Curated OER
Explore Your Natural Habitat
Students identify habitats and understand why they are important to our environment. For this environmental lesson students design their own habitat, observe and record data on the impact their habitat has on the environment.
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – The Importance of Water
Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...
Teach Engineering
Messin' with Mixtures
Do you separate your trail mix before eating it? Then you've been separating mixtures your whole life! Scholars model a contaminated soil sample using trail mix and estimate the percentage of each component. They consider how to clean up...
Curated OER
Activity #5 Soils-Permeability and Impurity Removal
Students predict which types of soils would work best for keeping contaminants contained. They comprehend that in the past, landfills have been one major source of groundwater contamination. Pupils comprehend that placing and building...
Curated OER
Living Environment
For this environmental lesson students complete a series of multiple choice and short answer questions on animal populations, cell structure and chromosomes.
Curated OER
Erosion Mountain
Students investigate the erosive impact of water. In this erosion activity, students research the impact of water on terraced and non-terraced hillsides. Students create an erosion model to have a hands-on experience with the soil.
Curated OER
Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
Curated OER
Natural Resources: Getting a Fair Share?
Pupils explore the impact of human behavior on key components of the environment, examine how theirn own personal decisions have added to the problem, and explore possible solutions to the current ecological crisis.
National Park Service
Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!
Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson plan. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready...
Curated OER
Scavenger Hunt Worksheet
Exactly how environmentally friendly is your school? From the air fresheners in the bathrooms to the cleaning solvents used in the classrooms, young conservationists search the school grounds for sources of air pollution in...
Chymist
Earth Science
Explore the consistency of the earth's layers and soil through modeling. By conducting an engaging experiment, learners develop a model for the earth's layers and a soil profile using edible materials. Each material is chosen based on...
Curated OER
Do They Grow Up or Down?
Students keep a garden journal after planting a garden and discuss environmental stresses put upon the garden for growth. In this garden lesson plan, students plant the plants differently from one another and observe the outcomes.
Curated OER
Soybeans: The Miracle Seed
Learners discover why soybeans are called the "miracle seeds." They make their own soynuts and share other foods made from soybeans. They create a bulletin board of soybean products.
Curated OER
Soil Survey Lesson
Students use materials to research the soil in their local area. They complete worksheets with the information they gather and locate the areas on a soil survey map. They share their information with the class.
Curated OER
Choose Your Own Soil Adventure
Ninth graders will use a soil survey to make management decisions and by interpreting geologic maps. The importance of different soil types is discussed and the implications of how soil can be useful for our communities.
Curated OER
Soil Science Study
Students complete an activity by looking and gathering data on plants and soils.
Curated OER
Help! Help! Save the Earth!
First graders analyze ways to save our natural resources and preserve the environment. In this environmental protection lesson, 1st graders complete four activities to analyze the importance of our natural resources and what trash does...
Curated OER
Save Our Soil
Students explore the need for good farm land and reasons for the disappearance of agricultural areas. They brainstorm environmental friendly decisions and soil conservation. In their community, students explore new land developments...
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Students criticially read an unfinished creative writing piece, answer factual questions concerning the piece, and then finish the story or create their own story about their own neigborhood and possible environmental issues.
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl: An Economic and Environmental American Tragedy
Many of us focus on the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl as it relates to people. Why not shift the focus of cause and effects to how the Dust Bowl affected the environment. Here is a different take on the tried-and-true Dust Bowl...
Global Oneness Project
At-Risk Communities
"Waiting to Move," a photo essay by Ciril Jazbec, brings into sharp focus the threats posed by climate change. Class members examine images of Shishmaref Island and the Native Alaskan Inupiate coastal villages that are impacted by rising...
Curated OER
Soil: Food Mapping
Pupils examine the concept of food mapping . In this agriculture instructional activity, students explore food and agriculture systems in the United States in the past and today. Pupils complete food mapping activities.
Curated OER
Sustainable Livestock
Students investigate healthy eating habits by researching livestock. In this food sustainability instructional activity, students research the negative impact factory farming has on our environment due to pollution. Students define...
Curated OER
Dirty Decomposers
Seventh graders design and conduct experiments to determine what environmental factors favor decomposition by soil microbes. They use chunks of carrot for the materials to be decomposed, and their experiments are carried out in plastic...