Take your students on a romp through the grasslands! From the African savanna to the Great Plains of North America grasslands are nature’s wide-open playground.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the grasslands. (Don't miss the giraffes and bison!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs such as Planet Earth, The Americas With Simon Reeve, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Grasslands Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Math meets wildlife conservation! How do you know if a population of animals is growing or shrinking? And how can numbers help protect species in the wild? Join Chester Zoo to explore the African savanna and discover how conservationists use data to understand what is happening to wildlife populations.
Meet some of the animals that call the savanna home, then find out how Chester Zoo and its conservation partners monitor animals such as northern giraffes. You'll see how cameras, trackers, and other methods can help scientists gather information about animals in the wild — and why collecting accurate data matters.
Then become a conservation data detective! Work with real wildlife population data to spot trends and turn numbers into bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts. You'll investigate what different kinds of graphs can tell us and consider why scientists and conservation organizations need to communicate their findings clearly.
Finally, take what you've learned beyond the numbers. Use data to think about how people can make choices that help wildlife, collect information from your own class, and turn your findings into a message that could inspire others to take action.
Don't miss the graph worksheets that go with this lesson!
Monitoring animal populations is important to assess if the animal is endangered or threatened, to meausre biological diversity, and to examine the effects of human actions. And it's something our friends at the Chester Zoo do a lot! Try your hand at it with giraffe data and learn some important math skills on the way. Compare giraffe populations in different Ugandan national parks using:
- Bar charts
- Line graphs
- Pie charts
These worksheets accompany a Chester Zoo interactive lesson on graphs.
Meet the extreme survivors. Penguins, giraffes, golden snub-nosed monkeys, Namaqua chameleons — these animals have evolved remarkable ways to endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth. We've put together a collection of BBC video clips all about extreme survivors (see Related Resources below). Watch them, then take the Kahoot to see what stuck.
The adaptations are wide-ranging: penguins withstand sub-zero temperatures, giraffes manage naturally high blood pressure, snub-nosed monkeys huddle together to survive freezing nights, and Namaqua chameleons shift skin color to beat the heat of the day. Explore how these animals have adapted, body and behavior, to survive against the odds.
In Oxpeckers’ Weird and Wonderful Diet, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals the strange diet that these birds have. They land on the backs of other animals and eat fleas, ticks, insect larvae, dandruff, and even blood. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Lions of the Namib, narrator Sir David Attenborough narrates the struggles of lion prides surviving in one of the harshest environments on Earth — the Namib Desert. With little water and scarce prey, these lions must use strategy and patience to hunt, but even their best efforts often end in failure. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Invite your students on an adventure across the world’s amazing grasslands! From the roaring lions of the African savanna to the thundering bison of the Great Plains, these ecosystems are bursting with life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
Celebrate the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller who has helped millions of students and viewers explore the natural world. On the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026, we honor his enormous accomplishments in the field of environmental advocacy and his role in revolutionizing nature documentaries.
This playlist brings together 10 unforgettable clips from landmark BBC series like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Each video showcases amazing wildlife, powerful storytelling, and moments that spark curiosity and wonder.
Perfect for the classroom or at home, these videos help students connect with nature, understand our planet, and feel inspired to protect it.
In Ostrich Chicks in the Kalahari narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how ostrich parents tirelessly search for water in the Kalahari Desert. After a long day, they find a watering hole teeming with giraffes, elephants, and zebras. However, danger looms as predators are nearby. When these predators chase away the larger animals, the ostrich family takes the opportunity to drink, demonstrating how survival requires adapting to challenges and opportunities. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Africa, a study of the landscape and wildlife of the world’s wildest continent, Africa.
In Egg-cellent Nafaqo! explore Somalia, a country in Africa with deserts, beaches, and amazing animals like giraffes and camels. Zara shows us how to make nafaqo, a tasty dish with potatoes, yogurt, spices, and her secret ingredient — boiled egg whites! She even shares a cool trick for peeling eggs using water and a container. This video is excerpted from BBC's My World Kitchen, where young chefs create special recipes that honor their heritage and celebrate their roots.
The article "Amazing Animals of Madagascar and Where To Find Them" from BBC's Discover Wildlife is a guide to the extraordinary animals found only on the island of Madagascar. It describes different species like lemurs, aye-ayes, fossas, and giraffe-necked weevils, and the parks and reserves where visitors can see them in their natural homes.
