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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polar Bears in Houston

For Teachers 1st
First graders read a book about animal babies from the Arctic and discuss what a polar bear needs to survive. They design a suitable zoo habitat for a polar bear using crayons and paper.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing About the Zoo Trip

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders practice writing. In this five senses writing lesson, 2nd graders describe their experience on the field trip they took to the zoo. They work as a class and independently to come up with different things they saw, smelled,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Citizens For the New Zoo

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders complete Internet research to find information about an animal and its basic needs. They design a model of a zoo habitat that would accommodate their animal. They write a letter of recommendation to a Zoo board of directors...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Here Comes Winter!

For Teachers K - 1st
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. ...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fin, Feathers, or Fur?

For Teachers K
Students learn how to classify animals. In this animal characteristics activity, students read Granddad's Animal Alphabet Book, brainstorm a list of different kinds of animals, and determine their characteristics; fur, feathers or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Characteristics

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students investigate the characteristics of animals by creating a chart. In this animal life lesson, students create a KWL chart listing all the different animals a class can name. Students take a field trip to a science facility to get...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering New Species

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify animals observed by Lewis and Clark while evaluating the animal's habitat and describing the animal's behavior. Students construct a food web mobile to illustrate the animal's position in the food web in the 19th...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Zany Zoo Adventures

For Teachers 1st
First graders create web pages. They design story books using digital camera pictures. They explore the Lowry Park Zoo web site. They visit Lowry Park Zoo and take pictures of animals.
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Notice and Wonder

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating New Animals

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students navigate an interactive web site to create imaginary animals. They research one or more animals. They create one page report with pictures. They discuss attributes of animals they have researched.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning About Animals' Bodies

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students research different animals (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, fish) and create books, murals, dioramas, puppets, and sculptures to illustrate the necessity of various body parts for overall survival. In this animal...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders discuss the term "endangered". They identify the reasons some animals are in danger of being wiped out. They discover ways humans can help the species survive.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent a Critter

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students create a living animal that could survive in at least one specific region and use the digital desert library to gather information. In this invent a critter lesson, students draw a picture of their animal,  describe their animal...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working With Animals

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study careers that involve animal care such as veterinarians, zookeepers and archeologists. They create a collage of animal drawings related to the careers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where is Shirley the Elephant?

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young animal lovers engage in a lesson that's all about elephants. They access an elephant sanctuary website and read a story about Shirley the elephant. They perform a series of activities based upon that story, and also study about the...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Poetic Reflections

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pleistocene Mammals

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students research the causes of the extinction of Pleistocene mammals.  In this Pleistocene mammals lesson, students read essays to understand the Pleistocene epoch. Students write an essay about the personal impact of this epoch. 
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Max's Math Adventures

For Students 2nd - 3rd
In these shape activity worksheets, students read the poem about shapes and then draw and write about one of the zoo animals from the zoo. Students use the given shapes to put their animal together. Students add hair, eye color, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Safari Sentence Scramble

For Teachers K
Students use real life experiences for writing. In this identifying details lesson, students use information such as colors, numbers, sizes, shapes and locations to write sentences about the zoo. Students position the words from left...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Desert Backyard

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students make observations of their own backyard. In this environment lesson, students keep records of the plants and animals they see in their home or school yard. Students make notes of how the weather and environment changes over...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We're All In This Together

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students discover what a coral reef is and the animals that live there. In this ecosystem lesson, students act out a story with ocean organisms. They answer questions that show the interdependency of the sea animals. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Features of Our Community

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read about and discuss natural features of communities. They listen to a guest speaker, such as a park ranger to expand their knowledge of natural features. They go on a field trip, if possible, to a local zoo or...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

A Chicken's Life

For Students 3rd - 5th
Here is a set of comprehension questions that go with the story "A Chicken's Life." Learners answer each of nine questions by filling in the blank with the correct word then, they complete ten additional comprehension questions that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pio, Pio, Que Frio

For Teachers K - 1st
Students investigate the characteristics of living things. They determine that different organisms have different needs and describe and compare them. They draw and verbally respond about their favorite animal.