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Landfills and Contamination
Students discover the dangers of landfills to our environment by investigating leachate. In this environmental lesson, students create a model landfill experiment in which they observe the effect of rain on a landfill over the course of...
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Eco Points Score Card
Students play a game in which points are assigned to daily activities which require fossil fuels or electricity. They compare the impact their energy and transportation choices have in everyday life.
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Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Ninth graders explain the purpose of MPA's. In this biology lesson plan, 9th graders identify MPA's in Southern California. They simulate coastal sampling using candy from two buckets. Students analyze their results and share it with the...
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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 Susceptible?
Learners play a game to explore the relationship between genetic variation and environmental factors in the onset of heart disease. They consider the implications for disease prevention of increased knowledge about genetic variation.
US National Library of Medicine
Science and Society: Preventing the Spread of Disease
Looking for a valuable resource on the spread of infectious diseases? Here is a instructional activity in which pupils simulate the spread of diseases and learn about how to prevent them from spreading. Class members read case studies...
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Who Lives Here?
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students examine water conservation efforts in desert regions as they act as members of a city council committee investigating the issue in a...
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What Is a Pond?
Young scholars identify animals and plants that live in a pond. In this marine biology lesson, students create a chart of animals and plants they think they would see at the pond. Young scholars create a "pond symphony" by imitating the...
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Marine & Aquatic Habitats Activities - Estuaries Are for the Birds!
Students recognize that birds act as indicators of pollution because of their sensitivity to environmental change, and role play the manner in which marine debris can be hazardous to waterfowl.
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Net Results
Students investigate through role play how decisions by watermen, recreational fisherpeople, and lawmakers influence and are influenced by economics and the abundance or scarcity of fish and shellfish stocks. They consider social,...
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Progression's Price
Students reflect upon their regional and national environments, analyze causes of environmental problems as well as their implications, and examine effects of population growth as they participate in "The Popcorn Game."
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Forest Succession
Students research environmental change and why forests cannot stay the same for long. In this environmental growth lesson, students discuss the life cycle of a tree and examine tree cookies to discover the age of these specimens....
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Receding Waters
Students explore the effect of environmental factors on ecosystems. In this wildlife and ecology lesson, students identify and describe the stages in a frog's life cycle. Students participate in a simulation demonstrating the impact of...
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Raising Trout
Learners investigate the life cycles of fish as they observe a trout's life in class. In this fish life instructional activity, students create a proper habitat in a fish tank for the trout eggs to spawn and thrive for several weeks....
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Alien Invaders: An Invasive Species Game
Students are introduced to invasive species and how they affect the ecosystems they now occur in. They explore the basic life histories of several invasive species that are of regional and or national importance. Pupils investigate how...
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Global Resources: What Will You Do with Your Power?
Learners examine the human impact on natural resources. They read and discuss an article, evaluate nations regarding their environmental problem-solving, develop a presidential speech on the environment, and conduct a natural resources...
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The Sun-Earth Connection
Third graders research about the location of different planets from the sun. In this earth science lesson, 3rd graders discuss the weather in their place and identify common weather terminologies. They explain how tornadoes form and...
Science Matters
Oh Heron
Two teams—the environmentalists and herons—play four rounds of the game, Oh Heron. Using hand symbols to represent food, shelter, and water, players locate their match to produce more herons while those unmatched decompose.
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Modeling Changes to Ecosystems Pt. 2
Learners explore the environment by creating a poster. In this ecosystem protection lesson, students analyze a list of vocabulary terms associated with the scientific method. Learners create a poster which answers a specific question...
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Supermarkets, Sustenance and Sustainability
Students investigate jungles and the people who depend upon them. In this sustainability lesson plan, students research wild life conservation and discover the importance of a jungle to Amazonian people. Students create a group...
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The Environments of Big Sur -- Which Do We Protect?
Students investigate the geological, climatic, and biological features of Big Sur. They watch a video, conduct Internet research, and create a script and images in the form of an outline in a simulation of an environmental group.
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Pesticides in Schools
Students investigate the practices their school uses for pest control. Depending on their findings, students may suggest alternative, non-chemical methods. They present a pest control plan to school officials. Great, real life lesson!
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Maintaining Strong Fisheries
Pupils play a game about the life cycle of a blue crab in order to witness the causes of changes in the crab population and discuss what a resource manager could do to keep a stable crab population. Students then create a game titled...
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Science: Down Home Dinosaurs
students participate in hands-on activities to discover the different types of fossils. Using teacher-provided materials, they make models of cast and trace fossils. After writing essays describing how traces are formed, students plan a...