Curated OER
Aquatic Ecosystems
Students study the diversity of marine life and their habitats. In this aquatic ecosystems lesson students complete a lab activity and experiment.
Curated OER
Indiana Tornado Project
Learners become familiar with the use of GIS for research, natural phenomena in Indiana, and analyzing collected information.
Curated OER
Creating Communities
Students design a community with minimal environmental impact. They rate each other's community's presentation using the "Planning and Zoning Commission Rating Scale".
Curated OER
You Decide
Fourth graders, who live on a Native American reservation, investigate how land management is addressed at Tribal Council meetings. They participate in a simulation of a meeting as the discover the workings of tribal government. They...
Curated OER
Rivers And Capitals
Young scholars become familiar with the use of GIS for research and become aware of the importance of rivers to cities. They also analyze the placement of cities and learn the names of rivers in the United States.
Curated OER
Underwater Nature Trails
Students research dive sites on an underwater nature trail that would introduce divers to the wonders of the reef surrounding South Caicos. They then recreate each dive site using shoe box diorama and create an information station at...
Curated OER
Making & Breaking : The Rock Cycle
Middle schoolers examine the rock cycle and how rocks can change over time. In this geotechnical engineering lesson students draw a diagram of the rock cycle.
Curated OER
Homemade Barometer
To reinforce the action of air pressure, have your meteorology pupils construct a barometer. They place the barometer into a closed system, a miniature atmosphere if you will, and notice the movement of the needle on the homemade...
Curated OER
The Rain Forest of Costa Rica
Fifth graders examine and discuss the topography, climate, natural resources and artwork of Costa Rica. They develop a diagram of the layers of the rain forest, and design a tourist brochure or advertisement promoting Costa Rica's...
Curated OER
Volcano Contour Models Activity and Tracing the Highs and Lows in San Francisco
Students investigate how to draw topographic contours and read topographic maps.They examine the topography of San Francisco and contrast the elevation of different points within San Francisco.
Curated OER
Forest Communities
Young scholars identify tree specimens. In this tree specimens lesson, students collect different parts of a tree from the areas around the school or their home. They then work in groups to create booklet that identifies tree...
Carnegie Mellon University
How Power Plants Work 2
In this second of three lessons on power plants, future engineers find out how we generate electricity and how coal-powered plants operate. They work in small groups to make electromagnet generators to light LED bulbs. A set of...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Nature's Life Cycle
Become a member of the Pollution Patrol and stand up to litter! After discussing the life cycle of seeds and discussing how plants figure into the food chain, young conservationists engage in several activities involving podcasts,...
Curated OER
Class Conservation Corps (CCC)
Students investigate how the loss of soil, a valuable natural resource, affects their lives through loss of productive land to grow food, loss of coastal land mass, and poor water quality from runoff. They design a project to keep soil...
Curated OER
Mining for Natural Resources
Students discover that mining for nonrenewable natural resources has a dramatic effect on our environment. They gain an understanding of the processes involved in harvesting a natural resource and the impact it has on the earth.
Curated OER
Muffin Mining
Students participate in demonstrations of the problems of mining. They use blueberry muffins to represent their coal deposits.. They make predictions and record their observations. They discuss their results.
Curated OER
What's It All About?- Kansas Prairies
Students examine the interdependence of animal life and the environment. In this Kansas prairies lesson plan, students read background information on prairies and complete a worksheet to identify the main idea.
Curated OER
Give Me Some Air!
Third graders examine how trees produce oxygen. They examine satellite images of the reservation they examining and interpret the number of trees on the land. They determine how natural resources should be used wisely.
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Run-off Race
Students create wetland models in pans and use them to experiment to see how plants help slow the flow of runoff water and keep our waterways clean.
Curated OER
Tread Lightly
Learners investigate the use of carbon fuels and how they effect the environment. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used from the reading to calculate one's personal influence upon the environment.
Curated OER
Rain Forest Deforestation
Sixth graders explore the destructive deforestation of rain forests in Brazil to clear the land for crops and livestock. Students demonstrate how the burning of a forest releases carbon dioxide by performing an experiment.
Curated OER
Circle the Earth - Explore Surface Types on a Journey around Earth
Students use CERES percent coverage surface data with a world map in locating landmasses and bodies of water at Earth's Equator.
Curated OER
If You Mess With A Wetland, At Least Try to Make Amends!
Eighth graders examine the role of wetlands in an ecosystem. In groups, they use the internet to research how humans have disturbed and ruined the effectiveness of wetlands throughout the country. They pretend they are in charge of...