Curated OER
Wetlands Project
Students discover how wetlands filter out contaminants before they can reach other bodies of water. In groups, they design and build a model of a stormwater wetland. They test the water quality and inform their classmates about the...
Curated OER
Understanding How Potatoes Grow
Second graders make a KWL chart and brainstorm what they need for the project of growing potatoes. They choose one potato and plant it in water or peat moss cups and choose a location in which meets the needs of the plants and make their...
Curated OER
Nutrition: It's In Your Hands
Fourth graders use this lesson to focus on their health, nutrition and the state of the environment. In groups, they examine the various types of land, water and air pollutants and compare and contrast a food chain with and without a...
Curated OER
What makes up YOUR Environment!
Students 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, and how...
Curated OER
Nutrient Enrichment vs. Oxygen Depletion
Learners investigate how excess nutrients enter a body of water, and the harmful effects they have on aquatic organisms.
Curated OER
Pollution Solutions
Students visit a local park to test the quality of the aquatic environments. They search for sources of pollution and examples of pollution control. Based on their obeservations and experiments, they rate their local environment.
Curated OER
Pond Safari
Students investigate organisms and animals by examining a nearby pond. In this ecosystem lesson, students participate in a field trip to a local pond where they utilize a net to gather animals, plants and pollution items, Students...
Curated OER
Sustainable Agriculture
Students perform an experiment to find out if plants grow best when grown in soil with no fertilizer, with chemical fertilizers, or with compost that they have made themselves. Students discover how agriculture practices can benefit the...
Curated OER
Everyday vs. Extreme Relationships with Nature
Middle schoolers examine the interactions with nature and the environment. They discover where water comes from and ways to conserve water. They also examine energy sources and consumption.
Curated OER
Discovering the Oasis
Fourth graders investigate riverbanks and oxbox ecosystem at the Truckee River. They observe the plants, animals, insects and water organisms located there. Students document water samples, flow and then categorize them in class. This...
Curated OER
Learning From Leaves: Adaptation Scavenger Hunt
Students participate in an adaptation scavenger hunt at. They obtain various plant specimens, and sort the plants based on whether they came from a desert, tropical rainforest, or wetlands.
Curated OER
A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK
Based on a set of criteria, learners will evaluate the quality of pecans.1. Bring a gram scale and papershell pecans. Provide five pecans for each student. 2. Divide the class into groups of five and provide each member with five pecans....
Chymist
Alum from Waste Aluminum Cans
Turn aluminum cans into pickles! An engaging experiment has learners chemically change aluminum into a substance with many purposes including the manufacture of pickles. After performing the chemical conversion, the experimenters verify...
Curated OER
Radish Seed Garden
Fifth graders explore the effects of overpopulation in an ecosystem while applying the scientific method. They discuss overpopulation and its meaning. Students as an organism competes for space in an overpopulated area. They plant...
Curated OER
Pond Ecology
A lab activity is a great way to incite thoughtful questioning and scientific processes. Pupils will collect organisms with a Petri dish, make observations, sketch the organism, ask questions, then attempt to identify the specimen...
Curated OER
The Great Pond Safari
Students study pond life by visiting a pond and completing an associated worksheet. They play an online game based on the pond learning experience.
Curated OER
Math and Science in a Wetland
Learners describe safe practice when doing field and lab investigations in a estuary or wetland. They create a model of an estuary and describe their value and function. They participate in field study in which they collect and analyze...
Curated OER
The Salmon Stream and Vegetation
Students explore the ecosystem and food chain by researching Pacific Salmon. In this fish habitat instructional activity, students discover the life cycle for salmon, where they spawn and what they eat to survive the harsh elements....
Curated OER
Bottle Habitat
In groups of four, learners construct aquatic habitats in pop bottles. They create charts and record data from observations over a four week period. Then they graph their data and write explanations for what they observed.
Curated OER
Comparison of Different Methods for Determining Stream Flow at a Stream Site
Students make measurements and calculations to determine the stream flow of an outdoor stream site. In this stream characteristics instructional activity, students travel to a field site to construct a transect across a stream and...
Curated OER
Solid Waste and Recycling
Young scholars demonstrate effects of waste on environment and ways of reducing it, observe how much packaging goes into bag lunches each day, and survey their families to assess awareness levels and household recycling practices....
Curated OER
Personal Ecosystem
Students build an aquatic ecosystem using large glass pickle jars. In this ecology instructional activity, students build and ecosystem then observe and collect data on the habitats. In this long term project students observe a...
Curated OER
Non-Point Source Pollution
Students study non-point source pollution. They research the concept of bio-degradation and/or Nutrients/Fertilizers and discuss how non-point source pollution impacts the environment. Afterwards, they participate in an interactive...
Curated OER
What Are We Looking At?
Students investigate different perspectives through a farming simulation. In this photo perspectives lesson plan, students examine different photographs taken by satellite or from ground level. Students then discuss the differences and...