Lesson Plan
Desert Discoveries

Who Depends on the Saguaro?

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Young scientists design a picture of a saguaro cactus that shows the cactus and some of the animals and plants that interact with it. There are many of these special relationships between plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert. Your...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Don't Call Me A Pig

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore wildlife and habitats in the Arizona desert. Throughout a classroom discussion, 1st graders observe pictures of the desert and animals that live there. As they go on a nature walk around the school, students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitats: Cactus Hotel

For Teachers K - 2nd
A reading of Brenda Z. Guiberson’s, Cactus Hotel, launches a study of animal habitats. Working with parent volunteers or teacher aides, groups travel outside the classroom to select a habitat, take digital pictures, and incorporate the...
Lesson Plan
Desert Discovery

Saguaro Parts

For Teachers 3rd
Young biologists identify the basic structures of a saguaro cactus. They study the functions of each of the structures, and label them on a picture of a saguaro cactus embedded in the plan. This simple, and easy-to-implement...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jumanji

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read the book, Jumangi. Then they divide into groups of four or five and choose a habitat - desert, wetlands, Arctic/Antarctic, etc. Then each group can research the habitat to learn what kind of animals live there.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Prairie Climate

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders research the average temperature and precipitation of a prairie region to determine the type of climate it is, and how it differs from other biomes. They examine the types of adaptions animals have made to live in the...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

What's Your Habitat?

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
How are third graders like rabbits? They both live in habitats and require food, water, and shelter to survive! An educational science lesson encourages your learners to think about their own habitats and survival needs, before comparing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Yosemite to Joshua Tree

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover diversity of plant and animal life in California's parks and compare findings to identify what makes park areas unique. Students then publish their discoveries in picture books of their own design.
Lesson Plan
ARKive

Adaptations for Movement

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What animals are best suited for moving around a rainforest, or a desert? Design your own animal species based on a particular habitat, focusing on the characteristics it will need for optimal movement. Great as a group lesson or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Can Depend On me

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Discover the natural beauty of California. With a conservation bent, this activity delves into some of the attributes that make this state unique. Learners discuss Yosemite and the forest habitat. They focus on the things plants and...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Poetic Reflections

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Terrestrial Communities

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students watch a video about different terrestrial communities. They conduct an experiment with sponges conserving water. They research desert characteristics comparing them with other biomes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One Grain at a Time

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate deserts. In this geography lesson, students create a KWL chart about deserts and research information on deserts by using reference books. Students record the characteristics of deserts and the wildlife which lives...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keys and Classifying

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners classify plants and animals. In this organisms lesson, students define classification and sort various objects according to its attributes. Learners then research wildlife of Utah and group the organisms into categories.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Temperature in the Sun or Shade of the Desert

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders use thermometers to measure the air temperature in several places around the school and then return to the classroom to record the data. They create a bar graph and discuss their findings about the air temperature in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Desert Dynamics

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate the plants and animals found in Utah deserts and how these organisms have adapted to their environment. They brainstorm ways that desert plants are different from or similar to wetland plants.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Desert Animal Presentations

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders assemble a presentation about a desert animal using presentation software and a teacher-created template.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent a Critter

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat, What is That?

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore animal habitats. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students match animals to their habitats in a classroom activity. Students also observe a firefly habitat and read Fireflies. Students create bulletin boards...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Camel Container: Ceramics

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Play with clay while building finger dexterity and important sculpting techniques. Learners make camel containers while they practice throwing and molding clay. Fun camel facts make this an interdisciplinary art lesson.
PPT
Curated OER

Antarctica: Yes or No

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
An engaging PowerPoint gives multiple statements about Antarctica and asks students whether they are true or false. Most of the questions are about weather conditions and animals, and there are a couple of tricky questions about desert...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bats: Need Nectar, Will Travel

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Beginning wildlife biologists become adult bats, baby bats, snakes, owls, bobcats, or land-clearing developers in a grand role-playing activity. In a large open space, they play a game in which they move to designated areas based on what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Defining Drought

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the hydrologic impacts of drought. Humans can change the course of the water cycle, to some extent, to meet their needs, but can they do so without imposing risks on the plants and animals?
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Wildlife Montage

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students find and cut out pictures of American wildlife animals and draw separate American wildlife habitats. They sort their pictures by habitat and then glue each animal onto the correct habitat. They label each picture with the name...

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