Young scholars study the effect of pesticides on plants and insects. In this gardening lesson, students discuss the importance of insects. They define pesticides, evaluate their effectiveness and the problems they might cause. Young...

Students research insects that act as pests during the summer months. They investigate how to protect themselves and their homes from these pests. They study the life cycle of the cicada.

Students learn the basic parts of an insect, where they like to hide indoors, and how to safely get rid of them. They assemble the cockroach body and cut it out of a brown bag. They attach pipe cleaners as legs and attennae. They then...

Learners describe the life cycle of various bugs as well as their predators and feeding habits. The class participates in a discussion of the various methods scientists use to gather data including research and experiment. After...

Students read books, learn about the letter l, and eat bug crackers all to learn about ladybugs. In this goldfish lesson plan, students also color pages and decorate ladybug cookies.

Students identify the characteristics of the legs of arthropods as well as how they are used. They compare and contrast the legs of various types of bugs in the arthropod family. A comparison worksheet is included in with this lesson.

Second graders read Cucumber Soup by Vickie Leigh. They make representations for the number of each kind of bug found in the book. This lesson is a terrific way to show students how fractions, decimals and percents are related.

Students predict, then measure how far a bug can travel on a "course" over a specified amount of time, then construct graphs based on the data they acquire.

Students research a species of bug that they find in a pond.  In this species instructional activity students work in groups and find the similarities and differences between different species of bugs. 

Second graders examine various types of butterflies and insects around their school. They identify differences between beetles and butterflies. Students examine books about butterflies, complete symmetry drawings, and make ladybug key...

Third graders investigate how manduca sees and they discuss what they think the manduca might be thinking. They write a story about what an insect sees and does from the insect's perspective.

Students explore the environment by researching plant reproduction. For this pollination lesson, students define botany related vocabulary terms such as disc flower, petal and fertilization. Students dissect a flower with their...

Five weeks of daily activities for the month of May! With a new activity for each day of the month, your youngsters will utilize a variety of skills and practice everything from sight words and spelling to counting by twos or coloring...

Producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers. To begin a study of the forest ecosystem, learners examine the connections among the members of ecological communities.

Here is a fantastic Jeopardy-style game for elementary schoolers that's all about animals. This is one of the more thorough of this type of presentation.The 53 slides cover all sorts of topics about a variety of animals. There is an...

Young scientists will go buggy over this resource. After reading a passage that describes the pseudoscorpion, individuals respond to questions about this clever arachnid and use a Venn diagram to compare the pseudoscorpion to a real...

Some organisms spend their entire lives in leaf litter. The third in a series of six is a great lesson exploring the community of leaf litter. Groups gather and then spread leaf litter over white paper and remove leaves/twigs while...

Historically, Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis has been difficult for many readers to grasp. From the difficult translation issues to the complex plot and themes, the novel's message and story can be lost when learners...

Gardening is fun, no matter what you're growing. A reading comprehension activity encourages learners to compare and contrast two gardens that grow different items.

Fifth graders define vocabulary terms, identify the characteristics of a pillbug, and create a dichotomous key. Then they examine the pillbugs and make observations and record these observations. Finally, 5th graders observe specific...

Sixth graders explore the concept of biodiversity.  In this biodiversity lesson, 6th graders discover a variety of planets and animals that live in forests, and how a rotting log benefits that environment.  Students also locate...

What animals says meow, and which creature has eight legs? Test your German language learners' knowledge of animals with a quick crossword puzzle. Also included are eleven additional crossword puzzles with topics that range from food to...

Not all dogs are the same just like not all finches are the same. An interactive online lesson helps individuals learn about the causes and limitations to biodiversity. The clickable sections describe the basics of the genetics of...

Students begin each school day with a song, starting the day on a happy note. They choose the songs, which change each month with each new unit. The words and music are given here for the busy bee song.