​​​Wildlife Curriculum

This page contains Formal Curriculum Units developed for The Nature of Teaching program. Each unit contains one or more lesson plans that contain Common Core English/Language Arts, Math, and Next Generation Science Standards. Many lessons are currently in Indiana Academic Standards, but you can view their Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards here. 

Click on an image to open the PDF of the Educational Unit. See supplemental materials and related resources at the bottom of this page. Most lessons are K-5, but some include middle school and high school standards, and many can be scaled up. Click lesson descriptions to learn more about each lesson before downloading. 

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This Unit includes four lesson plans: Animal Tracks, Scent Stations, Indoor Track Casting, and Outdoor Track Casting. It meets several K-5 Science and Math Academic Standards and three 9-12 Natural Resource Management Academic Standards.

Unit 1

Animal Diversity and Tracking

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This Unit contains four lesson plans: Be A Tooth Sleuth, Poster Exploration of Food Webs, Student Investigations of Food Webs, and Energy Flows and Food Webs. It meets several K-5 Science Academic Standards.

Unit 2

Mammal Food Webs

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This Unit includes three lesson plans: Habitat Selection, Icy N' Hot Crickets, and Hot Rock. It meets several K-5 Science and Math Academic Standards and three English Academic Standards.

Unit 3

Reptiles, Amphibians, and the Scientific Method

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This Unit includes two lesson plans describing the role mammals play in ecosystems. Students learn to build their own ecosystems and research mammals. It meets several K-5 Science Academic Standards, three K-5 Language Academic Standards, and one K-5 Math Academic Standard.

Unit 4

Mammals and Ecosystems

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This Unit includes two lesson plans and classroom activities for students kindergarten through grade five. The lesson plans describe how an ecosystem is constantly changing and what causes the changes. It meets several 3-5 Science Academic Standards, three K-5 English Academic Standards, and one K-5 Math Academic Standards.

Unit 5

Ashes to Ashes: We All Grow Up

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A lesson and classroom activities for 5th grade students which helps them understand how animals change colors to survive in their environments. It meets several Math and Science Academic Standards.

Coloration Exploration

Color Change in Animals

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A lesson with classroom activities for teachers and students through grade five introducing students to watersheds and why they are important to a healthy ecosystem. Students also learn about water quality. It meets several English and Science Academic Standards.

Discovering the Watershed

Effects on Water Quality

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A lesson​ with a board game to teach 4th ​and 5th grade students about the importance of water quality as well as ways to promote healthy water quality from home. It meets several English/Language Arts Academic Standards and one Science Academic Standard.

Healthy Water, Happy Home

Water Quality, Aquatic Habitat, & Indicator Species

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Mammals play an integral role in many habitats. Knowing more about these intriguing animals can help us enjoy and appreciate the diversity of wildlife around us. These natural history cards can be used to identify 34 mammalian species native to Indiana by appearance, skull, or by tracks. It meets several Science Academic Standards. ​

Common Indiana Mammals

Natural History and Identification

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This lesson teaches students about the significant environmental and economic losses that can be caused by the introduction of invasive plant species. It includes a game that can be played in class, plus a worksheet. The lesson meets multiple Science, Natural Resources, Math, and Social Studies Academic Standards.

Invasive plants

Impact on Environment and People

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This lesson teaches students about the endangered eastern hellbender and the importance of conserving it. This lesson meets several English/Language Arts Academic Standards, two Math and three Science Academic Standards. There is an additional free iOS app associated, found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.purdue.HellbenderHavoc&hl=en

Hellbenders Rock!

Natural History & Conservation of the Eastern Hellbender

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The unit includes three lessons and supplementary materials; students use real scientific data to investigate how a bird community and individual forest animals respond to a clearcut timber harvest.

The Great Clearcut Controversy

The Science Behind Timber Harvest

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This Unit includes four lesson plans: A Slimy Situation, A Cause for Concern, The Big Debate, and Conservation-A Numbers Game. It meets several Grades 11-12 English/Language Arts, Science and Engineering Process, and Literacy in Science and Technology Academic Standards.

The Scientific Process of Conservation Biology

Analyze, Design, Debate

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This lesson plan demonstrates why ecosystems are useful for describing how organisms depend on and interconnect with one another. It meets several K-5 Science, Math, and English Academic Standards.

Eco-llapse

How Organisms Interact

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This unit provides introductory lesson plans that allow students to explore nature and understand the health benefits of being outside. Activities encompass 2 of the 3 signature programs of The Nature of Teaching and include nature hikes and scavenger hunts that can be conducted on school properties.

Take A Hike

Hiking for Wildlife

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This lesson will teach students all about trees, including the life cycle of a tree, the function of different parts of a tree, and the use for and value of different wood products.

Trees of the Midwest

All About Trees

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