Students discuss the criteria for living things with their groups. They come to a consensus on at least five or more characteristics of a living thing. They determine if the lab samples are living, non-living, or other.

Students discover the life cycle of a butterfly and explain the different stages.  In this exploratory lesson students watch a video and create insect art and they will get an opportunity to view live specimens of butterflies. 

In this living things worksheet, students will brainstorm and fill in a graphic organizer focusing on the main idea of how living things compete. Then students will add four details to support their main idea.

In this PowerPoint, students compete in a quiz show game similar to Jeopardy in which they generate questions to match science facts in a number of categories. Science concepts covered include plants, animals, and matter. Due to the vast...

From tiny organisms to entire biomes, young scientists examine the interdependent relationships tying all living and non-living things together with this collection of ecology resources.

Students describe environmental interrelationships using list of criteria. They are able to explain organism interaction, based on definitions provided. Also, students can use references and worksheets, to describe effects of pollution...

With The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry as the hook learners discuss the rainforest, the animals that live there, and conservation efforts. Then, students write a letter to the man in the story asking him not to cut down the Kapok...

Student explore ecosystems. In this ecosystem organization lesson, students consider how scientists study living organisms. Students participate in a teacher guided activity that requires them to visualize an organism and imagine its...

Young scholars observe interrelationships and interdependencies of organisms which may generate stable ecosystems. They also study that living organisms have the capacity to produce infinite sized populations, but environments and...

Students investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them.  In this animal life lesson, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab.  Students review the footage from the cat and other...

Have your young scientists questioned why plants grow a particular way? Through this learning opportunity, scientists gain firsthand knowledge about how plants develop and various factors that affect rates of growth as they bring plants...

Students, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works and another to show how mother bats locate their young through their...

In this bird adaptations worksheet, students look at different bird pictures and determine what the bird eats and where it lives by looking at its beak and feet. Students complete a graphic organizer and 5 short answer questions.

Third graders listen to a teacher led lecture about species living in different parts of the world. They study how the species spread to different parts of the world and examine the concept of dispersal. As a class, 3rd graders...

This PowerPoint provides a raceway game in which students compete by answering animal questions correctly to advance their racecar. The main animal themes covered are adaptation, survival, endangered and extinct animals, and ways to...

Third graders recognize and examine ecosystems. They observe and describe habitats within ecosystems and observe and identify organisms with similar needs that compete for resources.

Third graders examine the concept of ecology and how animals are suited to their habitats. In this animal adaptation lesson, 3rd graders identify a variety of plants and animal species that live in a Beech forest.Students create a food...

In this earth science worksheet, students explore and describe animals and their adaptations, including their habitats, physical characteristics, and competing organisms. They also explore and describe how others use water around the...

In this plant parts activity, students use provided links to compete questions about plant and their parts. Suggestions and links for additional resources are given.

Third graders place everything in their desk or back pack onto their desk top. They explain why each item is needed. They receive a set of pictures and write a list of things each person or animal needs to survive. They compare people,...

What do your classes know about biodiversity? A 10-question online quiz asks questions related to biodiversity and species groups. As learners answer questions, they click on links to additional information. The lesson could be an option...

Should gray wolves be removed from Yellowstone National Park? After researching the complex relationships between the various habitats and species at Yellowstone National Park,  including humans, class members take a position...

Wolves eat better when the bunny population increases, but how long does that last? A series of 12 biology lessons uses the sixth installment to explore the predator-prey relationship between bunny and wolf populations. Young scientists...

Attracting the right mate is as important for humans as any other species. An interesting lesson teaches individuals about several strategies that animals and plants have adapted to attract their mates. From colorful nests to powerful...