Curated OER
Exploring Ecosystems
Students examine the relationships between plants, animals, and the environment in ecosystems. They sort animal cards, collect natural materials from the schoolyard, and record an ecosystem web in the form of a poster.
Curated OER
Functions of Leaves
The title is a little deceiving since only one of 17 slides is dedicated to the function of leaves, while the rest is dedicated to the structure. Both internal and external structure is taught with accompanying diagrams. If you are going...
Curated OER
Into a New Millennium, Lesson 4: 1970 to Present
Students view different slides on how agriculture has changed in America. In groups, they are given one resource to read and answer discussion quesions. After reviewing answers, they participate in different scenerios to help protect...
Curated OER
The Living Environment
Students explore the cycles of an ecosystem. In this environmental science lesson, students work in groups to research the nitrogen cycle, the water cycle, or the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle. Students prepare a PowerPoint or other...
Curated OER
What We As Students Can Do To Save Our World
Students investigate air and water pollution, and the conservation of natural resources.
Curated OER
Watershed Landscape
Middle schoolers demonstrate how water flows by building a human watershed using themselves. In this ecology instructional activity, students compare and contrast point-source and non-point source pollution. They write what they have...
Curated OER
Power, Pollution, Pros and Cons
Students review what they know about non-renewable energy, compare and contrast advantages and drawbacks of each type, such as cost of energy sources, feasibility, air pollution, water pollution, and other risks, and create table listing...
Curated OER
The Geologists' Dilemma
Students search in groups of five for colored beads that have been scattered over the classroom. They will search for one of our energy resources represented by one color bead to determine that resources are limited.
Curated OER
Environmental Issues in South Carolina
High schoolers research governmental agencies that deal with the environment and chart aspects about each agency. They role-play a city council meeting to address the topic of building a waste to energy facility.
Curated OER
The Trail of a Snack Food
Learners identify some of their favorite snack foods. Using this information, they discover the resources needed to produce the food. In groups, they research different alternatives to make their favorite food in order to protect the...
Curated OER
Modeling the Process of Mining Silicon Through a Single Displacement/Redox Reaction
Young scholars study silicon and where it comes from. In this solar mining lesson students complete an Internet search of mining and a lab activity.
Curated OER
Where Does the Green Go?
Students investigate why green leaves change colors in the fall. They press leaves and write a poem, create a chlorophyll leaf print, take a nature walk, and create a leaf shape poster.
Curated OER
Modeling Oil and Gas Reservoirs
Students investigate energy by researching how oil reservoirs work. In this fossil fuels lesson, students conduct an experiment using a half full bottle of water, corn oil and oxygen, recording their data as the elements are mixed...
Discovery Education
It's Getting Hot in Here
Class members engage in a STEM experiment and investigate how materials affect heating in a house by creating models of houses and using different top surface materials. They record the temperature inside the models and consider what the...
Teach Engineering
Superhydrophobicity – The Lotus Effect
Discover and demonstrate the Lotus Effect and superhydrophobic surfaces with the eighth installment of a nine-part series that teaches scholars about surfaces that exhibit superhydrophobicity. The lesson continues also describes...
Teach Engineering
Light Intensity Lab
Let there be light. The last installment of a seven-part series has pupils conduct an experiment on light attenuation through different numbers of transparency sheets. They then relate the results back to how X-rays measure bone density.
EduGAINs
Form and Function
Will that structure survive the force? The differentiated lesson allows pairs to choose the structure they would like to construct and the building materials they wish to use. Individuals record their findings in...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 2
In this second of three lessons on power plants, future engineers find out how we generate electricity and how coal-powered plants operate. They work in small groups to make electromagnet generators to light LED bulbs. A set of...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 3
Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble! Find out what drives a turbine to generate electricity and whether or not it has an impact on the environment. A discussion and lecture is divided by a hands-on activity in...
Forest Foundation
Forest Health
Young foresters examine the strategies, like prescribed burns and thinning, that are employed to ensure healthy forests.
Forest Foundation
The Sustainable Forest
As part of their examination of forest ecosystems, class members examine how foresters, biologists, botanists, geologists, and hydrologists work to together to develop a management plan for sustainable forests.
Curated OER
Planet X
Students select a wide variety of presentation methods to compare Planet X and Earth. Students share these with their classmates. Students select other methods to present their ideas about a livable planet for human life forms. ...
Curated OER
How Does Your Ecosystem Grow?
Students consider that under certain conditions in nature tend to remain the same or move toward a balance. They observe populations and determine the functions (e.g., de-composers, producers, consumers) they serve in an ecosystem. They...
Curated OER
Severe Weather
Fifth graders identify the causes and effects of several different kinds of
severe weather phenomenon. They read an excerpt from John Muir's book The Mountains of California and research one of the following severe
weather phenomena...