Curated OER
The Three Gorges: Should Nature or Technology Reign?
Students participate in a debate regarding the Three Gorges Dam in China. In this research skills lesson, students prepare for a debate regarding the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China. Students participate in the dam taking...
Curated OER
Changes in the Atmosphere or Hydrosphere
In this atmosphere and hydrosphere worksheet, learners work on assigned topic which are either categorized as human activity or natural activity which impact the atmosphere and the hydrosphere. Students work in groups and answer...
Channel Islands Film
Human Impact on the Food Web of Santa Cruz Island
What happens when a non-native species is introduced onto an island? Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Island chain located off the coast of southern California, provides the perfect laboratory for young environmental scientists to...
Curated OER
Plastics: Field Trip - Vancouver Landfill
Students examine the amount of garbage that is produced by the City of Vancouver. In this landfill lesson, students participate in a field trip to the City of Vancouver Landfill. They look at what happens to garbage, recycling, and yard...
Curated OER
The Human Mind
Pupils read and discuss twin studies to explore the debate of nature vs. nurture. They create a list of characteristics and then look for evidence of whether it is primarily a genetic or environmental characteristic. All of the...
Curated OER
Trade and the Global Economy
Students discuss the role of trade and a global economy. As a class, they identify the costs and benefits of trade and how it is being questioned in today's society. They discover what is imported to the United States and the role of...
Curated OER
Populations- The Survival of the Fittest
Young scholars examine the ways that populations become diverse and how mutation changes the diversity of a population. In this exploratory lesson students study natural selection by completing a lab activity and discussing what...
Kenan Fellows
Effects of a Golf Course on Stream Health
Is the golf course causing issues in the stream? Find out with a resource that has groups perform chemical water tests to analyze the effects of a golf course on a stream. Pupils collect water above and below the course and analyze the...
Curated OER
Comparing Light Bulbs
An average home produces twice as many emissions as an average car. Teach your class how to reduce energy consumption by replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Perform an experiment to compare...
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Practice with Scientific Notation
Zeroes are more important than they look! A guided practice activity takes learners through the process of both scientific and decimal notation, culminating in more complex word problems and equations.
DiscoverE
Build a Plankton Net
Give household materials new life by turning them into a plankton net. Scholars design and build a net to collect and filter plankton from water. They test out their creations by using glitter to represent plankton. The nets need to...
Curated OER
Exploring Air Issues
Students collects survey data from their community on air pollution. In this environmental science lesson, students consider the opinion of the community on air pollution and create a plan to reduce it. Students plan on creating a...
Curated OER
Need vs. Wants in Creating Sustainable Communities
Ninth graders create a T chart of their needs and wants. In this environmental science lesson, 9th graders brainstorm ideas on how to create a sustainable community. They decide what they would give up and keep to make the community...
Curated OER
Creatures That Glow In The Night
Young scholars investigate the different bioluminescent organisms. They use microscopes in order to make observations and draw what is seen. Students demonstrate they have studies the differences between the process of photosynthesis and...
Curated OER
An Oil Spill Primer for Students
In this Gulf oil spill worksheet, students examine a 4-page article regarding basic facts about the oil spill as well as photographs of clean-up efforts.
Curated OER
Roads & Plant Diversity
Students, in groups, collect and analyze samples of native grassland plants near and around a road to show how roads have an impact on surrounding habitat.
Curated OER
Eco Points Score Card
Students play a game in which points are assigned to daily activities which require fossil fuels or electricity. They compare the impact their energy and transportation choices have in everyday life.
Curated OER
Mixed Media Messages: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Young scholars examine the process of recycling by creating a mock television commercial about recycling. For this recycling lesson, students watch an animated demonstration about recycling and answer content questions. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Population Vs Consumption: Which is a Bigger Problem for the Environment & Who is Getting the Lion's Share of the World's Resources?
Students develop critical thinking and awareness about the complexity of natural resource use, wealth distribution, population densities, poverty, and the environment. They think about people living in different parts of the world and...
Curated OER
Types of Marine Debris
Students conduct an experiment. In this marine debris and environment protection lesson, students categorize trash into piles, predict whether these trash items will sink, float or be picked up and carried by the wind and then test...
Curated OER
Why Does Evolution Matter Now?
Students are shown why they should care about evolution. They become specialists in one sphere influenced by evolution and then share their findings with their group. Students are lead into a class discussion, so that each student can...
Curated OER
Cookie Mining
Students study what mining is and the environmental of mining is. They examine what ore is, complete a mining exercise, and look at environmental law as it relates to mining.
Curated OER
Introduction to Biomes
Fifth graders use scientific skills and processes to recognize how living things depend on one another and on the environment for survival and the human use of natural resources impacts the environment. Explain how Earth's surface...
Curated OER
Dreaming of Gardens
Students demonstrate ways to be an environmental philanthropist. In this philanthropy lesson, students read The Gardener and Just a Dream and compare the two books. Students discuss ways the characters demonstrated environmental...