Students identify some of their favorite snack foods. Using this information, they discover the resources needed to produce the food. In groups, they research different alternatives to make their favorite food in order to protect the...

Here is an interesting science lesson plan. Pupils discover that carbon, just like water, is absolutely necessary for all living things to survive. They study how it cycles through nature, become familiar with the periodic table, and...

Play a game to review characteristics of different materials. Players will compare natural to man-made materials and how much light passes through them. They consider water and heat resistance as well. If you are preparing your class for...

Learn about defensible space and renewable resources with a lesson about forest fires. After exploring the ways that humans have impacted the environment, kids conduct mock interviews about differing points of view in the conservation...

Explore the unique characteristics of polymers. A complete lesson begins with a presentation introducing polymers. Following the presentation, young scientists develop a laboratory plan for creating substances using polymers. They...

This resource could come in handy the next time you feel like teaching about clay. Basic sculpting techniques, vocabulary, and history of clay are outlined in this informative resource. Use prior to teaching an art project involving...

How do we affect the ecosystem, and what can we do to preserve it? Pupils explore chemicals that promote and inhibit plant growth, then discuss the importance of nitrogen and phosphorus to the survival of organisms and describe how...

Discuss different sources of energy and how much greenhouse gas each might emit. The six sources are then ranked according to emissions from greatest to least. Finally, the true cumulative emissions are revealed to show the class how...

As part of their examination of forest ecosystems, class members examine how foresters, biologists, botanists, geologists, and hydrologists work to together to develop a management plan for sustainable forests.

An environmenta science unit includes three lessons plus a cumulative project covering the ecosystem. Scholars follow the history of the Ford Rouge Factory from its construction on wetlands and how it destroyed the...

Rivers top the list of causes of erosion over time. Scholars experiment with wind, water, and ice reshaping sand. They connect the simulations facts about erosion and deposition to understand unique landforms such as the Grand Canyon and...

After a lecture about how the first industrial revolution triggered the path to climate change, your environmental studies class discusses what the impacts are. In a culminating activity, they get into groups and identify countries on a...

A couple PowerPoint presentations are used to stimulate discussion about the perspectives of different countries on the issue of energy consumption. Afterward, they play a game in which each team is assigned a country, considers its...

When Captain John Smith visited the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 1608, what types of animals and habitats did he encounter? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents to answer this question, as well as compare...

Students develop a greater understanding and concern for the plight of our coastal waterways. Students begin to recognize that we are all partially responsible for water pollution.

Students create an original poem about water.  In this Robert Frost and water lesson, students read examples of Robert Frost's poetry, write an interpretation, and look for imagery that appeals to the senses.  Students use a...

Students investigate how the amount of water that can infiltrate into the soil is influenced by precipitation factors and the nature of the soil. The precipitation factors are type of precipitation, amount, duration and intensity of...

Pupils become plants in an interpretive play that depicts what happens throughout the seasons in a rain garden. As you narrate, students bloom, flower, and go to seed accordingly. The lesson is first in a series of lessons written for...

Students review and analyze graphs and tables as a group. They develop their graph and data analysis skills by converting data tables from Human Activity and the Environment into graphs.

Learners study the effect of pesticides on plants and insects. In this gardening instructional activity, students discuss the importance of insects. They define pesticides, evaluate their effectiveness and the problems they might...

Learners identify the different biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem. In this ecology lesson, students perform a case study on current environmental problems. They write a position statement about their chosen topic and share it...

Learners examine sets of four or five organisms and determine which organism in each set doesn't "belong", and determine a variety of characteristics that explain why it doesn't belong.

Sixth graders explore the connection between the geography of America and the migration of the Native Americans to the American continents to the future conquering of the continents by the Europeans. They discuss the causes and effects...