
Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Activities for Kids
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$12.95Reviews
Booklist Top 10 Nonfiction Series for 2020
“Build It Environmental Science (4 titles) Gr. 4–8. Mixing comics and thoughtfully designed activities with solid information, this series accessibly explores with precision such topics as biodiversity, biomes, and Earth’s garbage problem.”Read more online.
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Top 10 Books on the Environment & Sustainability for Youth: 2020
“Activities and accessible text bring the importance and complexity of biodiversity to upper-elementary and middle-school students.”
Booklist Starred Review
“Nomad applies its dependable activity-book format to the new Built It Environmental Science series (4 titles). Here biodiversity is placed under the microscope—sometimes literally—in a text that makes daunting concepts, such as evolution, levels of biodiversity (genetic, species, or ecosystem), and why biodiversity matters, easy to understand without sacrificing scientific precision. . . By book’s end, readers will truly understand what biodiversity is, its importance to the health of the planet, and humans’ impact on the complex natural systems where it thrives."
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Teacher Resources

Classroom Guides
For educators! Download a packet of essential questions, mentor texts, and Common Core State Standards to use in classrooms and libraries.
Classroom GuideDetailed Book Description
From the tallest tree to the smallest microbe, Earth is home to more than 1.5 million known species of plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and microorganisms. And scientists estimate there could be millions, if not billions, more that have not yet been identified!
Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Activities for Kids introduces middle schoolers to the evolution of life on Earth, beginning with the first single-celled organisms that emerged 3.8 billion years ago to the complex, multi-celled organisms that exist today and make up the tree of life. Biodiversity is found everywhere on the planet—on land, in the water, and even in extreme environments such as ice and volcanoes. There are actually entire microbiomes beneath our feet, in puddles, and even in our belly buttons!
Biodiversity includes hands-on STEM activities and critical thinking exercises to encourage readers to consider the threat to biodiversity and figure out ways to be part of the solution. Fun facts, links to online primary sources and other supplemental material, and essential questions take readers on an exploration of the incredible biodiversity on Earth.
Biodiversity is part of a set of four Build It Environmental Science books that explore the history and science of the planet and all that live on it through hands-on STEM activities and real-life environmental connections. Other titles in this series are Planet Earth, Garbage, and Biomes.
Try these hands-on biology projects!
- Explore sustainable seafood
- Create a tabletop biosphere
- Design a water filter
- Explore your own microbiome
Paperback, $17.95 9781619307513 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Timeline
Introduction
What Is Biodiversity?
Chapter 1
A Short History of Life on Earth
Chapter 2
Biodiversity Everywhere
Chapter 3
Why Biodiversity Matters
Chapter 4
Biodiversity and Humans
Chapter 5
Threats to Biodiversity
Chapter 6
Protecting Biodiversity
Glossary
Metric Conversions Resources
Essential Questions
Index