Animal Themed Teaching Resources
Incorporate students' natural curiosity about animals in your class with lessons and printables on sea life, endangered species, wildlife, and more. Educate them about animal behavior, biology, life cycles, and habitats with literature, games, and references. Science activities and graphic organizers will help students classify vertebrates and invertebrates. There are plenty of resources for math, writing, social studies, and art to extend your curriculum offerings for all grade levels.
Whiteboard Compatible Mini-Lessons
- The Amazing Rain Forest Mini-Lesson
- Adaptations: Bird Beaks Mini-Lesson
- Building Nests Mini-Lesson
- Animals of the Arctic Mini-Lesson
- Introducing Deserts Mini-Lesson
- Characteristics of Mammals Mini-Lesson
- Meet the Mammals Mini-Lesson
- Focus on Frogs Mini-Lesson
- Animals of the Antarctic Mini-Lesson
- More Mini-Lessons
Slideshows
- Top 10 Animal-Themed Graphic Organizers
- Animals Printables Slideshow (Grades K-1)
- Gallery of DK Digital Books for Life Science
- Life Science Across the Curriculum Printables Slideshow
- Plant & Animal Visuals Slideshow
- Animal & Insect Transparencies Slideshow
- Animals Printables Slideshow (Grades 2-4)
Printables for Grades K-2
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities Booklet
- Home, Sweet, Home: Animal Habitats
- Who Gives a Hoot?
- Life in the Sea
- Body Parts of an Ant
- Polar Bears Reading Warm-Up
- What's Wrong with This Picture?
- More Popular Animal Printables
Printables for Grades 3-5
- Vertebrate and Invertebrate Animals
- Layers of the Rain Forest Worksheets
- Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet
- Island of the Blue Dolphins Activities
- Ocean Food Chain Reading Warm-Up
- Animals of the Rainforest
- Animal Habitat Crossword Puzzle
- More Popular Animal Printables
Printables for Grades 6-8
- Animal Adaptations Project - Worksheet 1
- Classification Puzzle
- Dominant and Recessive Genes
- Sharks Reading Warm-Up
- Animal Cell/Plant Cell (Blank) Printable
- Food Web
- The Parts of a Plant Cell and an Animal Cell
- More Popular Animal Printables
Printables for Grades 9-12
- Printable List of Rain Forest Animals
- Making a Bar Graph
- What Are Viruses & Bacteria?
- Complete and Incomplete Metamorphosis
- Food Web (Blank) Printable
- Extinct, Endangered, and Threatened Animals Activity
- What Is Balance in an Ecosystem?
- More Popular Animal Printables
Graphic Organizers
- Dogs and Cats as Pets: Venn Diagram
- Animal Coverings
- Horse: Main Idea and Supporting Details Organizer
- KWL Chart - Animals
- In a Garden
- KWL Chart - Living and Non-Living
- Animal Babies and Parents
- More Animal Graphic Organizers
Quizzes
- Young Animals Quiz
- Animal Scientists Quiz
- Animal Trivia Quiz
- Quiz: Which Animal?
- Charlotte's Web Spider Quiz
- Famous Cats Quiz
- Famous Birds Quiz
- Quiz: Bats
- Kentucky Derby Quiz
- Spiders Quiz
- More Animal Quizzes
Lesson Plans for Grades K-6
- Life Cycle of Butterflies
- "The Grasshopper and the Owl": A Fable by Aesop
- "The Fox and the Goat": A Lesson on Aesop's Fable
- Charlotte's Web Persuasive Letter
- Animals of the Rainforest
- What Am I? Icebreaker
- How Big Is a Blue Whale?
- More Popular Animal Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans for Grades 7-12
- "The Fox and the Goat": A Lesson on Aesop's Fable
- What Foods Attract Ants?
- Estimating Turtle Size and Age
- Why Care About Amphibian Population Decline and Malformations?
- Dinosaur Detectives
- Discover a Pond Food Web
- Mystery of the Malformed Frogs Lesson Plan
- More Animal Lesson Plans
Animals & Technology Connected
- Animal Report PowerPoint Presentation
- Animal Report PowerPoint Presentation: Student Planning Pages
- Insects on the Internet
- Animal Speeds
- Man's Best Friend Rubric
- All About Wolves Rubric
- 75-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Voice Heard Again
- More Technology Activities on Animals
Music, Drama, & Animals Connected
- Playing Prehistorics
- The Barnum & Bailey Circus
- Silly Sea Songs
- Crocodile Smile Teaching Ideas
- More Music and Drama Activities on Animals
Animal Activities for Art Class
- "Dear Zoo" Flap Book
- T. Rex Pop-Up Activity
- Rain Forest Animals
- Farm Animals Matching
- Great Giraffes
- Classroom Guide for The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
- Recycling Craft Project: Make a Birdhouse
- More Popular Animal Art Activities
Animals in Literature
- Charlotte's Web
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities Booklet
- Animal Farm Literature Guide
- "The Fox and the Goat": A Lesson on Aesop's Fable
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Stellaluna
- Two Bad Ants Teacher's Guide
- More Popular Literature Resources
Additional Animal Resources
Animal Resources for Reading & Language Arts
- Charlotte's Web
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities Booklet
- "The Fox and the Goat": A Lesson on Aesop's Fable
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Stellaluna
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
- Stone Fox: A Collection of Lessons
- More Resources for Reading & Language Arts
Digital Books
- Eyewitness: Jungle
- Eyewitness: Bird
- Eyewitness: Amphibian
- Eye Wonder: Mammals
- One Million Things: Animal Life
- Eye Wonder: Birds
- Eyewitness: Arctic & Antarctic
- Little Brainwaves Investigate: Animals
- Eyewitness: Eagle & Birds of Prey
- E.Guides: Mammal
- Eyewitness: Mammal
- DK First Animal Encyclopedia
- Gallery of DK Digital Books for Life Science
Games & Puzzles
- Where Are the Animals?
- A Bird Word Search
- Animal Life Puzzles
- In the Pond
- Make a Puzzle
- Search for the Animals
- Animals Black and White Discussion and Game
- Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express Activity Kit
- Science Key Term Review: Life Changes over Time
- Pin the Feathers on the Turkey
Social Studies & Animals Connected
- Stellaluna
- An Ocean Adventure Sub Kit (Grades 3-4)
- Second-Grade Soil Scientists
- Jane Goodall, Ethologist
- The World of Rosemary Wells
- Island of the Blue Dolphins
- More Resources for Social Studies
Wildlife Week Resources
- Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet
- A Visit to the Zoo Sub Kit (Grades 1-2)
- Animal Habitat Crossword Puzzle
- Vertebrates and Invertebrates Word Fill-In
- Animal Adaptations Project - Teacher Notes
- Butterfly Facts and Questions
- Butterfly Life Cycle Quiz
- More Wildlife Teacher Resources
Earth Day Activities
- Animal Apartments
- Animal and Insect Pictures
- There's an Owl in the Shower
- Animal Apartments - Student Worksheet
- Identifying Biomes
- How Many Shrimp?
- Classifying Cerealites
- More Earth Day Teacher Resources
Animal Biology Resources
- Life Cycle of Butterflies
- A Butterfly's Life Cycle
- Animal Adaptation Project - Student Overview
- Science Fun: Basic Needs
- Bird or Mammal?
- How Do Plant and Animal Cells Differ?
- Reptile and Amphibian Life Span and Life History
Mathematics & Animals Connected
- Dot-to-Dot Tiger Count
- Hey There, Stink Bug! Activity Guide
- Great, Big Enormous Animals
- Favorite Animal Graph
- Place Value through Hundreds (Gr. 3)
- Just Ducky! Color by Number
- Going Fishing: Counting Activity
Animal Resources for History Class
- "The Fox and the Goat": A Lesson on Aesop's Fable
- The Bald Eagle Reading Warm-Up
- The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks
- Animals on the First Fleet
- Animals in Uniform
- Colonial Animals: A Nonfiction Reading Warm-Up
- Captive Whales Reading Warm-Up
Health & Safety Resources on Animals
- Food From Plants and Animals
- The Ants Have It!
- Disease-Carrying Animals
- Wild Critters Vocabulary
- Wild Critters
- More Health & Safety Resources on Animals
Endangered Species
- Endangered Species Wordsearch
- On the Brink of Becoming Extinct
- Endangered Animals
- Endangered Animals Hunt
- Wetlands Life Worksheet
- Endangered Animal Species
- Marsupials Matching Activity
- More Resources on Endangered Species
Insects
- List of Rain Forest Animals
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities Booklet
- Life Cycle of Butterflies
- Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Animal Habitat Crossword Puzzle
- Butterfly Facts and Questions
- More Insects Teacher Resources
Aquatic Animals
- Killer Whales Reading Warm-Up
- Making a Zoo Poster
- Sea Creatures: Would You Rather...
- Draw a Story
- Sea Animal Patterns
- STEM Activities for Stink and the Shark Sleepover
- Name That Shark
- More Popular Aquatic Animal Resources
Zoo Animals
- A Visit to the Zoo Sub Kit (Grades 1-2)
- Zoo Animals
- And Tango Makes Three Educator's Guide
- The Petting Zoo
- Science and Technology: Fake Trees and Giraffes
- Science, Technology, and Society: Zoos that Are News
- Draw a Path to My Door
- More Resources on Zoo Animals
References
Recommended Animals Resources
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GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
KWL Chart - Animals
Introduce your students to a KWL chart that is a graphic organizer for recording what students Know, Want to know, and h... -
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
Animal Coverings
With this graphic organizer, students paste pictures of animals to their corresponding outer covering: fur, scales, shel... -
GAMES AND APPS
What Am I? Icebreaker
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WORKSHEETS
Life in the Sea
Use writing prompts to get children's imaginations and writing skills flowing. This is a sample page from the Gr. 1-4 Da... -
LESSON PLANS
Animals of the Rainforest Lesson
Use a lesson that provides students with an opportunity to learn about the behaviors and physical characteristics of rai... -
REFERENCE
List of Rain Forest Animals
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WORKSHEETS
"Dear Zoo" Flap Book
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WORKSHEETS
Taking Care of My Pet
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WORKSHEETS
T. Rex Pop-Up Activity
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WORKSHEETS
Life Science Diagnostic Test
Before starting a unit on life science, give students this diagnostic test to assess their knowledge of plants, animals,... -
WORKSHEETS
Life Science Test: Interactions Among Living Things
Use this multiple-choice and written-response printable science exam in your classroom to your test students' knowledge ... -
DAILY WARM-UPS
Science Reading Warm-Up: Animal Habitats
In this science reading warm-up, students learn about animal habitats. Use the nonfiction reading passage and comprehens... -
ACTIVITIES
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Island of the Blue Dolphins tells the story of an American Indian girl stranded on an island, alone, for 18 years. This ... -
WORKSHEETS
Food From Plants and Animals
This lab activity provides students with the opportunity to determine whether foods come from plants or from animals, an... -
LESSON PLANS
Communities Vocabulary
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WORKSHEETS
Layers of the Rain Forest Worksheets
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WORKSHEETS
What's Wrong with This Picture?
This compare and contrast activity has students make checkmarks for each plant and animal that does not live in the ocea... -
TEACHING RESOURCE
Instant Expert
Become an instant expert on science and social studies topics featured in DK's award-winning reference series. Find whit... -
GAMES AND APPS
Animal Habitat Crossword Puzzle
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LESSON PLANS
How Big Is a Blue Whale?
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WORKSHEETS
The Bald Eagle Reading Warm-Up
Students read a nonfiction passage about the bald eagle and answer reading comprehension questions. Use this printable r... -
DAILY WARM-UPS
Polar Bears Reading Warm-Up
Students learn about polar bears and improve their reading comprehension skills with a nonfiction reading passage and qu... -
WORKSHEETS
Life Science Test: Characteristics of Living Things
Assess students' knowledge and understanding of life science with this exam about the characteristics of living things. ... -
DAILY WARM-UPS
Penguins Reading Warm-Up
Introduce facts about penguins with this science reading passage. Use the reading comprehension questions in this printa...