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Lesson Plan
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Adaptation Investigation - Extreme Beaks

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Find photos of bird beaks or show a prepared four slide PowerPoint, "Extreme Beaks" to introduce your class to this special animal adaptation. Provide them with a data table and supplies to try gathering food with tools that each...
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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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Worksheet
Curated OER

Raven Chapter 54 Guided Notes: Community Ecology

For Students 9th - 12th
Providing a sweeping overview of population and community interactions, this ecology activity gets learners thinking. They differentiate between habitat and niche, describe and give exemplars of various animal and plant defenses, explain...
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Lesson Plan
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Exploring Arizona's Biotic Communities Lesson 1: Mapping Biotic Communities

For Teachers 6th - 10th
As part of a unit on Arizona's biotic communities, young ecology learners create a map. They describe how humans and animals adapt in their habitat. They take notes and create graphic organizers from articles they read. Beautiful maps,...
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Lesson Plan
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Skulls Tell It All

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Skulls tell it all, and with this lesson plan, you will tell it all to your class! Youngsters view animal skulls, analyzing the shape of teeth and the placement of the eye sockets. They associate these adaptations with the types of food...
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Lesson Plan
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Wildlife

For Teachers 5th - 7th
First, biology pupils research land and marine habitats along the route of skipper Rich Wilson's Great American II. Then, using colored paper clips scattered across a colored paper background, they play the predator-prey game to...
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PPT
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Vertebrates: Part II, Reptiles & Birds

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Zoologists tour of the worlds of reptiles and birds when viewing this presentation. The physical characteristics, methods of reproduction, homeostasis, and special senses of each are detailed. Diagrams include the reptile egg, bird...
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PPT
Curated OER

Science Jeopardy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Wow! Review an entire semester of biology curriculum playing this Science Jeopardy game! The variety of topics is extremely broad, so you will need to review each question to find if they all apply to your course. As you find material...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seed Dispersal

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students disperse seeds. In this Science lesson, students experiment with various ways to naturally disperse seeds. Students evaluate the effectiveness of the various ways to disperse seeds.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Evolution Study Guide

For Students 7th - 10th
Thirty short-answer questions comprise this detailed review of evolution theory. Many of the questions ask scholars to define vocabulary. Because short answers are required, this worksheet will take some time to complete. You could give...
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Lesson Plan
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Blubber Mittens:Adaptation to Cold Climates

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students get a first hand look at the benefit of a "blubber layer" in cold climates through a simulation using vegetable shortening and icy water. Through this simulation, students examine how adaptations help organisms survive.
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Lesson Plan
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Dining Out With Fishes and Birds of the Hudson

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
While this lesson focuses on the birds and fish found on the Hudson River, it could be adapted for use in any classroom. Using a vocabulary list, learners explore the meaning of words like adaptation, habitat, barbel, and more. Then,...
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PPT
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Academic Raceway: Animals

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Race to the finish line with this interactive PowerPoint! Students must answer multiple choice questions about animals to get to the Winners' Circle. Tip: Have students play individually until they can get all of the questions correct.
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Worksheet
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The right place to live

For Students 2nd - 5th
How do various plants survive in different environments? They adapt! Kids determine which plant traits make them perfect for their specific environment. They consider three plants and can even complete a plant experiment. Note: Intended...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Adaptation Worksheet

For Students 9th - 12th
Adaptation or acclimation? Young ecologists determine which is being exemplified in twenty questions. When teaching about adaptations, make sure to talk about acclimation, a short-term learned response to a change in the surroundings....
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Lesson Plan
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Mountain Lions in Arizona Lesson 5: Humans and Lions - Encounters in Nature

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Fledgling felinologists are taught how to recognize when a mountain lion is preparing to attack. They identify proper actions to provide the greatest chance of survival if they are attacked. Learners play a matching card game in which...
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Lesson Plan
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Stella the Swan

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students study the similarities and differences between ducks, geese, and swans. They tell the story about how water fowl adapt to life in water using props.
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Lesson Plan
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Who Lives with Mallard?

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students color a picture of the habitat featuring mallard and other creatures, some of whom might be camouflaged or half-hidden. They discuss other forms of animal adaptation.
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Lesson Plan
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Survival Strategies and Adaptation in Insects

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate insects and their adaptations that help them survive. In this survival strategies lesson, 3rd graders view photographs of insects and discuss the adaptations that each one uses to survive, including camouflage...
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Lesson Plan
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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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Lesson Plan
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Sheffield Island Adaptation Activity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
You don't have to visit The Maritime Aquarium to use this plan, but you would need to find a location where a variety of bird species live, re-write the activity worksheet to incorporate the local species, and purchase field guides for...
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Lesson Plan
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Wildlife

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
The centerpiece of this lesson plan is a predator-prey simulation in which colored paperclips represent different species of animals camouflaged against a colored background. Relevant follow-up questions are provided. The activity is...
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PPT
Curated OER

Interdependence and Adaptation

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Find out how camels and polar bears are each perfectly suited to their environments because of their physical adaptations. Several key features of each animal are discussed along with how those features work in their specific...
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Lesson Plan
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Mice Rule!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explain what biodiversity is and how adaptive features are maintained in a population.  In this biodiversity lesson students complete a simple activity involving mouse populations.