Curated OER
It's a Wrap!
Students read about the importance of packaging foods and related items properly and reducing waste. In this packaging lesson, students read the background information about packaging and bring a variety of packaging materials to class....
Curated OER
Popcorn Economics
Students examine the concept of scarcity. In this economics activity, students define scarcity and take part in an activity that illustrates the concept as it relates to goods and services.
Curated OER
Take It Apart; Put It Together
Students design various items from recyclable materials. In this environmental friendly lesson, students study the construction of gift bags, envelopes and pocket folders and take them apart to make templates. Students construct their...
Curated OER
The Lorax
Third graders identify and list five problems presented in The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. They relate these problems to current environmental issues and debate how to make a difference then participate in different activities to improve their...
Curated OER
And Still The Turtle Watched
Third graders discuss ways to be kind to the Earth. In this conservation lesson, 3rd graders listen to the story And Still The Turtle Watched by Sheila MacGill-Callalhan. They compare how the early people treated the Earth to how we...
Curated OER
Edwin Perkins: A Nebraska Success Story
Fourth graders explore the life of the inventor of Kool-Aid to unearth concepts of a market economy. Vocabulary presented helps support the learning process.
Curated OER
Technology and Oil
Students examine how society depends on petroleum products. They determine how technological advances have improved the ways these products are obtained, found, and transportation.
Curated OER
Minerals and the Products of Mining
Learners plot where minerals come from and have an awareness of how mineral use makes the world interdependent. They examine how to identify some sort of mineral products they use each day.
Curated OER
Food Without Oil
Students discuss the oil crisis and how it affects the food they eat. In this food production lesson, students look at the foods sold in their grocery store and imagine which would leave if there was no oil to ship the food. They watch...
Curated OER
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students develop a recycling plan. In this environmental instructional activity, students develop a recycling plan for their school. Students write an outline of the plan to present to their class.
Teach Engineering
Copycat Engineers
It's often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Young engineers learn about biomimicry, which uses nature to generate engineering ideas, in the fifth instructional activity of nine in a Life Science unit. Working in...
Curated OER
Conservation of Energy
Fifth graders examine their use of energy over a certain time period. They come up with a plan to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Groups of learners complete a chart with three columns; energy-using events, the form...
Curated OER
Does Mother Nature Know Best?
Investigate herbal medicine in the science or health classroom with this lesson from the New York Times. After a discussion about class members beliefs about and experiences with herbal medicines, pupils read an article that might...
Teach Engineering
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of several garbage patches around the world where garbage accumulates naturally. As part of a GIS unit that combines oceanography, environmental science, and life science, class members investigate...
Teach Engineering
Live Like an Animal
When your parents say that your room's a pig sty, tell them about biomimicry. The sixth installment of a nine-part Life Science unit has scholars research the shelters used by animals in the natural world, like turtle shells. Using the...
Discovery Education
Clutter Cutter
Challenge young learners to cut the clutter with this fun engineering project. As employees of a home and office supply company, young engineers are asked to develop devices that organize everyday items. After participating in a...
Curated OER
The Miracle Resource - From Forest to Products
Young scholars create a collage of wood products labeled by type of wood product. In this product engineering lesson, students work in groups to find pictures of solid wood products, engineered wood products, wood pulp, paper...
Curated OER
Maple Syrup Production
Students make their own maple sugar and learn about how it is made on a grander scale. In this maple sugar lesson, students make their own maple sugar and learn about evaporation and what labor is put into making it.
Curated OER
Farmers - Caretakers of the Land
Students explore resource management, specifically farming. After reviewing vocabulary words, groups of students explore what is conserved by each practice. They compare and contrast responses. Students describe farming procedures which...
Curated OER
We All Live Together
First graders examine the lifestyle of classroom and family pets in their natural habitat. They determine the needs of plants and animals, and how those needs are met. They listen to read alouds, sing songs, and draw using computer based...
Curated OER
Garbage Plants
Learners create plants out of garbage. They identify items that can be recycled and discuss natural resources. They share their creation with the class.
Curated OER
The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.
Curated OER
Natural Resources and Transportation in the United States
Students study thematic maps (included with the lesson) to determine possible relationships. They develop three hypotheses about the relationship. Students choose one of their hypotheses to explain. The explanation is to include reasons...
Curated OER
Exploring Indiana's Natural Resources
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the European exploration of the Midwest, focusing on Indiana. They map the path explorers took, comparing the British with the French. They research why the explorers stopped...