Middle School Life Science In-Class Programs

In-Class Programs for Middle School Life Science

These websites support the NGSS standards at this grade level and are labeled by the type of website that it is (Student or Teacher Background, Student Online Activities, Teacher Activities, Student or Teacher Videos).

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Provider Name	Resource Link	Provider Location	Abstract
Big Break Regional Shoreline	Naturalist in Class	Oakley	Can’t make it to Big Break? They'll come to you and bring Delta animals, plants, science, and history to life in your classroom.
CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento Region	Classroom Aquarium Education Project (CAEP)	Sacramento	The Classroom Aquarium Education Program (CAEP - also known as Trout-in the Classroom and Steelhead in the Classroom) is a community-based program which allows students to experience first hand the delicate balance needed for animals to survive in aquatic ecosystems. Using eggs provided by a hatchery, classes set-up and maintain an aquarium for the purpose of observing the development of fish from the eyed-egg stage until they become young fry. Students engage in course of study which supports the leaning experience across curriculum area. This program is run cooperatively by local schools, fishing clubs and government agencies.
CuriOdyssey	Wildlife Program: Thrive and Survive	San Mateo	Did you know that people and animals need the same resources in order to live? What if one or more of those resources were gone? How could this affect animals? People? Students will learn how changes to the environment can affect animals. They will also discover how animals react to pesticides and what can happen if non-native animals take over resources. In this program, we will explore how people can help conserve resources such as food, water and space to help animals survive. What small changes can we make in our daily lives to help conserve and protect the natural resources we all share?
CuriOdyssey	Wildlife Program: Animal Super Powers	San Mateo	What if you could breathe under water, run faster, blend into your surroundings or fly? How could these skills help you? There are many animals that have their very own “super power”…..they have adaptations. Students will learn what adaptations are and how animals can use them to survive.
CuriOdyssey	Wildlife Program: What's on the Menu?	San Mateo	Did you know that animals eat different things? Animals are able to eat certain foods based on where they live and what they look like (their body). Students will learn about tooth structure, habitats and adaptations of herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, decomposers and experience a live animal feeding.
CuriOdyssey	Wildlife Program: Animal Connections	San Mateo	Meet animal ambassadors from CuriOdyssey and make special connections through a variety of learning methods. This program is designed to fit and support a variety of cognitive and developmental needs. Please contact the Programs Animal Keeper for more information on how we can construct this program to fit the needs of your group.
CuriOdyssey	Wildlife Program: Here, There, Habitats are Everywhere	San Mateo	Could you live in the desert, tundra or both? Did you know that most animals can live in one or two types of habitats? In this program, we will learn how animals are equipped for different environments such as the heat of the desert, shadows of the forest, underground and in your backyard. Students will make a connection between the type of habitat and the adaptations needed to live there.
CuriOdyssey	Wildlife Program: Catch Me if You Can	San Mateo	Have you ever played tag? How did you stay away from the person who was “it”? Did you hide or run very fast? In nature, animals have to be on the look out for predators – survival is the goal! Learn how animals keep themselves alive and how they defend themselves.
Diablo Valley Fly Fishermen	Trout in the Classroom		Trout in the Classroom, now know as the Classroom Aquarium Education Program (CAEP) in California (encompassing Trout in the Classroom, Steelhead in the Classroom, Salmonids in the Classroom, and the Salmon and Trout Education Program) is a relatively simple program and has been a huge success so far. Basically, teachers set up an aquarium and incubate trout eggs in their classroom, under the guidance of a Trout in the Classroom coordinator. Together, they ensure that all of the equipment has been purchased and is assembled by January. The teacher and students are responsible for daily maintenance and observation of the eggs, while the coordinator is responsible for obtaining permits and delivering the eggs. The final result is an aquarium full of trout fry that is released into a pre-approved body of water during a class field trip. Trout in the Classroom is an extremely rewarding program for everybody involved, whether student, teacher, or mentor.
East Bay Regional Park District	Mobile Visitor Center	Oakland	Imagine a “closet on wheels,” filled with materials for teaching any range of nature-related topics. And it even comes with a professional nature educator! Groups of up to 30 students at a time engage in topics including: ~ Watersheds ~ Local Mammals ~ Reptiles and Amphibians
Greater Farallones Association	Sharkmobile	San Francisco	The Sharkmobile is a free one-hour classroom program that explores the biology of sharks from around the world. Discover the unique adaptations, diverse forms and lives of sharks through hands-on artifacts and activities. Students will discuss shark myths and use their observation skills in a classification exercise.
