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NOAA

Climate Is Our Friend…Isn’t It?: Make an Extinction Polyhedron

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Climate affects populations in different ways. Scholars research extinct organisms and mass extinctions in part three of the 10-installment Discover Your Changing World series. They create graphic organizers, then fill in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Extinction of Dinosaurs

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students study the life and death of the dinosaur by building dioramas. In this dinosaur instructional activity, students research the extinct creatures, then build dinosaur dioramas. Afterward, the students engage in a discussion about...
Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

The Effects of Environmental Conditions on Aquatic Organisms

For Teachers 8th - 12th
What kind of experiment can your class do to how observe the environment effects on organisms? Groups design and conduct lab experiments to learn about the effects of the environment on aquatic organisms. Based upon knowledge gained...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Evidence of Evolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What an impression fossils make! In this activity, aspiring paleontologists view fossils and construct a timeline to further understand how the lack of natural adaptation caused historical organisms to become extinct. While they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Responsibility of Preservation

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Upper elementary and middle schoolers study the case of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that was once-thought to be extinct. Learners explore the responsibility of people to preserve habitats, and take care of the animals who live in...
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Diversity of Living Things

For Teachers 8th Standards
Here's a topic classes can really dig—the fossil record. Use the well-organized and thoughtful road map to take eighth graders back in time to unearth the answer. Learn how our climate has changed, and how organisms have...
PPT
Biology Junction

Evolution – Diversity of Life

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Scientists noticed animals with backbones share similar bone structure despite having different forms, such as fins, arms, and wings. Young scientists gain an appreciation for evolution by understanding the history of the theory. They...
Lesson Plan
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Section Three: What's the Status of Biodiversity?

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Biodiversity is essential for every habitat, but many species are at risk due to pollution and other factors. Explore several different species native to Illinois in a gallery walk with posters that learners have created after research...
Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Sustainability and Extinction

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Galapagos Penguins are the only penguins on earth that live north of the equator (in the wild). In this last lesson plan a discussion on how the Galapagos islands developed their populations and diversity sparks the introduction. Two...
Worksheet
Curated OER

AP: Chapter 25: Phylogeny and Systematics

For Students 9th - 12th
As a review or note taking guide, this resource wraps up a unit on the tree of life. Biology bigwigs define phylogeny and answer questions about the subsequent classification of organisms. The worksheet takes a straightforward and...
App
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

EarthViewer

For Students 6th - Higher Ed Standards
Can you imagine Washington DC and London as close neighbors occupying the same continent? Learners will be fascinated as they step back in time and discover the evolution of the earth's continents and oceans from 4.5 billion...
Lesson Plan
Agriculture in the Classroom

A Rafter of Turkeys

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
How did that turkey get from the early Aztec culture to your table? Learn about the history of wild and domesticated turkeys in North America, as well as their inclusion in Thanksgiving traditions, with a two-part agricultural science...
PPT
Curated OER

It Stinks! Extinction

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
This earth science PowerPoint informs students about the concept of extinction. This PowerPoint includes a student objective, key questions about extinction, and answers to match. Each slide is clearly organized with key points that are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Extinction

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students develop a definition of extinction.  In this extinction lesson, students listen to What Happened to Dinosaurs? Students research and debate theories of what happened to dinosaurs.  Students present their arguments.
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

The Mystery of Earth’s History

For Students 8th Standards
Every living creature can leave a fossil record, yet most fossils belong to extinct organisms rather than ones currently living. Scholars learn about dating rock layers, fossils, and the environment of the past. Pupils understand that...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Celebrate Endangered Species Day at Your School

For Teachers K - 8th
Learn how your school can join numerous conservation organizations in celebrating Endangered Species Day on May 17th.
Lesson Plan
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Section Two: Why is Biodiversity Important?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Explore soil, genetic traits, natural resources, and pollution in a series of lessons that focus on biodiversity. Kids complete experiments to learn more about the importance of varied genes and organisms in an ecosystem.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Speciation and Genetic Drift Worksheet

For Students 9th - 12th
Fifteen terms pertaining to speciation, extinction, and gene flow are to be matched to their definitions. This simple, easy-to-read worksheet can be used as a pop quiz for your biology learners when studying natural selection principles...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Missing Macroinvertebrates - Stream Side Science

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Field study groups collect samples of stream water and identify the macroinvertebrates found. Using their data, they calculate a water quality index to rate the health of the stream. They graph their data and discuss the value of a water...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Evolution Study Guide

For Students 7th - 10th
Thirty short-answer questions comprise this detailed review of evolution theory. Many of the questions ask scholars to define vocabulary. Because short answers are required, this worksheet will take some time to complete. You could give...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners of all ages solve historical mysteries. Elementary learners research historical topics by organizing information presented by their instructor, formulating hypotheses, and considering solutions to mysteries presented about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Value of a Garden

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the history of taxonomy, the work of Carl Linnaeus, and the factors involved in the decline and extinction of a variety of botanical species.
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Taxonomy: Who is in My family?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Game of Life

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore the game of life which refers to what happens to a species when most of the population is gone.  In this endangered species activity, students describe what it means for a marine animal to be endangered. Students...