Learners celebrate the great outdoors and the coming summer break by studying the natural world. In this seasons lesson, students engage in bark rubbing and operate a digital camera to capture outdoor imagery for a collage to help them...

Students map and analyze the natural and cultural environment of the school grounds. In small groups, they sketch the natural and cultural features of each side of the school building, create a map, participate in a class discussion,...

Students celebrate Earth Day by applying what they've learned about studying the natural world. For this Photo Scavenger Hunt lesson plan, students use a digital camera to capture outdoor imagery and to help them understand the...

In this environment worksheet, students read an article about water drops and the nature center. They pretend that they are going to a nature center and write what they would hope see there. Students also identify living things and...

Students study wildlife and identify similarities and differences between their home and wild environments. In this wildlife lesson plan, students make connections between wildlife and wildlife habitats. Students then build...

Students study insects. They go on an outdoor insect outing and look for insects in a variety of places--in the air, under rocks, on leaves, in water, etc. They record information about the insects they find, including habitat, weather...

Third graders practice using classification techniques to identify local trees.  In this plant life instructional activity, 3rd graders discuss how trees differ from other plants and what characteristics are unique to trees alone....

Students explore biology by participating in a field trip. In this oceanography lesson, students define the survival characteristics of bottom dwelling creatures also known as ocean grazers. Students attend a class field trip to a beach...

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...

Fourth graders take a nature walk on a nice sunny spring day. They discuss different things in nature. They write down observations in their notebook.

Young scientists investigate the water cycle through a lettuce seed experiment. For this experiment, learners plant lettuce seeds inside of a ziplock bag in order to create a small greenhouse. They observe condensation and precipitation,...

Students explain how the food chain works. They contrast predators with prey and describe their function in nature. Students discuss how the food chain aids in keeping nature balanced. In small groups, they play a game that simulates the...

Students develop empathy with the natural world; visual and aural senses of spatial awareness; and initiate sound and space awareness, movement, indoor/outdoor, map-making and nature activities that correlate with a child's sense of play.

Students study biodiversity. They participate in a scavenger hunt to look for presence of wildlife and connections in nature. They create a collage about Venezuelan biodiversity in small groups and present to the class. They write a...

High schoolers participate in a simulation activity where they must decide whether or not to preserve an untouched forest. During the role play, students attend public hearings, discuss the pros and cons of nature development, create...

Sixth graders study organisms that exist in the world and what they are made up of. They participate in a nature walk, a presentation, a drawing of an animal and plant cell, draw a ecosystem, and fill out a Punnett square.

Japanese architecture is rich in symbolism and culture. Critical thinkers engage in three activities intended to expose them to the beauty of Japan. They read through the book, Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki and watch the...

Students explore the nature of Puerto Rico. They view a Power Point presentation on world population and discuss how Puerto Rico landscape differs from Wisconsin's landscape. They create a Venn diagram comparing the two and complete a...

Autumn is a time for nature to get ready for the upcoming winter. After listening to the book Time to Sleep about the changes of deciduous trees in the fall, learners monitor a tree on a daily basis and view photos of fall...

Students are introduced to raptors and their role in the environment. They identify three characteristics of raptors and list several types of raptors found in nature. They discuss their positive and negative experiences with raptors and...

Students use technology and listening skills to explore the sounds of their environment. In this environment observation lesson, students read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? in order to identify the sounds in the story; these...

Learners explore the outdoors. In this animal diversity lesson, students observe nature and identify various species of animals, both small and large. Learners discuss animal habitats and how humans influence their living conditions. 

Students build mine-earthworm habitats to discover their niche in them. They make predictions about what the niche looks like in a week and draw a picture of it. Students notice the tunnels in the soil and how the sand and dirt are now...

Young scholars investigate jungles and the people who depend upon them.  In this sustainability instructional activity, students research wild life conservation and discover the importance of a jungle to Amazonian people....