Life Science Teaching Resources
Take your students on a life science adventure with hundreds of teacher-created printable worksheets, digital activities and more resources designed to save you time on your lesson planning!
Bring living organisms to the surface, break down the life cycles of plants and animals and teach your students how and why we classify living things with fun and engaging activities created by teachers who have been in classrooms just like yours. Aligned with the NGSS curriculum, resources in this collection have all undergone careful review by an expert science teacher on the Teach Starter team to ensure they're ready for your lesson plans and your students.
Whether you're teaching life science for the first time or just need a quick refresher on some of the major vocabulary so you have it at the tip of your tongue for teaching, we've got you covered. Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Life Science and Why Do We Teach It?
We have to start somewhere, so why not start with a simple definition of life science?
Life science is the study of living organisms — including plants, animals and humans. We teach this branch of science in elementary and middle school to help our students understand the diversity, complexity and interdependence of life on Earth.
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Louis Pasteur and Jonas Salk - Famous Scientists Comprehension Pack
Introduce your students to the groundbreaking work of Louis Pasteur and Jonas Salk with a comparative reading passage and comprehension questions.
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Animal Classification Posters
Display information about birds, mammals, amphibians, fish, and reptiles with this poster pack.
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Parts of a Flower Printable Vocabulary Cards
Print a set of 24 vocabulary cards covering parts of a flower for your word wall.
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Animal Classification Sort
Determine if an animal is an amphibian, reptile, mammal, or bird with this sorting activity.
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World Biomes Map
Locate and explore the different biomes of the world with this engaging classroom poster.
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Dinosaur Words - Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Fifty-four dinosaur-related terms for a word wall.
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Deciduous Forest Biome Slide Deck
An 11-slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about deciduous forests.
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Forest Food Chain – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a forest food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Insect Investigation - Research Task
Explore insect life cycles and food chains with this research task.
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Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores – Sorting Activity
Determine if animals are omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores based on their diet with this sorting activity.
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In the Arctic - Free Decodable Book
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about life in the Arctic with a printable book for 2nd grade.
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Reindeer Research Guide - Mini Workbook
Research all about reindeer and use this guided research template to organize student learning.
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Reindeer Research - Instructional Slide Deck
Use an animated instructional slide deck to guide your students through a reindeer research project!
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The Life Cycle of a Turkey - Printable Thanksgiving Activities
Celebrate Thanksgiving while you organize, record, and display information about the life cycle of a turkey with these activity templates.
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Food Chains & Food Webs – Vocabulary Booklet
Reinforce science vocabulary by creating a booklet to reference when studying food chains and food webs.
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Food Chains & Food Webs – Vocabulary Posters
Display this set of science vocabulary posters in your classroom when learning about food chains and food webs.
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Label a Turkey Worksheet
Bring Tom Turkey and animal studies into your Thanksgiving lesson plans with a turkey labeling worksheet.
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Printable Book - Dinosaurs
Learn about dinosaurs with a printable book for preschoolers, kindergartners, and first-graders.
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Life Cycle of a Frog – Vocabulary Cards and Puzzles
Reinforce science vocabulary with this set of word wall cards and vocabulary puzzles covering the life cycle of a frog.
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Characteristics of an Environment – Worksheet
Enhance your students’ comprehension and science skills by learning about the physical characteristics of different environments and how they support populations within an ecosystem.
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Features of Insects Mini-Book
Learn about creepy crawly insects with a printable decodable book for first and second-grade readers.
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Desert Mini-Book - Printable Reader
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about plants and animals in the desert with a printable book for 2nd grade.
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Life Cycle of a Frog - Poster
Learn about the life cycle of a frog with this colorful poster.
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Life Cycle of a Frog – Poster Pack
Display information about the life cycle of a frog with this set of 6 posters.
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Living vs. Nonliving Things - Interactive and Printable Sorting Activity
Compare the characteristics of living and nonliving things with this cut-and-paste Venn Diagram worksheet.
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Insects for Kids - Bingo Game
Learn about creepy crawly insects with a Bug Bingo Game for preschoolers.
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Effects of Physical Location Sort
Help children learn how the environment affects those that live in a specific area with a sorting activity.
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Printable Spider Book
Bring a bit of creepy into the classroom this Halloween with a printable leveled reader about spiders!
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Food Webs vs. Food Chains – Instructional Slide Deck
Learn the difference between a food chain and a food web with this 18-slide instructional slide deck.
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Tiger Face Mask Template
A tiger face mask for students to decorate.
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Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Activity Templates
Organize, record, and display information about the life cycle of a pumpkin with these activity templates.
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Insect Adjectives – Worksheet
A set of 10 insect themed adjective worksheets to use in the classroom when learning about insects.