See the water filtration system up close with a fun science experiment. Young scientists work for several class periods to design a water filter using household objects, and then decide which filter material would be most effective...

Learners explore the concept of sediment pollution. In this erosion lesson plan, students discuss the process of erosion and determine how sediment pollution affects animals that live in freshwater ecosystems. Learners respond to...

Students discuss the importance of taking care of their water supply so not only they can use it but generations in the future. In groups, they examine a real pollution scenario in which a sewer overflowed into the ground water. They use...

Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...

Learners explore how water is a limited resource, where it comes from, how it can become polluted and how it is used.  In this water quality instructional activity students search the web to answer given questions and prepare a...

What does it mean to be a good steward? Middle school environmentalists learn to care for their state's waterways through research, a guest speaker, and poster activity. Groups must locate and learn more about a river basin and the human...

Students use a light microscope to observe the organisms living in a sample of ocean or fresh water. Students create a drawing of the organisms that they observe. Students then discuss the different body plans of the organisms and the...

Pupils explore how human beings affect the world's ecosystem by examining the affects of medication on daphnia, a small freshwater organism very sensitive to pollution. Students use a computer model to repeat the experiment and analyze...

Students investigate caffeine as a potential new pollutant in a northwest river system. Effects of caffeine on invertebrates and salmon fry will be explored through field work and lab work.

Hold the sea in the palm of your hand! Amateur oceanographers work together to create models of an ocean ecosystem in the sixth and final installment in a series. Raise awareness of global ocean health issues through guided research,...

Students identify the different stages in the water cycle. In this environmental science lesson, students research about different water pollutants in watershed. They describe ways to purify water.

High schoolers imagine what their lives would be like if they had no access to potable water and watch a morning news show about the water situation on a Navajo reservation. Groups investigate the policies that lead to the lack of water...

Students determine that delivering clean, fresh water to citizens around the world involves and affects politics, economics, international relations, and technology. They brainstorm a list of factors that might affect their town's...

Is qualitative or quantitative research more convincing when it comes to climate change? In the eighth lesson during this 21-part series, scholars begin by performing a quantitative analysis of deforestation and urbanization. Then, they...

Learners discuss how the Hudson River is an ecosystem made up of both biotic and abiotic factors. They view the PowerPoint the Journal Down the Hudson River. Students become aware of where the Hudson River begins and ends, the plant and...

Learners identify the different types of water and explain in what proportions they exist on Earth. They identify and correctly label the parts of the water cycle and how these parts interact with each other. Students identify the...

Students examine the water rights on an international scale. For this social studies lesson, students research on a specific water rights issue. They write a paper about their findings and create a PowerPoint presentation which they...

Students compare and contrast Wisconsin's water resources to that of Puerto Rico. They research books about islands, particularly the Puerto Rican islands. Student view illustrations of island ecology. They discuss the illustrations and...

Students work as a team to gather organisms from a stream to evaluate if the water quality is excellent, good, or fair to poor.

Students explore why Antarctica is so important to the planet. They investigate the physical characteristics. Students create their own unique treaty of governance for Antarctica and discuss how laws are enforced in Antarctica.

Fifth graders identify renewable vs. non-renewable resources and comprehend why conservation of resources is important. They are asked what they think the words natural and resource mean. Pupils then put the words together to define...

Young scholars fill three cups with snow. They record the height of snow in each cup, and allow the snow to melt. Students measure the height of the water in each glass or cup, and record their results on the worksheet. They answer...

Students study the quality of water by running chemical tests on the water. First, they measure pH, temperature, phospates, and nitrates in tap (drinking) water and an outdoor water sample. Then they post and evaluate the results of...

Students explore potential issues of a water shortage.  In this water conservation lesson plan, students brainstorm the many uses of water and what life would be like if there was not enough water available.