Education: Curriculum, Classroom Kits, Activities

Curriculum

Environment’s Got Talent!  (Grades 2–6)
From frozen poles to humid rain forests, our extraordinary world is full of incredible features and astonishing creatures. Discover amazing animal abilities and gather unique insights about the environment.

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Conserving San Diego's Habitats! (Grades 6–12)
San Diego's wild lands are a rich tapestry of life woven from many different habitats. Learn about our efforts to conserve local wildlife and their habitats—from coast to desert—in this beautifully enhanced update. Meet our researchers, and discover their encouraging stories as they rehabilitate our native animals and restore plant communities. Download the pdf version or stop by the Zoo's Education office to pick up your free copy.

Welcome to The Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo!
The San Diego Zoo strives to connect people to wildlife and conservation. The materials contained in this packet have all been specifically designed to prepare students for their visit to Elephant Odyssey. Everything we do is aligned to California State Science Standards. We support your classroom studies in all curriculum areas: science, language arts, social studies, and math. If you plan your own tour of the Zoo, use the free self-guided materials we provide when you make your reservation to ensure the optimal experience. It is our hope that you and your students will come away from your visit with a newfound understanding of the unique creatures that once called Southern California home and of their descendents, now found all over the world.
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Eco-Heroes! (Grades 3–5)
We encourage you and your students to become champions of the Earth through easy action steps. We've included key points to help students better understand global warming and a great collection of online resources to teach us all how simple changes in our daily activities can help keep animals' habitats healthy.
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Koala Pouch Pack (Grades Preschool–12)

Meet the koala. For centuries these little, sleepy, fuzzy, gray marsupials have intrigued children worldwide. Today, very real threats face the iconic eucalyptus forest denizen. Discover the secrets of the koala! The koala curriculum is an interdisciplinary learning resource that allows pre-school through high school students an opportunity to engage in hands-on, koala-centric activities. This curriculum is in line with National Science Content Standards and provides authentic learning experiences in the classroom as well as at the Zoo. Students gain a greater understanding of the renowned Australian koala, as well as a deeper appreciation for the wildlife in their own backyards.

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Preschool & Kindergarten: Similarities and Differences
Grade 1: What do koalas need to survive?
Grade 2: The koala life cycle
Grade 3: Koala adaptations
Grade 4: Where are koalas in the food chain?
Grade 5: Investigation and Experimentation
Grade 6–12: How would you design a koala exhibit?
Glossary of Terms
Teacher and Chaperone Checklist

Andros Iguana (Grades 5–7)

The Andros iguana Cyclura cychlura cychlura is the largest native land animal on Andros Island, Bahamas. Like many of its Caribbean rock iguana kin, this large lizard is endangered. The iguanas' primary threats are cats that eat juveniles, dogs that kill adults, and hogs that destroy the termite mounds that the females use as their nest. More info...

Stream Team Stewards (Grades 3–5)
Explore your watershed and help it stay clean for you and wildlife. Watershed is the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, wetland, or even the ocean. Everyone lives in a watershed system! With our Stream Team Stewards curriculum, you can help your students gain a better understanding of the function of a watershed. Discover actions you and your students can take to protect our watershed and the animals that make the water their home. More info…

Bornean Nightlife: Journal Reading and Wildlife Search*
(Grades 4–6)

The Bornean rain forest is the second largest in the world. It is full of fantastic creatures like moths the size of birds and wild cats that hunt in trees. The San Diego Zoo’s Lost Forest displays a number of animals from the Bornean rain forest. Whether students go to see the animals at the San Diego Zoo or not, this activity introduces them to some new animals in these amazing rain forests.
*Some materials are bilingual.
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The Lifestyle of the Komodo Dragon (Grades 4–6)

For teachers of 4th to 6th grade students, we have developed a set of activities that help students learn more about Komodo dragons and what they can do to help.
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Buddies or Siblings? Determining Relatedness in Anegada Iguanas (Grades 9–12)

This lesson helps introduce science students to methods for examining microsatellites to determine relatedness. Download lesson in PDF format here.
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San Diego's Habitats

Download this curriculum that describes the variety of wildlife and habitats found in San Diego County.
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Step Up to Conservation (Grades 6–9)

Five action steps (or toes!) show students how they can make a smaller “footprint ” on Earth.
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Butterflies (Grades 2–7)

Explore butterflies and their role in conservation.
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Classroom

Zoo Kits (Grades K–12):

Teacher-friendly science kits to use in your San Diego-area classroom. Reserve and pick up from the San Diego Zoo. More info...

Activities for your classroom

California Condors (Grades 5–12)

Turn the release of these endangered birds back into the wild into a learning opportunity for your students.

Conservation Cootie Catcher (Grades 3–6)

Kids can learn some conservation tips while having fun!
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The Nose Knows (Grades K–3)

This student participation activity helps demonstrate how animals use their sense of smell to survive in the wild. (Adapted from an activity in the Classroom Kits.)

Animal Magazine Activities (Grades K–6)

Once you've read magazines such as the San Diego Zoo's ZOONOOZ, National Wildlife, and Audubon, don't just throw them in the recycling bin! Here are three great projects using the animal pictures in these publications in fun and educational ways.

Who Am I? (Grade 2)

This teacher-submitted activity encourages children to ask good, meaningful questions to identify animals that may be seen or have been seen on a visit to the Zoo or Park. Teaches some basic taxonomy (grouping) of different animal groups.

Tree of Life (Grades 3–6)

Combine language arts with science with this activity. Lynne Cherry's book The Great Kapok Tree leads to discussion about the animals and plants of tropical rain forests.

Animal Word Play (Grades 5–12)

Here are some fun activities using the names we give to groups of animals. Your gaggle of geese will love learning all the different names.

Biodiversity Activities (Grades 9–12)

Looking for a fun activity for your class that teaches the value of various species? This plan gives step-by-step instructions and a handout for students to use during the exercise.