Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Drinking Bird

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Pupils discover how the "drinking bird" functions. In this investigative lesson, students discover what makes the drinking bird drink by analyzing relative humidity, temperature, and barometric pressure.
Lesson Plan
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A Day in the Life of Bottled Water

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Young scholars research natural resources. In this environmental lesson, students define what a natural resource is and explore the life of a single-use water bottle. Young scholars create a waste-reduction plan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecology and the St. Lawrence River

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on ecosystems, organism interactions, and energy flow. They create a key for known species of fish, diagram the movement of energy through an ecosystem, and create and present food chains and food...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Three W's: Wind, Waves, and Wings

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students participate in hands-on acticities to understand how native plants and animals arrived on Hawaii from long distances without the assistance of man. They then identify what characterizes a plant or animal as native vs. non-native.
Lesson Plan
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Where in the World is Carbon Dixoide?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students conduct experiments designed to detect the presence of CO2 by using a BTB that changes color (blue to yellow) in the presence of CO2. First, students experiment with the CO2 from combining vinegar and baking soda. In part two,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil Permeability

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discuss how soil permeability is affected by permafrost. In this soil lesson plan, students freeze soil over night, and discuss how the environmental conditions of freezing affect soil and further affect vegetation.
Lesson Plan
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Running Water/Rivers-Life Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the parts of a river system and use topographical maps to determine the stage of the river.
Lesson Plan
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Life cycles

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify and explain the parts of a flower and their role in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed dispersal, and germination. Students recap the following information: that plants need light, warmth,...
Lesson Plan
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Ions in the Environment

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explain the importance of the five main biogeochemical cycles. In this chemistry lesson, students discuss how ions are transported in the environment. They design an experiment to collect data on eutrophication.
Lesson Plan
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Plant Cycles

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students identify plants parts and their functions.  In this plant cycle lesson, students examine parts of plants and how the parts help them survive in its environment. Students use graphic organizers, the internet, books and...
Lesson Plan
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The Solar System: Why do we Explore?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders act as scientists. In this property discovery lesson plan, 3rd graders explore the substance "Oobleck" (cornstarch, water, food coloring). They work in groups to investigate the substance and make observations as a...
Lesson Plan
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Recycling

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students examine different "cycles" that are found in nature, such as the water cycle and recycling. They create their own artwork about cycles to be displayed on a bulletin board
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

That’s An Otter Story

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scientists discover how sea otters' habitats have changed due to human impact. Through conversation, video observation, and story reading, scholars identify how human interactions change a specific ecosystem in both positive and...
Lesson Plan
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Rocky Intertidal Field Trip

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate tides and the land submerged under them.  For this intertidal field trip, Students visit the intertidal zone and observe the habitats and animals that live there.  Students view the pools under rocks where...
Lesson Plan
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Rockets on a Shoestring Budget

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their...
Lesson Plan
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Intro to Civil Engineering and Hydrology

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Pupils identify the processes involved in the water cycle. In this math lesson, students explain what civil engineers and hydrologist do. They watch a video about flooding in Texas.
Lesson Plan
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Rainy Day Hike

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students develop awareness about the water cycles. They identify the watershed in which their school is located. They explain the role the schoolyard plays in the watershed.
Lesson Plan
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Language Arts: How Can Research Shape Ideas?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are able to characterize arsenic and determine its potential health threats in writing. They are able to compare and contrast arsenic to other water pollutants using Venn diagrams. Students are able to demonstrate essay skills...
Lesson Plan
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Physical and Chemical Changes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete several experiments about chemical and physical changes. In this physical and chemical science lesson, 6th graders complete 6 experiments about chemical and physical changes. Students examine the processes of...
Lesson Plan
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Watershed Lesson Plan

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students are introduced to the concepts of a watershed, stream flow and water quality. This five-day plan is an excellent way to introduce students to the concepts involved. They create their own watershed using a paper bag, water and...
Lesson Plan
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A Comparison of Cloud Coverage Over Africa

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students use a NASA satellite data to contrast amounts of cloud coverage over different climate regions in Africa. They explore how Earth's major air circulations affect global weather patterns, and relate to local weather patterns.
Lesson Plan
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Adhesives: Measuring Stickiness

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars test the stickiness of natural substances. In this adhesion as a property of matter lesson, students build a tool to test the adhesion of natural "glues" such as honey, peanut butter, flour and water paste, and jelly. ...
Lesson Plan
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Introduction to Dissolved Oxygen and Demonstration of a Simple Test Procedure

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explain the importance of dissolved oxygen in water ecosystems. They describe the aquatic oxygen cycle and the effect of water pollution on oxygen. They make observations, collect data and draw a conclusion.
Lesson Plan
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Saltwater Science

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students conduct an experiment that shows them how salt water allows things to float. In this salt water lesson plan, students mix ingredients together to create salt water and observe how it makes the oceans dense. They then interpret...