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Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
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...
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Land Use Issues
Students examine living and non-living things in their environment. They identify trees, plants, and grasses in their neighborhood and those that originate in Illinois in this unit of lessons.
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Dirt Babies
Dirt babies are an excellent way to show young botanists the plant life cycle. They explore the functions and industry behind grasses before growing some of their own. Use the informational text here and consider implementing some...
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Are You Balanced With Your Environment?
Students discuss the impact of not keeping the environment in balance for future generations. As a class, they are introduced to the concept of "Balance of Nature" and what it means. In groups, they research the role of trees and how to...
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Plants And Animals in the Local Environment
Students observe the various living things they can find outside their playground making sure to look both on the ground and in the air. They develop a large poster Venn digram, as a class, of plants and animals that live in the air, on...
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Water Quest
Students visit the Hydrology Study Site, conduct a visual survey to discover info about local land use and water quality, and document their findings by mapping the water body. They use this investigation to raise questions for further...
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Water Walk
Students follow the appropriate sampling protocol and take two measurements of a local water source. These measurements are Transparency and Temperature. This info about local land use and/or water chemistry issues may require further...
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Air and Water in the Environment
Students demonstrate an awareness of air as a substance that surrounds us and takes up space, and whose movement we feel as wind. They predict and describe how local weather conditions affect living things, including themselves.
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The Wonderful World of Slugs
Examine a slug? Of course, what else would a 2nd grader do with it? Pupils use clues and go on a slug hunt, read a slug story, or make a cooperative group mural of a slug's habitat. While older learners catalog slugs, go on a slug hunt,...
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Plants Alive! How Plants Grow and Move
Young scholars explore how plants move in response to the environment. For this plant lesson, students engage in three different experiments to investigate how plants grow and move. Resources available in English and French.
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Environment: Natural and Invasive Plants
Learners examine a parcel of open land to collect data about the native and invasive plants found there. By monitoring the area, they prevent the spread of weeds through early detection. Students create posters describing the monitoring...
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Deserts: How Do You Define One?
Second graders identify what constitutes as a desert by reading a habitat checklist. In this environment lesson, 2nd graders read a nature website to discover facts about the desert and where they are located. Students utilize art...
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It's Mine Lesson Plan
Students read a book called It's Mine! In this lesson about three frogs and sharing, students explore how what they do affects everything around them. Through a series of seven different activities, students interpret the frogs and their...
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Observing and Sketching the Lunar Surface
Learners explore space science by conducting an illustration activity. In this lunar instructional activity, students discuss what the moon is and the role it plays for our environment on Earth. Learners view images of the moon and...
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De-composers - Terrarium
Students explore the environment by building a mock ecosystem. In this rainforest analysis lesson plan, students define many environmental and rainforest related vocabulary terms and discuss the current status of our planet's...
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Forest Ecosystem Field Trip
Students investigate the environment by participating in a class field trip. In this botany lesson, students attend a field trip through their local park or forest while listening to a nature guide. Students practice using their 5 senses...
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Disposing Garbage
Students explore environmental cleanliness by completing a worksheet in class. In this waste management lesson, students identify the technological advances in society and how they increase waste production our planet is unable to deal...
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Leave What You Find
Students explore environmental awareness by participating in a role play activity. In this cultural analysis lesson, students discuss the importance of symbolism when referring to a tribe and create their own tribe based on a small group...
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Ecosystems
Students create plots of land in three different ecosystems and use AppleWorks to collect data for research. This lesson includes a downloadable worksheet and can be accomplished in four days.
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Nebraska's Wild Weather
Students examine the weather in Nebraska. Using this information, they describe the cause and effect relationships in the environment based on these changes in weather. They write various types of poems with weather themes and share them...
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Lessons from The Lorax
Students read and watch a video of The Lorax by Dr. Suess. As a class, they answer a set of questions about how the environment was affected by industries. They also brainstorm a list of possible solutions to help curb the pollution.
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Creature Features
Learners examine why certain animals live in only specific places throughout the world. Using animals, they classify them based on their characteristics and identify their basic needs. They also observe and compare the life cycles of...
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Wetlands: Pave or Save?
Students discuss the characteristics of wetlands and how to make them more productive. Using a map, they locate the major wetlands in the United States and color them using a key. They read an article and in groups answer discussion...