Minnesota Department of Natural Resoures
Getting to Know Trees
Celebrate the beauty of trees with a packet full of activities designed to help kindergarteners get to know about their leafy nature friends. Covering a variety of subjects, scholars go on a nature hike, read Shel Silverstein's The...
Scholastic
Awesome Adaptations
Engaged learners discover how an owl beak works and how animals adapt to their environment. This task is part one of a three-part series.
Curated OER
Science and the Envrionment
Students utilize a digital camera to record interesting objects in their environment. In this ecology lesson, students participate in a mini-field trip around their campus as they take 2-3 pictures of the school environment. Students...
Curated OER
Celebrating Earth Day
Students explore environmental safety by planting seeds outside their classroom. In this Earth Day instructional activity, students identify the different ways to recycle and conserve resources on Earth while facilitating recycling bins...
Curated OER
BEE a Part of Our Community
Pupils reflect how to form a respectful classroom community. In this communities lesson, students construct a "community web" of positive comments and predict what happens to the web when negative comments are made. Pupils discuss how to...
Teach Engineering
Introduction to Environmental Engineering
A series on environmental engineering introduces the class to issues that environmental engineers work to solve. This first instructional activity focuses on air and land issues, and looks at ways to reduce pollution.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Teachers' Guide to Using A Day In the Life of a Drop
Hydrology hopefuls learn about their local watershed. Through discussion and online interactives, they see that their habits affect the water supply. The activity concludes with a pledge to filter out bad water usage habits. It makes a...
Curated OER
Composting
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...
Curated OER
Classroom Ecosystems: Windows on our Environment
Students in a special education classroom examine their relationship with the environment. As a class, they examine the concept of a web of life and create their own classroom ecosystem. In groups, they record their observations and...
Curated OER
Your Own Fresh Water Aquarium in the Classroom
Learners explore aquariums. In this fish and ecosystems lessons, students establish a freshwater aquarium environment using materials provided. Learners read about and care for the classroom fish.
Curated OER
Creating a Literacy-Rich Learning Environment
Students in a teacher education program use a jigsaw method to identify the six areas of language arts to be taught in an early childhood classroom. They describe their vision of a literacy rich environment and practices uses a KWL...
Curated OER
Ocean Floor Properties and Near Shore Environments
Students explore and model the characteristics of the ocean floor and near shore environments through in-class demonstrations, laboratory activities, and internet research. They use classroom materials to research the characteristics of...
Curated OER
Keep the Environment Clean
Students discuss ways our environment becomes polluted. They make a list of ways to keep it clean.
Curated OER
Energy in a Clean Environment
Young scholars examine the efficiency of each alternative energy source as well as what limitations exist in terms of extracting the usable energy. They determine which energy source is most effective to the economy and the environment...
Curated OER
The Gulf Oil Spill in the Classroom
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students investigate the media response to the Gulf oil spill as they examine live streaming video, interpret data, and share their personal...
Curated OER
Rates and Causes of Mortality in Classroom and Wild Monarch Larvae
Students observe, record and analyze the mortality rates of the monarch larvae that are being held in a controlled environment versus those that are in the wild.
Curated OER
Succession in the Classroom
Middle schoolers investigate their environment by growing plants in class. In this botany lesson, students discuss the lifespan of plants and animals and how they must be cared for continuously over time. Middle schoolers grow a plant...
Curated OER
Penguins Marching in Your Classroom
Sixth graders examine how penguins adapt to their Antarctic environment. Once they locate Antarctica on a map, they describe its characteristics and differences from other continents. After describing how penguins differ from more...
Curated OER
Imagining Homes and Environments
Students discuss relationship between environments, natural resources and housing, establish connection with students in classroom or school there, and paint pictures of what they think homes look like based on basic data about environment.
Science Matters
Blubber Gloves: It’s All About Insulation
Instill the concept of adaptation with the help of Blubber Gloves—ziplock bags, shortening, and duct tape. Scholars discuss how animals and plants keep warm in polar regions, record their predictions, and try on their Blubber Gloves to...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Calculating Your Carbon Footprint
Unplugging from technology for one day per week will decrease your carbon footprint—are you up to the challenge? Part two in a series of three allows individuals to explore their personal carbon footprints. By first taking a quiz at home...
Curated OER
Bottled Water Ban
Convenience, taste, portability ... what's not to love about bottled water? Apparently, a lot. Scholars analyze the four main arguments supporting and opposing the sale of bottled water. They explore the health, environmental, and...
Student Handouts
Ten Things I Learned This Year
As you approach the end of the school year or New Years Eve, encourage reflection amongst your class members and gain a quick glimpse into the content and ideas that they remember the most.
Missouri Department of Elementary
STAR Deputies, Unite!
STAR deputies unite! Scholars gather in small groups to solve problems using the STAR method. Pupils read a card that describes a situation that requires problem-solving. They role-play the scenario in front of their peers.