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Featured educator resources
Conversation Starters
Suitable for grades 3+
Conversation Starters feature short videos and accompanying discussion questions on ecological concepts or important environmental issues. Get talking with your kids or students today!
Featured items:
Keeping a nature journal is a fantastic way to connect with nature! What to journal about? You can draw any plants, animals, fungi, or nature scenes that you like. Ideas include the birds in your backyard, blades of grass, rural landscapes, pebbles at the beach,…
Get outside and complete this Nature Mission!
Learn tricks for identifying individual animals.
Endemic species: Plants or animals that occur (are found) only in a restricted location (an area with limited geographic boundaries). Watch this video to learn more! Examples of endemic species featured in the video: Blue-billed curassow, found only in Colombia Caquetá titi monkey, found only…
Our friends at Mongabay India have created this fantastic video, all about a little bird called the grey wagtail. In winter this migratory bird flies from the upper Himalayas to warmer areas, like Valparai in south India. That’s a big journey! Click below to learn more…
Note: this activity is associated with the lesson on exploring ecosystems. Flamingo Haiku – Student sample Haiku poems Purpose: To understand haikus and how to construct them. Materials: Recycled paper, pencil, colored pencils, crayons, marker, watercolor paper, watercolors, and water cups. Common Core Standards: English Language Arts…
Mongabay Kids lesson series: parts 1–4
Grades 3–5
By Lisa Algee 3rd–5th grade (upper elementary/primary) Note: This is lesson 1 in a 4-part series on the water cycle, photosynthesis, exploring ecosystems, and scientific inquiry in local ecosystems. Find lessons 2, 3 and 4 here (click relevant link). Overview Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is…
By Lisa Algee 3rd–5th Grade (upper elementary/primary) Note: This is lesson 2 in a 4-part series on the water cycle, photosynthesis, exploring ecosystems, and scientific inquiry in local ecosystems. Find lessons 1, 3 and 4 here (click relevant link). Overview (a) What is photosynthesis and why…
By Lisa Algee 3rd-5th Grade (upper elementary/primary) Note: This is lesson 3 in a 4-part series on the water cycle, photosynthesis, exploring ecosystems, and scientific inquiry in local ecosystems. Find lessons 1, 2 and 4 here (click relevant link). Lesson 3: Exploring ecosystems (a) Root…
Created by Lisa Algee 3rd-5th Grade (upper elementary/primary) Note: This is lesson 4 in a 4-part series on the water cycle, photosynthesis, exploring ecosystems, and scientific inquiry in local ecosystems. Find lessons 1, 2 and 3 here (click relevant link). This scientific inquiry is geared…
*With thanks to Lisa Algee for curriculum development.
Biodiversity articles: parts 1–4
Grade 2 reading level
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity (this article) Deforestation Palm Oil Conservation Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade science standards and 2nd grade…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity Deforestation (this article) Palm Oil Conservation Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade science standards and 2nd grade…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity Deforestation Palm Oil (this article) Conservation Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade science standards and 2nd grade…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity Deforestation Palm Oil Conservation (this article) Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade science standards and 2nd grade…
Grade 3 reading level
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity (this article) Deforestation Palm Oil Conservation Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade educational standards. Ideally, they are…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on Biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity Deforestation (this article) Palm Oil Conservation Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade educational standards. Ideally, they are…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a four-part series on biodiversity consisting of the following articles: Biodiversity Deforestation Palm Oil (this article) Conservation Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet 3rd grade educational standards. Ideally, they are…
Conservation aims to protect nature for the benefit of all people. How can we save nature and use it at the same time?
Oceans and coral reef articles: parts 1–3
Grade 5 reading level
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a three-part series on oceans and coral reefs consisting of the following articles: Rainforests and coral reefs Ocean prognosis Coral reef solutions (this article) Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a three-part series on oceans and coral reefs consisting of the following articles: Rainforests and coral reefs (this article) Ocean prognosis Coral reef solutions Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet…
By Lisa Algee This article is part of a three-part series on oceans and coral reefs consisting of the following articles: Rainforests and coral reefs Ocean prognosis (this article) Coral reef solutions Each has been taken from the Mongabay main site and adapted to meet…