baby Green Sea Turtles. They explore the low survival rate due to natural predators and man.

Try a twist on the old finch beak and chopsticks activity by using M&Ms on a Twister mat. Spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks represent beaks and are randomly assigned to your little birds, who must collect as much food as possible...

Students explore parts of the Hawaiian Islands to get a examine the exotic invasion, and see what challenges the natives face in reclaiming their territory. They identify the changes in the environment that have been the hardest on the...

Students explore the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to discover what's there and pick up clues as to how people have both harmed and helped the native habitats. They study another protected area and see how to balance conservation efforts...

Fifth graders determine what supplies they will take with them in order to survive their trip through the Amazon. The use estimation and basic math skills to determine how much they can carry and what they can use to survive in the Amazon.

In a fun and interactive two-day lesson, learners sort anole lizard pictures by appearance. Next, they watch a video about the anoles and re-sort based on the information in the video. In addition to physical characteristics, budding...

Students play Lobster Bingo on a provided worksheet. This game demonstrates how human activities and natral events affect lobsters by impacting their food, clean water, and shelter of the reef.

Students investigate the lives of frogs by completing several worksheets.  In this biology lesson, students discover the life cycle of a frog from tadpole to death.  Students complete frog life cycle puzzle as well as create a...

Seventh graders study the environmental factors that affect population growth. In this biology instructional activity, 7th graders create a city following certain criteria. They present their posters in class.

Discuss prior knowledge of the green sea turtle. Young scholars play a game where they are divided into two teams, predators and baby turtles. They receive "name" tags to tell which animal they are. The goal of the baby turtle is to get...

Students examine tree-ring dating and discuss the lack of water the settlers in Jamestown faced. They create paper tree rings, simulate rain patterns, and describe the history of construction paper tree sequences.

Pupils assess the Treaty of Waitangi and compare it to various Native American treaties. After discussing the legal issues of the treaties, they role-play as groups representing a nation-state and indigenous people who negotiate a treaty.