Lesson Plans for Grades K-5
A Note for Using These Resources:
These lesson plans were sourced from books that are targeted towards classroom or field trip environments. Feel free to adapt the procedures of these lesson plans however you may need to in order to fit your learner’s environment. Some lesson plan summaries already have specific notes to help with adapting procedures. Have fun exploring!Next Generation Science Standards met: K-LS1-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) brainstorm questions about seashore animals, and
2) identify similarities and differences in basic needs of humans and seashore animals.
This lesson plan includes detailed procedures to brainstorm and explore the similar needs of all living organisms.
*Note: The “Teacher Information” section of this lesson plan mentions field trip experiences. Field trip experiences are not necessary for the completion of this lesson.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Identifying the Type of Habitat
Next Generation Science Standards met: K-ESS3-1 and 2-LS4-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) identify types of habitats,
2) identify and count populations of organisms in different habitats,
3) describe the physical characteristics of different habitats,
4) infer the components of habitats that are essential for most seashore animals to survive, and
5) build a model of a habitat.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, and discussion questions to explore the various habitats found at the beach.
*Note: This lesson plan references an activity in the “All Living Things Have Needs” lesson plan. There is also a “Measuring the Temperature of Habitats” section in this plan that involves being in-person on the beach, but this section is optional and can be skipped.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: K-ESS3-3.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) describe the characteristics of the “on-rock” and “under-rock” habitats,
2) infer possible causes of stress to seashore organisms,
3) brainstorm and practice rules for the proper care and handling of seashore animals, and
4) brainstorm and practice rules for minimizing the destruction of seashore habitats.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, diagrams, and brainstorming activities to emphasize our responsibility to minimize stress to seashore organisms and habitats when visiting the beach.
*Note: The parts of this lesson plan that reference in-person activities can be skipped to fit an at-home format of this lesson. While an in-person visit is not necessary to complete this lesson, it would be wise to complete this lesson with your learner(s) if you intend on visiting the beach in order to teach them proper tide pool etiquette. The lessons learned from this plan can also apply to inland habitats and creatures if you would like to practice caretaking behaviors in a real-life format.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 1-LS1-1 and 1-LS3-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades 1-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) describe characteristics of baby animals,
2) match pictures of baby animals with their parents,
3) infer what baby animals need in order to grow, and
4) infer which baby animals are cared for by their parents and which aren’t.
This lesson plan includes detailed lesson procedures, questions encouraging critical thinking, enrichment activities, and matching games with answer keys to explore characteristics of baby marine animals.
*Note: Some parts of the procedures reference dividing a class of students into groups. If you are working with an individual learner, feel free to adapt this activity however you prefer.
This lesson plan was obtained from Beach Explorations by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 1-ESS1-2 and 5-LS1-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades 1-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) read a graph to determine how the population of plankton changes,
2) infer why the population of plant and animal plankton changes throughout the year, and
3) infer why plankton is important to all ocean life.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, diagrams, and questions encouraging critical thinking to explore influences on plankton populations.
This lesson plan was obtained from Beach Explorations by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 1-ESS1-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) sort pictures of the seashore into high tide and low tide,
2) brainstorm causes of the tides,
3) infer why knowing about the tides is important,
4) predict, observe, and describe tidal changes, and
5) measure and record changes in tide levels.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, and diagrams to explore the tides. It is important to note that understanding what causes tides is complicated, so it may not be necessary for learners to understand these details; what’s important is that they observe and describe the tidal cycle and infer how organisms survive the changing tide levels.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Identifying the Type of Seashore
Next Generation Science Standards met: 2-ESS2-2.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) sort pictures into groups according to the type of shore,
2) describe the physical characteristics of each type of shore, and
3) brainstorm the hazards to organisms living on each type of shore.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators about types of shores, images of different types of shores, detailed lesson procedures, questions encouraging critical thinking, and enrichment activities to explore the diversity of shores.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 2-ESS2-3, 5-ESS2-2, and MS-ESS2-6.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-6. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) identify the five oceans on a map,
2) identify characteristics of the ocean,
3) compare a freshwater pond to a tide pool, and
4) observe and describe salt crystals.
This lesson plan includes background information about oceans for educators, detailed lesson procedures, maps, and enrichment activities to explore the characteristics of oceans.
*Note: For Step #3 in the procedure, feel free to mix salt into water at home instead of obtaining actual seawater from the ocean if you do not live along a coastline.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 3-LS1-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) describe how a crab molts,
2) infer why crabs molt,
3) infer the time of year that crabs molt,
4) brainstorm advantages and disadvantages to exoskeletons, and
5) write a story about a crab molting.
This lesson plan includes background information about crabs for educators, a diagram illustrating the life cycle of a crab, detailed lesson procedures, questions encouraging critical thinking, and enrichment activities to explore characteristics of crabs.
