Curated OER
Forester
For this forester worksheet, students illustrate a map that shows the types of forests growing in various parts of the country. They also identify six forest trees common to the area where they live and explain how both wildlife and...
Curated OER
Cycles of Life in an Urban Habitat: Changes in Biodiversity
Second graders compare and contrast animate and inanimate objects. In this environmental science activity, 2nd graders create simple food webs. They observe their environment and create a collage about it.
Curated OER
Impervious Surfaces
Students comprehend impervious surfaces. They recognize the problems caused by impervous surfaces. Students observe how land use can influence impervious surfaces. They chose four of the seven basic land surface, students draw a picture...
College Board
2015 AP® Environmental Science Free-Response Questions
Less than eight percent of AP Environmental Science test takers earn the highest score possible. Help scholars improve their scores by using actual test questions on water quality and urban planning before reading sample responses that...
University of Florida
Six Bits of Abiotics
Collect clues and unwrap a mystery in an intriguing study about air pollution and urban forests. Teams share information to explore abiotic interactions and forest health. Scholars create a concept map using newly acquired knowledge and...
Curated OER
Selecting Trees for Urban Environments
Pupils consider the best place to plant a tree. In this environment instructional activity, students identify urban locations that are compatible with particular tree types. Pupils decide what trees would go where and why they would...
Curated OER
Invasion of the (Cactus) Booty Snatchers
Young scholars, in groups of four,identify and analyze relationships among birds within a population, a community and an urban ecosystem. They fill out, while they're completing their experiments, a Populations of Birds Student Data Sheet.
Curated OER
Plant Diversity and Distribution
Students construct a defined plot on school grounds and observed patterns in plant life. They count trees, shrubs, cacti and record on a data sheet. They compare data and generate a plant diversity overlook for their school.
Curated OER
The Mechanisms of Decay and Decomposition
Eighth graders study how all living things die. They are introduced tot he life cycle and the concept of an ecosystem. Students have a introductory exposure to trophic levels (producer-consumer-decomposer) in the environment.
Curated OER
Are You Getting Thirsty?
High schoolers study droughts and how they affect communities and coastal ecosystems. In this ecosystems lesson students use data to examine drought conditions in certain areas.
Curated OER
Smokey's Message
Students list and discuss positive and negative effects of wildland fire. They discuss relationships among ecosystems and fire. They participate in role-playing activities related to wildland fire management.
Curated OER
Images of Our Changing Earth
Students identify and explain that remote sensing can detect changes on the Earth's surface that occur over time, and name at least three: urbanization, deforestation, and succession. They select a global change issue to investigate and...
Curated OER
Norman Suburban Activity
Students analyze the factors affecting organisms in the pond ecosystem. In this environmental science lesson, students perform an experiment to determine pH, nutrients and temperature of different pond sites. They present their result to...
Curated OER
The Big Picture: Systems
Students study the ways that agro-ecosystems function to support sustainable agriculture. In this investigative lesson plan students examine the different cycles of ecosystems and food systems.
Curated OER
Flora and Fauna of the Hill Neighborhood
Students compare and contrast the characteristics of plants and animals. In this ecology lesson, students observe the outdoors and describe the relationship among different living things. They relate plant diversity with animal diversity.
Curated OER
Pharaoh Mountain Hike: Investigating Adirondack Life Zones
Students hike a local mountain and examine its life zones. They measure various components at each zone and collect leaf litter at the sites. At the mountain top, students make descriptive observations and complete a handout about the...
Curated OER
Point- vs. Non-point Pollution
Students differentiate between point and non-point pollution and determine how the different types of pollution are harmful to aquatic ecosystems. They complete a series of tests on a sample of "polluted" water and a sample of "pure" water.
Curated OER
Anthropogenic Biomes
If you teach a man to fish, he will never go hungry—or he will overfish and permanently damage the ecosystem? Address the traditional biomes as well as the human-included ecosystems and contrasts the biotic and abiotic factors in each....
Forest Foundation
Fire - How Does it Relate to You?
Forest fires can be a necessary step in keeping a forest healthy, but what happens when they get out of control? Learners investigate the causes and effects of forest fires in two specific areas, culminating in a report about the ways...
NOAA
Exploring Potential Human Impacts
Arctic sea ice reflects 80 percent of sunlight, striking it back into space; with sea ice melting, the world's oceans become warmer, which furthers global warming. These activities explore how humans are impacting ecosystems around the...
Curated OER
Gwynns Falls
Middle schoolers investigate the question: What is the impact of urban development and expansion on the health of a decidious forest ecosystem and humans? They examine the issue of land development by responding to a specific scenario...
Curated OER
A Living Watershed
Learners, through this series of lessons, use local resources, speakers, print and video materials, as well as standard text materials to study the ecosystem of the local watershed.
Curated OER
Discovering The Oasis
Students participate in a lesson that is concerned with the ecosystem of a local pond. The teacher makes arrangements for students to take a field trip. Time is spent in class for preparation and afterward for debriefing of lab...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Sustainable Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Brainstorm ideas to design a sustainable guest village in the Sonoran Desert. The first installment of a nine-part unit teaches young environmental scientists about the basics of the Saguaro National Park and about sustainable design....