Greater Farallones Association	Germs in Our Waters Infecting Our Otters	San Francisco	Bring the biology of pathogens and how they affect marine mammals to your 5th-7th grade class! Students will learn about sea otter ecology, the importance of coastal wetland restoration and how pathogens affect all marine mammals. Through interactive games, activities and specimens this program will engage your class in fascinating germy science! Group size: minimum 12, maximum 32. Length: 60 minutes.
Greater Farallones Association	Ocean Acidification: A Sea of Change	San Francisco	Your students can explore the emerging science of ocean acidification right in your middle school or high school classroom. Students will observe live plankton samples and learn how increasing acidity affects ocean food webs and larval stages of organisms. This program will introduce your class to the process behind the changing chemistry and biology of the earth's oceans. Group size: minimum 12, maximum 32. Length: 60 minutes.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo	Hand Me Down Genes	San Jose	Nature and nurture – parents and the environment determine how life grows. Environmental & genetic factors influence species growth Vocabulary: Genetic factors/Environmental factors/Climate change/Hybrid
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo	Animal Attraction	San Jose	When it comes to a mate, animals also look for the best-dressed dancer. Plants & animals use reproductive success strategies to continue their “family tree” Attractive appearances & beneficial behaviors Vocabulary: Reproductive success/Resource availability
Junior Center of Art and Science	Animal Adventures	Oakland	Reptiles and/or invertebrates come to your classroom for a lesson centered on habitats, adaptations, fun facts and more. Meet snakes, geckos, tortoises, millipedes, cockroaches, hermit crabs and spiders!
Kids for the Bay	School Wide Creek Education Program	Berkeley	KftB works with the school community to adopt, clean up, and restore a local creek habitat. The creek becomes an outdoor classroom for hands-on learning and environmental stewardship. Students learn about their connection to their local creek and discover reasons to care for their creek watershed. School-Wide Programs are a partnership between KIDS for the BAY and the entire elementary school, including the principal, teachers, students, and students’ families. These long-term, in-depth programs engage each grade level in environmental science and action while providing professional development in science education for each classroom teacher. KftB also provides curriculum, training, and an equipment resource center for the school to continue the program in future years. The lessons and activities for each grade level are directly tied to many California State Content Standards in science, language arts, social studies, and math. After a three year period of support for the school, the principal, teachers, students, parents and community partners continue the program independently as a completely integrated part of their school curriculum and culture.
Kids for the Bay	Bay Estuary Classroom Workshops	Berkeley	Bay Estuary Classroom Workshops bring the San Francisco Bay Estuary to life in your classroom! Students will investigate real animals and plants that live in the Bay, create a three-dimensional bay model, and study bay geography. Students will also participate in hands-on science experiments and activities to learn about estuaries, food chains, and bay organisms. Classroom Workshops are three hours of hands-on instruction in your classroom or school science laboratory
Kids for the Bay	School Wide Watershed Action Program	Berkeley	KftB partners with a school for three years to engage the school community in connecting with their local watershed, inspiring the protection and restoration of their watershed, and increasing academic achievement. Students learn about their personal connections with their local creek, San Francisco Bay, and ocean watersheds and the local National Marine Sanctuaries through classroom lessons and field trips. Each class also implements action projects that positively impact the health of their watershed. Our School-Wide Programs are a partnership between KIDS for the BAY and the entire elementary school, including the principal, teachers, students, and students’ families. These long-term, in-depth programs engage each grade level in environmental science and action while providing professional development in science education for each classroom teacher. KftB also provides curriculum, training, and an equipment resource center for the school to continue the program in future years. The lessons and activities for each grade level are directly tied to many California State Content Standards in science, language arts, social studies, and math. After a three year period of support for the school, the principal, teachers, students, parents and community partners continue the program independently as a completely integrated part of their school curriculum and culture.
Kids for the Bay	School Wide Urban Wilderness Classroom Program	Berkeley	KftB works with every teacher and every class of students at a school to design, create, study and maintain the Urban Wilderness Classroom, an outdoor wilderness habitat located on the school campus. Working with KftB, each grade level is responsible for the design of a different habitat of the wilderness. Once the wilderness is developed, KIDS for the BAY leads lessons for each class to study the various habitats of the wilderness and to cultivate and maintain them. School-Wide Programs are a partnership between KIDS for the BAY and the entire elementary school, including the principal, teachers, students, and students’ families. These long-term, in-depth programs engage each grade level in environmental science and action while providing professional development in science education for each classroom teacher. KftB also provides curriculum, training, and an equipment resource center for the school to continue the program in future years. The lessons and activities for each grade level are directly tied to many California State Content Standards in science, language arts, social studies, and math. After a three year period of support for the school, the principal, teachers, students, parents and community partners continue the program independently as a completely integrated part of their school curriculum and culture.
