Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Long Live the Sharks and Rays

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study shark and ray adaptations that have helped their survival.  In this animal adaptations lesson students view a video and work in groups to research specific types of sharks and rays.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Penguins Nesting Know-How

For Teachers K - 6th
Learners maintain a field journal as they follow penguin parents raising their chicks during the breeding season. They formulate testable questions. Students reflect on animal behavior in the field related to survival and chick rearing.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Riches

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine culture and how immigrants adapt to American culture while contributing elements of their various cultures to that of the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Up

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify basic physical and behavioral characteristics of birds and how they adapt to their environments. To organize and share scientific information with peers. They discuss similarities and differences among birds....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make it a habitat

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider the adaptation of life forms through natural selection to fill various niches and accommodate changing environmental conditions. They select an ecosystem and conduct research to provide as much detailed information as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pika Chew

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work in collaborative teams with specific roles, use the Internet to research the behavior and ecology of pikas, make predictions about survival rates of pikas in different habitats and organize their data in graphs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pet-agogy

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore interesting animal behaviors and adaptations. They create information sheets about an animal residing in a fictional sanctuary and assess the animal's likelihood of being a good pet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Garden of Eden

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students view a video clip about animals and their habitats. They work together to discuss how different animals adapt to their environments. They create a new habitat for a specific animal and draw new adaptations for them.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing With the Tide

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students research and they role-play the behavior of plants and animals in a salt marsh habitat as the tides change.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Spider Beside Her

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders are introduced to the characteristics of spiders. In groups, they compare and contrast spiders to different insects to discover spiders are not an insect at all. In groups, they create a model of a spider and discuss its...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes, Kindness and "To Kill A Mockingbird"

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students read To Kill a Mockingbird and relate the action sof the characters to behaviors in students lives. In this heroism, bullying, kindness and compassion lesson, students identify characters who are heroes in the story....
Worksheet
Curated OER

How Fire Affects Wildllife

For Students 6th - 10th
In this ecology lesson, students select an animal to study and read about how this animal adapts to ecological disaster. They complete 5 short answer questions after reading.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crocodiles

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study crocodiles and how they have survived and adapted over time. In this crocodiles lesson students research information on crocodiles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creatures of the Skies

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a bird identification game. In this classification instructional activity, students work in pairs to collect information about a specific bird. They use a bird field guide to aid in the research. They challenge other...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature Superfish

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the behavior or ocean animals called  billfish. In this life science lesson, students create their own documentary about a local animal. They share their videos with the entire school.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare wolves' behaviors to those of the human race.  In this wolf lesson students write a story that will show that wolves are either good or evil.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sahara: Home of the Tuareg

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars study inhabitants of the Sahara. In this Tuareg culture lesson, students explore the how the Tuareg people adapt to their environment as they research specific Internet sites.
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

The Effects of Temperature on Chemical Mixtures

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore chemical cahnges and the effect of temperature on chemical mixturees, They make observations of the behavior and appearance of certain chemical mixtures and reactions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Endangered Species - Can We Help Them Survive?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners, in groups, select an animal that has been identified as endangered and then identify its characteristics. They discuss why the animal has become endangered, evaluate adaptations for its survival and include an illustration.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Animals Multiple Choice Words Worksheet

For Students 4th - 8th
Looking for some simple multiple-choice questions for an upcoming biology unit on animals? This activity features 7 clearly worded questions, each with 4 possible answers. Topics include adaptation, camouflage, ecosystems, animal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading the River - Biological Classification

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Youngsters create a list of grocery store items and then work together to categorize them as if they were setting up the shelves of the market. Then they are given a box of miscellaneous objects to practice categorizing. With these two...
Lesson Plan
University of Kentucky

The Great Spider Debate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Poor, misunderstood spiders! They are feared, disrespected, and detested by many people, yet they do so many positive things. A great addition to any insect unit, learn about some of the more common spiders, while hopefully dispelling...
Lesson Plan
Colorado State University

What Is a "Model"?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Model the transfer of energy during a typical 24-hour period. Young scholars use a game-like approach to learning the patterns of heat transfer through the day and night. Groups of four exchange different tokens as the energy...