Montana State University
Everest Extremes: Biodiversity
How many animals can live in a climate as cold as Mount Everest's? Find out with a science lesson all about biodiversity. Activities include research, presentations, group work, coloring maps, and a simulation of a food web.
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The Edge of Home
Students explain why some species of plants and animals occur in more than one area. They watch as the teacher puts an overlapping circles on the chalkboard, students are asked to predict what kinds of things they would expect to find in...
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Comprehending Through Questioning
Elementary schoolers observe and apply a variety of reading comprehension strategies. They silently read a passage out of their science textbook, and discuss answering the who, what, where, when, and how of the text. In small groups they...
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Chicken Soup with Rice Extension Activities
After reading Chicken Soup with Rice, by Maurice Sendak, incorporate some of these great extension activities into your lesson plan. Ideas include focusing on knowing the months of the year, or studying the illustrations and how...
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In the Desert
Students explore earth science by completing several environment activities. In this desert lesson plan, students identify where the U.S. deserts are and what types of wild life inhabit them. Students utilize arts and crafts to create a...
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RIDE THE WILD LEAF
Students identify and interpret that leaves provide food for new trees and plants. Students cut out leaves and glue them on the appropriate
number on included worksheet. Students collect different types of leaves and make leaf rubbings....
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Reading Faster with Wild Thing
Students practice one-minute oral readings to increase their speed and fluency. They review several reading strategies, and then they read orally with a partner. The partner times their reading with a stopwatch and tracks their time on...
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For The Birds
Students observe birds building their nests. In this habitat lesson, students develop a Best Building Supply Bag and record how the birds build their nests. Students keep a Field Journal.
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The Disappearing Honeybees: Tracking Honeybee Decline
Learners practice graphing and other math skills to track number of honeybee colonies present in United States since 1978, discuss major crops that are dependent on insect pollinators, and examine reasons for decline of United States...
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Where Are The Dinosaurs?
Students study the existence of dinosaurs as a precursor to learning about extinction. In this dinosaurs lesson, students watch dinosaur video at assigned web sites. They discuss what they observed in the videos including how the...
Montana Natural History Center
Studying Grassland Ecosystems
At first glance, grassland ecosystems might seem dull and uninteresting, but once you start to explore it's amazing the things you'll find! Through this series of engaging lessons, activities, and experiments, elementary students examine...
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What's Wild?
Third graders define domesticated animal and wildlife. In this animal lesson, 3rd graders cut pictures out of magazines of both types of animals and make two collages with the pictures.
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Stories Aren't Always What They Seem; Or Are They?
Students draw conclusions about a story with examples to support their statements. In this reading comprehension lesson, students look at a PowerPoint of a variety of passages from different books. They answer questions about the...
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Writing: Mentor Text Lesson & Microteaching
Mentor texts are a great way to demonstrate how to write with purpose. Pupils will be reintroduced to two well-known books and then asked to think about them from the writer's point of view. They will see that the author had to use basic...
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Young Readers Make Inferences with Little Bear
Maurice Sendak’s illustrations reveal implicit truth in the classic children's book Little Bear.
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Exploring 'Wild' Places With GIS
Students explore "wild" places. In this technology activity students use ArcGIS Explorer to investigate wild places near them in their neighborhood. Students view the landscape from both above and the ground.
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Animals in the Wild
Students compare/contrast paintings with similar subjects and themes. They discuss how a painting may relate to life experiences. Students draw animal families and compose a story about a painting by Gerome. They discuss zoos and...
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The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush Activity Card
For this reading worksheet, students respond to the book The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by completing an activity at home with a parent. Students take a small sample of 5 common fruits and vegetables and press some juice onto the...
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We're Going on a Library Scavenger Hunt
Second graders participate in a library scavenger hunt. Using a database, they practice typing in words to search for as they look for a book. They complete a worksheet with instructions to finish the scavenger hunt. To end the...
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Magnify The Monster In Me
Students gradually develop fine-motor movement skills with the mouse, while building on the gross-motor movements they are already able to make with the mouse. It encourages students to look at the same painting different ways, and...
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What Will the Weather Be Like Today? Activity Card
In this reading worksheet, students respond to the book What Will the Weather Be Like Today? by completing an activity card at home with a parent. Students look at 6 pictures of weather conditions on the chart and record the dates on...
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Pets All Around
Learners talk about their pets. In this pets vs. wild animals lesson, students discuss their pets and how pets are different from animals in the wild. Learners answer questions to brainstorm things that pets need. Students complete an...
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A Giraffe Debate
Students study the life, adaptations, and habitats of giraffes. They investigate the issue of giraffe survival in the wild or in a wildlife sanctuary. They conduct a class debate and present position papers.
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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...