Students describe a wide variety of classification schemes and patterns related to physical characteristics and sensory attributes of people. They recognize, extend and create a wide variety of those patterns and relations.

Fifth graders use general knowledge to make educated guesses about the habitat and survival strategies of animals from Australia, Antarctica and Africa. They research to confirm and check ideas and group animals in a variety of ways.

Students examine animal kingdom classifications. They discuss how animals are placed into kingdom classifications and compare similarities and differences of animals within a kingdom.

Students identify characteristics of Australia, Africa and Antarctica and compare and contrast them to each other. They work together to identify adaptations that animals have used to survive. They also practice classifying animals.

Fifth graders select an insect and create a page for an Insect ABC book to display their research. They choose an insect from a given letter of the alphabet and use KidPix to illustrate. They write 2-3 sentences describing their insect...

Students feel and observe different types of materials. Using the internet, they sort objects based on the materials they are made from and justify their reasons for putting it in a certain category. They identify objects that could...

Second graders explore bird classification, specifically owls. They dissect their own owl pellet and explain the predetor and prey relationship.

Third graders choose an animal to research and write a report about. They determine the animals' habitat, animal classification, whether it is endangered or extinct, and the type of food it eats. Also, they add any special...

Fifth graders determine what supplies they will take with them in order to survive their trip through the Amazon. The use estimation and basic math skills to determine how much they can carry and what they can use to survive in the Amazon.

First graders observe rocks, record their observations about the rocks and classify them according to their observations. As a class, 1st graders create a list of observable characteristics of rocks. They sort a group of rocks...

Young scholars work in groups of 4-6 for the experiment/activity part of this exercise. They classify ten animals using the information on the picture to group the animals. Students develop descriptions, explanations, predictions, and...

Students examine fossilized owl pellets to determine how a species environmental preferences allow us to reconstruct probable past environments. Differences in anatomy are used to identify species in this lesson.

Students examine how animals use camouflage for survival.  In this investigative lesson students define vocabulary words and see how it is the environment that controls which adaptations will help in survival. 

Students explore invasive species. In this species analysis instructional activity, students observe invasive species and review the impact the species have on the environment. Students work in groups to investigate the species in...

Students model natural selection by using various utensils to "capture food" using a simulated species called "Woolybooger's."

Students use the internet to complete a species scavenger hunt. In groups, they answer questions given to them about sea lions, rockfish and killer whales. As a class, they identify any questions they have and discuss the role...

First graders identify three species of wildlife in Arkansas. They discuss the environment in which the whitetail deer, raccoon, and beaver live in. They identify the footprints of each animal and discuss how the animals are harvested...

Students examine the influence of biodiversity on human culture through the use of birds. They brainstorm words that come to mind when they think of human cultures. They describe ways that human culture and biodiversity are linked.

Learners identify given species of animals, such as various mussels, by sets of physical characteristics as they use a key. They also read about mussels on the Illinois River and look at mussel species in the online database. Finally,...

Middle schoolers participate in an interactive lesson using the scientific method to study biodiversity.  In this insect monitoring lesson, students simulate the layers of soil and the insects that would live there. Middle schoolers...

Students practice the scientific method in the classroom, either in preparation or as a substitution for real-world field experience. They examine a simulated biodiversity research situation, using a "mini-plot" or sampling square...

Students study Carolus Linnaeus and his classification system of plants. They examine the origin of both both common and scientific names of flowers. They speculate how their favorite flowers came to be named and brainstorm about the...

Fifth graders participate in a review discussion of the parts of a lever, resistance or load, fulcrum, and effort. Next, they complete activities at six experiment stations while collecting data that they share with the class. While...

Young scholars describe how igneous rocks are formed, design a classification system to group igneous rocks and develop a controlled experiment to prove that the rate of cooling affects the size of the crystals.