US Environmental Protection Agency
Getting to the Core: The Link Between Temperature and Carbon Dioxide
Polar ice samples provide scientists with valuable information about the condition of the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years in the past. Of particular interest is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its...
Curated OER
Human Impacts on Sharks: Developing an Essay Through Peer-Review on a Discussion Board
Students develop a paper topic (in this case, the human impacts on sharks) that is peer reviewed by additional students answering guided questions. The original student must respond to the comments by the fellow classmates. All of the...
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Plankton to Penguins: Antarctic Food Web
A well-written lesson plan, second in a series of four, gets high schoolers exploring how the Antarctic food web is impacted by climate change and the associated melting of polar ice sheets. It begins with a PowerPoint presentation about...
California Academy of Science
Coral and Chemistry
Using cabbage juice as a pH indicator, future scientists explore the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on the pH of the ocean and relate it to the health of coral reefs. Ideal for an earth or environmental sciences course, this lesson...
Berkshire Museum
Meet a Naturalist: Researching, Writing, Interviewing
Young scholars reach out into the community and learn about different environmental science careers in this inquiry-based instructional activity. Beginning with a short research assignment, children gain background knowledge about...
Curated OER
Stewardship and the Rainforest
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students explore literature in order to understand the flora and fauna of the rain forest. Students investigate how stewardship is necessary to retain natural...
Pulitzer Center
Extractive Industries
Here is a chance for environmental studies classes to take a critical look at crises occurring around the globe by reading articles and viewing video clips. The human activities under scrutiny are the extraction of oil, logging, and...
Curated OER
Global Environmental Issues: Air and Water Pollution
Thinking about designing a project for your social studies or environmental science classes? Use an overview of a project that prompts class groups to research an environmental issue.
Curated OER
Be a Weather Newscaster
Ninth graders, in groups, create and videotape a news broadcast. Each group researches, develops and writes a weather forecast, a commentary on an environmental concern, a school activity and a commercial.
Curated OER
Kildare, USA: An Environmental Health Simulation
Your biology class plays the role of epidemiologist when a mysterious illness breaks out in Kildare, USA. Using interviews with doctors, patients, and local citizens, maps, the results from different materials sampling, they work to...
Curated OER
Incorporate an Aspect of Environmentalism into an Essay Writing Curriculum
Students listen to a brief explanation of the meaning of denotation and connotation and engage in discussion of the word conservation incorporating both denotations and connotations of the word. They outline the consequences of our...
Curated OER
Talking Trees: Earth Day
Students complete a tree poster activity to learn about Earth Day, stewardship, and the environment. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students read The Story of the Tree and discuss stewardship with trees. Students act out tree...
Curated OER
Going Green
Students create an action plan to learn how to preserve natural resources for future generations. In this environmental conservation lesson, students research the topic of preserving the natural environment and write a definition for...
Curated OER
The Impact of Water Pollution on Global Peace
Tenth graders participate in hands-on activities that require them to consider the implications of water pollution. For this environmental stewardship lesson, 10th graders conduct 6 experiments pertaining to water pollution and discuss...
Curated OER
What Are the Characteristics of Biomes?
Learners working in groups study different types of biomes and the issues or environmental problems that can affect them. They design a poster board that displays the characteristics of their biome. They make a model of the biome that...
Curated OER
TE Lesson: I've Got Issues!
Students study environmental issues from different perspectives. They look at the issues from the view of both preservationists and conservationists as they identify themselves with one group or the other. They determine how teamwork...
Curated OER
Understanding Biodiversity Via Ecological Footprints
Sixth graders investigate the ways in which human beings impact the environment and ecology through the calculation of their own ecological footprint, discussion questions pertaining to biodiversity and potential imbalance hazards, and...
Curated OER
What Happened Here?
Middle schoolers examine environmental concerns that are important in their home, school, and community. In this environment lesson, students use information from the previous lesson to respond to a mess in the classroom. They choose an...
Curated OER
Lesson 8, Recycling
Learners examine recycling. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students practice persuading others to recycle as they collaborate to prepare small group skits. Learners discuss the issue and write reflections about the experience.
Curated OER
Lesson 12 - Landfills, Leaks and Spills
Students define spill, leaks and landfills and identify the environmental problems caused by them. They complete worksheets and a quiz.
Curated OER
Ocean Planet: Pollution Solution
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science activity, students investigate the impact of oil spills as they discuss historical spills. Students use problem solving skills to brainstorm clean-up methods.
Curated OER
Oil Spill Activity (Easy)
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science lesson, students examine the effects of oil spills and investigate clean-up methods as they participate in a hands-on activity.
Curated OER
Habitat, What is That?
Young scholars explore animal habitats. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students match animals to their habitats in a classroom activity. Young scholars also observe a firefly habitat and read Fireflies. Students create...
Curated OER
Carbon for the World
Young scholars explore the presence of carbon in the world. In this environmental stewardship activity, students discuss the carbon cycle after they read assigned textbook pages. Young scholars also discuss biomass content in different...