+
Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Taking Care of the Earth Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology

For Teachers K Standards
A read-aloud anthology closely examines human impact on the Earth while boosting reading comprehension skills. Through stories, scholars examine the concepts of natural resources, pollution, garbage, and recycling and brainstorm ways to...
+
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Fibers, Dyes, and the Environment

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Nanofibers can be made through electrospinning or force spinning in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Pupils study the role of fibers and dye on the environment through a series of five hands-on activities. Then,...
+
Unit Plan
Intel

Composting: Why Bother?

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
The first STEM lesson in a group of 10 explores composting. After discussing how to make a better tomorrow, classes are challenged to track garbage in their communities, visit a local waste management facility, and conduct a survey about...
+
Lesson Plan
Education Outside

Compost in a Bag

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Young scientists create a compost bag, predict changes, and after one month, examine the bag to observe the changes that have occurred.
+
Unit Plan
Cal Recycle

Conserving Natural Resources

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
Trying to plan an engaging elementary science unit on natural resources? Conserve your energy! This five-part series of lessons and hands-on activities has exactly what you need to teach young scholars about the importance of conservation.
+
Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Worm Your Way Out of This

For Teachers 3rd
How can you provide healthy soil for your garden? Study worms, bacteria, and other microorganisms in a lesson about decomposition and organic compost. After discussing what you know about worms and watching a video, watch what worms do...
+
Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Rotting Away

For Teachers 2nd
What happens at the end of a plant's life cycle? Show kids the natural way that plants show that they're decomposing, as well as the importance of compost, with a lesson about living organisms. After reading Log Cabin by Anne Schreiber,...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Bioreactor Water Circulation System

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Make those microbes warm up water. Pupils first investigate water pumps, then design a water circulation system that uses solar energy. A bioreactor in the system takes energy from compost and helps heat water.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Compost Bioreactor Design

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Organic waste is a hot topic. The second of three installments in the Bioreactor Water Heating unit challenges pupils to create bioreactors that collect energy released from compost. After watching videos on the properties of water and...
+
Unit Plan
Purdue University

Food Waste Solutions

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Easy doesn't always mean better. In an era with pre-packaged everything, learners consider the environmental impact of the convenient trend. They critique the packaging of food and how waste impacts cost and then look for solutions.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Purdue University

Getting the Dirt on Decomposition

For Students 5th
Sometimes science requires getting a little dirty. A hands-on lesson explores the idea of decomposition by building a compost structure. Using red worms and dirt, individuals build and collect data on the rate of decomposition. The STEM...
+
Activity
PBS

The Lowdown — Rot and Rubbish: The Rancid Truth about How Much Food We Waste

For Students 6th Standards
Compare waste a percent at a time. The resource contains an infographic on food waste. Using images, the informative activity describes the amount and types of food waste that occur. Pupils compare the percentage of waste from their...
+
Unit Plan
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Environmental Sciences

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Whether you are teaching environmental science in junior high or studying recycling in kindergarten, there is something for all in this set of lessons designed for environmental education. The 110-page packet comes with tips for teaching...
+
Activity
PBS

Waste Audit

For Students 3rd - 7th
Does everything in the trash can belong there? Conduct a waste audit with your class by collecting a day's worth of garbage, separating it into recyclables, non-recyclables, or food waste, and properly distributing what they find into...
+
Lesson Plan
Education Outside

Life Cycle of Compost

For Teachers 2nd Standards
As part of a study of the life cycle of compost, class members examine the differences between green waste disposal and backyard composting.
+
Lesson Plan
Education Outside

Soil Composition & Discovery

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Organic or mineral? How does the matter matter? Second graders use their knowledge of the rock cycle to label the different components in garden soil.
+
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
SF Environment

Compost Tag

For Teachers K - 5th
Composting is a great way to get children involved in recycling. First, they discuss how biodegradable products decompose to make compost. Then, they talk about what can and cannot be composted. They play a game similar to around the...
+
Lesson Plan
SF Environment

Sort and Color!

For Teachers K - 1st
Sorting is a very important skill that can be used in math and even science. Learners get familiar with some environmentally friendly vocabulary terms as they practice separating objects that can be recycled from those that can't. They...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life, Death, Dirt, & Walt Whitman

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Walt Whitman was a composter? Certainly the cycle of life and death he describes in "Leaves of Grass" parallels the processes going on in a compose pile. The interdisciplinary approach detailed here could be used to foster a deeper...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Design You’ll Dig: Designing a Habitat for Worms

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Middle schoolers then create habitats for worms that allow them to do...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conservation in Small Places - Composting

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
A fabulous lesson introduces the art of composting to your gardeners. In it, youngsters learn about the composting process and how it actually works. They discuss the environmental benefits of composting, and use the "lasagna" method...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nutrients Nutrients We Need

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the six nutrients humans need to maintain good heath. In this ecosystem lesson, 2nd graders learn about how plants grow and compare how humans need nutrients from plants to how plants need nutrients from the soil....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recycling and Composting

For Teachers 1st - 7th
Learners set up composting sites that allow food scraps and paper to be recycled by nature. They are introduced to one aspect of recycling; composting. Students see how God recycles as the worms change garbage into something that brings...