Conservation Classroom
Conservation Classroom is a collection of FREE monthly lessons for K-5 students.
Each lesson has four elements:
- Wonder: Pre-program videos that introduce the monthly topic.
- Engage: Live, 45-minute virtual programs with a Zoo educator.
- Act: Synchronous and asynchronous activities to extend the lesson.
- Connect: Videos that connect students to staff with "unZOOsual" careers.
- Designed for all audiences, from individual students to large groups or schools.
- Webinar-styled; Participants’ audio and video will be off.
- Students can engage with hosts by using polls, emojis, Q&A, and chat.
- Students can follow along with a provided activity. Click ‘read more’ for each program to find activities and resources.
- Each program will be recorded, posted on our website, and emailed to registrants.
- Wonder: I Wonder videos are available in both spoken English and Spanish. They include English and Spanish captions.
- Engage: Programs include spoken English, spoken Spanish (simulcast), American Sign Language interpretation, and live English captions.
- Act: Activity sheets are available in both English and Spanish, they are compatible with screen readers, and many can be filled out electronically.
- Connect: Career Connections videos are available in spoken and captioned in English.
To receive once a month announcements about upcoming education programs, sign up for our Educator Newsletter! (Select the Educator Newsletter option)
Upcoming Programs
What Makes a Habitat a Home?
From deserts to rainforests, what makes a habitat a suitable animal home? What Makes a Habitat a Home explores habitats around the world and some of the animals that live in these habitats.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, 3-LS4-3
habitat, animals, survival, four basic needs, adaptations
cause and effect, systems and functions
Free
Suited for Survival
Suited for Survival, special Halloween edition, explores animal adaptations from prehensile-tailed porcupines to super soft chinchillas. Students will learn how unique adaptations help animals survive.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1
mammals, survival, adaptations, animal traits, animal behavior
patterns, structure and function
Free
Wild Medicine
What happens to a seal who has a toothache? How does an orangutan get a checkup? Wild Medicine invites students to Join our team of veterinarians and other animal health professionals to explore how animals go to the doctor, just like us!
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, 3-LS1-1, 4-LS1-1
Health, animal care, veterinary medicine
Patterns, cause and effect, systems and system models, structure and function
Free
Valen-TINY Mammals
What makes an animal a mammal? Valen-TINY mammals gives students an up-close look at mammal traits from some cute and tiny zoo animals.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 1-LS3-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-PS3-1, 5-PS3-1
Mammals, animal groups, adaptations
Patterns, cause and effect, energy and matter
Free
Explore the Rainforest
Fly, leap and swim along on an adventure through the Amazon Rainforest to explore the sights and sounds of plants and animals living in this unique ecosystem.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1
Amazon, rainforest, biodiversity, rainforest layers, animals
Patterns, cause and effect, scale proportion and quantity, and systems and system models
Free
Saving Endangered Species
What does it mean when an animal is endangered and what can we do to help? Meet one of the National Zoo’s most endangered species and learn how staff care for these special animals.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 5-ESS3-1
endangered species, conservation
Free
Discovering Amphibians
Join us as we celebrate Amphibian Week. Learn about amphibians, get an up-close look of some of them and chat with an amphibian expert.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, 1-LS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1
amphibians, adaptations, habitats, life cycles
Free
Caring About Conservation
What is conservation? Why is it important? Caring About Conservation explores the meaning of "conservation," some of the animals Smithsonian scientists are trying to save, and what we can all do to protect wildlife.
K-5
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 3-5-ETS1-2
Conservation, sustainability, animals, wildlife, science
Cause and effect, systems and system models, structure and function, and stability and change
Free
See the Education Programs Calendar for a list of all programs.
Past Programs
Exploring Neighborhood Birds
Birds are everywhere! Learn about some of our neighborhood birds and the techniques used to study them from a migratory bird scientist.
2-8
Supports NGSS 2-PS1-2, 2-LS2-2, 2-LS4-1, 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1, MS-LS1-4, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-A
birds, migration, observation, tracking, bird banding
Patterns, Cause and Effect, Interdependence of science, engineering, and technology
Free
Exploring Ecosystems with Otters
What is an ecosystem and how does otter poop tell us how healthy an ecosystem is? Join us as we visit the Smithsonian’s Environmental Research Center to explore otters who live in the Chesapeake Bay.
K-8
Supports NGSS K-LS1-1, K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3, 2-ESS2-2, 3-LS2-1, 5-ESS3-1, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-ESS3-3
ecosystems, habitats, adaptations, waterways, aquatic mammals, food webs
patterns, cause and effect, systems and systems models, structure and function, stability and change
Free