Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classroom Animals & Pets - Insects & Company - Butterflies

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Young scholars examine the life cycle of a butterfly. They place caterpillars in a cage and observe their change to a butterfly. Students discover how much a caterpillar eats and annotate growth information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reptiles and Amphibians

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Introduce your class to various reptiles and amphibians. They will meet and identify a representative from each of the four major reptile families, then learn about and discuss reptile characteristics. Next, they will identify and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Does Food Come From?

For Teachers Pre-K
Distinguish between food and non-food items. Recognize that food is obtained from both plant and animal sources. Identify sources for some common animal foods then construct a simple food path from the farm to the consumer.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Let’s Raise Lacewings

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Young entomologists explored beneficial insects and how they help control pests in the first lesson of the series. Now class members take a close look at the lacewing, which is a beneficial insect.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

See Turtles Nest! See Turtles Hatch!

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students graph data of sea turtles hatching rates from Watamu/Malindi Marine National Park and Reserve in Kenya.  In this math lesson, students use real life science data to calculate mean and median values. Students use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Skates

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learners identify the unique parts of the body of skates and their egg cases.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surprise Box Descriptions

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Young scholars give oral definitions and descriptions. Each student takes a turn describing the contents of a plastic egg with a category plus attribute format. Other members have an opportunity to guess contents of the egg after...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cell Cycle and Cancer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the cell cycle of frog eggs, normal cells, and cancer cells. They watch a video about early development of the frog embryo, generate a hypothesis in small groups, and listen to a teacher-led lecture. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Do I Belong?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders work in groups. They are given magazines. Students cut pictures of five mamals, five birds, five reptiles, five amphibians, and five fish. They place the pictures in a plastic bag. Students switch bags. They are explained...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Spider's Life Cycle

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Young scholars see that spiders have a life cycle, and reproduce by laying many eggs. We can count by ones, twos, fives, or as many as we want. They make two lists of animals on a chart.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Wetlands

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students describe the characteristics of a wetland, identify plants and animals found there, and how those plants and animals have adapted to their environment. They visit stations, view a video, and complete a KWL about the wetlands.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stella the Swan

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students analyze the telling of a story with props. They study similarities and differences between ducks, geese and swans, how wildfowl are adapted to life in water, how wildfowl move and feed, and wildfowl family life, how they nest,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Adaptations

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover the adaptation of species through analyzing pictures.  In this scientific discovery lesson, 5th graders discuss the concept of adaptation in order for survival.  Students view many images of extinct...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Explore: 2nd Grade Camouflage

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders discuss camouflaging in animals. They create camouflaged animal artwork out of various craft and art supplies and then see how well the creation blends into an outdoor area.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging into the Past

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Relating Structure to Function in Cells

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders investigate specialized structures in both plants and animals. They relate structure to function, as they determine why the specialization is necessary and useful to the living organisms involved. They use microscopes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly

For Teachers 1st
First graders, after listening to fictional and non-fictional literature about caterpillars, and observing caterpillars from egg to butterfly, write a "biography" of a caterpillar using appropriate vocabulary and time lines.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pond Life

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students recognize the habitats of animals that live near or in a pond.  In this pond lesson plan, students examine pond water and look for pond organisms. Students observe organisms with a loupe and complete a worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reptiles

For Teachers K
Students investigate reptiles and reptile habitats. They listen to books, cut out magazine pictures of reptiles from National Geographic, sort plastic animals into the categories of mammal, reptile, or amphibian, watch a National...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Too Bee Or Not To Bee

For Teachers K
Students recognize that bees are important in the reproduction of plants and to the survival of animals.  In this bee lesson, students become familiar with the parts of bees and how those adaptations help them pollinate plants....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Help the Duck Find Her Babies

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students study the basic need for animals to attract mates and reproduce young.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whales

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars compare the differences between whales and fish. They examine the differences of toothed and baleen whales. They identify behavioral and physical characteristics of animals that help them survive in their habitat.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is a bat a bird?

For Teachers 1st
Provide a concise description of why a bat is not a bird by comparing their traits. This presentation defines both birds and flying mammals, explaining how they are similar and how they are different. Note: This PowerPoint is great for...
Lesson Plan
August House

The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday

For Teachers Pre-K - K Standards
Turn your classroom into a pig sty with a instructional activity based on the Appalachian folktale The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday. Similar to the story of The Three Little Pigs, the folktale tells a story of four pigs who leave...