ARKive
Turtle Life Cycle
Explore the wonders of the life cycle by first focusing on the growth and development of the green turtle. The class will discuss the life cycle of different plants and animals, then turn their attention to the green turtle. They view a...
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The Life Cycle of the Butterfly
Second graders study the life cycle of a butterfly by observing metamorphosis taking place in a butterfly pavilion. Students illustrate their understandings of the body parts of a caterpillar and butterfly, as well as the life cycle,...
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A Frog's Life Story
Students investigate the lives of frogs by completing several worksheets. In this biology lesson, students discover the life cycle of a frog from tadpole to death. Students complete frog life cycle puzzle as well as create a life cycle...
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Reptiles and Amphibians
Introduce your class to various reptiles and amphibians. They will meet and identify a representative from each of the four major reptile families, then learn about and discuss reptile characteristics. Next, they will identify and...
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Animals Galore
A well-designed lesson which covers the characteristics of the animals found in the six animal groups is here for your young biologists. In it, learners divide up into six groups; the amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, fish, and...
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Prairie Scales and Prairie Smoothies
Sixth graders explore the animals that live on the prairie and identify differences between amphibians and reptiles and the adaptations each have made to live on the prairie.
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Reptile and Amphibian Defense Strategies
Students study the stages of the Eastern newt either by collecting a live specimen or from pictures. They note the colors of the eft stage before reading the "Eastern Newt Species Account" that shows the newt's life stages, migration,...
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Remarkable Reptiles
Students will develop a KWL chart with the class to assess prior knowledge. The students will be given five-ten minutes to individually fill out the Know and Wonder sections of their individual charts. They will then participate in...
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The Froggy Page
Learners investigate the cycle of life by observing tadpoles. In this biology lesson, students utilize the Internet to read stories, observe pictures, and listen to sounds of frogs. Learners create a poster board collage using frog...
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What Stages Do Insects Go Through?
Fourth graders observe mealworms over a period of time and record any changes they observe. They record any changes in color, length, behavior, and any other noticeable changes, identify the stages of the mealworms, and create a chart...
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The Anaconda
Students examine basic facts about the anaconda. They discuss the length of an anaconda, estimate the length of 33 feet, compare their estimate to the actual length, and decorate the paper snake with colored scales.
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Elementary Animal Classification
Students investigate eight basic animal groups, and identify the different groups through knowledge of animal characteristics, changes, and life cycles of each group.
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Biodiversity in Illinois-Pond Habitats
Second graders construct a pond habitat in the classroom using a small swimming pool partially filled with water, real cattails, a tree log adjoining, and plastic animal life appropriate to a pond setting. They examine the frog in detail...
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Turtle Hurdles
Young scholars participate in a simulation in which they discover the threats to sea turtles throughout the world. In groups, they act out the life cycle of a sea turtle and describe the stresses that threaten their survival. As a...
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Get Cracking
Students compare the life cycle of an animal hatched from an egg with one born from its mother's womb. The lesson focuses on dinosaur eggs. They create dinosaur eggs from balloons and papier mache.
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2nd Grade - Act. 25: Creature Creation
Create a creature using some of the characteristics of a real animal. Second graders will read a book from the "Froggy," series by Johnathan London to learn about the characteristics of frogs. After discussing and recording various...
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Creating a Food Web
Students investigate hunters and prey by creating a food web. In this animal life instructional activity, students investigate a single organism in preparation for a field trip, discovering its diet and habitat. Students each discuss...
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Amphibian Spawns
Students observe tadpoles as they gradually change into adults. In this amphibian biology lesson, students watch tadpoles in a tank in the classroom, keep a daily record of what they observe, and chart the growth development of the...
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Mealworm Metamorphosis
Students observe offspring (mealworms) that do not initially resemble their parent organism (darkling beetles) throughout complete metamorphosis. They also create and maintain an appropriate habitat for the mealworms.
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Island Animals
Students explore the concepts of endangered animals and conservation. For this animal conservation lesson, students complete activities to investigate the endangered animals of the US Virgin Islands. Students complete multiple worksheets...
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Animals Finding Rice Paddies
Fourth graders examine the animals who live in rice paddies and create a chart. In this rice instructional activity, 4th graders link the types of animals living in each ecosystem with a bar graph. Students use colored bars to show...
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The Lepidoptera Project
Young scholars are introduced to Scientific Inquiry and discover how to design an experiment that answers critical questions using butterflies as the topic. They design experiments that compare the number of species of butterflies in a...
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Creature Creation
Second graders listen to a read aloud of a fictional story about a frog. They compare the characteristics of the main character with a real frog. They work with two partners to create a creature; one student draw the head, one the body,...
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Home Sweet Home
Students examine the animals that live in trees. They identify their sounds, footprints and droppings. They draw pictures of the animals as well.