Curated OER
Forest History for Kids
Students explore the Forest and the vocabulary associated with it. In this Forest instructional activity, students take the roles of photographer and reporter to examine an area of land for evidence of past life. Students take a close-up...
Curated OER
Conservation in Costa Rica
Students brainstorm what they do that requires land use and use a worksheet to calculate their footprint (the total area of land and water required to produce all the resources they consume). They then compare their footprints to each...
Denver Art Museum
So Much to See, So Little Time
How do humans and animals impact the environment? What is land division? Youngsters tape off a 12x12 inch square in an outdoor natural space. They sketch everything they see, then compare their drawings as a class. They will then be...
Curated OER
Land Use in New Hampshire: Farming
Students examine how the environment as affected people farming in New Hampshire. They visit a field trip to a local farm to make observations. They create a poem based on their observations.
Curated OER
Land Use
Students examine ecosystems that covered Illinois 200 years ago, investigate some living and non-living components of ecosystems, identify components of prairie system, create food webs, and observe human effects on environment. Lessons...
Curated OER
Sensational Seaweed
Students compare kelp and land plants. In this sea plant lesson, students look at the role of algae in aquatic environments. They research the properties of kelp and explore seaweed.
Space Awareness
Continental Climate and Oceanic Climate
There's nothing better than a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. Scholars explore how water affects change in temperature using a hands-on experiment on climate. They use measurement tools to compare the continental and oceanic...
California Academy of Science
Carbon Cycle Role Play
Anytime you make concepts clear with role playing or hands-on experience, it's a win for the whole class. Ping-Pong balls are used to represent carbon in a carbon cycle role-play activity. In small groups, children first discuss what...
Curated OER
Plankton in the Air
Here is a lab activity adequate for use with any full lesson plan on environmental factors that shape animal adaptations or marine animal characteristics. Pupils will discuss the role plankton plays in the environment and filter-feeding...
Cheetah Outreach
Habitats
Explore six different habitats—wetlands, rainforest, savannah, desert, city, and cultivated land—to determine which habitat factors (food, water, shelter, and space) are high, medium, or low in each. Learners also use maps of Africa to...
Messenger Education
Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. In this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of objects...
Curated OER
Caring for the Land
Learners study soil management and issues relating to agriculture and the environment. In this agriculture and environment lesson, students define the terms farmer, environmentalist, and activist. Learners use a Venn diagram to compare...
Curated OER
The Land is Changing: Stories from Across the North
Students explore the changing environment in their community. They interview elders about the issues, impacts and potential ways of adapting to climate change in the north. Students post pictures and information on the student...
Curated OER
Taking Action
Pupils use the net they make to dip macroinvertebrates at or below the surface. The flat side of the net allows pressure on the substrate so that organisms do not escape under the net. Two students hold onto the handles and submerge the...
Curated OER
An Introduction to the Marine Environment and Geology of City Point: A Model for Experiential Teaching
Students begin the lesson by researching the history of City Point, Connecticut. Using a map, they color areas they were asked to find and discuss why the areas are important to the community. As a class, they are shown recent slides...
Curated OER
Land Biomes Research and Presentation
Fifth graders work in cooperative groups to research an assigned land biome using various sources. Groups create either a book or a PowerPoint presentation of their assigned land biome.
Curated OER
Guidebook
Students create a guidebook page about a plant on the school grounds. In this life and plant science lesson, students identify plants around the school, then research the plant and write a narrative about it. Students publish the book...
Curated OER
Global Change- Earth as Home
Students create their own environment. In this environmental protection lesson, students pretend they are the owners of a tropical island. They create jobs for the citizens and develop the island as a model environment.
Curated OER
How would an oil spill affect a Marine Sanctuary?
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science lesson, students discover how scientists assess damages to the environment following oil spills. Students conduct a simulation of a public meeting in order to...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Greenhouse Gas Emissions — Natural and Human Causes
What impact do humans have on greenhouse gas emissions? What are the natural causes of these gasses? Thanks to the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide eats away at the earth's atmosphere with the intensified help of humans. Young scientists...
Curated OER
Water Quest
Young scholars visit the Hydrology Study Site, conduct a visual survey to discover info about local land use and water quality, and document their findings by mapping the water body. They use this investigation to raise questions for...
Curated OER
Water Walk
Students follow the appropriate sampling protocol and take two measurements of a local water source. These measurements are Transparency and Temperature. This info about local land use and/or water chemistry issues may require further...
Curated OER
The Farmer Cares for the Land
Learners explore farming by creating visual demonstrations. For this agriculture lesson, students read assigned text about a farmer's duty and identify the events that have taken place in the history of agriculture. Learners collaborate...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Impacts of Climate Change
Scholars become experts on the eight major impacts of climate change through a jigsaw and grand conversation. They then research and present what they learned about effects specific to their region.