Lesson Plans

Use these Lesson Plans before, during, or after your zoo field trip, or to supplement your classroom activities. Questions? Contact the Zoo Education Department at 260-427-6808 or by e-mail.

Thanks to students at Ball State University for their help developing these materials.

By Grade Level

Click on a link below to download your lesson plan.

Pre-K

Animal Name Tags

Alphabet Cards- African Journey

Alphabet Cards- Family Farm

Alphabet Cards-Indonesian Rainforest

Alphabet Cards- Australia Adventure

Alphabet Cards-Central Zoo

A Honey Bee’s Job

Second Grade

Animal Cinquain

Aquarium Scavenger Hunt

Are Dinosaurs Really Extinct

Australia Reptile Observation

Barnyard Scavenger Hunt

Be a Zoo Detective

Butterfly Life Cycle

Create a Mini Rain Forest

Farming Charades

Guess the Animal

How Animals Move

I Used To Think

Identify a Grass Plant

Insect Window Stickers

Invent a Reptile

Journey to the Jungle

Keeping Penguins Dry

Let’s Make Butter

Life on the Farm

Lynx’s Behavior Bingo

Reptile Observation

Reptile Riddle Activity

Reptile Scavenger Hunt

Reticulated Giraffe (Video)

The Kangaroo Hop

Tracking Australian Animals

What Is A Reptile

World’s Oceans

Writing About Reptiles

Third Grade

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

Grass Grass Everywhere

Great Barrier Reef

Guess the Animal

How Animals Move

Identify a Grass Plant

Insect Window Stickers

Journey to the Jungle

Kangaroo Tracks

Koala Crossword

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Lynx’s Behavior Bingo

Orangutans Take Aim

Rain Forest Products

Reticulated Giraffe (Video)

Stories of the Sea

Swimming in the Sea

Take a Closer Look

The Kangaroo Hop

Tracking African Animals

Tracking Australian Animals

What Do You Think

Who Is in Great Danger

World’s Ocean

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

Africa Political Map

African Destination

African Monkey Business

African Journey Research

African Savannah Animal Research

Alike and Different

Be a Giraffe Watcher

Be a Giraffe Researcher

Be a Kangaroo Researcher

Create a Mini Grassland

Create a Mini Rain Forest

De Brazza’s vs Colobus Monkeys

Economics and the Environment

Extinction Is Forever

Fish for Dinner

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

Grow a Mini Savannah

Kangaroo’s Amazing Distance

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Marine Animal Research

Observing African Animals

Ocean Animal Research

Ocean Food Chain

Orangutans Take Aim

Predators and Prey on the Savannah

Prey’s Technique to Survival

Primate Study Sheet

Quick Frozen Critters

Rain Forest Products

Savannah Safari

Savannahs of the World

Sharks Myth vs. Truths (video )

Sharks vs. Fish

Summing up the African Journey

Take a Closer Look

Tropical Rain Forest Animal Research

Web of Life Game

What Do You Think

What is Diversity

Who Is in Great Danger

Whose Side Are you On

Eighth Grade

Africa Political Map

African Destination

African Savannah Animal Research

Be a Giraffe Watcher

Be a Giraffe Researcher

Be a Kangaroo Researcher

Create a Mini Rain Forest

Extinction Is Forever

Fish for Dinner

Observing African Animals

Predators and Prey on the Savannah

Savannahs of the World

Sharks Myth vs. Reality

Tropical Rain Forest Animal Research

What Do You Think

Whose Side Are you On

Ninth Grade & Above

Creature Feature

Fish for Dinner

Mammal Jeopardy

Name That Animal

By State Standard

Click on a link below to download your lesson plan.

ALS

Mammal Jeopardy

EL, ELA

Animal Cinquain

Name That Animal

M, MA

Kangaroo Kilometer Contest

SCI K

SCI K.1

Farming Charades

Let’s Make Butter

Let’s Make Ice Cream

SCI K.1.1

SCI K.3

Animal Authorities

Animal Parenting Skills

Changing and Growing

Farming Charades

Using Smell to Find Your Family

Zoo Scavenger Hunt

SCI K.3.2

SCI K.3.3

SCI 1

SCI 1.3.1

Animal Classification

At the Zoo I Saw

Be a Zoo Detective

Butterfly Life Cycle

Camouflaged Critters

Crazy Creatures

How Animals Move

Investigative Reporter

It’s a Rat..It’s a Pig..It’s a Bandicoot

Journey to the Jungle

Lynx’s Behavior Bingo

SCI 1.3.2

Life on the Farm

SCI 1.3.3

Butterfly Life Cycle

Crazy Creatures

Farming Charades

Life on the Farm

SCI 1.3.4

Journey to the Jungle

SCI 1.4.1

Let’s Make Butter

Let’s Make Ice Cream

SCI 3

SCI 3.2.4

Are Dinosaurs Really Extinct

SCI 3.2.5

Bluebird Habitat Game

Economics and the Environment

Grass Grass Everywhere

SCI 3.2.6

Economics and the Environment

Grass Grass Everywhere

SCI 3.3.1

Grass Grass Everywhere

Identify a Grass Plant

SCI 3.3.2

Create a Mini Rain Forest

Layers of Life Animal Chart

SCI 4

SCI 4.2.4

Rain Forest Products

SCI 4.2.5

Economics and the Environment

Rain Forest Products

SCI 4.2.6

Economics and the Environment

Rain Forest Products

What Do You Think

SCI 4.3.1

Be a Kangaroo Watcher

Observing Australian Animals

SCI 4.3.2

Animal Observation

Are Dinosaurs Really Extinct

Birds of a Feather

Koala Crossword

Platypus Crossword

Summing up the African Journey

The Zoo Restaurant

Those Pearly Whites

SCI 4.3.3

African Savannah Animal Research

Animal Observation

Animals Without Backbones

Be a Kangaroo Watcher

Birds of a Feather

Birds of the Indonesian Rain Forest

Camouflage Birds and Worms

Endangered Today Extinct Tomorrow

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

Great Barrier Reef

Guess the Animal

Insect Window Stickers

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Observing Australian Animals

