• Comparing existing animals to extinct animals

• Examples:   iguana to stegosaurus, elephant to wooly mammoth

• Identifying migration and hibernation as survival strategies

Animal Survival
Students will learn o recognize that certain animals are in danger of extinction.

Discovering Dinosaurs
Students will learn that fossils of past life can be compared to one another and to living organisms to observe their similarities and differences.

Fossils and Dinosaurs
Students will understand what can be learned from fossils and in doing so, realize the difference between fact and theory (idea).

Classifying Animals
Students will discover the characteristics of animals; Compare and contrast different characteristics of animals.

Bird Beaks
Students will gain an understanding that many different birds can live in the same geographical area because they are adapted to eat different organisms.

Animal Categorization
Students will categorize pictures of animals. They will come up with groupings by color, size, shape, extinct or not, eating habits, living habits, size of ears and tails, etc.

Characteristics of Snakes and Turtles
Students will explore the characteristics of snakes and turtle.

Caterpillar to Butterfly
Students will study the characteristics of the caterpillar, including habitat, which are important for survival and growth into the adult butterfly.

Elementary Ecosystems
This lesson teaches students the basics of species interdependency within an ecosystem or habitat. Students will describe the things animals need to survive and the ways in which animals depend on other animals and plants

Animal Diversity
This lesson exposes children to a wide range of animals and guides them through observation of animal similarities, differences, and environmental adaptations.

Hide In Plain Sight
Students will view video clips and use the Internet to look for hidden animals. They will then use the Internet to print out animal shapes and color them.

Where Are the Dinosaurs?
Students will explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs.

Extinct Animals
This three lesson unit focuses on cause and effect of environmental changes that cause living things to become extinct.

The Travels of Babar: An Adventure in Scales
Students will be aware of extinct and endangered animals and the need for societal involvement in the prevention of extinction.
 

MBGNet  A list of links to ecosystems and biomes

Dinosaurs in Hawaii! An exciting look at the prehistoric natural history of the world.  Look at some of the largest terrestrial creatures that ever lived.

Paleontology - The Big Dig  Students will investigate dinosaur digs and participate in suggested activities.

Dinosaur Activities  There are numerous printable activities here for the classroom, including crossword puzzles, a story planner, theme chart, dinosaur facts, dino writing ideas, and pages that can be used to make a dinosaur booklet.

Where Do Butterflies Come From? This site gives directions for an art project that turns a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Classifying Critters This interactive games has students classify and give characteristics of animals.

eNature Field Guides This site has links to hundreds of animals.

Living Things A good resource for teachers

Dinosaurs Tours This Magic School Bus site has a game, video clip, and a quiz about dinosaurs.

Animals in Trouble This website has an online riddle activity. Students read the riddle and try to guess the animal being described.

E-Patrol Endangered Alert  Visit the different continents and learn about the endangered animals that live there

EekoWorld By using the EekoWorld activities, students can learn how their actions can have a positive or negative effect on the environment. You can create your own creature and then play the games. The choices you make in the games effect your creature's ability to survive.

Suggestions for English Language Learners (ELLs):
(E/B=Entering/Beginning, D=Developing, E=Expanding) 

(E/B): Respond by pointing.
(E/B): Match visuals.
(E/B): Order visuals in a life cycle sequence.
(E/B): Illustrate the life cycle of a plant such as a dandelion.
(E/B): Illustrate an animal in its habitat and label.
(E/B): Tell about an animal being described and its habitat.
(E/B): Describe a food web using a pattern sentence, such as The _______ eats ________.
(E/B): Match an animal and its habitat. Explain orally and in writing those needs are met by the animal's habitat.
(E/B): Students will diagram a food chain; (D): ...and will then pick an animal and explain its role in a food chain; (E): ...and will explain two consequences of a disruption in the food chain.
(E/B): Students will create visual representations of the life cycle of a salmon. Students will create a visual representation for each stage in a salmon's life, label each stage and use key words to orally describe the stage; (D) ...and will explain what happens in each stage (orally and in writing); (E): ...and will make comparisons to life cycles of other organisms.
(D): Match a sentence with the animal being described.
(D): Identify different types of body structures or coverings and explain how they help an animal to survive.
(D): Match a sentence with visuals.
(D): Match animals and/or plants and products made from them.
(D): Complete an illustration of a life cycle of a frog, insect, or mammal.
(D): Retell the stages of a plant.
(D): Draw a mural to show food chains as a part of a life cycle.
(E): Explain how an animal's coloration helps it adapt to its environment.
(E): Explain what happens when a balanced ecosystem is disturbed.
(E): Write sentences that describe stages in a life cycle.
 

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