Lesson Plan
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Ziplock Chemistry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate various chemical reactions when creating mixtures in ziplock baggies. In this chemistry lesson, students will recognize various chemical reactions and cite evidence. Safety and assessment strategies are included in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rivers Through Time

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students read or have the book A River Ran Wild read to them. They discuss and reflect on the messages presented in the book. Students use their listening comprehension skills to draw conclusions. Students articulate several examples of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applied Science - Technology (3A) Post Lab

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discuss how energy is created. In this energy activity, 3rd graders look at how a city receives energy and how it is made. They create their own generator using a pin wheel and pipe cleaners. 
Lesson Plan
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Data Analysis: Infiltration Rate and Composition of Concrete

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students collect and graph data. In this statistics instructional activity, students analyze data using a spreadsheet program. They display their data effectively and analyze it.
Lesson Planet Article
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Beyond Fossil Fuels

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students can benefit from an education on renewable energy.
Lesson Plan
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Tadpole Diary

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the life cycle by observing tadpoles. After reading the book, Tadpole Diary, they draw the stages of tadpole development and write sentences about what they think is happening.
Lesson Plan
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Chemical Sleuthing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in a lesson which includes flame tests and the construction of a simple diffraction spectrograph with which to measure sodium ion emissions. They use the Bragg equation to compute the wavelength of the line spectra produced.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Decisions: Packaging and the Environment

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students work in small groups to redesign the packaging of several common items. They attempt to reach the goal of 25% reduction in packaging materials currently used and explore the impact of various materials and designs in landfills...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting to the Point

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students determine location by using the technique of triangulation. They imagine that they are out in the wilderness and have come to the top of a ridge. How can one identify the ridge on the topo map? How can one figure out where you...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interactions Everywhere!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners examine interactions within the environment and environmental engineering careers. They discuss and view photos of natural and manmade environments, explore various websites, create a web to identify interactions between living...
Lesson Plan
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Polystyrene Containers

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students conduct experiments to determine the effectiveness of polystyrene containers at preventing heat loss. In this polymers lesson, students design an experiment to determine how effective Styrofoam burger containers are at...
Worksheet
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Diseases You Can Catch

For Students 6th - 9th
In this communicable diseases worksheet, students research 26 diseases and determine which are caused by viruses and which are caused by bacteria. After researching, they complete 11 short answer questions about signs and symptoms of...
Lesson Plan
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Paper Chromatography-Chemical and Mechanical

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students perform paper chromatography to determine pigments in plants. In this paper chromatography lesson plan, students isolate leaf pigments, prepare a chromatogram and place their chromatogram in a solvent to separate the pigments....
Lesson Plan
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Imagine a Kelp Forest

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students write a story based on their research of the kelp forest. In this ecosystem instructional activity, students view a video and research the kelp forest ecosystem. They write a short story imagining the discovery of a new species...
Lesson Plan
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Floating and Falling Flows

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students discover fluid dynamics related to buoyancy through experimentation and optional photography. Using one set of fluids, they make light fluids rise through denser fluids. Using another set, they make dense fluids sink through a...
Lesson Plan
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Kidney Filtering

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate how kidneys function. They discuss how a dialysis machine works, and conduct an experiment in which they filter different substances through a plastic window screen, various sizes of hardware cloth, and poultry...
Lesson Plan
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Make Your Own Recycled Paper

For Teachers K - 2nd
Paper Lesson Plan - Students discover how paper is made. Working together, they make their own paper. This activity introduces students to recycling; what it is and its importance. Students study the process of how paper is made, and...
Lesson Plan
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Vector Voyage!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use vector analysis to examine the concept of dead reckoning. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, complete a Vector Voyage Worksheet with the teacher, answer discussion questions, and use the Pythagorean Theorem for speed...
Lesson Plan
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Explore Your Natural Habitat

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students identify habitats and understand why they are important to our environment.  In this environmental lesson plan students design their own habitat, observe and record data on the impact their habitat has on the environment.
Lesson Plan
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How Heating and Convection Contributes to Natural Disasters

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study the basics of heating and cooling and how it pertains to the earth.  For this global lesson students read the Magic Tree House book then create a chart of their findings.
Lesson Plan
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Is That Natural?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine how they use and waste natural resources. They participate in a class discussion about natural resources, in small groups complete a worksheet identifying ways students misuse natural resources, and create an...
Lesson Plan
Aquarium of the Pacific

Ecosystem Comparison

For Teachers 4th
Fifth graders examine plants and animals in two ecosystems and compare them. In this ecosystem survival lesson, 5th graders compare and contrast a coral reef and kelp forest ecosystem. Students investigate the abiotic and biotic...
Lesson Plan
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Investigating a Fresh Fish

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the anatomy of a fish. In this adaptations lesson plan, 4th graders look at fresh fish and identify their adaptations and decide where they think the fish may live. Students draw and label the fish and its...
Lesson Plan
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SAVE OUR EARTH

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students research current environmental problems in order to develop and deliver an oral presentation. The presentation persuades the audience to act on the student's point of view on the issue.