Curated OER
Land Use and Lawmaking in California
Learners investigate the laws of using land. In this California Government instructional activity, students examine the many uses of land in California and find an environmental issue they care about. Learners write a letter to a...
Curated OER
Private Land Decision-Making
Middle schoolers explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this service learning lesson, students examine private property land use practices in order to study their impact on the environment.
Curated OER
Science: The Great Tree Hunt
Sixth graders participate in an online, cooperative project researching trees in their local environments for use in an online knowledge game. They take digital pictures of the trees, bark, and leaves. After completing their research,...
Cornell University
Field Day: Be an IPM Detective
Become a pest detective! Individually or in small groups, scholars scout the land to discover which pests—plant and animal—inhabit it, determine whether the pests are endangering the environment, and summarize their findings.
May Media Group
Treatment Plants
Young scientists explore nature's water treatment plants in this simple science demonstration. By placing a stalk of celery in a cup of water mixed with food coloring, children are able to observe how plants absorb nutrients and...
Curated OER
The Living Environment
Students investigate animals and their environments. In this animal similarities and differences lesson, students explore animal adaptations and features and their habitats. Students get into groups to discuss the habitat and how the...
Curated OER
Women in Science: Dr. Grace Bush
Learn about the study of paleoecology with a resource about Dr. Grace Bush and her contributions to the field. After reading a one-page passage, learners answer comprehension questions and explore their personal interests in different...
National Park Service
Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!
Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready to start...
Rainforest Alliance
Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and Loggerhead Turtle
Explore ocean habitats with a instructional activity that showcases the home of manatees and loggerhead turtles in Belize. Here, pupils compare and contrast the homes of ocean animals to those of humans, listen to an original short story...
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Water's Journey Expedition
Step into a scientist's shoes to go online and discover the Florida Springs Expedition, and participate in two activities focusing on how humans impact the environment. The first activity asks scholars to summarize the six dispatches at...
Curated OER
Biomes: Land of the Inuit
Learners study Inuit and their ancestors. For this biomes lesson students study the relationship between the Inuit and their environment and create a class art gallery.
Curated OER
Land as a Valuable Resource
Learners investigate why the soil is important to our lives. In this natural resources lesson plan, students have a farmer as a guest speaker. Learners begin to understand how farmers use and protect our natural resource. Students write...
Curated OER
Water in the Biosphere
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
Curated OER
Sustainable Marine Fisheries
Through a fishing simulation, environmentalists discover consequences of over fishing. Afterward, they discuss how the activity relates to the impact of real-life commercial fishing. They also consider sustainability in the fishing...
Curated OER
Wheel of Trouble
While teaching about endangered species, you can incorporate this activity as a take-home reminder of what is threatening the sea turtle population. It is one of those paper plate projects in which a wedge is cut out to reveal a picture...
Nuffield Foundation
Observing Earthworm Locomotion
One acre of land can contain more than a million earthworms. Scholars collect earthworms to observe their movements. Once placed on paper, the sound of movement often fascinates pupils. When placed on glass, the earthworm is unable to...
Curated OER
Sustainable Livestock
Students investigate healthy eating habits by researching livestock. In this food sustainability instructional activity, students research the negative impact factory farming has on our environment due to pollution. Students define...
Curated OER
What makes up YOUR Environment!
Middle schoolers create their own land or water environment. They make their environment livable for all the different animals they collect to put in it. Students research the types of animals that they can have in their environment,...
Curated OER
Bats: Need Nectar, Will Travel
Beginning wildlife biologists become adult bats, baby bats, snakes, owls, bobcats, or land-clearing developers in a grand role-playing activity. In a large open space, they play a game in which they move to designated areas based on what...
National Park Service
Living & Non-Living Interactions
What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in learning about the...
Purdue University
Explore Your Habitat
Get a hands-on look at a local habitat. A three-part activity begins with a discussion of the characteristics of a local habitat. Pupils then test their knowledge by playing a game to match animals to their habitats. Finally, they go on...
Curated OER
Forest History for Kids
Students explore the Forest and the vocabulary associated with it. In this Forest activity, students take the roles of photographer and reporter to examine an area of land for evidence of past life. Students take a close-up and complete...
Curated OER
The 400-acre wood
In this forest planning lesson plan, students visit the 400-acre wood website and work in groups to learn about the specific aspects of forest development. Students create, label and color a forest planning map and present their map to...
Curated OER
Sensational Seaweed
Students compare kelp and land plants. In this sea plant lesson, students look at the role of algae in aquatic environments. They research the properties of kelp and explore seaweed.