Four lessons introduce elementary ecologists to salt marsh and sandy beach habitats. In the first instructional activity, they place shells and other materials in vinegar to determine if they contain calcium carbonate. In the second...

Young scientists explore the animal kingdom from the safety of the classroom with this short research project. After first choosing an animal, children use the Internet to discover where it lives, what it eats, and how it...

Ecosystem, human body system, weather system. We hear the word system a lot, but what does it really mean? In the activity, pairs or groups of learners discuss how a bicycle is a system and then analyze objects in their classroom and...

Cooperative groups research trip logs from deep-sea expeditions and explore characteristics of deepwater habitats. Using a cake as the ocean floor, they work together to decorate it as a model of such habitats. They also prepare a...

Another A+ lesson on the impact of climate change comes to you from the National Earth Science Teachers Association. In this installment, learners model the stratification of water in lakes due to temperature differences. The lab also...

Sixth graders study organisms that exist in the world and what they are made up of. They participate in a nature walk, a presentation, a drawing of an animal and plant cell, draw a ecosystem, and fill out a Punnett square.

How can you tell what an owl has eaten? Study the food chain and flow of energy in an ecosystem by dissecting an owl pellet and noting the bones found inside. Additionally, the lesson includes a game about consumers and producers with a...

Students build a Bermuda coral reef to gain a better understanding of this ecosystem.

Students gather information on a kelp forest and identify species in that ecosystem.  In this underwater ecosystem lesson students gather data, give an oral presentation and create a poster.

Fourth graders construct mini-ecosystem, pollute the ecosystem, observe, collect, and record data on the effects of these pollutants on their ecosystem, organize data on spreadsheets, create graphs, and design presentations to share with...

Students explore food chains. In this ecosystem lesson, students discover how plants and animals rely on each other for survival. Students research the rocky shore ecosystem and create a skit representing the ecosystem.

Students research an inhabitant of a Caribbean coral reef using a list of common organisms that live on or near it. Students then write a description of their organism and draw a picture or a 3-D model of it. Eventually they all work...

Young scholars explore islands. They create a two- or three-dimensional map of an island. They explain how the topography of an area influences the location of water sources, ecosystems, and human settlements. Lesson includes adaptations...

Young scholars consider the adaptation of life forms through natural selection to fill various niches and accommodate changing environmental conditions. They select an ecosystem and conduct research to provide as much detailed...

Students create a town model and analyze the type of greenhouse gases their town emits. In this earth science activity, students build greenhouses to investigate how trapped heat causes temperature change. They relate this activity to...

An ecosystem is really just the flow of energy through many different living organisms. A study of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book leads to an environmental science activity in which learners study how various factors can affect...

Students study the characteristics of wetlands. They are introduced to terms and different examples of wetlands. The hands-on activity reinforces the different parts of the wetlands, and provides a working model of a wetland.

What kind of animals live on an ice planet like Hoth? How would the habitat on Tatooine allow different organisms to thrive? Connect social studies, science, and Star Wars in one engaging activity that focuses on the ecosystems...

Seventh graders, using national parks as models, illustrate the energy flow in ecosystems. Working in groups, they use murals, flow charts, or other visual displays to record their findings. Students represent the food chains and webs...

In this understanding wetlands worksheet, students write the definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples, using the Frayer model given, to show what they know about wetlands.

Learners identify and interpret the concept of an ecosystem and the potential impact humans have on ecosystems. They also proficient in organized and methodical Internet searches. Finally, students become proficient with public...

Third graders research ecosystems, the work of ecologists, John Muir's contribution to the environment and an endangered species of their choice. They read books, participate in discussions, and write reports.

Krill is a very small ocean animal that is key to keeping the ocean ecosystem going. The class reviews food webs and chains, learns about the importance of krill, discusses krill anatomy, builds a model of a krill, and then has a...

Fifth graders define vocabulary terms, identify the characteristics of a pillbug, and create a dichotomous key. Then they examine the pillbugs and make observations and record these observations. Finally, 5th graders observe specific...