Curated OER
Rain Forests
Students investigate rain forests. They view and discuss photos of rain forests, answer discussion questions, define key vocabulary words, and participate in a class discussion.
Curated OER
Prairie Field Trip
Students study prairie conservation and the plant and animal life within. In this prairie life activity students divide into groups and complete a lab activity.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
What is Drought? No Rain, No Water
How can climate change affect our water supply? Have kids read a passage about the water cycle and water conservation, which includes six questions that challenge them to use context clues.
Carnegie Mellon University
Natural Gas and Pennsylvania’s Future
Beginning with a general discussion about natural gas, methane, and hydrocarbons, a few videos and diagrams are projected to support the lecture. Individuals participate in a brief activity by drinking juice through a straw, and then...
K12 Reader
Adapting to Survive
Life science and language arts come together in a passage about animal adaptation. After kids learn about how organisms adapt to conditions in their environments, they complete five reading comprehension questions based on context clues...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Nature Walk and Ecosystem Introduction
A food web has no organism higher than a tertiary consumer because there wouldn't be enough energy left to sustain them. The fourth installment in a seven-part series begins with a nature walk to get pupils thinking about their...
Earth Day Network
The Neolithic Revolution
With the abundance of food products we can easily access in our society today, it is easy to forget the toll this can take on our global environment. Young learners will discover how the transition to agriculture and domesticated living...
Virginia Department of Education
Organisms in Symbiosis
Searching for an activity that allows emerging biologists to explore symbiosis up close and personal? Pupils collect samples and view lichens through a microscope and conclude with a discussion about the relationship they have...
NASA
Mystery Planet
What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them.
Curated OER
Environmental Conditions: Friend or Foe
Students research and answer questions on how organisms are classified and how their needs are met through their environment. They work in small groups and create a poster, chart, rap, PowerPoint, or brochure demonstrating how organisms...
Curated OER
Creature Features
Pupils examine why certain animals live in only specific places throughout the world. Using animals, they classify them based on their characteristics and identify their basic needs. They also observe and compare the life cycles of...
Curated OER
Forest Food Web
Students explore the elements of a forest ecosystem. They examine the elements needed to form a forest food web. Students construct and describe food webs that include nonliving elements of the ecosystem.
Curated OER
Classifying Living and Non-Living Objects
Students investigate living organisms and define the properties of a living species. For this life characteristic lesson, students examine plants in their class and discuss whether or not they are alive. Students create a...
Curated OER
What Are Endangered Species?
Students explore the concepts of endangered and extinct animals. For this animal protection lesson, students discuss and define the words endangered, extinct, and habitat. Students share why they think it is important to protect...
Curated OER
Habitat Mural
Young scholars build a collage of an ecosystem. The goal is for them to understand interactions in a community, plant and animal adaptations, and how all life depends on plants. This activity is based on Wump World and students describe...
Curated OER
The Web of Life - Ecosystem
Students examine the concepts of ecosystems and interdependence. They construct block pyramids to demonstrate interdependence, and map off an area to observe and identify animals. They create food chain mobiles and play a web of life game.
Curated OER
Animal Adaptations
Students will participate in classroom discussions and visit a website to learn more about animals and how well (or poorly) they've adapted to satisfying their needs in their natural habitats. This will help move them toward the goal, in...
Curated OER
The Food Chain
First graders explore how most living things, big and small, need food for survival.
Curated OER
Which One Matters?
Learners study the balance necessary to maintain ecosystems and how changing that balance can impact the ecosystem. They identify and discuss the need for balance in any ecosystem and discuss how greenhouse gases impact ecosystems.
Curated OER
Ecosystems and Climate
Learners examine climatic effects on ecosystems. They plant tomatoes and observe the differences in plant growth with differences in light. They create picture collages of plants, animals, and insects found in each climate of the U.S.
Curated OER
Learning From Leaves: From Observation to Inference
Students examine the adaptation of plants to their environments. They analyze and observe the structure, shape, and internal structure of various leaves, and make inferences about the structures.
Curated OER
Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide Cycle
Fifth graders observe a diagram of the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle to know that when they breathe out, they exhale carbon dioxide as do animals. They observe an aquarium containing both plants and fish and discuss the cycle. They then...
Curated OER
Who lives with Mallard?
Students explore how all living things have needs that are obtained from their surroundings. They identify the surroundings where an animal or plant lives is its habitat. Students identify that a habitat is a community of living and...
Curated OER
Pio, Pio, Que Frio
Students investigate the characteristics of living things. They determine that different organisms have different needs and describe and compare them. They draw and verbally respond about their favorite animal.