National Wildlife Federation
It's a Green Revolution: An Introduction to Eco-Schools USA
Eco-schools is a project of the National Wildlife Federation and empowers schools to manage their schools with a green focus. Scholars work to define environment and sustainability and springboard this into learning the eight pathways...
Curated OER
Who's in Charge of This Animal?
Eleventh graders study wildlife management and identify the appropriate government agencies that are in charge. They examine different wildlife management techniques. They write a letter showing interest in the activities of one of the...
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Design a Wildlife Habitat-Habitat Detective
Students discuss ways people have changed landscapes and how this effects wildlife. They map the area around their school and keep a journal of wildlife they see. They predict how to preserve the wildlife they see for future generations.
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Backyard Habitats
Students identify habitat elements. They create a habitat in a backyard, on a balcony, at a workplace, or in a schoolyard and provide the four basic requirements of wildlife survival (food, water, cover, and places to raise young). They...
Curated OER
Biodiversity on Ninepipe Reservoir
Sixth graders complete a unit about the biodiversity at the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge. They view a video, conduct an interview with a tribal wildlife biologist and a federal wildlife biologist and compare the two, collect and...
Curated OER
The Future of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Students research the governments role is preserving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They discuss the proponents and the opponents side of the issue.
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Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Students explore Marjory Stoneman Douglas and her contribution to the ecosystems and National Parks.
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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.
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Massive Migrations
Here is an exciting exploration of a fascinating topic for your emerging ecologists: bird migration! They begin by visiting the US Fish & Wildlife Service website to discover which Arctic birds come to their areas. They are assigned...
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Whose Rite Is It?
The class explores and debates, from multiple perspectives, a petition to allow Hopi Indians to take golden eagle hatchlings from a federal wildlife sanctuary for use in a religious ceremony. Pupils defend their personal views on the...
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This Land Is Our Land
Students research federal land holdings. They explore how those lands are used. They map these lands and design their own legends. They discuss whether or not the land is being used accordingly.
Curated OER
Pond Life
Environmental explorers create an experiment related to ponds and then present their finding to the class. This resource is extremely open-ended. It needs more concrete objectives and procedures for meeting them.
National Wildlife Federation
An Inconvenient Truth in the Classroom
Global warming — what a hot topic! A thorough unit challenges learners to research, read, explore, and write about carbon, its role and increasing nature in our atmosphere, and how global warming is affecting lives and environments...
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations
Turn your students into flocks of migratory birds for this fun lesson plan on animal migration. Prior to the activity, the teacher creates four different migration routes in the classroom or any available open space, labeling nesting...
Curated OER
Wonderful Whales
Primary marine biologists consider the largest living animals on Earth, the whales. Introduce them to general anatomy, unique adaptations, and behaviors. Teach them to sing a song that will help them remember some of these facts....
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Wheel of Trouble
While teaching about endangered species, you can incorporate this activity as a take-home reminder of what is threatening the sea turtle population. It is one of those paper plate projects in which a wedge is cut out to reveal a picture...
National Wildlife Federation
Penguin Fun Facts
What's black and white and can dive up to 1,800 feet under water? That's right, penguins! Learn this and many other amazing facts about these unique birds with this handy reference sheet.
Curated OER
Links in a Food Chain
Little ones make costumes and act out a rhyme in which there are daisies, bugs, wrens, snakes, and foxes that all interact in a food web. This would be a memorable activity for primary life scientists to participate in as a wrap-up to a...
Curated OER
Links in the Chain of Life
Using the prairie dog community as an example, middle school ecologists examine the food web. Pairs of learners take one species in the community and research its role in the ecosystem. They share their findings with the rest of the...
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Waterdrops
In this environment worksheet, students read an article about water drops and the nature center. They pretend that they are going to a nature center and write what they would hope see there. Students also identify living things and...
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Nature Oriented Kindness Projects
Students complete various nature activities where they work together to create a butterfly garden, plant flowers, learn about nature survival, and more. In this nature lesson plan, students work together in groups and display kindness...
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A Frog's Life Story
Students investigate the lives of frogs by completing several worksheets. In this biology lesson, students discover the life cycle of a frog from tadpole to death. Students complete frog life cycle puzzle as well as create a life cycle...
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A Walk in the Wild
Fifth graders identify characteristics of animals and their habitat. In this animal science lesson, 5th graders read Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracking and and Animal Tracks. Students match animal tracks to the correct animal...
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Manatee Endangered
High schoolers (or middle schoolers) research the endangered manatee and the Endangered Species Act. They choose a local animal that is threatened or endangered and attempt to find out what is being done to protect it. Short, but sweet,...