Lesson Plan
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Section One: What is Biodiversity?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Four intriguing and scientific activities invite learners to explore the natural resources of their town. The activities cover concepts such as genetic traits, organizing species in a taxonomy, the differences between different species...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What do you know about Biodiversity?

For Students 6th - 12th
What do your classes know about biodiversity? A 10-question online quiz asks questions related to biodiversity and species groups. As learners answer questions, they click on links to additional information. The lesson could be an option...
Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Niche Partitioning and DNA Metabarcoding

For Students 9th - 12th
What is DNA metabarcoding? Show your biology class the latest method for studying biodiversity in an ecosystem with a fun, informative interactive. Individuals examine the animal species that compete for vegetation, then learn how their...
Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lesson 2: Gorongosa National Park

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How has Gorongosa National Park changed over time? Discover the park's rich history, dating back to primitive human times, through an interactive timeline and scientific reading. The second installment in an eight-part series explores...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Modeling Trophic Cascades

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Lesson 1: WildCam Gorongosa

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Take a walk on the wild side! Episode one of an eight-part series of interactive lessons regarding Gorongosa National Park invites learners to become a part of the citizen science community. Scholars read a brief overview of the trail...
AP Test Prep
College Board

2013 AP® Environmental Science Free-Response Questions

For Students 10th - 12th
While well intentioned, human intervention sometimes has negative effects. Learners explore this and other environmental topics as they respond to four free response exam questions. Topics span from the implementation of bioelectric cars...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

EarthViewer Climate Guide Activity

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What did Earth look like 4.5 billion years ago, and what was the climate like then? Scholars explore a view of Earth throughout history. They observe continents moving, temperatures fluctuating, and huge changes in ecosystems. A activity...
Activity
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Activities: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function

For Students 9th - 10th
An activity for students to document biodiversity and observe ecological interactions in their own backyard.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: The Habitable Planet: Unit 9: Biodiversity Decline

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an extensive learning module on biodiversity and its decline. It looks at ways biodiversity is threatened, the possibility of another mass extinction, the causes and consequences of habitat loss, factors that drive biodiversity...
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Life Science: Importance of Biodiversity

For Students 6th - 8th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Biodiversity is a measurement of the amount of variation of the species in a given area. More specifically, biodiversity can be defined as the variety of life and...
Activity
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Activity: Genetic and Ecosystem Biodiversity

For Students 9th - 10th
In this activity, students will use their observation skills to find the physical variation in several individuals from one species.
Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Biodiversity in a Wetland Ecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students learn about the biodiversity of a wetlands ecosystem, then focus on the Barataria Preserve near New Orleans. They then research five species that live there, and follow up by trying to identify the land type in...
Activity
National Geographic

National Geographic: Oil and Bird Populations

For Teachers 5th - 8th
After learning about the diversity of wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico, students focus on birds and their patterns of behavior. They then how an oil spill might affect migrating birds, and possible ways to help them in the event of an oil...
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Why Is Biodiversity So Important?

For Students 9th - 10th
Our planet's diverse, thriving ecosystems may seem like permanent fixtures, but they're actually vulnerable to collapse. Jungles can become deserts, and reefs can become lifeless rocks. What makes one ecosystem strong and another weak in...
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Biology: Biodiversity

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the meaning of biodiversity. Includes videos and review questions.
Activity
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Activities: Biodiversity Distribution Patterns

For Students 9th - 10th
An activity for students to explore biodiversity distribution in some extreme ecosystems and in their backyard.
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science: Modern Biodiversity

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] How diverse Earth's organisms are today.
Unit Plan
Center for Educational Technologies

Nasa Classroom of the Future: Exploring the Environment: Tropical Poison

For Students 9th - 10th
An educational module on biodiversity, economic growth, and medical research in rainforests. This can be used by students or teachers. It has a huge amount of information on agriculture, biodiversity, medicinal plants, animals, and more.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs: Plum Landing

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Invite students to visit ecosystems around the world with this collection. This collection includes activities for the classroom, after school, and families. Also included is games.
Unit Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Human Impact on the Cloud Forest

For Students 6th - 8th
A study discovering and exploring the cloud forest canopy and how humans have influenced the ecosystem's biodiversity.
Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Ecological Succession

For Students 9th - 10th
Learners explore and describe how succession affects biodiversity by creating an island ecosystem in an interactive game.