Curated OER
Observing and Discovering Using Our Senses
Third graders decide if it is possible to identify something using only the senses of taste, smell and hearing. They listen to a CD of animal sounds with their eyes closed and attempt to identify the animal. Next, they smell an air...
Curated OER
What is the Evidence for Evolution?
Students identify one object that would tell the story of their lives. In groups, they determine what can and cannot be told from objects left behind. After watching a video, they compare and contrast chicken bones to human bones. To...
California Academy of Science
Fish Prints
What do a dead fish, conservation, and paint have in common? The answer is a great lesson about fish anatomy, fun print making techniques, and unsustainable fishing practices. The class will start by making fish prints with a...
American Museum of Natural History
Mammal Flipbooks
Scholars follow eight steps to create a flipbook and discover key facts about mammals' locomotion.
Curated OER
Any Day Can Be Earth Day
You can make the spirit of Earth Day last year round with these long-term projects.
Curated OER
Whales
Write factual accounts, reports and express personal viewpoints about whales. They eill also write on a variety of topics related to whales, shaping ideas and making choices in language and form.
Curated OER
Mammals Crossword
In this mammals activity, students complete a crossword puzzle with 37 questions about characteristics, behavior and types of mammals.
Curated OER
Ocean Life Mural
How many oceans can you name? First, have learners try to name as many oceans as they can, and then have them locate and identify the oceans on a world map. They create a recognizable ocean animal using poster board and tissue paper....
Curated OER
The -ale Ending
This is a very useful resource to use with younger or special needs learners. It includes five printable worksheets which all reinforce the -ale ending and spelling pattern. Printing practice, fill in the blank, complete the pattern, and...
American Museum of Natural History
Around the World with DNA
DNA analysis could be what saves some animals from extinction. An interactive lesson shows learners how DNA information proves variation among animals of the same species and how stakeholders use that information to make decisions. Easy...
Curated OER
Location on a Grid
This grid features 15 animals, and scholars use a coordinate system to describe the location of each. The x-axis is labelled with letters and the y-axis with numbers, and they list the coordinate pairs beside the animal names below the...
Curated OER
Column Addition
Third and fourth graders read the addition word problems and use the sets of numbers within the problem along with column addition to solve the problems.
Curated OER
The ai and ar Sounds
These words sound the same but are spelled differently, giving scholars a chance to practice spelling patterns and rhyming words. First they read that the /ai/ vowel sound can be made with three different spellings. Learners label three...
Curated OER
Finding the Main Idea
Thar she blows! An excerpt from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick provides the text for an exercise in finding the main idea. After recording the main idea of the passage, readers also provide two supporting ideas. An answer key is provided.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Fact Versus Opinion
Is that a fact or an opinion? Learners explore the difference using this pocket chart activity during which partners read statement cards and determine whether they are facts or opinions.
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Jonathan and His Mommy (Smalls)
Go on a walking adventure through Irene Smalls' touching book Jonathan and His Mommy, an excellent resource to practice vocabulary in context. Go over the walking-themed terms (humongous, pace, leap, and zigzag)...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Sorting (Pluckrose)
Find guidance to introduce math vocabulary in context using Henry Pluckrose's book Sorting. This text is an excellent cross-curricular resource for budding readers. Before starting, review some new vocabulary words: collect, common,...
Curated OER
Latin Lingo
Did you know that the Greek and Latin root words that make up the scientific name of a creature often describe the animal? All the root words on this list relate to whales and dolphins. Learners examine the scientific names for dolphins...
Curated OER
Online Information: Fact or Fiction
Discuss ways to determine if the information middle and high schoolers gather online is accurate. Using the Internet, they cite two sources that show conflicting points of view on a subtopic of conservation. They summarize and analyze...
Curated OER
Plankton in the Air
Here is a lab activity adequate for use with any full lesson on environmental factors that shape animal adaptations or marine animal characteristics. Pupils will discuss the role plankton plays in the environment and filter-feeding...
Curated OER
Glacier Bay Pacific Halibut
The National Park Service has produced a high-quality presentation on the halibut population of Glacier Bay, Alaska. It takes the viewpoint of the marine biologists or rather, ichthyologists, who have been studying the adaptations,...
Curated OER
Lipids: Fats and Oils
A fantastic presentation with great images should improve student understanding of lipids and their involvement in the body. The chemistry of different fats, phospholipids, and steroids are explained. Additionally, the specific...
Curated OER
Moby Dick Puppetry
Such an ambitious instructional activity! Third graders with special needs listen to an audio recording of the novel, Moby Dick. They stop often to discuss each of the main characters and analyze their actions in the story. They then...
ARKive
Dinner at the Reef
Fine dining can happen anywhere, even in the coral reefs. Budding environmentalists explore marine food chains, predator-prey relationships and the importance of a balanced ecosystem. These important concepts are facilitated through a...