Grade Level: 3-6
Duration: 120 minutes
Subjects: Science, Visual Arts, Language Arts, Math
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Explain what biodiversity means and why it matters.
- Identify different species that share a habitat.
- Describe how living things are connected through food chains and ecosystems.
- Represent biodiversity creatively through writing, art, and simple data organization.
Materials
- Chart paper or whiteboard
- Biodiversity observation chart or notebooks
- Pencils, markers, crayons
- Yarn or string
- Clipboards (for outdoor observations)
- Optional: tablets/cameras for taking photos
- Field guides or biodiversity ID apps (e.g. iNaturalist)
Curriculum Connections
- Science: Ecosystems, food chains, adaptations, habitats.
- Language Arts: Vocabulary, descriptive writing, oral presentation.
- Visual Arts: Drawing, visual design, concept illustration.
- Math: Counting, graphing, simple data analysis.
Terms
- Biodiversity: The variety of all living things in a place including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.
- Habitat: The natural home or environment of an organism.
Instructions:
Introduction – What is Biodiversity
Begin with a discussion: What living things do you see around our school or in our community?
Write responses on the board (plants, insects, birds, etc.).
Explain that biodiversity is the variety of all living things in a place including plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.
Show images of different ecosystems (forest, ocean, city park) and ask students to guess which might have the most biodiversity.
Outdoor Exploration or Image Study
Option 1: Outdoor Version (Using Curious by Nature field kits)
Take students outside to a nearby park, garden, or schoolyard.
In small groups, have them record or draw as many different living things as they can find in 10-15 minutes.
Use a biodiversity observation chart with columns for:
| Species | Colour | Location | Habitat | Number Seen | Notes/Drawing |
Option 2: Indoor Version
Use printed photos or short videos of a local ecosystem. Students identify and list all living things they notice using a biodiversity observation chart.
Create a Web of Life
In the classroom, gather everyone in a circle.
Choose a few species that were observed – for example: grass, bee, bird, flower, tree, squirrel.
Use a ball of yarn to connect the species, for example:
- The sun gives energy to the plants → pass yarn.
- The bee gets nectar from the flower → pass yarn.
- The bird eats insects → pass yarn.
The tree provides shade or a nest → pass yarn.
Keep connecting until you’ve created a web.
Then ask: What happens if one species disappears? (Cut a yarn strand to show the web falling apart.) This helps students visualize how biodiversity keeps ecosystems strong.
Reflection
Students choose one of these activities:
Art: Create an ecosystem collage of all the different species you found in that location.
Language Arts: Write a short paragraph or poem about ‘A Day in the Life of…’ one organism and how it connects to others.
Math: Tally and graph the number of different species observed (e.g., plants vs. animals vs. insects).
Discussion
Ask:
- What surprised you about how many living things share one place?
- Why do we need many kinds of living things, not just a few?
- What can people do to protect biodiversity near home or school?
Create a class list of simple actions like planting flowers, avoiding litter, or leaving fallen logs for insects that could help biodiversity in your community.
Extensions
- Build a mini biodiversity museum in the classroom with labeled drawings, photos, or artifacts (leaves, bark rubbings, etc.).
- Create a simple bar graph comparing species types in two different areas (e.g., grassy field vs. forest edge).
- Invite a local naturalist group or park interpreter to talk about local biodiversity projects.
- Connect with a local place-based stories about ecosystems in your region and the species found within them.
