Bekshire Museum
Cloudy Skies: The Art of Classification
Such a great resource and perfect for learners in Kindergarten through third grade. The class will discuss cloud types and formation, and then they'll get outside and draw as they observe the clouds they see. They'll need to take note of...
Curated OER
Seeds! What is Inside; How does it Grow and Why is it Important?
Students discover the importance of seeds in relationship to nature. In this plant growth lesson plan, students create a collection of seeds and discover the best type of environment to plant them. Students plant their own...
Curated OER
Plant Lifecycles
Students examine the life cycle of plants. In this plants lesson, students identify the various stages of plants and their parts. Students compare the life cycle of a plant with that of an animal. Activities suggested can be modified for...
Michigan State University
Create an Animal
Think beyond the animals and habitats we've already discovered and allow scholars to dream up their very own habitat and an animal that lives there. Class members present the new habitat and animal on a poster alongside an...
Outdoor Learning Center
Outdoor Survival
Which of the following can you survive without for the longest time: water, food, or a positive mental attitude? The answer may surprise you. Guide learners of all ages through games, activities, and discussions about surviving in the...
Curated OER
The Food Chain
First graders explore how most living things, big and small, need food for survival.
Curated OER
Mini-Ecosystems
Third graders identify the living and non living things in a book read aloud and discuss the interactions represented in the book. Then, they research and include a list of food that each animal needs in an ecosystem. Finally, 3rd...
Curated OER
Habitats, Abiotic v. Biotic
Students explore and define ecosystem, ecology and habitat. They discuss abiotic and biotic organisms and the things needed for survival. After observing pictures of animals in their habitat, students compare and contrast habitats and...
Curated OER
A Caterpillar's Life
Students use different colors, surface textures, and shapes to create form and meaning to their caterpillar. They also come to recognize that living things have similar needs of water, food and air by teacher reading The Very Hungry...
Curated OER
Fun On The Farm
Students experiment with a variety of resources to study about sounds and their sources (weather, animal, and transportation). They compare size, structure, and basic needs of living things. Each student studies about farm animals,...
Curated OER
Classification 2
Students discuss what makes a living thing (for example, cellular respiration) and collect a selection of living things from outside. They divide their organisms into plants and animals and create a key for the divisions.
Curated OER
Biomes and Regions of the United States
Students examine and identify the characteristics of the biomes of the world. Using the Internet, they compare and contrast the similarities and differences and discover how living things are supported in the biomes. They discuss how the...
Curated OER
Number Scouts
What makes up a community? People, of couse. Then there are the other living things, such as plants and animals. There are also buildings, streets, schools, businesses, and vehicles. This activity makes students aware of one othe...
Curated OER
Animal and Plant Cell Journaling Activity
Jump into the classification of animal and plants cells, through this inviting lesson plan comparing Elodea leaves and Epithelial cells. Middle school learners will create wet mounts, write journal entries that compare specimens, and...
Curated OER
Animal Homes
Match animals to their environments with a cute lab activity. Kids draw a line between each animal, such as a fish, a rabbit, and an ant, to the place where it lives. For hands-on practice, a science investigation instructs learners to...
Curated OER
Cells, Building Blocks of Life
Fourth graders, in groups, explore cells, the basic unit of all living things.
Curated OER
Researching Local Knowledge Field Trip
Students study the interdependence between living things and their environment.
American Museum of Natural History
Make a Home for Microbes
Make a Winogradsky Column to discover how microbes live within the digestive tract. First, participants take a tour of the stomach. Then, gather supplies and start building using a variety of materials. Over eight to 10 weeks,...
Curated OER
Exploring National Marine Sanctuaries
Middle schoolers conduct Internet research of the living organisms in national marine sanctuaries, and the resources protected in the sanctuaries. Students gather information about each of the sanctuaries and make an oral presentation...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis: Intake of Carbon Dioxide - Production of Oxygen
Learners, after a long-term observation of photosynthesis with aquatic plants, assess the benefits of photosynthesis towards all living organisms. They explain in their own words the two cycles within photosynthesis. Guided discussion...
Curated OER
Look Up - Birds
Students investigate the concept of birds. They identify five different types of birds and name the characteristics that make them different than other living things. Students also name the different parts of the bird and how they are...
California Academy of Science
Discovering Rainforest Locations
How many rainforests are there, where are they, and do global factors effect their locations? These are great questions that have great answers. Children in grades four through eight use several different maps to determine why...
Curated OER
Ecology - Biodiversity Lab
Studnents examine the degree of biodiversity that exists in one's everyday environment, in order to develop an understanding of how scientists classify organisms and to explain why biodiversity is important for living things.
K12 Reader
Competing for Resources
Young biologists examine the concept of scarce resources with a reading comprehension passage. After finishing the paragraphs, learners turn to the questions to demonstrate what they have learned about what is beneficial and what is...