Curated OER
Striking a Balance
Young scholars demonstrate understanding of food chain by assuming roles of animals, playing tag, and simulating feeding relationships.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Section Three: What's the Status of Biodiversity?
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...
Curated OER
Plant Adaptations
Students identify parts of prairie plants. They sketch the plants indicating its adaptive parts and write brief descriptions of them. They present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Habitats of the World
Students complete a unit of eighteen lessons that cover climate, geography, location, plants, and animals of each of the five habitats. They are also introduced to habitat destruction and discuss ways to protect the environment. They do...
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Habitats, Abiotic v. Biotic
Young scholars explore and define ecosystem, ecology and habitat. They discuss abiotic and biotic organisms and the things needed for survival. After observing pictures of animals in their habitat, students compare and contrast...
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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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Create a Wildlife Montage
Students find and cut out pictures of American wildlife animals and draw separate American wildlife habitats. They sort their pictures by habitat and then glue each animal onto the correct habitat. They label each picture with the name...
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Taming Wild Land
Third graders consider the habitat needs of living things and how extensive farming in an area can affect the plants and animals of a region. They participate in a simulation to show how changing the habitat in one area can greatly...
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Habitats - Explore the World Around You.
Explore the habitats found around the world. The Desert, Rain Forest, Tundra, Prairie, Grassland, Forest, Marine and Zoo habitats are all covered in this easy to follow presentation. Each slide has a themed background picture, several...
Curated OER
An Uncertain Future
Learners study the distribution of large mammals and carnivores in an ecosystem. Using maps and historical data, they examine areas for these animals such as refuges, untouched forests, prairies and grasslands. Students determine actions...
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Exploring Habitats
Students analyze the difference between the human habitat and the different habitats of animals in the six lessons of this unit. The students' imaginations and literature are used to explore important aspects of the living environments...
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Ecosystem Vocabulary
In this ecosystem worksheet, students read descriptions and match the appropriate vocabulary term using ecosystem, habitat, community, and population. Students identify ten vocabulary terms.
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I See a Coyote
Students role-play coyotes looking for natural resources. For this natural resources lesson, students examine the relationship between animal life and the environment. Students play a game that demonstrates how natural resources affect...
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Animals Around Us
Students view and discuss a Discovery Channel video that compares the animals found in four different habitats. They compare and contrast the characteristics of forests, deserts, wetlands and grasslands then choose one to depict in a...
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Why Do Geese Fly South For the Winter?
Fifth graders examine migration by tracing animal migration routes on a map. In this animal life lesson, 5th graders observe a map of North America and read about the migration patterns of geese. Students trace the path most geese take...
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Land Use
Students examine ecosystems that covered Illinois 200 years ago, investigate some living and non-living components of ecosystems, identify components of prairie system, create food webs, and observe human effects on environment. Lessons...
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Birds of Wisconsin
First graders explore the job done by ornithologists. They role play identifying the characteristics that make a bird a bird. They discuss what makes each bird species unique. Students are introduced to Wisconsin's most common and rare...
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Make a Rain Stick
Students create a rain stick to imitate the nature sounds in a rainforest habitat. In this rainforest habitat lesson, students create a rain stick to mimic the cultural tools used in the South American rainforest. Students use paper...
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Striking a Balance
High schoolers participate in an activity that demonstrates the principles and dynamics of food chains. They discover that the sun's energy is captured by individual plants and transferred to animals.
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"Water, Water Everywhere and None to Drink"
Ninth graders research the importance of maintaining an unpolluted source of water in their community. They brainstorm ideas on what they can do to help the problem. They can also write letters to their local politicians for help.
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Praire Biome Models
Fifth graders, in groups, list the physical characteristics of a biome and think of ways in which animals might have to adapt to live there and make a biome mobile ball that show the different types of habitats that shape the praire biome.
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Where the Buffalo Roam
Second graders explore what life in the Chicago area was like hundreds of years ago. They discuss how settlers impacted the environment, and why there are no longer herds of buffalo in the Chicago area today. They read an article and...
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Forest Fires
Students discuss the benefits and problems associated with fire. They discuss the role that fire plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Students brainstorm ways that fire can be harmful, such as damaging homes, communities, and...
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Bringing Illinois into the Curriculum
Students of all ages are introduced to the geography of Illinois. Depending on the grade level, they participate in different activities which allow them to discover Illinois in the past and present. They examine the animals and...