Curated OER
Artificial Selection
The second lesson in the series begins with a starter activity discussing wild versus domesticated animals. Then, scholars play a card game, with optional variations, to emphasize artificial selection. Next, they attend a field trip to a...
American Museum of Natural History
Mesozoic Museum
Mini museum curators create an exhibit that showcases the Mesozoic era. Pupils use their knowledge of dinosaurs to make informative posters, drawings, and dioramas. Following three steps to complete the hands-on activity, scholars read...
National Park Service
The Young Naturalist
Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects....
Curated OER
The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
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...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Wildlife Habitat Checklist
Take a walk on the wild side with a project about animal habitats. After kids observe a chosen animal in its home, they describe the animal's food and water sources, shelter, and how it raises its young. They then write a short fictional...
K-State Research and Extensions
You Ol’ Fossil
Geologists are gneiss, tuff, and a little bit wacke. The fifth chapter of seven includes ten activities at four different levels. The hands-on activities cover fossils including how they are formed, vertebrates, invertebrates,...
Curated OER
Archaeology 101
Let's go on an archaeological dig! Here is a lesson that allows your young scientists to do just that! You fill up an empty water table or tray with sand, and bury miscellaneous objects. Pupils use spoons, sifters, and brushes to find...
Curated OER
From Curiosity Cabinet to Museum Collection
Students study binomial nomenclature and museum-based research. They create a curiosity box, label the objects in their curiosity box , develop a classification scheme for the objects, and create a database of all objects collected by...
Curated OER
Biomimicry, Nature: Architecture of the Future
Students explore the relationship between nature and architecture. In this cross curriculum history, culture, and architecture instructional activity, students observe and discuss structures visible in nature. Students view websites in...
American Museum of Natural History
DNA Detective
Match up the DNA code. Pupils read the website from the American Museum of Natural History about how DNA can determine whether a skin is from a particular type of reptile. Using the same technique, learners match up products with the...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Frozen Tissue
Take a peek into thousands of frozen samples. Learners try to identify an image of a piece of frozen tissue. After choosing the correct answer, scholars find out more information about the American Museum of Natural History's Frozen...
Curated OER
Out & About: Dinosaurs
Students discover details about dinosaurs in Great Britain. In this dinosaur lesson, students visit selected museums and learning centers online and in person to examine and study dinosaur exhibits.
Curated OER
Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw
Students explore the science and art of taxidermy, and research various biomes that could be depicted in museum displays. They synthesize their knowledge by creating dioramas that depict the diverse life forms typical of these biomes.
American Museum of Natural History
A Whale of a Tale
What's the most interesting fact about a blue whale? Learners read an interview about the similarities between the Titanosaur and the blue whale displays at the American Museum of Natural History. Pupils learn not only about blue whales...
American Museum of Natural History
All About Cloning
Start seeing double. The American Museum of Natural History website provides pupils with information about Dolly, the cloned sheep. Learners find out the procedure used to create Dolly along with why scientists clone animals.
American Museum of Natural History
Ask a Scientist About Our Environment
Let's ask an expert! Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History field questions about the environment in an interactive resource. Question topics range from global warming and conservation to endangered species and habitats.
American Museum of Natural History
Talk to a Titanosaur
Learn all about the Titanosaur with an engaging website that delves deep into the large reptile's physical traits, family history, discovery, and fossil reconstruction.
American Museum of Natural History
Field Trip Mars
Fly around the Martian surface. Pupils view a presentation on the planet Mars featuring a flyover that shows different views of the surface where rovers have landed and explored on different missions. As individuals watch the images, the...
Curated OER
Out and About: Minibeasts
Learners get up close and personal with invertebrates. In this mini-beasts lesson, students may visit the Natural History Museum, the Bramley Frith Education Centre, the Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World online or in-person to...
Biology Junction
Evolution – Diversity of Life
Scientists noticed animals with backbones share similar bone structure despite having different forms, such as fins, arms, and wings. Young scientists gain an appreciation for evolution by understanding the history of the theory. They...
Curated OER
Animal Life Histories Derived From Morphology
Students learn the mechanisms of natural selection by deducing information from the physical appearance of the animal.
Biology Junction
World of Insects: Characteristics, Orders, and Collecting
Every bug is an insect, but not all insects are bugs. A presentation lists the characteristics of insects, describes their body parts, and explains metamorphosis. It also details every order and includes photographs and multiple facts...
Curated OER
Understanding Cladistics
Students explore cladistics and create a cladogram of their own. They are shown how the scientist at the American Museum of Natural History use a method called cladistics to group animals. Students are asked how the animals (lion,...