Washington’s schoolyards are alive with possibilities, and with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s 2nd grade science unit, students can help pollinators thrive. Students explore pollinators and biodiversity with hands-on activities investigating key questions such as:
- What is biodiversity?
- How do plants make seeds?
- How do plant-animal relationships support the needs of plants and animals?
- How can we increase habitat and support biodiversity in our schoolyard?
Standards and activities
Students will compare two schoolyard habitats, conduct biodiversity surveys, and use real data to make plan to increase biodiversity. The unit culminates in a student-led project to bring more pollinators like bees and butterflies to their schoolyard. This unit is built on Next Generation Science Standards and also incorporates Common Core math and English Language Arts (ELA) standards and is available in both English and Spanish (coming soon).
Biodiversity and pollinators unit plan and materials (English)
- Washington biodiversity and pollinators 2nd grade unit (PDF)
- Lesson 1 slideshow (PPT)
- Lessons 2 and 3 slideshow (PPT)
- Lessons 4 and 5 slideshow (PPT)
- Lessons 6 and 7 slideshow (PPT)
- Lessons 8-10 slideshow (PPT)
- Pollinator research poster (PDF)
*Lesson plans include student sheets and interactive links
Biodiversity and pollinators unit plan and materials (Spanish)
- Coming Soon!
This unit builds on and expands the work of WDFW’s Habitat at Home program, which supports people through the creation, certification, and stewardship of wildlife habitat. By exploring how to create and steward wildlife habitats, students learn that even small actions can make a big difference for Washington’s plants and animals.