How many days can a desert elephant go without water? I think the answer may surprise you! Take a brief journey to an African desert to learn more about the elephant, its crucial role in desert life, and its innate ability to find water...

Introduce your young scientists to Charles Darwin, his observations, and how those observations became the basis of the theory of evolution. Use this clip to build an understanding of scientific observation, data collection, and the...

It's not often that you come across a clever laboratory activity that is both imaginative and comprehensive! Using M&M's and Reese's peanut butter candies to represent two different clam species, young biologists test for "relative...

Who is not drawn to trading cards? In this lesson, junior ecologists create a trading card of an animal or plant from one of Arizona's biotic communities. Gorgeous sample cards are provided in the lesson plan as well as a plethora of...

Beginning wildlife biologists become adult bats, baby bats, snakes, owls, bobcats, or land-clearing developers in a grand role-playing activity. In a large open space, they play a game in which they move to designated areas based on what...

This exam touches upon every topic within the typical first year biology course.. A broad variety of question styles give high schoolers every opportunity to show what they know. Why start from scratch when a comprehensive final exam is...

When winter comes, animals are faced with two choices: migrate to a warmer climate or hibernate until spring arrives. Explore these interesting animal behaviors with the learning activities in this elementary life science lesson. To...

Three thousand plant species light up Africa's Karoo Desert for merely two weeks of the year. Compare and contrast the Karoo geography with that of the Sahara to highlight the difference just a few extra centimeters of rain can have on a...

Follow the Damara mole rat underground as he excavates the wet sands of the Kalahari Desert. What does he eat? How does he survive in the harsh conditions of the desert? Find out with this informative video.

Herre is a lesson plan on divergent and convergent evolution. It has links to terrific video clips, an associate worksheet, and more. The analysis questions have been reviewed separately on Lesson Planet if you would like more...

Begin with an informational text, "Reptiles and Amphibians through the Ages," and then research online about the evolutionary development of a modern frog. Look at drawings of ancestor's skeletons and list the organisms on the geologic...

Students perform a number of activities that mimic flamingo actions and displays. The class discusses why animals behave in certain ways, and how behavioral adaptations help animals to survive.

Students use tools to represent bird beaks and pick up different types of food with them in order to discover which beak would help the bird survive depending on their food type.

Art inspires art! How does the market drive the world of film adaptations? Studying the economic and social factors of film adaptations helps young readers discover why there are so many adaptations of printed texts. Additionally, they...

How does a new version of a Shakespearean play change in the adaptation process? Use this New York Times' Learning Network instructional activity to consider texts that have been produced in different media. Middle schoolers examine the...

Take a good look at tree leaves and notice the adaptations for collecting solar energy. Pupils trace the margins of five different leaves onto graph paper and count the number of squares covered. They then relate this infomation to the...

Individuals in your science class research a desert plant or animal from different biotic communities. After researching, they create a collector's card similar to a baseball card. Gather, reproduce, and use the cards to play a game in...

Ever heard of a stygofauna or a stygobite? How about an anchialine cave? Set your young biologists on a quest to find information about organisms that live in and have adapted to life in caves located near the water. Class members then...

Here is an all-encompassing overview of the plant kingdom! In this worksheet, beginning botanists describe characteristics of the four different plant phyla, explain various life cycles, differentiate between monocots and dicots, and...

Pictures of different animal skulls make this slide show fascinating. The intent is to display the differences in structure among herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. If you do not have animal skull replicas, this presentation would be...

Play Jeopardy as you review what might possibly be an entire year's high school biology course! The vast variety of questions requires that you read through the slides to make sure that they all relate to your curriculum. You could make...

Mini-marine biologists use Scholastic Explorers website to learn about declining numbers of leatherback sea turtles and dusky dolphins. They fill out a K-W-L chart and observation journal worksheet, which are both provided in the lesson...

Students discover facts about chameleons. In this adaptations lesson, students read a book about chameleons and discuss the adaptations they have to survive. Students also discuss predator and prey of the chameleon. Students make their...

Students create imaginary creature that has some of the adaptations birds have.