Lesson Plan
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World in the Balance

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students make estimates on how many people they believe live on Earth. While watching a video, they take notes on the issues facing Kenya, Japan and India. In groups, they calculate how long it takes for a country to double in size. To...
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Curated OER

Teaching About the Hydrosphere

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders are introduced to the Earth's hydrologic system including the cycling of water in the atmosphere and the movement of water on the surface of the planet using the Great Lakes watershed as an example.
Lesson Plan
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TE Activity: Pollution Politics

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine how a bill becomes a law in the US Congress. They investigate legislation about global warming. They determine the role of engineers as they educate Congress, the public and other government institutions about global...
Lesson Plan
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Radioactive Isotopes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe an isotope and radioactive isotope in a written essay. They describe how a specific country or region was affected by radioactive contamination and attempt to sympathize with those affected by these radioactive...
Lesson Plan
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Climate And the Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students demonstrate the greenhouse effect. They recognize that relatively small changes to our environment can stimulate significant climate changes. They determine that the "scientific method" is a process of testing hypotheses and...
Lesson Plan
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Carbon Monoxide and Population Density

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders investigate the carbon monoxide level at a fixed latitude to determine if there is a relationship to population density. They download data sets and generate a graph, and find locations using the Earth's coordinate system....
Lesson Plan
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The Hudson's Ups and Downs

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders practice interpreting line graphs of the Hudson River water levels to assess the tides and tidal cycles in the estuary. They explore how weather can affect water levels and tides and observe that high tides and low tides...
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The Copper Basin Problem

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students view a video about how human actions impact the environment. They design a set of experiments to address some of the problems and issues raised by the video.
Lesson Plan
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Mining in Texas

For Teachers 7th - 9th
In this mining and nonrenewable resources worksheet, students read about mining in Texas and simulate the extraction of nonrenewable minerals. They use cookies and their components to represent the minerals they will mine and they answer...
Lesson Plan
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Watershed Tourist

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students recognize and categorize different bodies of water. In this watershed and water environments lesson, students "Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean." Students define the different bodies of water and sort from smallest to...
Lesson Plan
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Do We Control Nature, or Does Nature Control Us?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Student examine the theme of man versus nature in art. In this man versus nature lesson, students examine various pieces of art and discuss the theme as it is depicted. They discuss whether the themes shown in the artwork are relevant...
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Acid or Base? Toxie's on the Case

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students recognize the difference between acids and bases.  In this ToxMystery lesson, students play a computer game and experiment to find the difference between acids and bases. Students use litmus paper to determine if household...
Lesson Plan
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Shark Attack Odds and the Importance of Sharks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine an ecosystem. In this food web lesson, students discover the importance of sharks and what threat sharks actually pose to humans. They participate in class discussions and work independently on a couple of different...
Lesson Plan
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Problem Based Learning Scenario

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research about the function of MPA's. In this marine science lesson, students explore how humans influence changes near these areas. They explore different MPA's in the Great Lakes region.
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Developing Models

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students understand the concept of a scientific model and how it relates to climate change.  In this obsesrvation and gathering data lesson students design a trial and error model using PowerPoint. 
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Government Gripes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars, in groups, investigate the purpose and jurisdiction of government agencies assigned to regulate different science/technology/health issues, then describe situations in which agencies might have a disagreement, and stage a...
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Investigation 9 - Bird Study

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine specific bird characteristics and become more aware of the ecosystems that support each bird. They engage in bird walks, mapping the areas where they find evidence of bird activity.
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Alien Invasions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners create an educational pamphlet on the origins, spread and impact of invasive plant species in their community.
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Cardboard Tree and Endangered Animals Lesson

For Teachers K - 1st
Learners create endangered animal figures and their habitats.
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TOXIC TECHNOLOGY

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine what they already know about computer recycling and cconsider how computer recycling is contributing to a global toxic waste problem by reading and discussing the article, ""Poor Nations are Littered With Old PC's,...
Lesson Plan
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The World's Water Woes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss their community's water sources and assess the factors affecting the water availability and quality. They research water disputes around the world and explain common factors among them.
Lesson Plan
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Landscaping and Urban Forestry - Lesson 4 (Grades 5-6)

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students discuss reasons to plant trees and the best locations for cooling. They analyze two homes identifying types and locations of trees, and location of the central air conditioners. The benefits of shade, the process of...
Lesson Plan
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Landscaping And Urban Forestry - Lesson 4 (Grades 8-9)

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students discuss reasons to plant trees and the best locations for cooling. They study two homes and identify types and locations of trees and determine the placement of the central air conditioners. The class plans a landscape design...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Tapped Dry: How Do You Solve a Water Shortage?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, after evaluating different allocation methods for water, determine the costs and benefits of each method.