Biodiversity
Teacher Resources

Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Activities for Kids

By Laura Perdew  
Illustrated by Tom Casteel
It’s a big world out there, and it’s populated with millions of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms! Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Environmental Activities for Kids introduces middle school readers 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. Science-minded, hands-on experiments make this a book a fully immersive learning experience!
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Reviews

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.

Booklist
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."

Praise for Extinction What Happened to the Dinosaurs, Mastodons, and Dodo Birds? by Laura Perdew

National Science Teachers Association Recommends
“This book uses the concept of extinction to teach a little chemistry, a little climatology, paleontology, biology (biodiversity), ecology, and a lot of geology. The science information is historical and current, drawing on three–dimensional learning, incorporating science practices to determine what factors affect extinction in general and specifically. The integration of concepts help bring the science alive and relevant.”

Baristanet
“When it comes to keeping kids’ interest in a subject alive, combining hands-on activities with knowledge is key. That’s why the Build It Yourself books from Nomad Press are such great resources, not just for classrooms, but also for
at-home application of new learning.”

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Detailed 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
Available In:
Paperback, $17.95
9781619307513
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Glossary | Resources | Index
Specs: 8 x 10 size | 4-color interior | 128 pages
Subject: Science

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