Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this science instructional activity, students investigate data from the International Coastal Cleanup, identify sources of marine debris, and discover the impacts of this...

Young scholars explore the concept of pollution. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students examine primary sources to research the complexity of pollution and its effect on the Arctic.

Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. For this science lesson, students examine the environmental effects of oil spills as they replicate a contained oil spill and clean up.

Students go exploring Britain's beaches. In this geography lesson, students visit selected websites to learn about specific beach habitats and the history of cleaning those beaches.

Students create a model estuary. In this modeling estuaries lesson, students identify characteristics and mix water of varying densities. Students form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, and analyze the results.

Learners perform experiments to examine if debris float, or blow in the wind. The effects of these characteristics on the marine debris are then discussed. They determine how a material can influence what becomes marine debris.

Young scholars examine the environmental impact of global warming. In this environmental science lesson, students design and conduct an experiment about the effect of temperature on paramecia. They write a lab report about their experiment.

Students study the Pacific salmon and see the different challenges they face.  In this environment lesson students complete several activities that show how humans have affected the salmon environment. These activities have varying...

To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...

Students study droughts and how they affect communities and coastal ecosystems.  In this ecosystems lesson students use data to examine drought conditions in certain areas. 

Students examine sea turtles. For this endangered species lesson, students analyze sea turtle habitats. Students hypothesize why sea turtles could go extinct.

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...

Students discover what a watershed is and which one they live in. Using the internet, they research why watersheds are important to an ecosystem and how to keep them from getting polluted. They use a map to locate various items within a...

Students consider the life cycle of certain plastics products and propose improved recycling legislation in their own communities.

Learn about wastewater and recycled water with a science reading activity. After learners finish a two-page passage about conserving the water supply, they answer six comprehension questions about what they have read.

Students consider the source of disease and parasites in West Africa. In this environmental issues lesson, students read "Working with Environmental Issues," by Fred Koehler. Students participate in an activity that requires students to...

Around 93 percent of the reefs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have been bleached, and almost one quarter of them are now dead. Scholars research the sea temperatures, especially around the areas with coral reefs, to make connections...

Six different lessons comprise this unit on marine debris. Science, language arts, social studies, and art projects make this an ideal interdisciplinary unit. The result will be well-informed future citizens who can help make a...

Students use a light microscope to observe the organisms living in a sample of ocean or fresh water. Students create a drawing of the organisms that they observe. Students then discuss the different body plans of the organisms and the...

Linear perspective, estuaries, and water ways converge in a science-inspired art project. The class uses what they've learned about eco-systems, estuaries, and the food chain to create scale models of a local marsh. While the...

After a whole-class discussion of water reservoirs, ten liters of water are given to each lab group to represent Earth's total amount of water. They divide the water into smaller containers, each representing one of those reservoirs. The...

Learners plot the locations of fallout from two disasters that polluted much of the world's air. They plot the ash fallout from the 1980 Mt. St. Helen's eruption to see what the wind patterns in the United States look like overall. Next...

Pupils examine the relationship between corals and zooxanthellae, identify stresses to corals, and explain coral bleaching.  In this sea life lesson students predict the effects of increased temperatures on coral reefs. 

Students explore the concept of drought and its significance as a natural hazard. For this drought lesson plan, students complete 13 questions on an "Introduction to Drought as an Ecosystem Stressor" worksheet and discuss the responses...