PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Birds
A Reading Adventure Pack takes a close look at birds. After reading a fiction and nonfiction book, scholars craft a thaumatrope, begin a birding journal using their sense of sight and hearing, and build a model bird using supplies from...
American Museum of Natural History
Horse Gaits Flipbooks Walk, Trot, and Gallop!
Scholars follow seven steps to create horse-themed flipbooks. Three printable options allow them to choose from walking, trotting, or galloping scene.
National Science Teaching Association
Why Do We All Have to Stay Home?
Learners, especially young ones, might be confused about why or frustrated that we have to stay at home. Help answer questions and calm emotions with a nine-page resource that details topics regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Museum of Science
Terrarium
Make a premium terrarium. Learners create a miniature terrarium to study ecosystems. They use a clear container, along with rocks, soil, moss, leaves, woodland plants, earthworms, and bugs to construct their terrariums.
NASA
Designing and Building the Lunar Plant Growth Chamber
Build a place for the plants. Using information learned from the previous lesson in the unit, learners design a lunar plant growth chamber and build a paper model of it. Given strips of paper that represent different sizes of planting...
National Wildlife Federation
The Pollinator's Journey: Grades K-8
Bees get all the attention, but so many more creatures contribute to pollination. Scientists explore the role of pollinators as they learn about the parts of a flower and how it reproduces. They discover how plants rely on many different...
Aquarium of the Pacific
Fish for a Day
A short video shows how a scuba divers' equipment relates to major parts of a fish. Learners draw two fish and identify what aspects are the same and which are different. The scholars then draw a scuba diver, making sure they provide all...
Aquarium of the Pacific
Ocean Habitats
Watch what happens in an underwater wonderland! Pupils view a video about two specific ocean habitats and complete a worksheet by placing the fish species into the correct habitat. They then take a deeper look into the ocean habitats by...
National Wildlife Federation
Night Friends - American Bats
Bats are a misunderstood species. Pupils learn about the characteristics of bats in a three-part lesson. They begin by examining the adaptations of different types of bats, then explore the misconceptions humans have about the species....
National Wildlife Federation
Bats: Maligned or Malicious?
Most people couldn't name the positive qualities of bats. Learners discover how bats benefit the environment and then create a concept map to summarize the information. After their reading, they identify misconceptions people have about...
National Wildlife Federation
Build a Bat House!
Bats usually get a bad rap. Scholars learn about the importance of bats and the threat their declining population has on the environment. They then build bat houses to attract and welcome bats into the area.
National Wildlife Federation
Life in the Cold: Climate Challenges
What does it take to make it in the Arctic? Learners examine the cold weather adaptations of a polar bear that help it survive. With everyday objects, they model these characteristics as they become make-shift polar bears. Modeling helps...
National Wildlife Federation
What's Your Habitat?
How do human habitats compare to animal habitats? Individuals begin their nature discovery by drawing their own habitats that extend beyond their houses. Pupils ensure their drawings include the four habitat elements of food, water,...
National Wildlife Federation
The Wheel of Trouble
What kind of troubles affect turtles? Learners create paper plate wheels to show four different hazards to sea turtles. Pupils color four segments of a picture to represent the overharvesting, changing beaches, pollution, and fishing...
National Wildlife Federation
Pollinator's Journey: Grades K-4
What's it like to migrate as a pollinator? Teachers provide direct instruction about the roles of pollinators such as butterflies on plants along with the threats they encounter. The class then acts out a story of the migration of bats...
National Wildlife Federation
Tricky Tracks
While wildlife may not always be visible, they leave their marks behind for people to discover. A wildlife lesson has pupils explore the characteristics of animal tracks. They learn different types of tracks, as well as what tracks tell...
National Wildlife Federation
Bison Mystery Box
Natural design is amazing. Young scientists connect the features of a bison to an assortment of everyday items. A bison's tail is an ideal flyswatter, and a pot stores water just like a bison's stomach. The lesson connects the usefulness...
National Wildlife Federation
Soil Decomposers
Worms are the kings of the decomposers. A four-part lesson plan has learners experiment with the characteristics of earthworms and their sensitivities. They vary factors such as light, acidity, temperature, and touch of soil and observe...
National Wildlife Federation
Endangered Species: What and Where?
What do endangered species have in common with non-endangered species? Given an endangered species to read about, individuals choose another species that is not endangered to compare it to. As a class, they create a species book with the...
National Wildlife Federation
Prairie Chicken Pageant
Diminishing habitats is a real concern that is threatening endangered species. Learners examine these concerns by studying the prairie chicken. Groups get a card with characteristics and threats to the species that they turn into skits.
National Wildlife Federation
Butterfly Life Cycle
Caterpillars and butterflies each have their own unique challenges. While studying the life cycle of butterflies, learners focus on the threats to each stage. While some threats will be the same, each stage has its own unique challenge.
National Wildlife Federation
Fill the Bill
The structure of a bird's beak lends itself to specific functions. Using an assortment of everyday objects, learners mimic the behaviors of bird beaks. They learn about the habits of different birds by studying their beaks.
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations: Grades K-8
Migratory animals follow the same path every year. Learners research the path of an assigned species and create a map highlighting key landmarks along the way. As a group, they come up with a presentation to share with their class.
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations: Grades K-4
Bird migration is a fascinating behavior. Budding scientists experience their own migrations using the school grounds for their flight patterns. They follow a map that leads them through a migration pattern that includes stops for...