The Salamander Room

Immediately capture the attention of your class with the smell of freshly popped popcorn in the sixth instructional activity of this series on the needs of living things. Young scientists first use their senses to make and record...

Determine your class's prior knowledge about the necessities of life with this pre-assessment for a unit on living things. Learners draw pictures of themselves with all the things they need to live, grow, and survive. These drawings will...

In this Looking at Food Chains worksheet, students read about a food chain under the sea and underline important information. Next, students fill in a graphic organizer about food chains based on the information they just read.

Even as adults it can be hard to distinguish needs from wants. Using pictures of common, everyday items, children make a pocket chart separating the objects they need from those that they want. Discuss their choices, explaining that...

Beginning wildlife biologists become adult bats, baby bats, snakes, owls, bobcats, or land-clearing developers in a grand role-playing activity. In a large open space, they play a game in which they move to designated areas based on what...

Students recognize how animal adaptations help animals survive in their environment.  In this characteristics lesson plan, students create an original animal that can adapt to a specific habitat. Students create a model of their...

Uncover the world of animal habitats, food chains, and the ecosystems with this well-put-together presentation. Each slide contains information and images that represent various aspects related to the ecosystem. Habitat, animal...

Explore the food chains that support Arctic ecosystems. A class discussion on interdependence and the different roles plants and animals play in ecosystems provides students with the knowledge to complete a worksheet asking them to...

Fourth graders study about food chains. With the assistance of a local biologist, Students hike the school trail system. They explore ecosystem and collect data by charting the organisms found and identifying the energy source. They...

How does the amount of water required to grow alfalfa impact ice cream prices? The PBS food science video, part of a larger playlist, explains how farmers use water to grow the alfalfa that is fed to dairy cows. the video introduces the...