Curated OER
Clay Hill Animal Sampling
Students create animal print casts from molds in the classroom. They use the cast patterns to identify animal prints on a field trip in which they locate animal tracks, identify the location with GPS and create field casts of the...
Curated OER
Awesome Adaptations!
Second graders explore biology by researching animal characteristics. In this adaptation lesson, 2nd graders identify the history of several animals and research the changes that have occurred to their anatomy over thousands of years....
Curated OER
Flutterings and Flowers
Fourth graders investigate the significance of natural resources and the habitats of butterflies. They create a list of their own favorite foods, then watch a video about habitats. Students identify things in the video that animals and...
Curated OER
Games on Echolocation
Get a little batty with life science! This fun simulation game replicates how bats use echolocation to hunt moths in their native Hawaiian habitat. After creating blind folds and discussing some basic principles of echolocation, students...
Floyd County Schools
Who Is Hibernating?
Young scientists explore the wintertime behavior of common animals with this presentation on hibernation. Offering clear explanations about the who, what, where, when, and why regarding hibernation, this resource is perfect for primary...
Curated OER
Animal Adaptations
Fourth graders view slides on the SMART board of physical and behavioral adaptations of animals. In this animal adaptations lesson plan, 4th graders also view a video and match a physical adaptation with the animal it pertains to.
Curated OER
Animal Parenting
Students analyze parenting instincts. For 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...
Curated OER
Life-Cycle Sleuth
Students analyze an animal's life cycle and behaviors, and examine what animals need to stay alive and reproduce. They develop theories and hypotheses about the reasons for migrations, using the Journey North online project.
Curated OER
Education: Passing Enough Knowledge to Survive to the Next Generation
Students compare and contrast the knowledge requirements for human and animal children. They identify the consequences of an animal if it is unprepared for the given environment. They discover the importance of education as well.
Curated OER
Good Training = Good Pets
Students examine animal behavior. In this animals training lesson, students understand a pet owner's responsibility for their pet's behavior. Students get into groups and brainstorm situations that pet's make a mistake that they are...
Curated OER
Species Charades
Students identify endangered species. In this endangered species instructional activity, the teacher leads a discussion about endangered species, then the class plays a game of charades to pantomime animal behavior.
Curated OER
Fable of the Fainting Goat
Second graders explore animal life by reading children stories in class. In this goat fable lesson, 2nd graders read several books which describe the different myths and folklore about goats. Students identify the needs of living animals...
Curated OER
Animals Vocabulary Decoder Worksheet
Add some decoding to your scholar's review of basic life science terms in this decorder activity, where learners match 15 words to their definitions. Words such as mammal and amphibian must be matched to their written definition. The...
Omaha Zoo
I Like to Move It
What do lemurs do best? They move! Lemurs like to jump, run, hop, and climb and it's your class's job to document seven fun lemur behaviors. The class starts by discussing why lemurs are considered primates, and then they isolate seven...
PBS
Wetland Band
Create an animal chorus as learners explore the sights and sounds of the wetlands. Individuals begin by listening to the animal calls of local frog and toad species. They then try to replicate the variety of sounds using common items and...
Curated OER
Go Fish!
So much science in one tiny fish! Introduce young biologists to the zebrafish, a common aquarium inhabitant. The small, unassuming organism presents an opportunity for learners to study habituation using an easy-to-care-for species. Lab...
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Adaptations – Designs for Survival
What's the difference between behavioral adaptations and physical adaptations? Learn about the various ways that organisms adapt to their environment with a worksheet about the creatures of the Hudson River.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Scientific Inquiry Using WildCam Gorongosa
How do scientists determine what questions to ask to meet their research goals? Help your class develop an inquiry mindset with a lesson based on studies in the Gorongosa National Park. Partners create their own research questions by...
Curated OER
Structural and Behavioral Adaptations
Learners participate in a role playing lab that allows students to experience how different beak adaptations play a role in the type of food the animal can eat, therefore playing a role in the survival of the species.
Curated OER
The "How's and Whys" of Animal Behavior
Students read examples of behaviors in various animals. They design an experimental question about the behavior. They explain if the question involves the proximate or ultimate level of causation.
Curated OER
Inquiry in Science Using an Animal Behavior Model
Students observe a planaria without a microscope and with a stereoscopic microscope. They draw the planaria and describe its motion and eating habits. Students research planarias various body systems and behavior. They design an...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Build it Better
If you think you can do better, feel free to give it a try. Pupils learn about the work on Temple Grandin and consider ways to improve animal handling facilities. They work in groups to build models to showcase their ideas.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Are Real Things
Proving microscopic structures exist is a difficult task. Learn how scientists did just that in the mid-1800s as they set out to identify the cellular structures related to genetics. The online lesson explains the collection of work that...
Curated OER
Mapping Animal Behavior
Students discuss the value of sampling in science. They, in groups, map cricket movement in response to various stimuli and graph their results.