Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Composting

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Top to Bottom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Marine science classes read about the 2005 North Atlantic Stepping Stones Expedition and review climate change. They use maps to locate the seamount chains. In collaborative groups, they research how climate change may be altering the...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

How Power Plants Work 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Week 8 - Sea Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Floating Fishes: Fishing Expedition

For Teachers 4th - 8th
A referenced PowerPoint is not included, but this lesson can still make an impact with emerging environmentalists. After introducing them to the facts about overfishing, they experiment with a fishing simulation using colored beads and...
PPT
Curated OER

The Willamette River

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An informative set of slides inspects the Willamette River. Hydropower dams, agriculture, and the presence of major cities on its banks have led to increased bacteria, temperature, and mercury content as well as skeletal deformities in...
Activity
National Geographic

Spot Where You DON'T Get Your Seafood

For Teachers 4th - 8th
When your class is examining the fishing industry or sustainable practices, you can use this brief activity to demonstrate the global impact our food choices have. Overharvesting, overfishing, and bycatch are important topics to address...
Lesson Plan
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Teachers' Guide to Using A Day In the Life of a Drop

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Hydrology hopefuls learn about their local watershed. Through discussion and online interactives, they see that their habits affect the water supply. The lesson concludes with a pledge to filter out bad water usage habits. It makes a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treasures in Jeopardy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In small groups, middle schoolers research deep-sea coral reefs and design a poster to educate the public about their importance. They compare them to shallow-water reefs and consider the impact of bottom-trawl fishing. Many internet...
PPT
Curated OER

The Happy Game: Natural Resources

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Can't get enough of the Happy Game? Here it is again, this time students help Happy get a healthy lunch by answering questions related to the environment and natural resources. This is a great game to play prior to a lesson, to get an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's The World Made Of?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders identify the three states of matter by examining fishbowls with various contents. They discuss their observations and the characteristics of matter in each state. Pupils read the story The Rainbow Fish and look for...
Lesson Plan
3
3
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

One Ocean: It Matters!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is the first of four poignant lessons on how humans and oceans interact, even if people live far from the coast. This particular lesson also examines studies that are taking place in Antarctica of how climate change is affecting the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Animals Must Fit In

For Students 3rd - 4th
A instructional activity on tadpoles is here for your young biologists. Learners read a short paragraph on tadpoles, then answer three questions regarding how parts of their bodies help the tadpole to survive in the pond. There is a good...
Lesson Plan
Earth Day Network

Healthy Earth, Sick Earth

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Earth is sick and needs our help! Read the children's book Planet Earth Gets Well to explain the various problems facing the planet, discussing what young conservationists can do to heal the planet along the way. A great Earth...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Coincidental Colonization

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The Galápagos Islands are an amazing place of isolated adaptation, colonized by an interesting mix of plants and animals. The class plays a game to help them understand how these organisms came to live on the island through a combination...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Limiting Factors to Population Growth: Graphing Population Growth

For Students 7th - 8th Standards
If any of the limiting factors in an environment change, both animal and plant populations also change. The video explains two different models of growth and the impact of limiting factors. It highlights the carrying capacity of an...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Is It Alive?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Theodore Roosevelt's Outdoor Adventures

For Students 6th - 12th
Time for a virtual sightseeing trip. Pupils explore the Grand Canyon, Devil's Tower, and Yosemite Valley in an interactive online experience. They answer questions about the organisms in each location and draw conclusions based on their...
PPT
Curated OER

Microbes

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Sometimes the tiniest things can affect our daily lives. Learn all about the wonders of microbes. This excellent resource provides information on the types of microbes found in our environment, what they look like, and how they impact us...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Debate

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Set your environmental studies class up to debate a current topic regarding your choice of six suggested statements about energy use in the United States. Teams read material that you have gathered and then form their arguments. The...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Natural Selection: Natural Disasters

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Can natural disasters alter natural selection? The interactive explores this concept with mice living through a forest fire. As the environment changes, the camouflage also changes. How does this one disaster impact future generations?
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Types of Archaea

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
One of the few organisms that are classified by the environment in which they live include archaea. The video describes the phylogeny of the group and their major characteristics. It details how they reproduce and discusses the diversity...
Lesson Plan
Longwood University

How Can We Help Maintain Our Water Supply? Conserving Water

For Teachers 6th
Make young citizens aware of their environmental impact early. An inquiry-based lesson helps learners analyze their own water usage patterns and understand the effects of their habits. Individuals look at data to spot trends and see how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecological Impact of River Dams

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate their environment by completing an in-class experiment.  In this ecological lesson, students define the roles of dams and how electricity is created by them.  Students utilize plastic jugs, sand and tap...

Other popular searches