*Note: The activity titled “Observe a Crab Molt” can be skipped if visiting a beach in-person isn’t possible. However, the information mentioned in that section is still useful without an in-person trip and can be discussed with learners.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 3-LS2-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) draw a map or mural of their own community,
2) compare a seashore community to a human community, and
3) infer how seashore plants and animals depend on each other for survival.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, images of seashore communities, and a concept map activity to explore the components of communities in ecosystems.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 3-LS3-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) describe similarities and differences between marine organisms, and
2) infer why some organisms are related based on shared characteristics.
This lesson plan includes Venn diagram activities and brainstorming to explore the relationships between various marine organisms.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
At Low Tide, Seashore Animals Close Up Tight
Next Generation Science Standards met: 3-LS4-3.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) describe the seashore plants and animals at low tide,
2) identify conditions at high and low tide,
3) describe and dramatize how seashore plants and animals keep from drying out at low tide, and
4) draw pictures of seashore animals at high and low tide.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, diagrams, and coloring activities to learn about the adaptations of marine organisms living in the intertidal zone.
*Note: Step #11 in the procedure references a transparency. For this, use both images provided in this lesson plan. All necessary images for this lesson are provided.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Adaptations of Sandy Beach Organisms
Next Generation Science Standards met: 3-LS4-3.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) identify plants and animals on surf-swept and protected sandy beaches,
2) construct a map or mural of a surf-swept sandy beach,
3) infer the hazards of living in sand, and
4) infer how organisms are adapted to survive on a sandy beach.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, and a table listing adaptations of some sandy beach organisms.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 4-LS1-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) identify the various adaptations that different birds have developed, and
2) explain how these internal and external structures support growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
This lesson plan includes background information on the adaptations of birds; diagrams illustrating different types of beaks, feet, and feathers; various activities including examining feathers, a puppet show, a “make a bird” activity and more; and optional learning extension activities.
This lesson plan was obtained from Hands-On Nature by Vermont Institute of Natural Science.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 4-LS1-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) identify differences in diet between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, and
2) determine an animal’s diet based on its teeth and skulls.
This lesson plan includes background information on different animal diets; diagrams illustrating different types of teeth and skulls; activities like a puppet show, a “tooth touch” activity, a skull investigation, a “complete a jaw” activity and more; and optional learning extension activities.
This lesson plan was obtained from Hands-On Nature by Vermont Institute of Natural Science.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 5-LS2-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades 1-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) construct diagrams of food relationships,
2) construct food chains with picture cards of seashore organisms and arrow cards to show the direction of food energy flow, and
3) infer what happens to the size of organisms at the top of a food chain compared to the bottom.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, and a game to better understand energy flow in food chains. Arrow card sheets are provided to print out and cut into individual cards for use in the food chain game.
This lesson plan was obtained from Beach Explorations by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: 5-LS2-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades 1-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) construct interlocking food webs using picture cards and arrow cards, and
2) construct food webs for a tide pool, rocky shore, and sandy beach.
This lesson plan includes educator information, detailed lesson procedures, enrichment activities, a diagram of a rocky shore food web, and a food web-making activity. Please note that completing the food web activity requires printing out these Pacific Coast Info Cards. To assemble the cards, glue or tape the card with the organism information onto the back of the corresponding card with the image of the organism. Feel free to print as few or as many cards as you would like to use.
This lesson plan was obtained from Beach Explorations by Gloria Snively.
To Collect, or Not to Collect?
Next Generation Science Standards met: 5-ESS3-1.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades K-5. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) identify plants and animals that people collect,
2) identify organisms that are threatened because of collectors, and
3) list rules for collecting plants and animals.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, and a diagram of some species covered in this lesson to explore how to respect marine organisms.
This lesson plan was obtained from Once Upon a Seashore by Gloria Snively.
Next Generation Science Standards met: MS-LS2-1 and MS-LS2-4.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades 5-10. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) brainstorm limiting factors for the seashore, and
2) categorize limiting factors as natural or the result of human activity.
This lesson plan includes a diagram illustrating examples of limiting factors, background information for educators, and lesson procedures to guide activities.
This lesson plan was obtained from Beach Explorations by Gloria Snively.
Limiting Factors for the Rocky Shore
Next Generation Science Standards met: MS-LS2-1 and MS-LS2-4.
This lesson is adaptable for learners in grades 5-10. After completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
1) brainstorm limiting factors for the rocky shore,
2) identify limiting factors for each tide zone, and
3) develop a concept map for limiting factors that includes the tide zones.
This lesson plan includes background information for educators, detailed lesson procedures, and concept map examples illustrating limiting factors for the rocky shore.
This lesson plan was obtained from Beach Explorations by Gloria Snively.