Creating an environment where learners feel both educated and empowered challenges any teacher when discussing a sometimes bleak topic. A respectful resource provides them with the details and permits them to make a plan of action....

Students explore oceanography by conducting an environmental experiment in class. In this oil spill lesson, students discuss the human need for oil and what is at stake when we drill for oil in our oceans. Students read a book in class...

How far does the human hand reach?  Five interactive lessons lead classes through a unit exploring the human impact on ocean resources, pollution, and even extinction. Learners discover how their decisions affect the ocean...

Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...

Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the effect and impact that humans have on the environment based on their choices as individuals, businesses and governments. They assess the balance between human activities and aquatic pollution.

How do dams support bodies of water? Scholars engage in a hands-on STEM activity where they design, build, and test dams to learn about bodies of water and how humans use natural resources. They learn how criteria and constraints affect...

A referenced PowerPoint is not included, but this instructional activity can still make an impact with emerging environmentalists. After introducing them to the facts about overfishing, they experiment with a fishing simulation using...

Upper elementary pupils learn about the blood transportation system and anatomy of the human heart. They fill in an outline of the human heart  (not included) focusing on the flow of blood to and from the heart. Using stethoscopes,...

Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to...

Sprouting scientists explore the concept of density by making mass and volume measurements for five different liquids. From these measurements, they calculate densities. They apply their learning to explain Galileo's thermometer works...

Students explore nature by participating in a class lab activity. In this human vs. nature lesson plan, students examine a group of items in their classroom and discuss whether they were created naturally or have been altered or created...

Students solve problems about air quality. In this air quality lesson plan, students receive a scenario from the problem wheel and find solutions to the air quality problem. Students write a paragraph summarizing what they learned.

Students complete a worksheet while watching a video about how humans affect the ocean environment. They discover the need for a practice of balancing fisheries and their fishing practices. They examine how scientists use data to help...

Students explore environmental care by participating in a litter identification activity. In this food trash lesson plan, students discuss the destruction litter causes in our environment and ways we can avoid littering ourselves....

Students examine the relationships among living and non-living parts of the environment. Using their senses, they identify the objects in their classroom. In groups, they participate in experiments to discover where electricity comes...

Learners participate in a science lesson that integrates connections between health issues on Earth and how those issues are related to studies conducted on the International Space Station. T

Students create their own land or water environment. They make their environment livable for all the different animals they collect to put in it. Students research the types of animals that they can have in their environment, and how...

De-icing materials may have a harmful effect on our environment; have your class perform an experiment to test the nature of these effects. Scholars monitor the survival rate of a sample of daphnia as the concentration of a de-icing...

Pupils explore energy production by participating in a class discussion. In this renewable energy lesson, students discuss the differences between solar, coal, wind and fossil fuel energy sources and why some are better for the...

Seventh graders work together to develop a health-related experiment to display at the school health fair. Using the human body systems, they use the Internet to research a health problem through a controlled experiment. They are...

Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...

Seventh graders examine the factors that are contributing to the degrading of the Earth's environment. In groups, they analyze the types of hazards when dealing with pests and give an example of each. For each situation given, they...

Introduce youngsters to the term ecological footprint. Learners identify ways in which humans affect the environment. They look at the problems associated with the use of natural resources, and focus on ways to preserve natural...

Traveling through space is an amazing experience, but it definitely takes a toll on the body. After reading an article and watching a brief video, learners perform an experiment that simulates the effects of zero gravity on the...