Science — Grade 5

Lesson plans on the web

Animal adaptations

Students participate in classroom discussions about animals. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts and Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Bird baths: Cleaning up wildlife after oil spills

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the causes and effects of events such as oil spills and contaminations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Cicada emergence

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, biologist Keith Clay explains how periodical cicadas know when to emerge. (Learn more)

Format: activity (grade 5 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Crane Cam: Conservation and community

In this Xpeditions lesson, students examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention. They study crane activity in the Platte River Valley and research the effects of human intervention on bird populations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Crane Cam: Conservation and economics

In this Xpeditions lesson, students examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Design a regional "eco park"

In this Xpeditions lesson, students use the Internet to find out about the plants and animals that live in their local area. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science and Social Studies)

Provider: National Geographic

Folktales and ecology: Animals and humans in cooperation and conflict

Students study relationships between humans and animals in folktales in order to highlight issues concerning ecology and the environment. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

If a tree falls in the forest...

Students will explore the role that forests play in their own lives by listing everyday products made from trees. Then students will research and categorize less common products that may be less familiar to them. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Introducing biodiversity

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students use online resources to identify the basic components necessary for biodiversity and the critical and countless benefits of habitats, as well as the serious present and future threats to their ongoing existence. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Killer windows

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear about a study of migratory bird deaths conducted by Field Museum scientists. (Learn more)

Format: activity (grade 5 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Leopard seals and penguins: A delicate balance

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students consider the factors that could contribute to the disruption of the delicate balance between leopard seals and penguins in the Antarctic. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

The ocean and human medicine

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about two species of marine animal--Bugula neritina and the horseshoe crab and their medical benefits. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Pilot whales' place in the ocean

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students consider why so many whale species can survive within one area of the ocean. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science and English Language Arts)

Provider: National Geographic

Prairie-chicken pageant

Students will study the habits of prairie-chickens and learn about what is being done to save them and to conserve the areas in which they live. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Preservation issues: Competing interests

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about National Geographic Emerging Explorer Mark Olson's efforts to identify extinct or nearly extinct plants and consider the issues surrounding conservation efforts in a variety of contexts. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science and English Language Arts)

Provider: National Geographic

Really wild animals: Will people change them forever?

This lesson from Xpeditions asks students to consider the ways in which human activities in the rain forest might affect the behaviors of some well-known African mammals, particularly in the Congo River Basin. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Social trade-offs

The purpose of this lesson, from Science NetLinks, is to make and evaluate decisions by weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each alternative. In the lesson, students practice the skill of decision-making through role-playing. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Using photography to help save the oceans

Students will learn about the importance of ocean conservation and how photography can help humans understand the impact they are having on the oceans. They will choose one endangered animal to study in depth. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

The water column: Where do ocean animals belong?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about three broad ocean habitats-the intertidal zone, the open ocean, and the abyss-and find out about some specific adaptations animals have made in each of these regions. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

What's happening to the emperor penguins?

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students learn about emperor penguins' habitat and behaviors through Web sites such as National Geographic's "Creature Feature." (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic