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Free Lesson Plans & Webinars on the National Wildlife Federation’s Website

February 1, 2018 by Elsa Leave a Comment

For this week’s blog I am bringing to you all the FREE (yes you read correctly) free lesson plans and webinars on the National Wildlife Federation’s website and also breaking them down for you to show you what an awesome resource they can be to help with planning your outdoor class!

raccoon-bear-zoo-saeugentier-54602.jpeg

Full disclaimer: I am a huge supporter of the National Wildlife Federation; I am a member of the Minnesota and Wisconsin state affiliates, served on the Board and was a Program Coordinator for the Minnesota one, as well as attended the NWF Women in Conservation Leadership Summit last year and will be attending it again this year. That being said though these are awesome resources and just as good they are free so they come highly recommended by me and I do not get anything out of whether you use them or not. They are just one of many resources I will be sharing to help you get your kids outdoors or bring the outdoors to the kids!

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Educator-Tools/Lesson-Plans-and-Webinars

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Review of the Webpage

For starters the page is split between Lesson Plans by Topic and then at the bottom all the free Webinars. Of the webinars I was only able to to get the EcoSchools ones to play which is fine for me because it was mainly what I wanted to watch but I was a little disappointed to not see the Bat ones. So now that you have been warned that some of the webinars may not work for you let’s move on to all the free lesson plans!

This webinar on getting support from the powers in your school district to start an Eco-Schools program at your school was pretty good if you have time!

Teacher Tip: What is nice about using pre-made lesson plans when first taking your class outdoors is it allows you a chance to focus more on honing your outdoor teaching skills like class management and “teachable moments.” Then later on you can take what you have learned and combine it all to create your own creative lesson plans for teaching outside.

Lesson Plan Section

The lesson plans themselves are organized into three main topic areas although this is hard to tell at first because of the layout of the page; they are Wildlife, Habitat, & Ecosystems which are then broken down into smaller groupings like mammals and watersheds. After each lesson it gives a range of the grade each of the lessons is geared toward. However that is where the user friendliness stops.

You will not know what subject area it is geared toward (most of them are science) or roughly what standards the lesson plan meets until you click on it which is my one complaint. This is why below I have organized them into what subject they cover for you! You are welcome 😉

Lesson Plan PDFs

More or less after you click on a lesson it is a pretty standard lesson plan. It will have a main page that includes a sidebar with things like goals, objectives, subject area, grade, skills, time, and materials depending on which lesson plan you click on some of this information is not included unfortunately.

However, the good news is pretty much all the lesson plans include background information, procedure to teach, links to additional resources, and if there are sheets of any sort or cards for the activity there are premade sheets for you to use so all you will need to do is pick and choose what you want to do and then print.

The lesson plans themselves are very user friendly and concise so once you find the lesson or activities you want to use the planning for your outdoor class will be smooth sailing! This is why I am a big fan of their lesson plans even if they are not organized on the website as user-friendly as they could be.

So to help you out check out below links to the lesson plans by subject area and included all the other ways that NWF groups their activities!

