Curated OER
Quote Poker
Students work in small groups in order to find environmental quotes. The quotes are passed around and they decide which one is liked the most. Then students read the quote out loud to the class and explain the reasons for picking the quote.
Curated OER
Energy Conservation Lesson 1: Fossil Fuels and the Ticking Clock
Students explore energy production by participating in a class discussion. In this renewable energy instructional activity, students discuss the differences between solar, coal, wind and fossil fuel energy sources and why some are better...
Space Awareness
Greenhouse Effect
A greenhouse provides additional warmth and protection to the plants inside, but what if the greenhouse gets too hot? Pupils discuss and experiment with the difference between natural and anthropogenic greenhouse effect. They measure the...
Curated OER
Effects of chemical use in Agriculture
Students research environmental data to create a bar graph. In this agricultural ecology lesson, students research the pros and cons of chemical use in farming. Students debate on passing a law to reduce chemical use.
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Sun and Temperatures
Students consider the relationship of temperature to environmental conditions and then apply their knowledge to a practical event. The task assesses students' knowledge and application of that knowledge to an additional situation.
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Investigating the Soil
Students explore the Earth's crust by researching pH levels and acidity. In this environmental safety lesson, students identify the pros and cons of acidity within soil and how it affects plants. Students collaborate in a pH level...
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Slow Rot or Not?
Fifth graders examine how environmental factors affect decomposition. In this decomposition lesson, 5th graders experiment with the decomposition of grapes in five different environmental settings. They look at images of items that have...
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A Recipe for Air
Young scholars create a pie graph using M&Ms to demonstrate the composition of air. They label each section of the graph, and list the fractions from largest to smallest.
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Making Recycled Paper
Students explore the advantages of recycling paper. In this environmental lesson, students produce recycled paper by ripping up paper and putting it into a blender with water to create a mixture. Students use their recycled paper to...
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Bottle Habitat
In groups of four, students construct aquatic habitats in pop bottles. They create charts and record data from observations over a four week period. Then they graph their data and write explanations for what they observed.
Curated OER
I Can't Take the Pressure!
Young scholars explore the concept of air pressure. Using candy or cookie wafers to model how air pressure changes with altitude, they conduct an aluminum can crushing experiment, compare the magnitude to gravitational force per unit...
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Make Something Beautiful
Students create an art piece using recycled objects. In this environmental lesson, students collect and sort recycled objects and create a three dimensional art piece.
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Living Environment
In this environmental worksheet students complete a series of multiple choice and short answer questions on cell types, cell division, chromosomes and plant species.
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Air Quality and Transportation in the Tulsa Area
Students investigate the effects of air pollution. In this environmental lesson, students discuss the causes of air pollution and identify how transportation has an effect on the air quality. Students identify other alternatives to driving.
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Types of Marine Debris
Young scholars conduct an experiment. In this marine debris and environment protection lesson, students categorize trash into piles, predict whether these trash items will sink, float or be picked up and carried by the wind and then...
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Our Desert Backyard
Students make observations of their own backyard. In this environment lesson, students keep records of the plants and animals they see in their home or school yard. Students make notes of how the weather and environment changes over...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
Teach Engineering
Air Pressure
Investigate what is pushing on us. An intriguing lesson has pupils calculate the amount of force on various squares due to air pressure. Using the data, individuals create a graph in the third lesson of the Up, Up and Away unit...
Curated OER
A River Ran Through It
Pupils research how water is used to generate electricity. They investigate water's potential-to-kinetic energy transfer in hands-on activities about falling water and waterwheels. They take measurements, calculate averages and graph...
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How Long Does Trash Last
Students work in cooperative groups to estimate how long trash lasts in a landfill. They study environmental consequences of not recycling and use graph-making software to create a graph that illustrates the lifespan of trash items...
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CLEAN AIR ACT (1990)
Students investigate the effects of acid rain by conducting an experiment with bean sprouts and graph the results. In this Environmental Policy lesson, students visit a museum to identify examples of foreign and domestic policy on...
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Cotton Seed Planting
Learners using scientific inquiry will observe and record in daily journals their findings on cotton seeds. They measure, graph, and then communicate their discoveries about plants to each other.
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School-Wide Recycling
Students investigate recycling. In this environmental lesson, students design a recycling program for their school. Students collect data about how much recyclable materials they use in one week. Students also survey classmates about how...
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Eyewitnesses to Change
Students explore recent changes in the Artic's climate that have been observed by Artic residents. They watch videos, take notes and create a concept map. They also look at historical weather data from a specific Artic community. The...