Curated OER
Here Comes Winter!
Students investigate winter behaviors in animals. They describe winter and write about the characteristics of the season by drawing and labeling a winter picture. Students then conduct research on a chosen animal and create a chart. ...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Animal Habitats: English Language Development Lessons (Theme 4)
This activities in this packet, the second in the series of support materials for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt thematic units on animal habitats, are designed specifically for English language learners.
Curated OER
Habitats of the World
Young scholars discover that the Earth supports many different animal habitats. In this habitat instructional activity students research different habitats of the world. Young scholars show how the animals in their habitat are adapted.
National Park Service
Aspect, Treeline, and Climate
Head to the treeline and beyond to examine how this feature of the landscape affects weather and climate, which gives scientists clues about its health. Class members' observations of photographs provide the data that drives the...
Curated OER
Exploring Animal Habitats: Winter Changes
Students explore animals during the winter months. They discuss the changes that animals make during winter in order to survive. Students discuss migration, hibernation, and staying active during winter months. Students create various...
Curated OER
Habitat Basics
First graders get out and explore two different habitats to examine how each one meets the needs of the plants and animals that dwell there. They discuss what they've learned about animal habitats as they explore the outdoor environment....
Curated OER
Winter Animal Match
Students play a game. In this matching lesson, students learn about animals and their winter homes. Students match cards of animals with the cards of winter homes.
Curated OER
Life in the Crystal Palace
Marine biologists research sea ice communities. Assign some groups to construct paper models of sea ice communities in winter, and some to construct models of them in summer. The lesson is simplistic, but the Internet resources provided...
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations: Grades K-4
Bird migration is a fascinating behavior. Budding scientists experience their own migrations using the school grounds for their flight patterns. They follow a map that leads them through a migration pattern that includes stops for...
Curated OER
Acorns
Students experience hoarding food for winter. In this squirrel lesson, students simulate hoarding behavior as either a red or gray squirrel. Students play a game called Winter Survival and discover how squirrels survive through the...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity C
Third in a set of lessons regarding reservoirs, dams, and hydropower, this involves a two-day hydropower plant simulation. Collaborative groups build, maintain, and finance the plant. The transparency of the reservoir setup can be...
Polar Bears International
Top of the World
Learn about polar bears and the Arctic circle with a lesson about the countries and conditions of the region. After examining how the area differs from Antarctica, kids explore climates, animals, and geographical position of countries in...
Curated OER
A World in a Grain of Sand
Students go exploring Britain's beaches. For this geography lesson, students visit selected websites to learn about specific beach habitats and the history of cleaning those beaches.
Curated OER
Ecology: Why Are Rice Fields Suitable Habitats for Birds?
Fifth graders discover the uses for rice by reading about the habitats of certain birds. In this agriculture lesson, 5th graders research birds from the Gulf Coast and California and their reasons for living in rice fields. Students...
Curated OER
Rocky Intertidal Field Trip
Students investigate tides and the land submerged under them. In this intertidal field trip, Students visit the intertidal zone and observe the habitats and animals that live there. Students view the pools under rocks where lobsters...
Prince William Network
Migration Headache
During this game, kids become migratory shorebirds and fly among wintering, nesting, and stopover habitats. If they do not arrive at a suitable habitat on time, they do not survive. Catastrophic events are periodically introduced that...
Curated OER
Micro-Climate
Atmosphere aces investigate the microclimates that exist within a larger area. They use a thermometer to record the varying temperatures and identify the microclimates on a map that they have drawn. This exercise helps them to understand...
National Gardening Association
Migration Mishaps
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
Prince William Network
Migration Math Madness
A great way to incorporate math into life science, this lesson has learners measure migratory routes on a map and calculate the actual distance that shorebirds on the routes would cover. Learners compute the distance covered in both...
Curated OER
Praire Biome Models
Fifth graders, in groups, list the physical characteristics of a biome and think of ways in which animals might have to adapt to live there and make a biome mobile ball that show the different types of habitats that shape the praire biome.
Curated OER
ProjectWILD Aquatic: Migration Headache
Students explore the important factors that affect habitat quality and the associated survival of migratory water bird populations. They discuss an organisms dependency upon a variety of habitats and habitat quality. Students play a game...
Curated OER
Rainforests: What Are They?
Second graders investigate rain forests by reading a habitat checklist. In this environment instructional activity, 2nd graders read the book The Great Kapok Tree, and discuss what characteristics make up a rain forest. Students...
Curated OER
Collaborative Mural
Collaborative murals are a great way to let kids show what they know about nearly any subject. Murals can be about the environment, life cycles, habitats, character traits, or even the human body! Here you'll find handy tips and tricks...