Plants and Animals
Discover the diversity of living things, how they survive, and what we can do to protect them.
Connect your classroom with nature
Living organisms, from the most delicate flower to the toughest coyote, have a lot to teach us. Observe how all kinds of living creatures adapt to and interact with environments and each other. Learners will deepen their understanding of concepts like food chains, migration, and ecosystems. With lesson plans, games, and more, our resources help connect your students to the natural world, both in the classroom and at the museum.
In-museum activities with Plants & Animals
See life science up close with the Field’s diverse specimens.
Everything Has a Purpose | Exploring the Field Guide
Examine why plants and birds have certain features to uncover the relationship between structure and function.ActivityGrades 3-5Relationships in Ecosystems | Exploring the Field Guide
Investigate an ecosystem by observing the individual organisms as part of a larger structure—a food web.ActivityGrades 6-8Survival of the Birds | Exploring the Field Guide
Infer whether a bird can survive in a specific environment by observing physical features such as beak, feathers, legs, and feet.ActivityGrades 9-12
Early Elementary Resources On Plants & Animals
Animal Survival Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Act as consultants to the City of Chicago and assess their relocation plan for urban coyotes.
Mapping and Monarchs Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Learn how to analyze and interpret maps by studying monarch butterfly migration.
Pollination Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Interact with various models to explore the structures of plants and animals related to the process of pollination.
Explore animal adaptations
Why are eggshells so brittle? What can we learn from how animals move? Investigate these questions and more with the Biomechanics Toolkit.
Structure Function Unit | Early Elementary Science Partnership
Design a shoe appropriate for the icy, wet, and cold conditions of Antarctica using different types of bird feet as inspiration.Lesson PlanGrades PK-2BIOlympics Game | Biomechanics Toolkit
Jump into BIOlympics events to see how animals achieve amazing feats. Use that knowledge to choose competitors for different events.GameGrades 6-8Dome Strength | Biomechanics Toolkit
Discover how much force a seemingly brittle object like an egg can withstand when it’s dome-shaped.Lesson PlanGrades 6-8
Plant and Animal resources
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Adventures in the Herbarium: Museums and Medicines
The importance and impact of Field Museum’s African flowering plant specimens are highlighted in two podcasts. These podcasts were written, recorded, and edited by two college interns who worked alongside experts and collections specimens. Museums and Medicines highlights the impact plant specimens have had on human health and why their conservation is so important.
ActivityGrades 3-12Adventures in the Herbarium: Pixels and Petals
The importance and impact of Field Museum’s African flowering plant specimens are highlighted in two podcasts. These podcasts were written, recorded, and edited by two college interns who worked alongside experts and collections specimens. Pixels and Petals highlights the digital imaging process and the impact of herbarium specimens.
Grades PK-12Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Middle school-aged students will investigate the differences between native and invasive plants and demonstrate their learning by creating a model of a native plant garden.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Plant Biomimicry
Middle school-aged students will demonstrate their understanding of biomimicry by designing a solution to a human problem using plant-inspired ideas.
Lesson PlanGrades 6-8Plant Structure and Function | Hands-on Version
Elementary-aged students will learn about the functions of plant parts and use models to gain an understanding of plant anatomy. This knowledge will be applied towards understanding the differences between plants that make seeds and plants that do not. This lesson includes hands-on stations that highlight plant anatomy and their functions.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5Plant Structure and Function | ThingLink Digital Version
Elementary-aged students will learn about the functions of plant parts and use models to gain an understanding of plant anatomy. This knowledge will be applied towards understanding the differences between plants who make seeds and plants who do not. This lesson includes a digital activity that highlights plant specimens from the Field Museum.
Lesson PlanGrades 3-5
Acknowledgments
The Griffin Dinosaur Toolkit is part of the Griffin Dinosaur Experience, made possible by generous support from Kenneth C. Griffin.
School learning experiences are supported by ITW.
