Students simulate animals in a food chain. In this food chain lesson plan, students are identified as grasshoppers, frogs or hawks. Popcorn is spread across a lawn and students are given baggies (stomachs) and colored sashes to identify...

Fifth graders identify the species of plants and animals found in an environment. They compare these findings to plant and animal species found in an unlike environment. Students acquire and compare soil samples from the two sites chosen.

Third graders are introduced to the topic of habitat . They create a zoo exhibit fo a polar bear that is being donated to the Albuquerque Zoo. The zoo is not big enough for a brand new cage, so the students choose which of three...

Learners study the Venus Flytrap including its habitat and how it eats.  In this ecology instructional activity students complete several experiments using a Venus Flytrap to see how it reacts to various conditions. 

Students discuss a variety of teacher led discussion questions about what makes an animal endangered. They take a short field trip to an open area and set a boundary for each child for them to either write or draw about how the location...

The vocabulary used in this presentation on salt marshes makes it most appropriate for high school or college level ecology classes. The content, however, is relatively simple; It introduces the flora and fauna of this type of ecosystem....

Students will participate in classroom discussions and visit a website to learn more about animals and how well (or poorly) they've adapted to satisfying their needs in their natural habitats. This will help move them toward the goal, in...

Students examine why certain animals live in only specific places throughout the world. Using animals, they classify them based on their characteristics and identify their basic needs. They also observe and compare the life cycles of...

Middle schoolers use quadrats to investigate plants, animals, soils and weather. They answer questions as they fill in each quadrat. They share their information with the class.

Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity.  In this biodiversity lesson, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment.  Students also locate...

Students investigate the geological, climatic, and biological features of Big Sur. They watch a video, conduct Internet research, and create a script and images in the form of an outline in a simulation of an environmental group.

Students plant a garden which will become the habitat for butterflies as they go through their life cycle.  In this life cycle lesson, students grow plants that attract butterflies and feed caterpillars in order to observe the...

Learners list animals, plant parts, and reasons for caterpillars to camouflage themselves. In this animal and plant adaptations lesson plan, students also play a game where they use colors as camouflage.

Students think about what might happen to plants and animals if their environment changed. They play a predator/prey game to simulate what might happen to the praying mantis if the rain forest were cut down.

Students "save" a rare duck (or goose, or swan) from extinction by "building" a sanctuary to protect and breed it in captivity. They research what the bird needs and draw the species and its enclosure.

Young scholars explore how all living things have needs that are obtained from their surroundings. They identify the surroundings where an animal or plant lives is its habitat. Students identify that a habitat is a community of living...

Students create a zoological and botanical garden made up of a variety of species from around the world.

First graders explore living things and their habitats. They create an original It's Alive! book to demonstrate what they have learned.

Students build a collage of an ecosystem. The goal is for them to understand interactions in a community, plant and animal adaptations, and how all life depends on plants. This activity is based on Wump World and students describe what...

Third graders discuss the story "Roxaboxen." For this reading comprehension lesson, 3rd graders discover new vocabulary words, discuss the story using story mapping, and take a reading test. Students investigate safety in the desert and...

Pupils get acquainted with diverse forms of life by using modern biological classification systems to group animals that are related. They explore basic scientific groupings like genus, species, mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and...

Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this activity. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. ...

Students draw and color an ocean scene based on the paintings of Wyland. In this ocean art lesson plan, students view slides of seascapes before they complete their project using oil pastels.

Young scholars examine a web page on food webs and select a habitat to research.  In this research lesson students identify the organisms found in the food web and present their findings to the class.