NameSubject areaGradeTopic
Area
Link
Controversy Over Wild CatsGeography, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies3-4, 5-8Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Controversy-Over-Wild-Cats-5-8.pdf
How Many Bison?Critical Thinking, Math, Science7-10Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/How-Many-Bison-7-10.pdf
Bison Mystery BoxLiterature, Science, Social StudiesK-3 & 4-8Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/BisonMysteryAct-Dec05.pdf
Build a Bat HouseArt, Math, Science2-8Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/buildbathouse.pdf
Bats: Maligned or Malicious?Presentation skills, Reading, Science, Social StudiesK-2, & 3-8Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/Bats-MalignedOrMalicious.pdf
Investigating Bat AdaptationsScience3-6Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/BatAdaptations.pdf
Night Friends(all the previous Bat Lessons in a packet with more background)  Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/Night-Friends.pdf
How do Polar Bears Stay Warm?Science2-6Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/HowPolarBearsStayWarm.pdf
What Color is a Polar BearCraft/Art (& Science if you include more background info about polar bear skin & fur)2-5Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WhatColorPolarBear.pdf
Where in the World is the Polar Bear?Geography4-6Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WhereIsPolarBear.pdf
Where do Polar Bears Live?Reading1-6Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WhereDoPolarBearsLive-ppieces.pdf
How Much do You Know About Polar Bears?Reading, Science4-6Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/DoYouKnowPolarBears.pdf
Tricky TracksArt, Reading, ScienceK-4Mammalshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Tricky-Tracks-K-4.pdf
Box Turtle InterviewReading, Science, Writing3-8Amphibians & Reptileshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Box-Turtle-Interview-3-8.pdf
Call of the WildMusic, ScienceK-4Amphibians & Reptileshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Call-of-the-Wild-K-4.pdf
Call of the WildScience5-8Amphibians & Reptileshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Call-of-the-Wild-5-8.pdf
Gator Hole GraphicsMath, Science6-7Amphibians & Reptileshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Gator-Hole-Graphics-6-7.pdf
Lizard LairScienceK-5? (Inferring no grade listed)Amphibians & Reptileshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/lizardlair.pdf
Massive MigrationsGeography, Math, ScienceK-4Birds and Butterflieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Massive-Migrations-Kto4.pdf
Massive MigrationsGeography, Math, Science5-8Birds and Butterflieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Massive-Migrations-5to8.pdf
Massive MigrationsGeography, Math, Science9-12Birds and Butterflieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Massive-Migrations-9to12.pdf
Pelican ActivitiesScience3-8Birds and Butterflieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Pelican-Activities.pdf
Fill the BillScienceK-2, 3-8Birds and Butterflieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/fillthebill.pdf
Butterfly Life CycleArt, History, ScienceK-2, 3-4Birds and Butterflieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/ButterflyLifeCycle.pdf
Science Fiction Fantasy & FactLanguage Arts, Science9-12Insects, spider, & invertebrateshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Science-Fiction-Fantasy-Fact-9-12.pdf
Soil DecomposersBiology, Math, ScienceK-4, 6-8Insects, spider, & invertebrateshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Soil-Decomposers-K-8.pdf
Spider SensationsScienceK-6Insects, spider, & invertebrateshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/SpiderSensations-Nov05.pdf
Create a FishArt, Science3-8Fishhttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Create-a-Fish-3-8.pdf
Fish & LaddersReading, Science, Writing5-8Fishhttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Fish-and-Ladders-5-8.pdf
Fish & LaddersReading, Science, Writing9-12Fishhttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Fish-and-Ladders-9-12.pdf
Prairie Chicken PageantArt, Drama, ScienceK-2, 4-8Endangered and At-Risk Specieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/PrairieChicken.pdf
Endangered Species: What & Where?Creative Arts, Geography, Language Arts, ScienceK-2, 3-8Endangered and At-Risk Specieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/EndangeredWhat-WhereFeb06.pdf
At-Risk SpeciesArt, History, Math, Science3-4, 5-8Endangered and At-Risk Specieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/AtRiskSpecies2.pdf
KWA Species CardsScience3-4, 5-8Endangered and At-Risk Specieshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/KWA-Species-Cards.pdf
Wonderful WhalesMusic, ScienceK-4Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Wonderful-Whales-K-4.pdf
