This article discusses misconceptions about birds (and penguins in particular). It provides tools for formative assessment and ideas for teaching correct scientific concepts.

Students will investigate the characteristics of heroes through the book Go Show the World. Students will select one of the heroes identified in the book and research them further, creating a Twine passage that shares what the student learned about the Native figure.This lesson was created through a partnership between CodeVA and the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC). 

This article provides links to lessons and units about birds, bird characteristics, and penguins. Ideas for literacy integration are included, and all lessons are aligned to national standards.

This video is part of the Learn and Grow with WHRO TV series. Watch Kelly Diehl teach about the qualities of a friend and finding friendship traits inside a story.

NASA eClips Our World:  Where Do We Find Extremophiles?Video Description:  Where do we find extremophiles? We look for environments that push the limits for ordinary living organisms. NASA conducts analog testing in these extreme environments to better understand life on Earth and identify the potential for life in the universe.  Video Length:  3:25. NASA eClipsTM is a suite of online student-centered, standards-based resources that support instruction by increasing STEM literacy in formal and nonformal settings.  These free digital and downloadable resources inform and engage students through NASA-inspired, real-world connections.NASA eClips Our World videos (grades 3-5) help students understand the differences between science (the natural world) and engineering (the designed world).  These video segments supplement elementary learning objectives not only in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but also in reading, writing, visual and performing arts.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Mammals issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

This article provides an overview of the geography, characteristics, and life of the Arctic and Southern Oceans.

Students practice making observations, describing physical characteristics of organisms, and interpreting information. In pairs, students sit back to back; one student describes a creature and the other draws based on the partner’s description.

Educators Guide for this unit:
http://education.eol.org/lesson_plans/2-5_ScienceSkills_BioblitzSkillbuilderOverview.pdf

Lessons in this unit:
Biodiversity Skillbuilder 1: Meet a Creature
Biodiversity Skillbuilder 2: ID That Bird!
Biodiversity Skillbuilder 3: How Diverse is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity Skillbuilder 4: Modeling Classification
Biodiversity Skillbuilder 5: ID Using a Dichotomous Key