This is an fun and engaging lab that gets students thinking about how birds' beaks are adapted to their prey! Students use models of bird beaks and see how well they can pick up various prey. They consider how the shape of the bird beak is related to its prey. Students also create graphs of their results. Included is the lab report for the students and a teacher notes/suggestion page for completing the lab and grading it. This lab activity corresponds with NGSS standard MS-LS3-4. This could also be a good connecting activity between science and math (counting, estimating, and graphing). I complete this activity in 2-3 one-hour class periods. I use it with sixth graders but it can easily be adapted to many grade levels. Materials Needed: Paper Plates, Skewers or Chopsticks, Clothes Pins, Craft Sticks, Spoons, Rice, Beans, String cut into worm lengths, macaroni noodles, cups, timer or stopwatch Topics: Birds, Adaptations, Animals, Vertebrates, Scientific Method, Lab Report, Graphing, Bar Graphs, Evolution, Darwin, Warm-Blooded Endotherms, Science Experiment Investigation, Life Science, Biology, Predator and Prey

Students investigate the population dynamics between predator and prey, and the role limiting factors play in the size of a population by graphing and analyzing data of the Canadian lynx and snowshoe hare. I use this activity with my sixth grade students during our unit on ecosystems. We complete it as a class activity. You could make it an option in a choice project, a learning extension for higher level students, or an activity for a science center. The final page includes the completed graph and answers to the analysis questions. This activity aligns to NGSS Standard MS-LS2-1. It also aligns to CCSS Math Standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.2 . Key Vocabulary and related topics: ecosystems, populations, graphing, limiting factors, resources, predator, prey, independent and dependent variables, coniferous forest food web Total Pages: 5 Answer Key Included

In this activity, students research seven different animals, their gestation periods and classification. Then, they create a bar graph showing their results. They form a conclusion about what characteristics or factors help determine the gestation period length. The lab report is filled in as students complete the activity. A modified graph is also provided to accommodate for diverse learning needs. The completed chart, graph, and answers to conclusion questions are provided for teacher use. All you need to do is print the selected pages! This activity aligns to NGSS standard MS-LS-5. It also aligns to CCSS Math Standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.2 . Possible Topic Connections: Animals, Mammals, Marsupials, Placental Mammals, Gestation Period, Monotremes, Classification, Graphing, Bar Graphs, Scientific Method, Parts of a Lab Report, Making Inferences, Cell Growth, Cell Theory, Animal Development Supplies Needed: Access to Internet, Pencil, Colored Pencils (optional- for graphing) Total Pages: 7 Answer Key Included

This is a lab activity where students learn about the effects of acidic water on shelled animals. The students set up three beakers- one for water, one for salt water, and one for vinegar (acid). They place a seashell in each and make observations over the course of three days. The sea shells and vinegar create a bubbly reaction that piques the students' curiosity. My students love it! Great for science topics covering life sciences, ocean chemistry, global warming, mollusks and the animal kingdom, pH, the scientific method and lab reports. Materials Needed: Sea shells (I get mine from the Dollar Tree!) Vinegar Salt Water Cups This activity aligns with NGSS-MS-ESS3 (Human Impact on Earth). Consider the impact that climate change can have on marine organisms. Total Pages: 4 This is a 3+ Day Experiment.

This is an easy and fun hands-on experiment that my students always enjoy! Students create cup phones using different materials to figure out which types of materials allow sound to be transmitted the best. Supplies are easy to find. I always like to add an extra few into the mix for the students who finish early and have more time to experiment: plastic cups, yarn of various thicknesses, and extra string/fishing line/ribbon for students to cut at different lengths. Student groups share the materials so I don’t have to purchase as many. Materials Needed - paper cups - Styrofoam cups - thick fishing line - thin fishing line - thread - ribbon - paper clips - Scissors This activity aligns to NGSS Science Standards: Middle School: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. Grade 4: 1-PS4-4: Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance. Related Topics: Waves, Sound, Medium, Longitudinal, Amplitude, Laboratory Experiment, Variables, Transmit, Absorb, Transmission, Absorption Pages: 7 Answer Key Included

This lab activity allows students to investigate the behavior of earthworms and their responses to different stimuli. It includes two copies--one is a mostly completed lab report in which students fill in blank areas; the other is a more open-ended form for students to complete more of the report on their own. This allows for you to choose how much you would like students to practice writing in the lab report format and creating their own reports. The first, more structured is perfect for students with special needs while the second may be more appropriate for those who need an extra challenge. They could even type their reports on a Google document using the outline as a guide. Choose what best fits your classroom and enjoy the experiment! Materials Needed: earthworm • 1 dissecting pan • Celery leaves • 1 cotton swab • 1 toothpick • 1 damp paper towel • beaker (or cup) • Water • Vinegar This activity aligns to MS-LS1-8. Key Vocabulary and Related Topics: animal behavior, stimulus, stimuli, response, reaction, decomposer, nervous system, innate, learned Total Pages: 9

In this hands-on experiment, students attempt to find out which holds more: an artificial kitchen sponge or a natural sea sponge. Students make measurements and analyze the results using a formula. Students love it! They take it as a challenge to squeeze out as much water from the sponge as they can. In addition to hands-on science, they practice math skills by using a formula and calculating the average of their results. Materials needed: artificial sponges, natural sponges, balance, funnel, graduated cylinder, water, cup or beaker, calculator Makes connections to NGSS Science Standards MS.ETS1 and MS.LS1 Also aligns to Common Core Math Standards at various grade levels in the area of Expressions and Evaluations, including CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.A.2: Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers. Topics: Invertebrates, Scientific Method, Laboratory Experiment, Sponges, Animals, Ocean, Water, Absorbency, Lab Report, Measurement, Life, Animal Kingdom, Pores Total Pages: 4

This product is a template for making trading cards for animals! Print the item double-sided, cut out, and fill in the information about the chosen animal. There are five 3x5 cards that will print on a page. Print on cardstock or attach to an index card for a sturdy product. On one side, students have a space to put the picture and name of their animal. On the other side, students put animal facts: scientific name, height/length, weight, diet, and unique adaptation. Perfect activity for a science unit about animals, adaptations and ecosystems! These cards can be used in many ways: - Have students choose an ecosystem and create cards with animals found in it - Students create cards from a certain group (mammals, reptiles, insects, etc.) - Students make cards for imaginary/inventive organisms from a unique environment or extraterrestrial land - Allow the students to share and trade cards so they learn about even more animals - Use as a project option, science activity center or extra for quick finishers - Easily modify- students can create as few or as many as desired