These lessons explore the natural world of animals, plants, and even living things we can’t see, like bacteria! Your learners will engage more deeply with life sciences when you add real-world layers like hands-on making, engineering design challenges or computer programming.
Lesson titles marked with an asterisk (*) address engineering within the Next Generation Science Standards.
Building for Birdie*
Apply knowledge of shapes to build a bird home that is structurally sound.
Duration: Lesson: 60 minutes; Unit: 150 minutes; Activity: 30 minutes
Grades: K-2
Lesson Plan Unit Tech at Home activity
Butterfly Algorithm
Students apply their computational thinking skills to explore the life cycle of a butterfly. They’ll create a simple algorithm to model the life cycle of a butterfly, then write this algorithm using conditionals and program it on a computer.
Duration: 70 minutes
Grades: K-3
Lesson Plan
Pollinator Pit Stop
Students will explore how design thinking can have a positive effect on the natural world by creating a temporary habitat for a pollinator insect. They will put their habitats outside and observe the results over a few days, then iterate on their design based on their observations.
Duration: 60 min (2 sessions, plus observation time)
Grades: 1-5
Educator Guide Tech at Home activity
Storm Shield: What Living Things Need*
Design and build a shelter to keep animals safe in severe weather.
Duration: Five 45-minute sessions
Grade: K
Lesson Plan
Caution! Wildlife Crossing*
Build a structure (bridge, tunnel, etc.) to get an animal safely across a road.
Duration: 20+ minutes
Grades: 1-5
Tech at Home activity
Animal Rescue*
Teams gather information and scientific evidence to design a device that will help move endangered animals from one protected area to another.
Duration: Eight to ten 50-minute sessions
Grades: 4-8
Lesson Plan
Save the Species Challenge*
Develop a solution that assists governments in protecting species in designated areas.
Duration: Four sessions, 60 minutes each
Grades: 7-12
Lesson Plan and Videos
Evolutionary Puzzles
Create, organize, and structure data to explore patterns of heredity.
Duration: 60 minutes
Grades: 6-8
Lesson Plan Videos
Irrigation Situation*
Use the design process to create a hillside garden irrigation system that maximizes water efficiency.
Duration: Lesson: 90 minutes; Unit: 150 minutes
Grades: 3-5
Lesson Plan Unit
Save the Fruit*
Create a device that will harvest fruit from a tree and examine points of failure for iteration.
Duration: Five 60-minute sessions
Grades: 3-5
Lesson Plan
No Soil, No Problem*
Using scientific evidence and knowledge, develop arguments on what plants need for growth.
Duration: Three to five 60-minute sessions
Grades: 4-8
Lesson Plan
Algae String
Design and create colorful string creations from a natural polymer, alginate.
Duration: Lesson - 150 minutes; Activity - 2 hours
Grades: 6-8
Lesson Tech at Home activity
Making with Microbes
Use fermented tea to grow your own unique piece of biomaterial and make something creative with it!
Duration: Mix: 30 min | Grow: 1-3 weeks | Dry: 1-2 days | Create: 30 min
Grades: 6-8
Tech at Home activity
