Curated OER
A Home for a Cricket
First graders build a habitat for crickets after studying animal survival needs. They care for and observe the crickets in the classroom habitat.
Disney
Where Do Brown Bears Live?
What do brown bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park need to survive? Pupils explore the unique habitats, diet, and survival needs of this animal. They predict the consequences of removing any integral part of the bear's survival, and...
Curated OER
Animals and Engineering
Students study animal classification and their interactions. In this animals and engineering lesson students study animal communities and how engineers use this knowledge to create new technologies.
Curated OER
Striking a Balance
Students participate in an activity that demonstrates the principles and dynamics of food chains. They discover that the sun's energy is captured by individual plants and transferred to animals.
Curated OER
Food Chains and Endangered Animals
Students investigate how all links in the food chain are related. In this animal habitat lesson, students hypothesize about what would happen in the food chain if an endangered species were to become extinct. This lesson also includes an...
Curated OER
Animals and Habitats of the Chesapeake Bay
Students work in small groups to discover the various habitats present in Chesapeake Bay and the animals that live in them. After investigating the habits and lives of the animals they will draw conclusions about other habitats the...
Curated OER
Wildlife Burrows
Burrowing animals are busy! Get your middle school ecologists busy as well by having them create a scale model of a burrowing population. They also design a PowerPoint or poster to explain their models.
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. ...
Curated OER
Amusing Animal Adaptations
Students identify how animals adapt characteristics to help them survive or reproduce. In this animal lesson, students draw pictures of their animal and adaptation.
Curated OER
The Life Cycle of the Mealworm
Fourth graders provide a habitat for live mealworms and observe their life cycle. In this animal life cycle and scientific inquiry lesson, 4th graders create a habitat for a live mealworm and observe and record related data as it grows....
Curated OER
Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!
Research animals and develop a non-fiction presentation. Young scholars will complete research on a particular animal and determine the animal's characteristics as well as habitat before choosing a differentiated project to present using...
Curated OER
How Many Penguins Does It Take? Studying Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors
How does a population's habitat determine the size of that population? Teach learners about carrying capacity and limiting factors with an engaging roleplay activity. Class members pose as a colony of penguins who must gather food amidst...
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
Hare and Lynx Population
Fourth graders study changes in animal population. In this graphing lesson, 4th graders create graphs from information read to them about hares and lynx populations. They will describe patterns of change in the graphs and discuss why...
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...
California Academy of Science
Snakes and Lizards Length and Movement
Snakes and lizards can be very tiny or very long. Your class will get out their rulers to see just how big snakes and lizards can be. They discuss several different reptiles by reading the included animal fact cards, then each small...
Curated OER
Puerto Rican Parrot Paradise
Students investigate the environment of the Puerto Rican Parrot. They visualize the ecosystem with and without information. They conduct research to find information and participate in classroom discussion to demonstrate comprehension of...
Curated OER
Marine & Aquatic Habitats Activities - Marine Ecology
Learners enact the life cycle of a sessile animal and quantify the possibility of survival under the conditions given. They then present to the class a new adaptation which will increase the animals chance of survival.
Curated OER
Big Fleas Have Little Fleas!
Students study seamounts and learn the importance of structures to species. In this ocean explorer lesson, students participate in an activity that teaches them how to modify a seamount so that they are more suitable for species.
Curated OER
How Animals Prepare for the Winter
Students study animals. In this hibernation lesson, students are read Stranger in the Woods and they discuss what various animals do in their habitat during the winter. They work as a class to create their own hibernation environment...
Curated OER
Wildlife
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...
Curated OER
Wildlife
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...
Curated OER
A World of Feathered Friends
learners will learn to
respect the nature around them. This respect is vital because ignorance of surrounding
nature can lead to carelessness when curiosity goes awry. A perfect example of this
wayward curiosity took place at our school...
Curated OER
Food Chains
Students study food chains by creating their own slide show using KidPix. They compare information after sharing their slide shows as a whole group. As the children are watching the slide shows of their peers, they tally every time...