What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid lesson, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...

Introduce learners to the debate format with an activity that uses the National Park Service's controversial Channel Islands restoration program as a topic. Class members learn how to generate provocative debate questions, how to prepare...

What are the factors that limit growth and expansion? As part of their study of Catalina Island, class members view the West of the West's documentary Magic Isle and research William Wrigley and the Santa Catalina Island Company. After...

Come take a peak at the corals in the deep. Science scholars discover the hidden world of deep-sea corals in the third installment of a 13-part series. Topics include the differences between shallow water and deep-sea corals, the...

Much like a distant planet, the underwater world of deep-sea benthos is strange and largely unknown. How do creatures survive and thrive in such extreme pressure and temperature conditions? Young oceanographers join the crew of Operation...

In the ecological game of who eats who, one small change can have a big impact! Individuals create food chains in an array of ecosystems, then determine what happens to organisms in the chain when one organism changes its feeding...

Even without captions, photographs can tell amazing, involved, and complex stories. Viewers analyze two photos, consider what the pictures reveal about the subjects' identity, and determine the social justice issues represented in the...

Key to social-emotional learning is understanding who we are. The first lesson in an Understanding Identity unit asks class members to consider the factors that shape one's concept of themselves, the parts of their identity they choose...

How do chains of islands form? Young oceanographers explore the mountains of the deep in the final installment in a 13-part series. The interactive compares types of seamounts based on their overall height and height under the water, as...

What's life like in a hydrothermal vent? Find out in part five of a 13-part series. Learners journey to one of the harshest environments on the planet, the hydrothermal vent, to learn about the creatures that survive the extreme...

Young scholars investigate the importance of white-tailed deer and their impact on forest environments. They visit learning centers to simulate being a white-tailed deer and work in groups. After visiting a forest they share their...

Students compare explanations for Australian's megafauna extinctions and identify reasons for popular acceptance of certain scientific explanations. They debate and analyze scientific explanations.

Students study the biodiversity of animal life in a pond. They investigate the interdependence between pond organisms by completing a pond dipping activity and completing a checklist.

Students calculate the area of grasslands needed to support a small pride of lions. They also identify food web links in an ecosystem and trace the energy pathways in an ecosystem.

Students examine biodiversity in plant life and what an ecosystem is composed of.  In this ecosystem lesson plan students go around their school and collect specimens and examine the plant species they encounter. 

Young scholars participate in a number of activities to investigate the food web, species extinction, predators and prey, and biological diversity.

Students explore a hardwood forest. In this forest ecology lesson, students examine the diversity and animals and plants as they explore their habitats at Poricy Park Conservatory. Students determine how biodiversity and abiotic elements...

Learners create multi-sensory scavenger hunt worksheet to be used on a scavenger hunt throughout the schoolyard habitat area to introduce students to concepts of biodiversity and interdependence within a habitat.

Students describe examples of the relationship between structure and function in living systems, particularly with regard to specialized tissues and organs. They describe examples of biological diversity and adaptation of organisms with...

Young scholars observe the Desert Tortoise in its natural surroundings. In this adaptations lesson, students study and take pictures of an animal in its habitat, then design a PowerPoint which addresses adaptations, biodiversity, and...

Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...

In this language arts worksheet, students analyze 30 words in a word bank. The words appear to pertain to biodiversity and earth science. Students locate the words in a word search puzzle. The meaning of the title is unclear.

Students collect information about buffalo and transform their classroom into a wildlife park. In this conservation instructional activity, students work in groups to research a question pertaining to buffalo populations and habitat...

Learners recognize the biodiversity that exists in a wetland ecosystem. They identify individual wetland organisms. Students define, identify, and comprehend the importance of adaptations. They describe the process of metamorphosis.