Curated OER
Marine Debris
Students will perform experiments to examine if debris will float, or blow in the wind. They discuss the effects of these characteristics on marine debris.
Curated OER
Water, Water Everywhere, Even Underground
The "Engage" section of a wetlands lesson plan asks young ecologists to examine a wetlands poster. You can easily find one online and display it using a projector. Pupils immerse a piece of sandstone and a piece of granite in water to...
Curated OER
Investigating How Pollutants Travel Through Groundwater
Students determine how pollutants can travel though sediment and explore methods of pollutant removal. They conduct an experiment on porosity and permeability of soils and simulate an EPA "pump and treat" method for removing subsurface...
Curated OER
Water Quality
Students conduct experiments to study the quality of water. They examine how pollutants get into and affect the water supply in this unit.
Curated OER
Is Dilution the Solution to Pollution?
Students explore the different types of pollution. they conduct experiments using dye mixed with tap water to measure the levels of dilution. They discuss at what point the dye (pollution) would be diluted enough to be safe to drink.
Curated OER
Air Pollution: Visible And Invisible
Fourth graders observe air pollution that is visible and invisible with experimentation. During the experiment the students collect data that needs analysis. The observations are recorded in the lab journal. The data also is represented...
Curated OER
Drinking Dirty Water
Students consider the importance of clean drinking water. They conduct a taste experiment with water, adding incremental drips of salt and vinegar to determine at which point it doesn't taste drinkable.
Curated OER
Acid Rain: An Air Pollutant
Fifth graders participate in an experiment in which they examine the effects of acid rain on buildings. They discover how huge a problem acid rain is not only to structures but to the environment. They gather pictures of acid rain to...
Curated OER
To Protect Your Streams, Protect Your Mountains
Students build and experiment with a watershed to understand the effects of pollution. In this movement of water lesson, students work in groups creating rock formations and change the viscosity of the liquids falling down the mountain....
Curated OER
Engineers for a Sustainable World
Students experiment with making a water filtration system. For this engineering lesson, students get into groups and are challenged to use only eight items to create a water filter. When finished, students compare and contrast their...
Curated OER
Determination of Overall Water Quality Using a Quantitative Macroinvertebrate Survey
Students examine water samples from a local stream. They identify various types of macroinvertebrates found in that water ecosystem and perform a quantitative macroinvertebrate survey to determine the stream's water quality.
Curated OER
The Lorax
Students read The Lorax and discuss how human actions can affect the environment. They conduct a simple experiment to see how much air pollution is in the air that they breathe.
Curated OER
Move To a Healthier Aquatic Balance
Fourth graders examine aquatic orgnaisms and how enviromental chages affect them. This factors include: temperature, Ph, oxygen, nutrients, and pollutants. They also explore habitat quality (erosion). Students compile data and create...
Curated OER
Phytoremediation
Students participate in a lab designed to facilitate the clean up and remove of substances ranging from heavy metals to dynamite. They focus on the remediation of copper. They discuss their results of this open ended inquiry experiment.
Curated OER
Erosion: Changing the Face of Earth
Fourth graders explore how the landscape of the planet can be changed by different elements of wind, water, ice and chemicals through hands-on activities. They examine pictures of areas around town and discuss anything they think is out...
Curated OER
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Students conduct a number of experiments involving evaporation and condensation. They view and discuss a video about the water cycle and then design posters about the rain based on the book "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs".
Curated OER
A Limnology Study of Drainage Ditches
Students chemically test water, observe microscopic organisms in the classroom, and screen the sample for macroinvertebrates. They design a reporting sheet that list all the items to be tested and a space to record the results.
Curated OER
Aerosol Lesson: Science - Graphing SAGE II Data
Students examine and plot atmospheric data on bar graphs.
Curated OER
Pollution Solutions
Students visit a local park to test the quality of the aquatic environments. They search for sources of pollution and examples of pollution control. Based on their obeservations and experiments, they rate their local environment.
Curated OER
Is Dilution the Solution To Pollution?
Pupils demonstrate the meaning of dilution and concentration and how pollution can affect the water that you drink. They perform an experiment to calculate the final concentration and dilution factor of solutions. They record the color...
Curated OER
A Pollution Solution- Taking Care of the Environment
Students examine the biodegradability of different brands of toilet paper in a hands-on activity. Through this activity they also discover the steps of the Scientific Method and use new terms such as hypothesis, procedure, observation,...
Curated OER
Water Quality and Temperature
Students are led through three activities to explore the effect of temperature fluctuations on the growth and survival of aquatic plants, clams, and shrimp eggs.
Curated OER
Global Change — Change and Cycles Where Land, Air and Water Meet
Students participate in an experiment to define a parts-per-billion solution. In this ecology lesson, students select a second substance to create a parts-per-billion solution and observe and record their results. Students work in groups...
Curated OER
Modeling Estuaries
Students create a model estuary. In this modeling estuaries lesson plan, students identify characteristics and mix water of varying densities. Students form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, and analyze the results.