Take your students on a romp through the grasslands! From the African savanna to the Great Plains of North America grasslands are nature’s wide-open playground.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the grasslands. (Don't miss the giraffes and bison!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs such as Planet Earth, The Americas With Simon Reeve, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Grasslands Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
Math meets wildlife conservation! How do you know if a population of animals is growing or shrinking? And how can numbers help protect species in the wild? Join Chester Zoo to explore the African savanna and discover how conservationists use data to understand what is happening to wildlife populations.
Meet some of the animals that call the savanna home, then find out how Chester Zoo and its conservation partners monitor animals such as northern giraffes. You'll see how cameras, trackers, and other methods can help scientists gather information about animals in the wild — and why collecting accurate data matters.
Then become a conservation data detective! Work with real wildlife population data to spot trends and turn numbers into bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts. You'll investigate what different kinds of graphs can tell us and consider why scientists and conservation organizations need to communicate their findings clearly.
Finally, take what you've learned beyond the numbers. Use data to think about how people can make choices that help wildlife, collect information from your own class, and turn your findings into a message that could inspire others to take action.
Don't miss the graph worksheets that go with this lesson!
Monitoring animal populations is important to assess if the animal is endangered or threatened, to meausre biological diversity, and to examine the effects of human actions. And it's something our friends at the Chester Zoo do a lot! Try your hand at it with giraffe data and learn some important math skills on the way. Compare giraffe populations in different Ugandan national parks using:
- Bar charts
- Line graphs
- Pie charts
These worksheets accompany a Chester Zoo interactive lesson on graphs.
Meet the extreme survivors. Penguins, giraffes, golden snub-nosed monkeys, Namaqua chameleons — these animals have evolved remarkable ways to endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth. We've put together a collection of BBC video clips all about extreme survivors (see Related Resources below). Watch them, then take the Kahoot to see what stuck.
The adaptations are wide-ranging: penguins withstand sub-zero temperatures, giraffes manage naturally high blood pressure, snub-nosed monkeys huddle together to survive freezing nights, and Namaqua chameleons shift skin color to beat the heat of the day. Explore how these animals have adapted, body and behavior, to survive against the odds.
In Oxpeckers’ Weird and Wonderful Diet, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals the strange diet that these birds have. They land on the backs of other animals and eat fleas, ticks, insect larvae, dandruff, and even blood. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Lions of the Namib, narrator Sir David Attenborough narrates the struggles of lion prides surviving in one of the harshest environments on Earth — the Namib Desert. With little water and scarce prey, these lions must use strategy and patience to hunt, but even their best efforts often end in failure. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Invite your students on an adventure across the world’s amazing grasslands! From the roaring lions of the African savanna to the thundering bison of the Great Plains, these ecosystems are bursting with life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
Celebrate the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller who has helped millions of students and viewers explore the natural world. On the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026, we honor his enormous accomplishments in the field of environmental advocacy and his role in revolutionizing nature documentaries.
This playlist brings together 10 unforgettable clips from landmark BBC series like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Each video showcases amazing wildlife, powerful storytelling, and moments that spark curiosity and wonder.
Perfect for the classroom or at home, these videos help students connect with nature, understand our planet, and feel inspired to protect it.
In Ostrich Chicks in the Kalahari narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how ostrich parents tirelessly search for water in the Kalahari Desert. After a long day, they find a watering hole teeming with giraffes, elephants, and zebras. However, danger looms as predators are nearby. When these predators chase away the larger animals, the ostrich family takes the opportunity to drink, demonstrating how survival requires adapting to challenges and opportunities. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Africa, a study of the landscape and wildlife of the world’s wildest continent, Africa.
In Egg-cellent Nafaqo! explore Somalia, a country in Africa with deserts, beaches, and amazing animals like giraffes and camels. Zara shows us how to make nafaqo, a tasty dish with potatoes, yogurt, spices, and her secret ingredient — boiled egg whites! She even shares a cool trick for peeling eggs using water and a container. This video is excerpted from BBC's My World Kitchen, where young chefs create special recipes that honor their heritage and celebrate their roots.
The article "Amazing Animals of Madagascar and Where To Find Them" from BBC's Discover Wildlife is a guide to the extraordinary animals found only on the island of Madagascar. It describes different species like lemurs, aye-ayes, fossas, and giraffe-necked weevils, and the parks and reserves where visitors can see them in their natural homes.