Kids for the Bay	Environmental Action Projects	Berkeley	Environmental Action Projects provide the exciting, empowering opportunity for teachers and students to take action to help solve environmental problems in their communities. Each project includes engaging hands-on activities that focus on a particular environmental problem and the solutions to that problem. Each Environmental Action Project is three hours of instruction and action. Environmental Action Project options: ? Reducing Plastic Marine Debris – School Campus Clean-Up ? Reducing Plastic Marine Debris – No Waste Lunches ? Our Watershed and Water Conservation ? Environmentally Safe Pesticides ? Safe Bay Food Consumption ? Ocean Acidification and Energy Conservation ? Creek Restoration ? Creek Water Quality Testing ? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot
Kids for the Bay	Watershed Rangers Program	Berkeley	In the Watershed Rangers Program, students will learn about the importance of the San Francisco Bay watershed and how we can all play a part in keeping it clean and healthy. In this exciting, hands-on program, students will take direct action to prevent storm drain pollution and divert our solid waste stream through reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Marine Science Institute	Inland Voyages-Marine Habitats	Redwood City	Each hands-on program examines different habitats by showcasing the unique adaptations of the marine animals that live in each. Students work with live marine animals and plants, marine artifacts, and identification keys. These habitats are those commonly found in the San Francisco Bay surrounding areas.The following is a description of the different Marine Habitat Inland Voyages that are currently offered: Rocky Intertidal Habitat - how tidepool animals move, eat and protect themselves. Sandy Beach - how Sandy Beach animals are adapted to survive above and below the sand. Marshes & Mudflats - fish and invertebrates commonly found in the local marshes and mudflats. Kelp Forests - the kelp forest food web and human uses of kelp. Open Ocean - the larger, pelagic animals that live away from the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Marine Science Institute	Inland Voyages-Bay Fish	Redwood City	Two stations: Sharks and Bony Fish. Students will analyze the feeding habits, adaptations, locomotion, and predator/prey relationships of leopard sharks, halibut, perch, gobies, and other fish species through hands-on discovery. Students are introduced to their estuarine neighbors; more advanced groups study classification, anatomy, and physiology. Program topics can be tailored to your group. An Educator's Guide is provided.
Marine Science Institute	Inland Voyages-Bay and Ocean Invertebrates	Redwood City	How do so many creatures survive in rocky tidepools along the coast? What animals actually thrive in the muddy bottom of the Bay? How do the Bay invertebrates differ from their saltier cousins? The answers will be found in a close-up examination of crabs, anemones, clams, sea stars, urchins, and many others. Feeding and reproductive strategies and more advanced concepts can also be included. Program topics can be tailored specifically for your group. An Educator's Guide is provided.
Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association	Community Education Programs	Pleasant Hill	Hoping to know honey bees better? The Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association (MDBA) can help you! We offer the public information booths for large events, and presentations for schools and organizations. Our engaging beekeepers use hands-on materials, photographs, observation hives, and can livestream from their honeybee yards!
Planet Bee	Bee Series & One Day Lessons	San Francisco	Bring live bees to the classroom & give students the experience of a lifetime! When a student has the opportunity to see bees up close, curiosity sparks, fear fades, and gardens become ecological playgrounds. Our hands-on, play-based E-STEM lessons are available as comprehensive series and as individual one-day lessons. Our dynamic classroom program now incorporates a citizen science component, an online teacher’s portal with support lessons, and a donation of native bee house materials for students. All of our lessons are taught by experienced educators and/or certified teachers onsite, and are in line with the Next Generation Science Standards. Sliding scale
Point Blue Conservation Science	STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed)	Stinson Beach	STRAW provides classroom and field programs, aligned with science standards, preparing students to restore streams and wetlands. Teachers are provided annual training events and given resources and technical support to integrate watershed science into their classroom year-round.
Roots and Shoots	Roots and Shoots Service Learning Projects	Berkley	Roots and Shoots helps your classroom improve the environment by supporting groups that are doing service learning projects. You can start your own projects or join existing projects in your area.
