Tools for Teaching
The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission offers a wide variety of educational resources, such as lesson plans as well as a classroom guide to Arkansas natural history and more!
Discussion Guides
Karst Topography in the Arkansas Ozarks
What is "karst" and why is it important? Cave Springs, Slippery Hollow, Garrett Hollow, Hell Creek Cave and Foushee Cave Natural Areas all contain karst features, such as caves, springs, and sinkholes. Rare species including the Ozark cavefish, the Foushee Cave snail, and the Hell Creek Cave crayfish depend on these habitats for their survival. Check out our new Karst Topography in the Arkansas Ozarks discussion guide, and share it with your family, classroom, group, or office. Learn a little more about what makes Arkansas such a special place!
Arkansas's Blackland Prairie Region
This in-depth discussion guide will tell you how the region was formed, why the dirt is different, and what the landscape looks like. It also highlights a few of the special plants and animals that depend upon the blackland prairie ecosystem for their survival. Includes vocabulary words, species lists, and other resources.
Fire Ecology
Have you ever wondered how fire plays a role in the ecosystem? Is it important? What purpose does it serve? This in-depth discussion guide will tell you everything you need to know, including the history of fire, the plants, animals and ecosystems that depend upon it, and why we use it as a management tool. Includes vocabulary words and a list of other resources.
Lesson Plans
Arkansas natural history lesson plans
Eleven lessons plans for upper elementary and middle school grades written and developed in conjunction with the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System.
Louisiana Purchase natural history lesson plans
Two lesson plans that were developed as part of the 2003 Bicentennial Celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. One focuses on extinct animals that the surveyors would have seen and the other highlights wetlands and headwater swamps.
Natural diversity in Arkansas - a curriculum guide
Twenty-eight lesson plans for grades K-12 presented in five units with a glossary. Each activity is correlated to National Science Standards and Arkansas Science Curriculum Frameworks.
Natural Divisions of Arkansas
The Natural Divisions of Arkansas - a classroom guide
An updated and expanded third printing of one the cornerstones of Arkansas natural history education. In addition to original text and illustrations, this edition includes a glossary, website resources, and correlations to state curriculum frameworks, along with information about the six natural communities from the ANHC poster series.
Student Activity Sheets
Bats
Bat anatomy handout Bat coloring page Bat connect-the-dots Bat word search
Box turtles
Box turtle book list Box turtle crossword puzzle Box turtle word search "T" is for turtle
Three-toed box turtle coloring sheet
Otters
Otter coloring sheet Otter maze
Natural Divisions
Natural Divisions coloring sheets
Tarantulas
Student tarantula activity guide Tarantula anatomy (labeled)
Tarantula anatomy (unlabeled) Tarantula burrow coloring sheet
Texas brown tarantula coloring sheet
Woodpeckers
Woodpecker maze Woodpecker word search
Want to take your classroom outside? Get some great ideas here:
Outdoor Classroom Topics and Tools. Don't forget to visit the our Image Gallery for photos of natural areas and rare plants and animals.