Ocean Animal Research

Ocean Food Chain

Orangutans Take Aim

Photo of a Komodo

Primate Study Sheet

Primates of the Tropical Rain Forest

Quick Frozen Critters

Reticulated Giraffe

Savannah Safari

Sea Lion Surfing the Web

Summing up the African Veldt

Summing up the African Journey

Take a Closer Look

The Coyote and the Skunk

The Kangaroo Hop

The Zoo Restaurant

Those Pearly Whites

Tropical Rain Forest Animal Research

Which Fin is Used to Swim

Whose Footprints

SCI 4.3.4

Birds of a Feather

Camouflage Birds and Worms

Circles of Doubt

Pass Me By, Please

Reticulated Giraffe

Summing up the African Veldt

The Coyote and the Skunk

What Do You Think

Who Is in Great Danger

Whose Footprints

SCI 5

SCI 5.3.1

African Savannah Animal Research

Alike and Different

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Ocean Animal Research

Ocean Food Chain

Quick Frozen Critters

Web of Life Game

Yipes, Zebra Stripes

SCI 5.3.2

Create a Mini Rain Forest

SCI 6

SCI 6.3.1

Alike and Different

Create a Mini Grassland

Create a Mini Rain Forest

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Ocean Animal Research

Ocean Food Chain

Orangutans Take Aim

Quick Frozen Critters

Sharks Myth vs. Reality

Web of Life Game

SCI 6.3.2

Ocean Animal Research

Web of Life Game

SCI 6.3.3

Create a Mini Grassland

Create a Mini Rain Forest

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

Quick Frozen Critters

Web of Life Game

What is Diversity

SCI 6.3.4

Create a Mini Grassland

Create a Mini Rain Forest

SCI 6.3.5

African Savannah Animal Research

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Ocean Animal Research

Ocean Food Chain

Orangutans Take Aim

Predators and Prey on the Savannah

Savannah Safari

Tropical Rain Forest Animal Research

SCI 7

SCI 7.2.6

Create a Mini Grassland

SCI 7.3.6

Savannahs of the World

SCI 7.3.8

Savannahs of the World

SCI 7.3.10

Savannahs of the World

SCI 8

SCI B.8.2

Creature Feature

SS, VA

SS

Aboriginal Art

Africa Political Map

African Destination

Airplane Ticket

Aussie Magic Triangle

Extinction Is Forever

SS (cont.)

Fish for Dinner

Learning About Africa

Speaking ‘Strine

Whose Side Are you On

World’s Oceans

VA

By Subject

Click on a link below to download your lesson plan.

Aquatic

Alike and Different

Aquarium Scramble

Cartoon Creatures

Fish for Dinner

Ocean Animal Research

Ocean Food Chain

Sea Lion Surfing the Web

Shark’s Buoyancy

Sharks Myth vs. Reality

Sharks Myths vs. Truths

Sharks vs. Fish

Shark Teeth Identification

Swimming in the Sea (Video)

Which Fin is Used to Swim

World’s Oceans

Birds

Birds of a Feather

Birds of the Indonesian Rain Forest

Camouflage Birds and Worms

Classification / Identification

Animal Cinquain

Animal Classification

Animal Observation

Animals Without Backbones

Are Dinosaurs Really Extinct

At the Zoo I Saw

Be a Zoo Detective

Bluebird Habitat Game

Camouflaged Critters

Changing and Growing

Circles of Doubt

Crazy Creatures

Creature Feature

Guess the Animal

Investigative Reporter

Journey to the Jungle

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Mammal Jeopardy

Name That Animal

Pass Me By, Please

Primate Study Sheet

Primates of the Tropical Rain Forest

Reptile Riddle Activity

Sea Lion Body Parts

Take a Closer Look

The Zoo Restaurant

Those Pearly Whites

Using Smell to Find Your Family

Vertebrate Grab Game

What Is A Reptile

Which Animals Are Endangered

Who Is in Great Danger

Endangered Species

Economics and the Environment

Endangered Animal Word Find

Endangered Today Extinct Tomorrow

Extinction Is Forever

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

Tracking Wild Tigers

Tiger’s Leaping Ability

Orangutans Take Aim

Take a Closer Look

What Do You Think

Endangered Species Bumper Sticker

Hidden Tiger Art

Farm / Native Animals

Barnyard Scavenger Hunt

Bluebird Habitat Game

Bluebird Nest Box

Butterfly Life Cycle

Farming Charades

Let’s Make Butter

Let’s Make Ice Cream

Life on the Farm

The Coyote and the Skunk

Rainforests

Birds of the Indonesian Rain Forest

Create a Mini Rain Forest

Gibbons Gymnasts of the Forest

How Animals Move

Insect Window Stickers

Journey to the Jungle

Layers of Life Animal Chart

Orangutans Take Aim

Photo of a Komodo

Primates of the Tropical Rain Forest

Rain Forest Products

Tropical Rain Forest Animal Research

What is Diversity

Whose Side Are you On

Reptiles

I Used To Think

Invent a Reptile

Photo of a Komodo

Reptile Observation

Reptile Riddle Activity

Reptile Scavenger Hunt

What Is A Reptile

Writing About Reptiles

See All Programs