San Francisco Zoo	ZooMobile: Habitats	San Francisco	Children will be able to compare life in the desert, the rain forest, and the Bay Area. They will get a first-hand look at some of the animals of these regions and their adaptations for survival.
San Francisco Zoo	ZooMobile: The Food Web	San Francisco	This lesson explores food chains, the interdependence of plants and animals, predator/prey relationships and the difference between living and non-living things.
San Francisco Zoo	ZooMobile: Shifting the Balance	San Francisco	This lesson explores the effect that altering nature’s delicate balance has on wildlife populations. Issues addressed include the pet trade, misunderstood animals, introduced species, and habitat destruction. Students will learn how they can help save habitats every day.
San Francisco Zoo	ZooMobile: Birds Form and Function	San Francisco	Students will be able to see five different birds that have very different lifestyles. The children will learn about feeding strategies, anatomy, and specific adaptations for survival of this diverse group of animals. No hands-on component.
San Francisco Zoo	ZooMobile: The Evolving Reptiles	San Francisco	Reptiles have been on the earth for hundreds of millions of years. Two hundred and thirty million years ago, there were 20 distinct orders of these scaly creatures. Now, there are only four. Learn how these survivors make their way in the modern world.
SaveNature.org	Owl Pellet Discovery	San Francisco	Learn how to be a bone detective while examining how a barn owl digests their prey, or don’t digest their prey. Discover what’s for dinner.
SaveNature.org	Squid Science Dissection	San Francisco	Explore what makes a squid so amazing! How they swim, navigate, defend themselves and hunt. Learn about their anatomy and how an animal’s body is designed for success in the ocean.
SaveNature.org	Insect Discovery Lab	San Francisco	Each presentation includes hands-on experience with live animals and observation time with live and preserved materials. Children will learn how to identify insects and their arthropod relatives, touch amazing arthropod ambassadors, see how insects defend themselves, and discovery their incredible diversity. Students explore the fantastic lives of beetles, millipedes, grasshoppers, walking sticks, whip scorpions, and more. The Insect Discovery Lab immerses students in the extraordinarily diverse world of insects and other arthropods and teaches about their key role in the web of life. Scientific observation, insect identification, and the natural history of bugs' lives are just some of the areas of focus of this program. Classes will receive pre and post visit materials including fact sheets, activity sheets, resource sheets and conservation action guides. Programs are 45-50 minutes long.
Suisun Marsh Natural History Association	Suisun Marsh Special Feature In-Class Presentations	Suisun	Choose from many in-class presentation options: • Wildlife Rehabilitation: A presentation covering the rehabilitation efforts of the Suisun Wildlife Center, including an up-close look at some non-releasable wildlife. (30 minute presentation - $ 75 (suitable for pre-school), 45 minutes - $85, 60 minutes - $100, Assembly Presentation - $200) • Reptiles: A look at some native California reptiles combined with a pictorial view of their natural history as well as other North American reptiles. ($100 / 60 minutes. Slide show, Interpreter and Reptile presentation.) • Owls - Silent Hunters of the Night: A audio-visual presentation covering various species of owls and their night calls, including an up close look at some non-releasable local owls. ($100 / 60 minutes. Slide show, Interpreter and non-releasable Owl presentation)
The Gardens at Heather Farms	Food Webs	Walnut Creek	Living things need energy for everything they do, but the source of that energy can vary. Using local habitats, students will learn about producers and consumers. Starting with the sun, the transfer of energy will be demonstrated. With the help of plants, animals, and decomposers, students will construct their own food webs. We will also review the impact on the habitat if one organism disappears.
The Gardens at Heather Farms	The Power of Plants	Walnut Creek	Students learn about the parts of a plant and their functions. We will discuss what plants need to survive and why pollinators and wind are so important to plant reproduction. Students work together to dissect a plant and see the parts up close. They learn and identify each part of a seed and its function.
The Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project	Salmon and Trout Education Program (STEP)	Davenport	In early February each year the STEP team trains new teachers to present the curriculum to their students. The two-day weekend workshop has one day in the field and in the creek studying the salmon habitat. After taking the training the teachers are qualified to apply to MBSTP for eggs to incubate. The incubation experience has had a very high success rate over the 35-year history. Not only are the kids inspired, but greater than 95% of the eggs hatch and the resulting fry are successfully released into their native habitat.
Tilden Nature Area-Tilden Regional Park	Naturalist visit to your classroom!	Berkeley	Can’t make it to the park? We’ll come to you! Program topics include: reptiles, spiders, Native American Lifestyles and more!
