Lesson Plan
ARKive

Penguin Diversity – Mask Making

For Teachers K - 1st
Penguins are very diverse and well-adapted birds; they live on islands, in warm and cold climates. Little ones examine penguin diversity and discuss the highly functional adaptive traits that have helped them survive in some of the...
Lesson Plan
Prince William Network

The Incredible Journey

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Divide your school gym into breeding grounds and non-breeding grounds so that your zoologists can play a game simulating the seasonal migration of shorebirds. Players pick one of the included game cards and follow its directions, which...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Birds

For Students 8th - 12th
In this birds worksheet, students review the characteristics of birds including their adaptations for flight. Students review the diversity of bird adaptations. This worksheet has 4 short answer, 7 true or false, 6 matching, and 3 fill...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biomes: Adapting To Deserts & Other Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how animals must be adapted to the conditions of its environment to survive.  In this biomes instructional activity students research desert adaptations then discuss how these animals have survived. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Birds of a Feather Flock Together

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify all parts of an egg, and explore their importance to the life cycle of a chicken. Learners compare all sorts of birds and place them in categories based on what they look like. This five-day lesson effectively...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Growing Penguins

For Teachers 4th - 8th
A collection of photos and accompanying descriptions describing the life cycle of an Adelie penguin is the highlight of this resource. Working in groups, polar explorers match the descriptions to the pictures and create a timeline. An...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Listen and Draw

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students use their visualizing and interpreting skills to produce original writings and drawings. First, they listen to an adaptation of William Clark's description of the sage grouse. They form mental images that they translate into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather and Seasons: Mt. Seymour Winter Fieldtrip

For Teachers K - 7th
Students explore winter adaptations and glare. In this winter weather lesson, students discuss the season of winter and how animals and plants adapt to the changing weather. Students discuss the glare off snow and make goggles for their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Brained

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine bird anatomy and explain bird intelligence.  In this animal behavior lesson plan students research the Internet on bird behavior and work in groups to complete a challenge. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adaptations of the Beak

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students examine the principles of adaptation using mouth structure of animals as an example. Students look specifically at the various shapes of beaks of birds and the bill of the platypus.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Do You Know About the Birds Around You?

For Teachers K
Students compare and contrast various species of birds. After participating in a brief discussion of the characteristics of birds, they view birds in their natural habitat and in pictures with a focus on the similarities and differences...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Parenting

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students analyze parenting instincts. In this parenting instincts lesson, students view a drawing of animal they studies and describe what they learned about the animal. Students teach the class about their animal and the class creates a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Birds & Caterpillars

For Students 6th - 9th
In this biology worksheet, students explain the use of camouflage as a defense mechanism. Then they list examples of insects that use camouflage to protect them from predators. Students also identify and name other types of defense...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Birds in Flight

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Young scholars identify and examine adaptations in birds that enable them to fly. They conduct Internet research to relate these adaptations to the physics of flight. Students observe birds in flight and describe their behavior and...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This? Reproduction

For Students 6th - 12th
Attracting the right mate is as important for humans as any other species. An interesting lesson teaches individuals about several strategies that animals and plants have adapted to attract their mates. From colorful nests to powerful...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Adaptation

For Teachers K - 5th
Students begin the lesson by observing animals in their natural habitat. Using the internet, they research the types of adaptations they have gone through to be able to live comfortably in their environment. They observe what they see on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Beak Adaptation Lab

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars investigate bird beaks to determine which physical adaptations are necessary based on the types of food the birds eat. They participate in a lab by visiting multiple stations to determine which beaks are most efficient,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Snowy Owl Adaptations

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Pupils explore the adaptations that are made by the snowy owl. They discuss why these adaptations are necessary and how they protect the owl. Students create a snowy owl puppet.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Matching Science Words and Definitions About Animals

For Students 5th - 6th
In this matching science words and definitions about animals activity, students match fifteen science words about animals with the definitions.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Wildlife Federation

Fill the Bill

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
A hummingbird isn't the only bird with a unique beak. After a discussion about the specific characteristics of bird beaks, pupils complete a station rotation and use different tools to simulate the function of different beaks. They...
Lesson Plan
National Gardening Association

Migration Mishaps

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trout Cookies

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students explore the external anatomy of a fish. In this anatomy and adaptations lesson, students look at an image of a trout and identify its various external features including fins, eyes, spots, parr marks and lateral line. Students...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Your Favorite Wild Animal

For Students 2nd - 4th
In this research skills worksheet, students select a wild animal and then respond to 5 short answer questions regarding it. In addition, students draw a picture of it and define 6 habitat terms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get Ready, Get Set, Hibernate

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students match each body part or idea from a work bank about methods of animal adaptations for winter survival. They observe as the first one, food is covered with the whole class before completing the rest of the diagram. They discuss...