The natural world is very different today than it was 10,000 or even 1,000 years ago. Every natural ecosystem on the globe has been altered, many severely, as a consequence of rapid increases in human population size and the expansion of human habitation (Myer & Simon, 1994; Kareiva & Marvier, 2003). However the problem is not just a consequence of the number of people on the earth; it is also where and how we live (Myer & Kent, 2004). The critical consequence is a loss in the diversity of life--biodiversity and all of the services it provides. Alarmingly, species loss is thought to be between 10 and 30 thousand species per year (Meffe & Carroll, 1997; Kareiva & Marvier, 2003; Leakey, 1996). At that rate, much of the earth's will be lost in the next century--even before many of the lost species are discovered (Leakey, 1996; Kareiva & Marvier, 2003). Indeed, the rate at which species are being lost today actually exceeds the rate of extinctions that occurred following the meteor impact that led to the extinction of dinosaurs (Leakey, 1996). Why should we care about conserving biodiversity? First, humans have an emotional affiliation and innate tendency to focus on novelty and diversity. E.O. Wilson (1984) termed this attraction biophilia and argued that our natural affinity to living things is the basis of our humanity. Second, the loss of species represents a significant loss of information. In particular, the extinction of unstudied species has been described as being equivalent to setting fire to a vast library of medical texts, agricultural guides, construction manuals and art collections that no one has ever read or studied (Meffe & Carroll, 1997). Lastly, species provide irreplaceable goods and services (Myer, 1996; Balmford et al., 2002). We extract food, fuel, building supplies, medicines, and ideas (e.g., airplane wing shape) from the natural world. In addition, we receive important services such as pollination, clean air, fresh water, fertile soil and a benign climate (Myer, 1996; Costanza et al., 1997; Karieva & Marvier, 2003). The value of is not obvious to many people. This is especially true for students who lack real life experience with nature. Their under-appreciation of is problematic because efforts to conserve require broad public support. Therefore it is important to have an informed and scientifically literate populous with a conceptual understanding of why is valuable, both economically and ethically. The importance of education is highlighted by the strong component of biodiversity related concepts in the National Science Education Standards (NSES). In response to this need and as part of a National Science Foundation GK-12 program (Science Partners in Inquiry-Based Collaborative Education; SPICE) we have developed a classroom activity to introduce students to the intrinsic and economic values of biodiversity. This activity simultaneously helps students discover their innate affinity for and reinforces the NSES recommendations. (See Table 1 for a summary of the standards addressed by this activity) Importantly, and associated concepts are often considered teachable only in the realm of field trips (Zervanos & McLaughlin, 2003; O'Neal & Skelton, 1994; Beiersdorfer & Davis, 1994). However, access to wild areas or natural history museums are often limited for students and teachers in inner city and under-resourced schools. Therefore, we introduce the concept of diversity in general and in particular using in-classroom activities and a media presentation. The goals of the lesson are to influence students' attitudes about in a positive way and to encourage their further study of it. To stimulate a positive attitude about biodiversity, students are led to recognize that they have an intuitive understanding of and affinity for diversity. …