Curated OER
Habitat Hunt
Students discover how hard it is for animals to find all the items needed in their habitat. In this habitat lesson, students play a game in which they pretend to be an animal, they discover that not all animals can find the food needed...
Curated OER
Trait Variations for Survival
Young learners examine how different traits could give one organism an advantage over another. In groups, they view two different organisms in different environments. To end the lesson, they complete a Venn Diagram on the two organisms...
Curated OER
Animal Adaptations
Students use items from boxes to dress up classmates as animals adapted to a given environment.
Curated OER
Animal Antics
Students start at a posted cone with the picture of an animal of your choice. They move as they perceive that animal to get to one of the other cones. Upon arriving at another cone they repeat the process until they have portrayed all...
Curated OER
Animal Tag
Young scholars play a chasing, fleeing game after choosing an animal to role play.
Curated OER
C. B. Atlas Animations: Temperature Experiments
Students investigate cooling rates of shallow and deep water, analyze Chesapeake Bay temperature information, and interpret effects of temperature variations on living organisms.
Curated OER
Informed Drawing Through Observation
Students practice observation techniques to improve their drawing skills. In this drawing technique lesson, students assess drawing as an art media and discuss realism. Students view examples of animal drawings and practice drawing using...
Curated OER
Bears of Banff
Students pretend they have just entered a national park. They imagine that the park borders are all impassable mountains, and students will play the role of grizzly bears. Students list three things every animal needs to survive, in this...
Curated OER
Meiosis
Students study meiosis and how it leads to variation. In this genetic reproduction lesson students complete a lab activity that calculates different genetic possibilities.
Wild Screen
Evolution and Adaptation
The lesson on adaptation and evolution included here is a bit difficult to navigate using the teacher notes, but if you start with the handout, there are directions to guide you through the lesson. The link to the scrapbook within the...
Curated OER
Animal Games
Students explore a variety of games on the Internet that will teach them about animals; they focus on the Florida panther. Students choose the activity that is of interest to them, and then rotate between the games online and the games...
Great Books Foundation
On the Origin of Species
How did Charles Darwin support his controversial theory of evolution with evidence? Use an excerpt from his 1859 work On the Origin of Species to reinforce the importance of making inferences within an informational text, and to discuss...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Measuring Biodiversity in Gorongosa
Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection
What's the link between lactase persistence and dairy farming? Biology scholars analyze data to find evidence of the connection, then relate this to human adaptation. Working individually and in small groups, learners view short video...
NOAA
Ocean Zones
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...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Zebrafish and Skin Color
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...
Curated OER
Invertebrate Classification
Students discuss the recent disovery of the "furry lobster" to peak interest in the animal kingdom. They classify various speciments using invertebrate dichotomous keys, identifying major animal phyla and classes. Thy the complete the...
Curated OER
How Evolution Works
Students discuss the evolution of the eye and how a complex organ can evolve through natural selection. They research genetic variation, adaptation, and sexual selection. They analyze data to determine how beak length of Gal??pagos...
Curated OER
Houses, Beach Shacks and Cultural Habitats
Students create a unique habitat by applying the methods of hand building. They draw their idea in their sketchbook. They create the form with expressive variations. They create the decorations using glazes, underglass, stamps and...
Curated OER
How Many Birds Would It Take To Keep A Jackal Alive?
Young scholars examine the role of large families in some animal populations. They work together to complete an activity related to food supply. They discover the relationship between preys and predators.
Curated OER
The Big Hideout
Middle schoolers identify the types of camouflage used by animals in the desert. They work together to create their own animal creating their own type of camouflage. They determine how well the camouflage works.
Curated OER
Striking a Balance
High schoolers simulate animals in a food chain. In this food chain lesson plan, students are identified as grasshoppers, frogs or hawks. Popcorn is spread across a lawn and high schoolers are given baggies (stomachs) and colored sashes...
Curated OER
Baked Polymer Clay 3D People Portraits
Students discuss methods of building forms with clay (ball and variations, snake, flat sheets). They draw a stick figure of what their sculpture may look like, including correct figure proportion.
Curated OER
Habitat Art: Florida Panthers
Students discover the lifestyles of a Florida Panther by investigating its habitat. In this wild animal lesson, students utilize the Internet to research the habits of a Panther and what their habitat is. Students create an artful...