Curated OER
Real-World Projects: Challenges from the Polymer Industry
Two scenarios are presented for chemistry detectives to decipher. Both require the use of an infrared spectrometer and focus on the examination of polymer materials. In the first, lumps in polyethylene bottles are analyzed. In the...
Curated OER
Rewrite, Revise, Recycle
Students examine different pieces of literature that have a similiar theme. They read an article about reusing ideas for television shows. They work together to create their own program proposals. They also create backstories for one of...
Curated OER
Garbage or Art?
The three R's are, reduce, reuse, and recycle. Third graders use recycled materials to design and create an environmentally themed piece of art. They discuss and examine major art works that were created using recycled materials, then...
Curated OER
Garbage Pizza
Fourth graders explore the concept of waste management. In this recycling lesson, 4th graders identify materials that must be landfilled as well as items that may be recycled or reused.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Personal Choices and the Planet
The last activity in the series of four has individuals determine steps they can take to reduce their carbon footprints and then analyze their schools' recycling programs. Through a sustainability audit, they identify how and where their...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Calculating Your Ecological Footprint
You can lower your ecological footprint by recycling! Lesson four in this series of five has individuals, through the use of a computer, calculate their ecological footprints. Through discussions and analysis they determine how many...
Curated OER
Cast A Paper Valentine
Learners create and learn about the history of Valentine's Day cards, as well as use recyclable materials to design their own cards.
Curated OER
MOBILITY, Bike Rack Remix
Students examine how riding a bike can impact the environment and cut down on carbon emissions. In this environmental lesson students design a bike rack that is made from recycled material.
Santa Clara County Office of Education
Bulletin Board Ideas
It's hard to find time to create really good bulletin boards, or stray from your year-to-year comfortable displays. Stress no more! Check out a list of monthly bulletin board ideas guaranteed to get you through the school year....
NASA
The Case of the Wacky Water Cycle
Join the tree house detectives in learning about the processes of the water cycle, water conservation, water treatment, and water as a limited resource.
Curated OER
Tissue Vases
You can transform recycled containers into beautiful vases with this step-by-step lesson plan. Using tissue paper and watercolor paints will result in a gorgeous project, great for a Mother's Day gift in May!
Curated OER
Composting and Mulching
Second graders define composting and recognize what can be composted. In this composting and mulching lesson, 2nd graders classify objects or pictures as good or bad for composting. Students write a story about life in the compost...
Curated OER
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Students explore organic and inorganic objects. In this environmental lesson plan students perform a composting experiment using flowers in different soils. Students record their observations.
Curated OER
Learning About Composting
Students can create a compost pile to learn about the decomposition process.
Curated OER
Toxic Transmission
Students read article, "Toxic Transmission" and discuss technology pollution, specifically cell phone pollution and its ripple effects in other parts of the world.
Curated OER
After the Garbage Can: Where Does Our Trash Go?
Students explore how waste disposal has changed over time and what the current issues are. In this disposal instructional activity students collect data and create graphs.
Curated OER
Life size figures - Moveable Murals
Students create life-size human figures and decorate them in a collage style with torn colored pieces of pictures from magazines. They display them around the school, creating life-size murals.
Curated OER
Performance Art and The Waste Stream
Students research local waste management services, discuss findings, give opinions about what they have found, offer solutions and ideas, and create performance art, design art works, and fine art works to convey information on waste...
Curated OER
Garbage Pizza
Students examine amount of garbage disposed of by average household weekly, classify different categories of garbage and describe composition of landfills, investigate what happens to waste after it is collected by garbage trucks, and...
Curated OER
Honey, I Shrunk the Lids!
Young scholars discover the lightweighting concept used by manufacturers. In this environmental education lesson, students research the reduction of the amount of aluminum used in cans. Young scholars wrap the lesson up by writing a...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Built Environment Lab
Students evaluate trash. In this Science lesson, students collect and weigh trash from their classrooms. Students categorize the trash and the corresponding weights, recording the information on a data sheet.
Curated OER
Bottle Dolls/Figurative Sculpture
Students use water bottles with sand in them (to give stability) They add heads made of crumpled newspaper with masking tape. They paper mache the entire figure and make them into people or animals. Students add paint and accessories...
Curated OER
Talkin' Trash (All About Landfills)
Students investigate the types of waste created by people and identify various options for trash disposal. They read and discuss a handout about what a landfill is and the different types of trash, match types of trash with the proper...
Curated OER
Renewable and Non-renewable Resources
Students play Lobster Bingo on a provided worksheet. This game demonstrates how human activities and natral events affect lobsters by impacting their food, clean water, and shelter of the reef.