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Lesson 1
Young scholars understand the meaning of natural resources. They distinguish between renewable and non-renewable natural resources. To help students identify natural resources as either non-renewable or renewable. To stimulate student...
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Geography: African Floor Maps
Students explore the African continent and identify the various countries there. They examine the history, geography, environment, and inhabitants of the countries. Students create maps of Africa using a variety of materials.
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Testing the Waters
Students explore water in depth through discussion, research, and experiment. Students apply map skills to locating particular regions of the world as they relate to water. Students predict water quality based on information researched...
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Geography Action! Rivers 2001- Human River
Students create a 'human river' by arranging themselves into a river pattern. Each student selects an article to represent a pollutant such as paper, book, or pencil. Students at the source of the river pass their pollutant on to the...
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What is Life Without Water?
Students differentiate between how they use water in response to a need and how they use water for pleasure. They read books about water, participate in class discussion and illustrate their observations.
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Wetland Safari!
Students identify how humans, fish, plants, birds, insects and other wildlife benefit from wetland environments. They observe a wetland and its inhabitants, draw a migration map that represents how birds use wetlands in traveling long...
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Fun with Ecology
Students explore their environment. Given a question and a scenario, they conduct a field study of a designated area. In that area, they count and tally the number of insects that are present.
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Mini-Sanitary Landfill
Second graders work in groups to bury a variety of trash items and arrange them in a mini-landfill. They predict which items will biodegrade and then keep records of what the items look like every ten days. Students consider how...
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Classroom Recycling Center
Young scholars create, organize and advertise a recycling center in their classroom. Students brainstorm different items that could be recycled, including cell phones and printer cartridges. Various recycling stations are set up in the...
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Invention
Students discuss the importance of recycling to the environment. They classify different objects and put them into the correct recycling bin. They create their own invention out of recycled materials.
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Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
Students determine the differences between the terms reduce, reuse and recycle. Students complete a worksheet after a book is read, or information from a website is shared. Students brainstorm ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
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Decomposition
Students create a compost pile and chart changes as the materials decompose. Students draw pictures of items placed into their "landfill" and predict how and whether the item will change or not. After two weeks, students write...
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Rainforest Deforestation and the Water Cycle
Students create terrariums (mini rainforests). They observe and discuss the life processes that occur in their terrariums and how changes in these processes affect the plants and organisms inside. They collect and graph data and present...
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Air Quality Presentation for Youth
Students read two books about wind and dust and then participate in a demonstration in which they plant seeds and compare dry, dusty soils to moist soils. They identify the rationale and methods for keeping airborne dust down.
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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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Arkansas and Louisiana Purchase Wetlands
Students experiment to determine the value and importance of wetlands in Arkansas. They develop an environmental appreciation for wetlands.
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A River Ran Wild
Students describe and illustrate pollution and how to clean up pollution. They display their solutions by creating posters, signs, bumper stickers, slogans, T-shirt designs, commercials and poetry. This lesson ties in with 'A River Ran...
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Lessons From the Lorax
Students read and discuss Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. They explore the changes the characters could have made to preserve the environment and relate the plot to real-world places and events.
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The Waste Paper Basket
Students examine the consequences of littering and creating garbage.
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Where Shoult it Go?
Students label boxes and sort trash into those items that can be recycled, composted, incinerated or taken to the landfill.
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What is This Toy Truck Made Of?
Students explore how many resources are used to make objects. This exploration should lead to the discovery that everything is made from a natural resource after listing all the raw materials needed to produce it.
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MY REDUCE/REUSE STORY
Students go through old magazines and select pictures of things which ultimately become a waste product. They paste these pictures into a small "recycling" book. They dictate a story about reuse and/or recycling of these materials.
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MAKING PAPER FROM PAPER
Students tear paper into very small pieces and follow a formula to make recycled paper. They follow up with a discussion about the quality of their paper and its benefits.
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WHAT IS TRASH?
Students examine the difference between recyclables, biodegradables, and the leftover that must be disposed of. They collect the trash which accumulated in the classroom after one day and separate it into three categories.