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Interactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Anthropocene: Human Impact on the Environment

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Will human existence define an epoch? Many scientists think we are in a new epoch, the anthropocene, defined by humans and our impact on the environment. An online interactive demonstrates the immense impact humans have had on every part...
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Unit Plan
Henry Ford Museum

Human Impact on Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
An environmenta science unit includes three lessons plus a cumulative project covering the ecosystem. Scholars follow the history of the Ford Rouge Factory from its construction on wetlands and how it destroyed the environment to its...
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Lesson Plan
3
3
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

One Ocean: It Matters!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here is the first of four poignant lessons on how humans and oceans interact, even if people live far from the coast. This particular lesson also examines studies that are taking place in Antarctica of how climate change is affecting the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Human Impact on the Food Web of Santa Cruz Island

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What happens when a non-native species is introduced onto an island? Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Island chain located off the coast of southern California, provides the perfect laboratory for young environmental scientists to...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Plankton to Penguins: Antarctic Food Web

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A well-written lesson plan, second in a series of four, gets high schoolers exploring how the Antarctic food web is impacted by climate change and the associated melting of polar ice sheets. It begins with a PowerPoint presentation about...
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Lesson Plan
EduGAINs

Go Eco! Ecosystems

For Teachers 7th - 10th
How is a movie theater like a desert biome? Compare systems to ecosystems with a set of activities that focuses on accessing multiple intelligences and building upon knowledge. As learners discuss the ways elements of an ecosystem depend...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Ecosystems, Human Activity, And Interactions, Oh My!: Human/Environment Interaction

For Teachers 5th Standards
Word clouds about ecosystems hook learners into a lesson that explores Yellowstone wildlife. Young scientists create cause-and-effect relationships after examining data and recommend solutions to their observed problems. More data...
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Lesson Plan
Michigan State University

Bug Lyphe!

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Introduce ecology classes to biodiversity and interdependence in ecosystems with a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they get up-close and personal with the invertebrate world by collecting insects, classifying them, and graphing their...
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Lesson Plan
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Climate Change Impacts on Blue King Crabs

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Carbon dioxide is not only causing global temperatures to increase, it causes the oceans to become more acidic. Lesson focuses on the blue king crab and the fragility of the habitat due to climate change. Scholars create a concept map...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Stressed Out!

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Dam or Not to Dam

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young ecologists explore the Aswan Dam in Egypt via the internet. Each collaborative group is assigned a specific article about the ecological impact of the dam. Then they prepare a presentation to share with the rest of the class. Some...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treasures in Jeopardy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In small groups, middle schoolers research deep-sea coral reefs and design a poster to educate the public about their importance. They compare them to shallow-water reefs and consider the impact of bottom-trawl fishing. Many internet...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Empty Oceans

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In groups of four, pupils brainstorm about seafood. They view the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website to examine the problems caused by the seafood industry. Learners are then brought back together to discuss what they...
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Lesson Plan
Science Matters

That’s An Otter Story

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Young scientists discover how sea otters' habitats have changed due to human impact. Through conversation, video observation, and story reading, scholars identify how human interactions change a specific ecosystem in both positive and...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Water's Journey Expedition

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Step into a scientist's shoes to go online and discover the Florida Springs Expedition, and participate in two activities focusing on how humans impact the environment. The first activity asks scholars to summarize the six dispatches at...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biodiversity Debate - Stream Side Science

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Role play community members who are both for and against the construction of a dam. Research the pros and cons and then hold a classroom debate. This activity ideally follows a series of stream studies, links to which are included. Use...
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Activity
Wild BC

Connecting Ecosystems & Climate

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Collaborators sort a set of cards into biotic and abiotic categories. Then, as a class, they discuss their work and relate each of the abiotic components to climate change. Finally, they form a web of components by connecting those that...
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

The Ups and Downs of Populations

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Life has its ups and downs ... especially if you're an animal! Biology scholars engage in a population study through an inquiry-based lesson. Pupils work together to explore the factors that affect deer populations, then examine the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

“THE LORAX” by Dr. Seuss

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Few children's books convey the message of conservation as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Read the story aloud, emphasizing the interconnectedness of plants and animals in an ecosystem and discussing different ways people can help the...
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Lesson Plan
Alliance Theater

The Jungle Book Post-Show STEAM Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 8th
An ecosystem is really just the flow of energy through many different living organisms. A study of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book leads to an environmental science activity in which learners study how various factors can affect...
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Lesson Plan
Purdue University

Discovering the Watershed

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Human impact on watersheds can make or break an ecosystem. Learners use a game to learn about the impact human choices have on water quality and the organisms that depend on it. The activity includes a game board and game cards that tell...
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Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Island Fox Outreach

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Off the coast of California lives a wild animal called the Island Fox. Experts discuss the importance of the Island Fox to the Channel Islands and the balance the fox creates within its ecosystem. The lesson concludes with a reading of...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Working Together to Live Together

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Whose home is it anyway? Design teams plan a housing development in which they must also protect a native species. The teams consist of a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer, and graphic designer. Teams present their...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Population Connection

Meeting Human Needs

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
How to meet the needs of people around the globe—a question many ask. The fifth in a six-part series about human population and its effects on the globe, the eye-opening lesson includes discussion, a homework activity, and an in-class...