Handout
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Adaptations – Designs for Survival

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
What's the difference between behavioral adaptations and physical adaptations? Learn about the various ways that organisms adapt to their environment with a worksheet about the creatures of the Hudson River.
Interactive
Wildlife Conservation Society

Build Your Wild Self

For Students K - 5th
Get wild with an interactive web site that challenges scholars to create their wildest self. Future wild things begin as an average person—eyes, mouth, clothes—then morph into animal attributes—horns, tails, wings—and end in the...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Blubber Gloves: It’s All About Insulation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Instill the concept of adaptation with the help of Blubber Gloves—ziplock bags, shortening, and duct tape. Scholars discuss how animals and plants keep warm in polar regions, record their predictions, and try on their Blubber Gloves to...
Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Migration, Adaptation, and Changing Climates

For Teachers 5th - 6th
People adjust to their environments without even thinking about it—even if it's simply throwing on a sweatshirt. Lead the class in a discussion about the adjustments people make in their daily lives as an introduction to adaptations,...
Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Amazing Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
We can all adapt. Classmates watch a video about the adaptations of sea horses that allow them to eat and move. They then watch penguins on webcams to see what adaptations help the penguins find food, move, and avoid predators. Finally,...
Handout
National Wildlife Federation

Penguin Fun Facts

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
What's black and white and can dive up to 1,800 feet under water? That's right, penguins! Learn this and many other amazing facts about these unique birds with this handy reference sheet.
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Life in the Cold: Climate Challenges

For Teachers K - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Safe Routes to School

Pollution & Evolution

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Bring together a study of two major scientific topics with a lesson on the relationship between pollution and evolution. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on activity. and class demonstration young scientists learn...
Activity
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NOAA

Climate Is Our Friend…Isn’t It?: Make an Extinction Polyhedron

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Climate affects populations in different ways. Scholars research extinct organisms and mass extinctions in part three of the 10-installment Discover Your Changing World series. They create graphic organizers, then fill in the...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This? Breathing

For Students 6th - 12th
Crazy fact: Some animals can survive months without oxygen. An online resource describes some unique ways animals collect oxygen and even live without it for an extended time. Learners read about these special animals and use pop-up...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Investigating Bat Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Bats may look the same, but are actually very different. Some bats eat meat and others fruit, while some have bright colors and others are dark colors. Learners examine the differences, view them as adaptations, and then play a game to...
Lesson Plan
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NOAA

Ocean Zones

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How can organisms light up in water? Bioluminescence is light produced in a chemical reaction that can occur in an organism's body. First, learners determine what happens to light/color as you move into the deep ocean. In groups, they...
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Frozen Fish? Unique Adaptations of Antarctic Fish

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Some fish contain proteins that act like antifreeze in order for them to live in the frigid waters of Antarctica! High schoolers determine how much antifreeze a fish needs to lower its body temp to -2.5 degrees. Teachers act as a...
Unit Plan
University of Southern California

What Lives In The Ocean?

For Students 4th - 8th
One of the most diverse environments on Earth is the ocean. Young scientists explore the living things found in the ocean during an exciting seven-lesson unit. Their study includes organisms from plankton to invertebrates...
Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Sorting Finch Species

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Don't just tell your class about Darwin's finches ... show them! Sort some of science's most famous birds using an interactive lesson. Learners try their hand at classifying finches using song, sonogram, and beak appearance, as well as...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Wildlife Federation

Big Fish, Little Fish

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Tag, you're eaten! A lesson on predator-prey relationships uses the game freeze tag as a model. Learners become either a predator or prey and play a game of tag as the prey tries to reach areas that house food and shelter. During the...
Activity
BBC

Walking with Dinosaurs

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Breath new life into your class's study of dinosaurs with this extensive collection of materials. Offering everything from a printable T-rex mask, word searches, and connect-the-dots activities to informational handouts, hands-on...
Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

How Animals Use Sound to Communicate

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
Communication involves the visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile senses. Scholars observe groups of animals communicating through multiple senses. They note and learn why different species use different senses depending on their...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Prairie Chicken Pageant

For Teachers K - 8th
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.
Lesson Plan
NASA

The Case of the Wacky Water Cycle

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Join the tree house detectives in learning about the processes of the water cycle, water conservation, water treatment, and water as a limited resource.
Activity
Science Matters

Formative Assessment #2

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners work collaboratively to predict what life would be like as an Arctic Hare. Teams go on a hunt where scholars role play an owl, white hares, and gray hares. Independently, pupils record their findings and reflect on their...
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Zebrafish and Skin Color

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
You may not know if that zebrafish in your fish tank is a model citizen—but it is definitely a model organism! What can we learn about ourselves from a tiny zebrafish? Discover more about the polygenic trait of skin color through a...
Interactive
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NOAA

Deep-Sea Benthos

For Students 6th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading about Freaky Frogs: “The Water-Holding Frog"

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Boost reading comprehension skills with a lesson all about freaky frogs. A poem hooks scholars and takes them into a reading of an informational text followed by peer discussions. A three-page worksheet focuses on text features and...

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