Life Sciences Academic Content Standards

See also: Live Animal Programs

Gallery Program
Animals and Their Senses – for grades K-2  (program length: 60 minutes)
Do people and animals use their five senses for the same reasons? We'll explore what senses are used by animals to find food and survive in the wild.
Grade K: 5; ScI: 4
Grade 1: 1, 3
Grade 2: 1, 4, 5, 6

Gallery Program
Who's Home in Ohio Habitats – for grades 2 & 3 (program length: 60 minutes)
Study the diversity and connection between plant and animal habitats in Ohio. If weather permits, the class will visit our Perkins Wildlife Center and the Environmental Courtyard to see live plants and animals in representative natural habitats.
Grade 2: 7, 8, 9
Grade 3: 2, 3, 6

Hands-on Workshop
Insect Exploration – for grades 1-3 (program length: 90 minutes)
Examine models and specimens of insectos to learn more about their life cycles, bodies, and adaptations. Compare that information to the human body. What is different? What is the same?
Grade 1: 1, 3, 4, 5
Grade 2: 2, 6, 8; ScI: 6, 10
Grade 3: 1, 2, 3

Gallery Program
The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs – for grades K-2 (program length: 60 minutes)
Uncover the fascinating world of dinosaurs and discover how their body structures allowed them to fill their basic needs and survive.
K: 2, 5; S&T: 1; ScI: 4, 8
Grade 1: 1, 3, 4; Social Studies: Hist: 3
Grade 2: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
*for additional programs on Dinosaurs, check out Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries

Gallery Program
Plants and Animals – for grades K-2 (program length: 60 minutes)
Examine the basic needs of plants and animals. Learn how they find food and survive in different environments.
K: 4, 5, 6; S&T: 1; ScWK: 3
Grade 1: 1, 3, 4, 5; E&S: 3
Grade 2: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Gallery Program
Fossils: Clues to the Past – for grades 3-5 (program length: 90 minutes)
What was the environment like long ago? What adaptations allowed animals and plants to survive in a secific environment? We will examine a variety of fossils and figure out what the world looked like in the past. 
Grade 3: 2, 3, 4, 5

Hands-on Workshop
The World of Fossils  – for grades 3-6 (program length: 2 hours)
Investigate fossil collections in one of our classrooms and learn how they can be used as clues to past environments. What traits or characteristics fo the fossils share? Then explore the galleries to determine the time period for each group of fossils.
Grade 3: 2, 3, 4, 5; ScI: 5, 6; ScWK: 2
Grade 4: 4; ScWK: 1
Grade 5: 3, 4; Social Studies: Hist: 1

Gallery Program
Ecosystems – for grades 5-7 (program length: 90 minutes)
Find out how ecosystems change both physically and biologically, and what effect those changes have on their inhabitants. We'll look at a variety of ecosystems to see how organisms survive in them.
Grade 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; S&T: 1, 3
Grade 7: 3, 4, 5, 6

Gallery Program
Impact on the Environment – for grades 5-7 (program length: 90 minutes)
Study the effects of human activity on the environment. How have humans impacted weather patterns, water flow, and more?
Grade 5: 6; E&S: 5, 6; S&T: 1, 3; Social Studies: Geog: 9
Grade 6: 8; Phys: 5, 6, 7, 8; S&T: 2; Social Studies: Geog: 7
Grade 7: 4, 6; E&S: 2, 4; S&T: 2

Hands-on Workshop
Six Kingdoms – for grades 7 & 8 (program length: 2 hours)
How can we organize the diversity of life on Earth? From bacteria to plants and animals, examples will be displayed for perusal, evaluation and discussion. Discover empires, domains, kingdoms and the most important rank, phyla.
Grade 7: 1, 8

Hands-on Workshop
Cell Science – for grades 5-7 (program length: 2 hours)
Students will identify the basic characteristics of plant and animal cells and differentiate various tissues using models, microscopes, and other resources. Instruction on the use of microscopes will be included, with no more than three students per microscope.
Grade 6: 1, 2, 3; ScI: 2, 3, 4; ScWK: 1, 2, 3, 4
Grade 7: 1

Gallery Program
Prehistoric People – for grades 4-10 (program length: 90 minutes) (also available via Distance Learning.)
Follow the development of modern humans using information from hominid fossils and clues from living primates.
Grade 8: 4, 5
Grade 10: 22, 23, 24

Gallery Program
Evolution – for grades 7-11 (program length: 90 minutes) (also available via Distance Learning.)
Investigate the great diversity of vertebrates. Discover which traits allowed each vertebrate group to thrive and how vertebrate classes evolved over time.
Grade 8: 3, 4, 5
Grade 10: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25; ScWK 3

Gallery Program
Humans: A Field Guide — for grades 6-8 and 9-12 (program length: 90 minutes)
Explore some of the adaptations that make us different from other primates and the health effects that plague us. We will discuss bipedalism, food-sharing, language, “race” and the role of genes in our differences and shared inheritance.
Grade 6: L: 7; ScI: 3; Hist: 3; People: 1
Grade 7: L: 8
Grade 8: L: 2, 3, 4; ScWK: 2
Grade 6-8: H: 1.8.4, 1.8.5, 1.8.8, 1.8.9
Grade 10: L: 5, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 21, 24; ScWK: 2, 3, 5, 6
Grade 11: L: 10; S&T: 4
Grade 12: L: 5, 6, 7; S&T: 3, 4
Grade 9-12: H: 1.12.4, 1.12.5, 1.12.8, 1.12.9, 4.12.1, 7.12.1

Science Standards:
E&S:Earth and Space Sciences
L:Life Sciences
Phys:Physical Sciences
S&T:Science and Technology
ScI:Scientific Inquiry
ScWK:Scientific Ways of Knowing 
Social Studies Standards:
Hist:History
People:People in Societies
Geog:Geography
Sk&M:SocialStudies Skills and Methods