Illustrative Mathematics
Animal Populations
Assume all you know is that the variable Q represents a value that is bigger than the value represented by the variable P. Which is larger P + Q or 2P? The problems in this activity get more complex than that example, and they do a good...
Radford University
Animal Decline
Where did they all go? Small groups collect data on different animal species that are on a decline. Teams develop equations to model the populations over time and then create presentations about the decline of their animals. Classmates...
National Gardening Association
Migration Mishaps
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
Radford University
A Little Devil In Need of Help
Math modeling to help endangered species? Scholars first investigate linear and exponential equations and graphs that model fictitious animal populations. They consider how key features of the graphs relate to the situation. As a final...
Curated OER
Population Game
Students assess the carrying capacity of the land. For this animal population lesson, students participate in a role-playing scenario to discover the factors affecting animal populations.
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ups and Downs of Populations
As the reality of population decline across many species becomes real, pupils learn about the variables related to changes in populations. They complete a simulation of population changes and graph the results, then discuss limiting...
Shodor Education Foundation
Rabbits and Wolves
A change in a parameter can end in overpopulation. The resources gives pupils the opportunity to control the parameters of rabbits and wolves in a natural setting. Using the set parameters, the simulation runs and displays the population...
Curated OER
Wildlife Management
Learners examine the effects of various management strategies on the size of wildlife populations. Each student simulates the management of an animal population in a card game, graphs the results of the wildlife game, and participate in...
Curated OER
Sea Turtle Math
Students consider the future of endangered species. In this conservation instructional activity, students view a slide show and use mathematical data to construct a prediction for the survival of an endangered species. This instructional...
Curated OER
Go Fish
Help learners discover methods to estimate animal population. They will participate in a simulation of catching and tagging fish in order to estimate the fish population. They scoop and count goldfish crackers, record data, and use...
Curated OER
Using Math To Make Decisions About Animal Habitat
For this animal habitat worksheet, students read, analyze and solve 5 scenarios involving mathematics and animal habitats. Students work out each decision they decide as correct and write out a proposal for each one.
Prince William Network
The Incredible Journey
Divide your school gym into breeding grounds and non-breeding grounds so that your zoologists can play a game simulating the seasonal migration of shorebirds. Players pick one of the included game cards and follow its directions, which...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Tracking Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
What's that buzzing in your ear? An insightful lesson about genetically modified mosquitoes! Partnered pupils explore the creation, release, and monitoring of mosquitoes designed to reduce the mosquito population. After watching a video,...
National Wildlife Federation
How Many Bison?
Math and science to the rescue! Some basic math concepts help scientists predict wildlife populations. Using tokens, groups simulate tagging a wildlife population. They then use proportions to estimate the population of the wildlife.
Curated OER
Hare and Lynx Population
Fourth graders study changes in animal population. In this graphing lesson, 4th graders create graphs from information read to them about hares and lynx populations. They will describe patterns of change in the graphs and discuss why...
Curated OER
Wildlife
First, biology pupils research land and marine habitats along the route of skipper Rich Wilson's Great American II. Then, using colored paper clips scattered across a colored paper background, they play the predator-prey game to...
Curated OER
The Coyote Population: Kansas Prairies
Students discover animal lifestyles by researching their ecosystem. In this animal statistics lesson, students research the geography of Kansas and discuss the reasons why wild animals survive in the open Kansas fields. Students complete...
Curated OER
How Many Animals?
Students use their math skills to develop estimates for the population of several animal species native to the Austrailian rainforest. It is a simulation that researchers at the Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia perform to...
Earth Watch Institute
Entering Local Groundhog Data in an Excel Spreadsheet
Here is a cross-curricular ecology and technology lesson; your learners create spreadsheets depicting the location and number of groundhog dens in a local park. They research groundhogs and analyze data about where the groundhog...
Curated OER
How Many Bears in the Forest?
Third graders model the tag and recapture of bears and use proportions to estimate the population of the bears in their forest. This is a statistical sampling method used by scientists and naturalists to determine population numbers.
Curated OER
Wildlife Sampling
Seventh graders use paper bags and crackers to simulate a wildlife sampling of salmon. They record data on spreadsheets and determine a formula to estimate salmon populations.
Curated OER
Wildlife Burrows
Burrowing animals are busy! Get your middle school ecologists busy as well by having them create a scale model of a burrowing population. They also design a PowerPoint or poster to explain their models.
Curated OER
Mark-and-Recapture
Students investigate the mark-and-recapture method for estimating the population of an animal species. They evaluate given data to answer a set of questions.
Curated OER
The World is a Village
Students observe Americans through the eyes of the world. In this human population lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to view the World Pop Clock and follow the world's population by the minute. Students predict what the...