California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
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Fact or Opinion: Animals
How many legs do spiders have? Is that an opinion, or is it a fact? Complete a worksheet with four sets of five questions about different animals and their attributes, noting whether each statement is a fact or an opinion.
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Habitat Assessment
Third graders demonstrate the effects of varying environmental components on plants and animals: chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a habitat. They find chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the lake at...
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Living-Nonliving
Students determine that environments have living and nonliving parts. They discuss what makes something a living thing and something a nonliving thing. They make a chart and list characteristics of living things and nonliving things.
Channel Islands Film
Island Cattle Ranching
Is cattle ranching on Santa Rosa island viable or non-viable? Rather than focusing on the issues of the transition of Santa Rosa island from a privately owned island cattle ranch to a national park, class members are asked to consider if...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lesson 8: WildCam Gorongosa Data Analysis
How do scientists analyze data to get a specific answer to a question? The final chapter in an eight-part series of activities centered around Gorongosa National Park encourages scholars to dig deeper into the scientific process. After...
Montana State University
One Mountain, Many Cultures
Americans may think of Mount Everest as a region dedicated to adventurous hikers, but many cultures have flourished there! Learners read informative books, watch videos, participate in classroom discussion, analyze folk tales, and...
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Animals Vocabulary Maze
In this animal vocabulary worksheet, learners read the clue and answer it with an animal vocabulary word and then find the word in the maze. Students complete 14 questions.
Biology Junction
Introduction to Animals Crossword Puzzle
In this introduction to animals instructional activity, learners complete a crossword puzzle with 47 questions on the types and characteristics of animals.
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Compare Animals
In this Venn diagram worksheet, students are asked to compare a dolphin's attributes with the characteristic of an animal of their choosing. Lines are given to write a short response about comparing the two animals.
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Animal Reports
Third graders choose an animal to research and write a report about. They determine the animals' habitat, animal classification, whether it is endangered or extinct, and the type of food it eats. Also, they add any special...
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Biology In Elementary Schools
Young scholars classify animals into six major animal groups and describe the characteristics of the animals found within each group. In this living and non-living animals lesson plan, students observe a variety of animals, both...
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What's All the Buzz About
Students participate in a game of charades to examine different animal behaviors. After reading an article, they discuss why bees waggle and how that behavior applies to humans. They research the behaviors of an animal of interest to...
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Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students investigate dinosaurs. In this life science instructional activity, students watch video clips on the website http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/dinos/video/video.html and discuss the characteristics of the dinosaurs. Students...
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Happy Habitats
Students explore different habitats. In this habitat lesson, students investigate four different habitats through participating in a WebQuest. Students create an animal web using Kidspiration or a video documentary upon completing the...
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Bovine Oversteps Boundaries
Sixth graders read about Grady, the Silo Cow and analyze the parts of a news story. In this news article lesson, 6th graders discuss writing for different purposes. Students discover the characteristics of a strong...
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Classifying Living Organisms into Kingdoms
Students create a flip book that describes the basic characteristics of the five main animal kingdoms. They research the animal kingdoms, include examples of organisms for each kingdom and illustrate the finished text.
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Insects?
Learners classify animals. In this insects and bugs lesson, students discuss the characteristics of insects and other closely related animals such as spiders, ticks and centipedes. Learners talk about the differences between insects and...
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Invent a Critter
Students create a living animal that could survive in at least one specific region and use the digital desert library to gather information. In this invent a critter lesson, students draw a picture of their animal, describe their...
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The Case of Regulation in Cells
After your biologists have learned about transcription, translation, and gene regulation, they work in a small group to create a poster of a system that serves as an analogy of the gene regulation process. They share their creations with...
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The Animals Kingdom
Students are introduced to the classification system of animals. In groups, they set up an aquarium in which they must maintain throughout the year. They also observe earthworms and how they react to various stimuli and research the...
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Structural and Behavioral Adaptations
Students participate in a role playing lab that allows students to experience how different beak adaptations play a role in the type of food the animal can eat, therefore playing a role in the survival of the species.
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What Do We Learn From Fossils?
Students investigate what a fossil is and how it came to be. In this fossil instructional activity, students examine pictures of skeletons and identify characteristics that can and cannot be determined by a fossil. Students...
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Create An Insect
Students create a new species of insect. They create a list of insect characteristics and use this as a springboard to draw an insect of their own. Students write a brief descriptive paragraphs about their insect, giving particular...