Students view a seven minute video called Gorilla in the Greenhouse. In this Earth day lesson, students review the history of Earth day. Students work in groups to describe the life cycle of a plastic bag. Students understand that...

Students analyze Earth science by answering environmental study questions. For this Earth Day lesson, students read the book The Lorax and identify the themes within it. Students define several recycling vocabulary terms and create an...

Learners explore environmental safety by planting seeds outside their classroom. In this Earth Day lesson, students identify the different ways to recycle and conserve resources on Earth while facilitating recycling bins around campus....

Fifth graders are introduced to Earth day and study the nesting colonies of Midway.  In this Earth Day instructional activity students watch an online clip and see the effects our waste has on wildlife. 

Is there a correlation between a country's wealth and the extent of its ecological footprint? What exactly constitutes an ecological footprint, and how does one country stack up against the rest? This is a unique lesson to incorporate...

Young scholars discover how things grow and how they can take better care of the environment in this Earth Day lesson for the elementary classroom. The activity can be accomplished in one day and left in the sun until the "beans" begin...

Where does our garbage go? What is the difference between a recyclable and non-recyclable item? Pose these important, but often overlooked, questions to your class and invite them to consider the lasting and damaging effects of the...

Students name 3-5 aesthetic values of the Potomac River. They state the importance of water in their own words. Students describe what Earth Day is and why it is important. They list 5-7 ways that they can help minimize water pollution.

Eighth graders explore water pollution. In this stewardship lesson plan, 8th graders draw comparisons between potable and impaired waters. Students use the Learning Link website to examine ways people are fighting pollution and then...

Exactly what do groundhogs know about weather? Not as much as your science students will after completing these lessons and activities that cover everything from the earth's rotation and the creation of shadows, to cloud...

Young environmentalists learn how to craft a persuasive essay about an environmental issue they consider important. After studying the components of a persuasive essay and examining a student model, writers brainstorm possible topics and...

Who needs a compass to find cardinal directions? Just place a stick in the ground and record the movement of its shadow over the course of a day. Then, measure the shadow lengths in order to determine a north-south line. A simple...

Students participate in local Earth Day activities. They keep track of the types of trash they pick up. They aggregate their data to develop whole-class statistics of what they found.

Fourth graders investigate the Earth's rotation. In this Earth's rotation lesson plan, 4th graders realize that the rotation of Earth causes the days and nights on Earth. Students break into groups and use a flashlight and a sphere...

Students explore the ways to conserve our natural resources. In this recycling, reusing, and reducing lesson students read Dinosaurs to the Rescue and apply their findings to learning ways to conserve resources. Students complete a...

Students investigate how the Earth's rotation affect the length of day. In this earth science lesson, students construct a sighting apparatus and record their observations over a few days. They analyze data collected and formulate a...

Students observe and analyze weathering. In this earth science lesson, students demonstrate physical and chemical weathering in two experiments, then write questions for a class Jeopardy game.

Students are introduced to landfills and the importance of reducing garbage. In this Earth Day lesson, students collect garbage they find on the ground. They take it back to a plastic bin and attempt to bury all the garbage only to find...

Students explore, experiment and study how the Earth orbits the Sun once a year and how the moon takes approximately 29 days to orbit the Earth. They access an online activity to examine the process of how the Sun is at the center of the...

Students explain how the Earth's tilt and rotation causes night and day. In this earth science lesson, students determine how seasonal changes are caused by Earth's revolution. They play a jeopardy team game at the end of the unit to...

Volcanoes are among the most spectacular geological features on the planet. Jump into an exploration of these amazing phenomenon with this multimedia lesson series. Working collaboratively in small groups, young scientists view videos...

Students explore air pollution. In this ecology lesson plan, students participate in an experiment in which 5 numbered jar lids are placed outside. Students bring one lid a day in until all jars are inside. Dirt specks are counted,...

Explore the amazing power of glaciers with a hands-on earth science experiment! After first learning basic background information, learners go on to create their very own chunks of frozen water and gravel in order to...

Is everything really connected? Take your class on a walk outside, where they will make observations and write them down on a worksheet. Once they are back in the classroom, learners will work to determine if and how things like birds,...