Unit Plan
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: The Effect of Environmental Factors on the Growth of Plants

For Students 6th - 9th
How do environmental factors affect the growth, development, and health of organisms? Students explore the effect of environmental factors on traits by investigating factors that affect the growth of plants.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Green Detergents Less Toxic Than Conventional?

For Students 9th - 10th
In this science fair project, test the toxicity of "green" and conventional detergents, using worms as test organisms. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction,...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Diets Affect Earthworms and the Soil They Enrich

For Students 6th - 8th
In this environment-oriented experiment, you will mix it up with earthworms, soil, and various types of organic kitchen scraps. The basic idea is to set up small earthworm colonies to compost different types of food waste. You test the...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Using Daphnia to Monitor Water Toxicity

For Students 9th - 10th
In a bioassay, a living organism serves as a detector for toxins-the same way canaries were used in coal mines to detect invisible toxic gases. In this project, water fleas (Daphnia magna), a freshwater crustacean, are used in a bioassay...
Website
Other

Canadian Wildlife Federation

For Students 9th - 10th
The main site of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, a conservation organization chartered in 1962. The group focuses on promoting an understanding of Canada's wildlife resources.
Website
Other

Department of Agriculture: National Invasive Species Information Center (Nisic)

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive guide to national invasive species, including alien plants, animals, and microbes. An invasive species is one that is likely to cause environmental or human harm.
Lesson Plan
Utah Education Network

Uen: What's in the Dirt?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders will observe changes in a small environment.
Handout
Other

Paul's Garden World: The Science of Composting

For Students 9th - 10th
Very thorough description of different organisms involved in decomposing organic material through composting. Includes actinomycetes, bacteria, fungi, and a variety of macro-organisms which also function as decomposers. Also discusses...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: How Clean Is That Water?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This lesson plan helps students understand the factors that affect water quality and the conditions that allow for different animals and plants to survive. Students will look at the effects of water quality on various water-related...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: You Are What You Drink!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Contamination in drinking water sources or watersheds can negatively affect the organisms that come in contact with it. The affects can be severe - causing illness or, in some cases, even death. It is important for people to understand...
Website
Environduck

Enviroduck: Green Transportation Environmentally Friendly Transport

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn how green transportation such as cars, autos, busses, and trains can help our environment.
Interactive
Other

Explore Learning: Effect of Environment on New Life Form

For Students 5th - 9th
Using the scientific method, control the environmental conditions for a fictional alien organism in order to learn how the organism responds to changes in conditions. Sunlight, water, and temperature can be varied to determine their...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Alien Invasion: Unwanted Travel Partners

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Perform an experiment to observe inadvertent transfer of organisms when new fish are transplanted into tropical aquariums. Apply this knowledge to explain how alien species can rapidly destroy the established ecological balance in an...
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Teri and Jairus: Biome Buddies

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This video segment from ZOOM compares and contrasts the habitat and life forms found in Death Valley with those found in the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest. [3:46]
Website
Other

Waste Link

For Students 9th - 10th
This site gives information regarding radioactive waste issues. Includes recent news articles, laws, and information on radioactive waste.