Curated OER
TE Activity: Oil Spill Cleanup
Students experiment by creating an oil spill and trying a number of clean up methods. They determine which methods are the least costly and most effective. They role play as an environmental engineer and as an oil company owner who must...
Curated OER
Oil Spill
Young scholars explore an important role of environmental engineers by studying the Exxon Valdez oil spill. They experiment with different strategies in order to clean up their own manufactured oil spill.
Curated OER
What's Down the Well?
Middle schoolers examine how environmental engineers determine possible sites for drinking water wells. They listen to a teacher led-lecture, and create their own groundwater well model using a coffee can and wire screening, observing...
Curated OER
Acid Rain Effects
Get out the goggles and conduct a simple experiment to model and explore the harmful effects of acid rain (vinegar) on living (green leaf and eggshell) and non-living (paper clip) objects. Young chemists observe and describe the harmful...
Curated OER
Stream Consciousness
Actual stream water is analyzed in this environmental science activity. Participants measure water temperature and pH, and then survey the macroinvertebrates living in their samples. The data worksheet, troubleshooting tips, and...
Curated OER
Animals and Engineering
Students study animal classification and their interactions. In this animals and engineering lesson students study animal communities and how engineers use this knowledge to create new technologies.
Curated OER
Population Growth in Yeasts
Students design an investigation using yeast. In this environmental engineering lesson, students design an investigation to determine how environmental factors affect the growth of yeast. They will collect quantitative data and discuss...
Curated OER
How Full is Full?
Students examine porosity and permeability and relate these concepts to groundwater flow. They use simple materials to conduct a porosity experiment and use the information to understand how environmental engineers decide on the...
Curated OER
TE Lesson: How Clean is that Water?
Middle schoolers examine the factors the affect water quality, and allow for animals and plants to live. They look at how engineers apply water quality information when making stream modifications in order to ensure drinking water...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Sustainable Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Brainstorm ideas to design a sustainable guest village in the Sonoran Desert. The first installment of a nine-part unit teaches young environmental scientists about the basics of the Saguaro National Park and about sustainable design....
Curated OER
Environmentally Friendly Home
Pupils discuss ways to make homes more environmentally friendly. They comprehend ways to reduce home resource consumption, such as passive solar heating, insulation, and geothermal heating and cooling
Curated OER
TE Lesson: I've Got Issues!
Young scholars study environmental issues from different perspectives. They look at the issues from the view of both preservationists and conservationists as they identify themselves with one group or the other. They determine how...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuel Sources, Usage and Alternatives: What are the Options?
Young scholars identify the different sources of fossil fuels. In this environmental science lesson, students research about how these impact our environment. They explore renewable energy sources that could replace fossil fuels.
Curated OER
Writing Environmental Laws Refer To Reading Material
Students examine the steps and decisions that are made when drafting an environmental statute. They examine the interplay of opinions, values, beliefs, and science in the development of law. They identify methods to obtain information...
Curated OER
Sugar Bush Sap Production - Human Environmental Impact on Sap Sand
Eleventh graders compare the amount of sugar sand present in tree sap. In this environmental science lesson plan, 11th graders measure different tree circumference. They prepare a report and share findings in class.
Beyond Benign
Is It Easy Being Green Game Show
Is it possible to create an environmentally friendly shampoo? Learners accept this challenge in the fifth lesson in a green chemistry series of 24. The analysis of their shampoo ingredients must address pH, exothermic reactions, and...
Curated OER
Energy Efficiency Ambassadors
Definitely for high schoolers, this lesson is an open-ended exploration of energy efficiency. Groups of two to three junior environmental engineers design an experiment to test for efficiency. They prepare a full lab report and poster...
Curated OER
Cleaning the Air
Students investigate how engineers design methods of removing particulate matter from industrial sources to minimize negative effects of air pollution. In small groups they design and construct a filter with the goal of removing pepper...
Curated OER
Issues, Issues, Everywhere
Learners identify different opinions related to an issue as well as the things that influence those opinions. They analyze how engineers use an opinion spectrum to identify the differences of opinions in a large group to investigate how...
Curated OER
Pea Soup Ponds
Students perform an experiment where they learn how water can be polluted by algal bloom. They grow algae with different concentrations of fertilizers or nutrients and analyze their results.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Working with Watermills
In collaborative groups, emerging engineers or environmental scientists plan and construct a water wheel or watermill that rotates for a total of three minutes. Everything you need to carry out this lesson is included: objectives,...
Curated OER
Water Filtration
In this water pollution and filtration lesson plan, 5th graders read the story 'Saving Salila's Turtle' and discuss the impact pollution has had on the Ganges river. Students work in groups to brainstorm different types of water...
Curated OER
Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Noodling Around: Powers of Ten
How many noodles long is your classroom? Find out when engineers of all ages explore measurement through the use of pool noodles. With the noodles pre-cut to certain metric lengths, the activities could be used to introduce the metric...