UC Botanical Garden	In-School Program:	Berkeley	Docents can travel to nearby school for in-person presentations with limited availability. Please inquire with the Volunteer & Tour Scheduler (gardentours@berkeley.edu) for more information.
Whitney Lab - Science Education Outreach	Whitney Lab Outreach - Vision & Perception	Berkely	Whitney Lab Outreach provides your high school students with dynamic and informative presentations about perception and vision science. Our goal is to spark your students' interest in scientific research and its application to everyday life and art. We are a group of research scientists from the University of California who study vision. For this outreach program, we offer complimentary, condensed, and up-to-date teaching lessons so that students of all ages can experience their own vision with an understanding of how the brain is involved in the process - without being overly technical. By presenting visual illusions and hands-on demos, we make visual neuroscience accessible and available to a new generation of students who might not get this information until they are in college. Additionally, we will provide your school with access to various resources so you will have a successful vision day for years to come! We hope to visit your high school soon.
Wildcare	Nature Van- Birds	San Rafael	Nature Van programs bring the field trip to the classroom. Guided by professional science educators, the Nature Van teaches students about animal characteristics, adaptations, and food webs — all without leaving school. Presentations are designed for a single classroom; this is not a multi-class assembly program. Pre-K and Kindergarten programs last 45 minutes. Programs for 1st through 5th grades last sixty minutes, although shorter presentations are available upon request. Strap on your wings and soar into the world of hummingbirds and eagles. Explore the vast array of bird adaptations, from feathers to beaks to feet
Wildcare	Nature Van: Going Green	San Rafael	Let local wildlife teach you simple ways to help preserve our planet. Investigate the issues affecting wildlife and learn simple ways that you can make a difference. It’s easy being green!
Wildcare	Nature Van-Ocean Adventures	San Rafael	Nature Van programs bring the field trip to the classroom. Guided by professional science educators, the Nature Van teaches students about animal characteristics, adaptations, and food webs — all without leaving school. Presentations are designed for a single classroom; this is not a multi-class assembly program. Pre-K and Kindergarten programs last 45 minutes. Programs for 1st through 5th grades last sixty minutes, although shorter presentations are available upon request. Young oceanographers meet the diversity of wildlife that inhabits the ocean and learn about the amazing adaptations that ocean animals have to survive in the cold, watery environment. On an imaginary trip they explore intertidal pools, open ocean, kelp forests, sandy beaches and estuarine habitats.
Wildcare	Nature Van- Wild Wetlands	San Rafael	Nature Van programs bring the field trip to the classroom. Guided by professional science educators, the Nature Van teaches students about animal characteristics, adaptations, and food webs — all without leaving school. Presentations are designed for a single classroom; this is not a multi-class assembly program. Pre-K and Kindergarten programs last 45 minutes. Programs for 1st through 5th grades last sixty minutes, although shorter presentations are available upon request. Where have all our wetlands gone? Don your detective's hat to scour this vanishing habitat and discover how it acts as a restaurant, hotel, nursery and a filter for so many local creatures (including us). As you investigate this dynamic habitat you will realize why Salt Marsh Harvest Mice and Pickleweed are worth preserving.
Wildcare	Nature Van-Mammals	San Rafael	Nature Van programs bring the field trip to the classroom. Guided by professional science educators, the Nature Van teaches students about animal characteristics, adaptations, and food webs — all without leaving school. Presentations are designed for a single classroom; this is not a multi-class assembly program. Pre-K and Kindergarten programs last 45 minutes. Programs for 1st through 5th grades last sixty minutes, although shorter presentations are available upon request. Delve into the world of marsupials, mustelids, felines, canines, and rodents. Discover what makes a mammal a mammal and why humans are included in this amazing group.
Wildcare	Nature Van - California Wildlife	San Rafael	In "California Wildlife," uncover the diversity of California’s wildlife and the way our native animals have adapted to their habitat as we examine predator-prey relationships, defense strategies and the natural history of mammal, birds, and reptiles that are our wild neighbors. Nature Van programs bring the field trip to the classroom. Guided by professional science educators, the Nature Van teaches students about animal characteristics, adaptations, and food webs — all without leaving school. Presentations are designed for a single classroom; this is not a multi-class assembly program. Pre-K and Kindergarten programs last 45 minutes. Programs for 1st through 5th grades last sixty minutes, although shorter presentations are available upon request.