Planning Your ResearchScience9-12Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Planning-Your-Research-9-12.pdf
Sea-Going Supermarket HikeScience5-8Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/Sea-goingSupermarketHike-NWF2011.pdf
Wheel-of-TroubleScience2-6Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Wheel-of-Trouble-2-6.pdf
Wheel-of-TroubleScienceK-2Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WheelOfTrouble-NWF2011.pdf
Horseshoe Crab FunArt, English, Math, Science3-8Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Horseshoe-Crab-Fun-3-8.pdf
Manatee EndangeredCivics, Science9-12Marine Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Manatee-Endangered-9-12.pdf
Pond LifeCivics, English, Math, Science, Technology9-12Variety of Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Pond-Life-9-12.pdf
Links in a Food ChainCreative arts, language arts, ScienceK-4Variety of Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Links-in-a-Food-Chain-K-4.pdf
Links in the Chain of LifeLanguage arts, science6-12Variety of Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/LInks-in-the-Chain-of-LIfe-6-12.pdf
Wildlife BurrowsGeography, math, science6-12Variety of Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Wildlife-Burrows-6-12.pdf
Who is Faster?Math, science, technology4-6Variety of Wildlifehttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/National-Wildlife-Week/2011/Who-Is-Faster-4-6.pdf
What’s Your Habitat?Art, Language Arts, ScienceK-4, 5-8Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/whatsyourhabitat2.pdf
Habitat for SaleLanguage Arts, ScienceK-2, 3-8Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/HabitatForSale-combined-Sept05.pdf
Sensory Discovery WalkScience, GeographyK-6Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/sensdiscwalk.pdf
Water Water EverywhereScience3-8Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WaterWaterEverywhere.pdf
Who can live here?Biology, Environmental Science, Geography9–12Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/whocanlivehere.pdf
Wind PowerArt, Science3-4, 5-8Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/windpower.pdf
Tree DetectivesScience3-6Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/tree_detectives.pdf
Woodland ChaseScience3-6Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WoodlandChaseAct-Oct05.pdf
Habitat HuntScience3-6Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/HabitatHunt.pdf
Habitat WebScienceK-6Habitatshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/HabitatWeb.pdf
Arctic Environment Background InformationLanguage Arts, Science, Social Studies, Arctichttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/ArcticEnvironment.pdf
Life in the Cold: Climate ChallengesLanguage Arts, Math, ScienceK-2, 3-5, 5-8Arctichttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/lifeincold.pdf
Summer Midnight SunGeography, Math, Physics, Science3-4, 5-8Arctichttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/SummerMidnightSun-Jan06.pdf
Where in the World is the Arctic?Language Arts, Geography, Math, ScienceK-2, 3-4, 5-8Arctichttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WhereinArctic.pdf
Plants and Animals of the ArcticCreative Arts, Physical Education, ScienceK-2, 3-4, 5-8Arctichttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/ArcticPlantsAnimals.pdf
Danger From Afar: Non-point Source Pollution and the Lake Superior BasinBiology, Chemistry, Geography, History, Language Arts, Math, Physics, Social Studies3-8Watershedshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/DangerFromAfar-NWF2011.pdf
Go With the FlowScience6-8Watershedshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/GoWithTheFlow-NWF2011.pdf
How Do You Feel About Water?Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies3-4, 5-8Watershedshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/HowDoYouFeelAboutWater-NWF2011.pdf
The Water CycleScience2-8Watershedshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/HowDoYouFeelAboutWater-NWF2011.pdf
Water, Water, Everywhere?Science, Social StudiesK-2, 3-4, 5-8Watershedshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WaterWaterEverywhere-NWF2011.pdf
Watershed Web: A Field TripNature Study, ScienceK-2, 3-4, 5-8Watershedshttps://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Be%20Out%20There/Schoolyard%20Habitats/WatershedWeb-NWF2011.pdf

Filed Under: Affordable Activities, Environmental Curriculum, Teacher Resources, Teaching Outdoors Tagged With: biology, Cross-curricular learning, curriculum, ecoschools, ecosystems, free activities, free lesson plans, free webinars, learning outdoors, lesson plans, National Wildlife Federation, outdoor activities, outdoor classroom, outdoor teaching, teacher resources, teaching about birds, teaching about ecosystems, teaching about habitat, teaching about wildlife, teaching outdoors, wildlife

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