Students study the interrelationship between the horseshoe crab and red knot. In this ecology lesson, students explain why several species became extinct. They research about endangered species found in their region.

Students explore the history of taxonomy, the work of Carl Linnaeus, and the factors involved in the decline and extinction of a variety of botanical species.

Students determine the relationship between leg length, stride length, and speed in humans and bipedal dinosaurs. They collect data and graph these human characteristics then use actual data collected from dinosaur track pads and fossils...

Learners explore the game of life which refers to what happens to a species when most of the population is gone.  In this endangered species lesson, students describe what it means for a marine animal to be endangered. Learners then...

Learners study the role of the beaver in Illinois during the 1800's and how overtrapping cause the near extinction of the beaver colonies in Illinois by 1900. Students role play various people in 1945 who have an opinion about the...

Students identify one object that would tell the story of their lives. In groups, they determine what can and cannot be told from objects left behind. After watching a video, they compare and contrast chicken bones to human bones. To...

Images of the Atapuerca Caves, the cave paintings at Altamira, and a Neanderthal skull found at Forbes' Quarry on Gibraltar serve to introduce kids to prehistoric sites in Spain. Designed to support a study of prehistoric Spain, the...

After reviewing food chains, your class members participate in an arctic predator-prey game that exemplifies the impact of climate change of food availability. If you are in a hurry, skip this lesson, but if you have the time to...

Students examine groups of hierarchy and see how primates are categorized.  In this primate classification instructional activity students view video and slides then examine the taxonomy of primates. 

Students research the ice age and the animals that were on the Earth at that time and have a debate on the explanation for the extinction of the ice age animals.

Students participate in a number of activities to investigate the food web, species extinction, predators and prey, and biological diversity.

Students explore the concepts of endangered and extinct animals. In this animal protection lesson, students discuss and define the words endangered, extinct, and habitat. Students share why they think it is important to protect...

Young scholars gain knowledge of food webs and ecological interconnections in the forest, and place different life forms in their proper place in a food chain. Students appreciate the balance of nature and how humans are affected by...

Fourth graders investigate endangered species to discover reasons for the extinction. Resources are examined to determine preventive measures for the endangerment. The unit contains four lessons.

Students match certain animals with a possible fate that could happen to them from a provided list in order to discover the threats to biodiversity and the role humans play. They also discover the importance of biodiversity and what we...

Students use fossil range charts to explain relative dating. They graph for ammonites, marine organisms that went extinct at the same time as dinosaurs.

Pupils study the effect of trapping in the Illinois Territory in 1805 and compare it to trapping today. They participate in a role playing activity in which they discover how practices in early Illinois Territory led to wildlife such...

Students discuss ways in which dinosaurs adapted to their environments. They apply the same logic to an analysis of human habitat, survival needs, and survival need fulfillment to explain how people have adapted to their environment.

Students discuss key terms used to describe ecosystems and how humans are altering natural resources. They listen to the book, Grandfather's Wisdom, and list the renewable and nonrenewable resources they have used or consumed in the past...

Fourth graders research plants native to the Hawaiian Islands. Using the plants, they identify its purpose in the watershed and ways to help protect them from extinction. They survey a area of land and discover ways in which to bring...

Pupils are able to define food web, and identify the interdependence of organisms within a system. They are able to describe how natural events and human activities can impact a food web.

Pupils examine sea turtles. In this endangered species lesson, students analyze sea turtle habitats. Pupils hypothesize why sea turtles could go extinct.

Second graders receive a general overview about how maps are made and used, how specific information can be derived from them, and how a student can gain personal information about their surroundings from examining them.

Second graders discuss the term "endangered". They identify the reasons some animals are in danger of being wiped out. They discover ways humans can help the species survive.