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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Black Carbon - a Dusty Situation

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Planet: Permafrost Gas Leak

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Make a Difference!

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Environmental Models to Determine the Effect of Acid Rain on an Ecosystem

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Demonstrate to your middle school science learners how chalk breaks down in a weak acid. Discuss what affects acidic rain might have on ecosystems. Lab groups then choose one of two questions: "How does acid precipitation affect an...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Watershed Works: Unit 3

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Geology whizzes observe the effects of change within a model of a watershed. They place replica waste dumps within the models and note the path that the waste takes as water passes through. This detailed lesson plan provides teacher...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Turning the Tide on Trash: A Learning Guide on Marine Debris

For Teachers 1st - 12th
The lessons in this learning guide are designed to increase youngsters' awareness of the impacts of marine debris and to teach them about pollution prevention techniques. This fabulous, 30-page packet is chock full of important...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2010

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This exam touches upon every topic within the typical first year biology course.. A broad variety of question styles give high schoolers every opportunity to show what they know. Why start from scratch when a comprehensive final exam is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Seven pages of fascinating reading on marine debris preface the activities in this lesson plan. Four different activities are employed to simulate how the debris is distributed in the ocean and along beaches. Early ecology learners...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Croak" Science Mystery

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Solve the mystery of a declining frog population! Lead your junior ecologists on an investigation that simulates actual events concerning pollution, predation, poaching, and more. Investigators read a story online, then analyze survey...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to Clean Up an Oil Slick

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students explore how an oil spill is contained and cleaned up. They investigate an oil absorbing polymer that is hydrophobic, absorbs up to 19 times its own weight in nonpolar liquids, floats on water, and can be reused or disposed of by...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fighting for Control

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Engage your class in a class discussion examining and defend different sides of an argument about whether the Environmental Protection Agency should have the legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. They will have to...
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Lesson Plan
British Council

Litter Poem

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What a load of rubbish! Using the resource, pupils listen to a poem about litter pollution and discuss the poem's language. After completing a worksheet about the poem, they write their own anti-litter poetry. 
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Activity
GLOBE Program

Observing Visibility and Sky Color

For Teachers K - 12th
What does a beautiful sunset have to do with the atmosphere? An inquiry-based lesson has learners make observations about the visibility and color of the sky during different time periods. They then relate their observations to...
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

Design and Engineer Solutions

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What's the best way to collect all that trash? A culminating activity has scholars use the knowledge and skills from the unit to design a solution to the plastic trash island problem. They use 3-D pens or a 3-D printer to build models of...
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

The Problem of Plastic Trash Islands

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Trash collection can be a hassle, especially out in the ocean. The second of four parts in the Adrift in a Sea of Plastic unit has pupils research plastic trash islands in marine ecosystems. They investigate why they occur and potential...
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Lesson Plan
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University of Florida

Six Bits of Abiotics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Collect clues and unwrap a mystery in an intriguing study about air pollution and urban forests. Teams share information to explore abiotic interactions and forest health. Scholars create a concept map using newly acquired knowledge and...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

The Legacy of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How do we protect crops and protect the environment at the same time? Using reading materials, learners explore the history of the use of pesticides and biocides. They create a timeline and then explore the current practices.
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Investigating the Properties of Plastic and its Effects on the Environment

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Pore over the properties of plastic. Working through four different stations, pupils investigate some properties of plastic, including chemical decomposition, mechanical breakdown, density, and the ability to infiltrate the food chain....
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

Ask a Scientist About Our Environment

For Students 6th - 12th
Let's ask an expert!  Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History field questions about the environment in an interactive resource. Question topics range from global warming and conservation to endangered species and habitats.
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Lesson Plan
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Just Health Action

Equity Impact Review: Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Seattle

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using an Equity Impact Review (EIR) tool, developed by Washington state's King County to "identify, evaluate, and communicate issues of equity when making a decision," class members design a GSI program for two Seattle neighborhoods.
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Lesson Plan
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Just Health Action

Introduction to Stormwater Pollution and a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI)

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Sometimes when it rains, pollutants pour into sewers which overflow and contaminate the environment. The final two lessons in the Environmental Justice series looks at actions being taken to address stormwater pollution. Class members...
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Lesson Plan
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Just Health Action

Whose Backyard? Toxic Waste Management Meeting and Environmental Injustice

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Toxic waste is a global problem. What to do with environmental hazards and where to put toxic waste is a global concern. To better understand current issues around toxic waste management and how current practices can lead to...
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Activity
University of Waikato

Farming and Environmental Issues

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Forming ethical arguments is sometimes a complicated task. Guide classes through a process for forming and presenting ethical opinions. Learners consider the views of all stakeholders on the impact of farming on the environment and the...
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Activity
University of Waikato

Groundwater Contamination

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Scientists study how pollution occurs in hopes of minimizing its effects. A quick activity shows how point and non-point source pollution enters groundwater and aquifers. Learners mimic the phenomenon with models that show how rain...