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Who Owns Water
Learners role play how water is allocated to different holders of water rights. In this ecology lesson, students identify the different water rights available. They explore problems associated with water use including drought, degraded...
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Decision Making a Mock Town Meeting on a Proposed Tank Farm
Students identify the potential hazards to the water supply. For this ecology lesson, students role play a town hall meeting to discuss the proposal of a storage tank construction in their place. They present their...
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Pond Water Web
Students identify the different organisms in the food web. In this biology lesson, students create food chains using the information on cards. They explain what happens if an organism is removed or added in the web.
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Stabilization Wedges Game
Teamwork and critical thinking combine to for a creative lesson on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ebullient environmental studies learners play a game in which they strategize how to place colorful energy wedges together to create a...
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A Matter of Accountability
Pupils conduct a mock trial focusing on environmental accountability of industrialized nations. As an example, they evaluate evidence provided on carbon dioxide emissions. They participate in a mock trial of industrialized nations by the...
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Ecology and the Conservation of Natural Resources
Students examine the habits of various organism and evaluate the need for conserving natural resources. They role-play as migrating birds traveling between habitats encountering hazards along the way. They observe animals in a...
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Interactions Among Living Things
Students role play predators and prey, classify organisms as predator or prey, and describe factors that affect population growth and size.
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Populations – The Survival of the Fittest (Part 1)
Students explain in their own words why organisms live together. In this biology lesson, students model what happens to organisms if their environment changes. They explain the importance of evolution.
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Taming Wild Land
Third graders consider the habitat needs of living things and how extensive farming in an area can affect the plants and animals of a region. They participate in a simulation to show how changing the habitat in one area can greatly...
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Presenting Ecology through Rodent Control
Students role play the member of a health department task force. In groups, they develop their own recommendations to control the rodent problem in the area. They email their local government official and research information about the...
California Academy of Science
Ocean Acidification Mock Conference
In a comprehensive role playing activity, teens play the parts of different stakeholders in the realm of acidic oceans. They research, debate, and create a presentation from the perspective of either ocean organisms, the fishing...
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Forest Succession
Students research environmental change and why forests cannot stay the same for long. In this environmental growth instructional activity, students discuss the life cycle of a tree and examine tree cookies to discover the age of...
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The MPA “GamePlan”
Eighth graders explore the purpose of having Marine Protected Areas. In this environmental science lesson, 8th graders simulate the planning process by playing a board game. They explain the positive and negative effects of trade offs.
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Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Ninth graders explain the purpose of MPA's. In this biology lesson, 9th graders identify MPA's in Southern California. They simulate coastal sampling using candy from two buckets. Students analyze their results and share it with the class.
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What Shapes a MPA?
Students identify the three types of MPA in California. In this marine science lesson, students analyze information provided to design a new MPA. They justify their reasoning in class.
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Mission Possible: Energy Trade-offs
Teams of electrical engineers work together to develop plans for increasing electricity to a fictitious, but growing community. They consider different sources of electricity, both renewable and nonrenewable, the cost of building and...
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Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw...
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Burnaby Lake Field Trip
Students identify different organisms found in the lake ecosystem. In this life science instructional activity, students discover the predator-prey relationship through a game. They explain how beavers adapt to the environment over time.
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Water Quality
Students play the role of scientists testing for water quality in the area. In this ecology instructional activity, students determine the water sample's pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. They write a journal reflection...
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Bat Ecology
Students, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works and another to show how mother bats locate their young through their...
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Science: Fossil of a Carbonized Plant
Students classify leaves by shape and margins and use them to create models of plant fossils. By using paper over a leaf, they simulate fossilization of organisms onto sedimentary rocks. Following instructions on worksheets, students...
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Speak Up for Recycling
Are you looking for ways to enhance a persuasive writing or speech unit? Use this lesson to prompt your young writers to investigate a school recycling program. After conducting research, they present a persuasive, well-organized speech...
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Up the Down Tree House
Students investigate the decomposition process. In this ecology lesson, students participate in a play, "Up the Treehouse" where the main idea focuses on a decomposing tree and how food chains are effected by decomposition. After the...
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Forest Ecosystem Field Trip
Students investigate the environment by participating in a class field trip. In this botany lesson plan, students attend a field trip through their local park or forest while listening to a nature guide. Students practice using their 5...