Middle school science stars examine fuels and energy with a variety of activities. They begin with a KWL chart, read an informative passage, and then complete a puzzle. The puzzle itself is included. Cleverly, each piece corresponds to a...

Students explain the role of different organisms in the food web. In this ecology lesson, students participate in a game to simulate mineral cycling through the web. They discuss the importance of recycling minerals and resources.

Hidden hundreds of feet above the ground in the redwoods of Northern California is a whole world that was just waiting to be discovered. This video tells the story of Stephen Sillett who, inspired by his grandmother, set out to explore...

Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready to start...

Young scientists explore nature's water treatment plants in this simple science demonstration. By placing a stalk of celery in a cup of water mixed with food coloring, children are able to observe how plants absorb nutrients and...

Young scientists explore the animal kingdom from the safety of the classroom with this short research project. After first choosing an animal, children use the Internet to discover where it lives, what it eats, and how it has adapted to...

Explore the food chains that support Arctic ecosystems. A class discussion on interdependence and the different roles plants and animals play in ecosystems provides students with the knowledge to complete a worksheet asking them to...

Two to four players receive seven cards each, with plants, animals, or nitrates depicted. They place what they have onto their own empty game board with the objective to complete a food chain. The game is a fun way to reinforce learning...

A eloquent narrative and unique animation expound on the megafauna and megaflora that once dominated the planet and helped keep ecosystems in balance. Is there anything that can be done to undo the damage we've done? The speaker proposes...

Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...

Introduce ecology classes to biodiversity and interdependence in ecosystems with a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they get up-close and personal with the invertebrate world by collecting insects, classifying them, and graphing their...

Our scholarly friends head to the lake to go fishing and are unpleasantly surprised by the algae filling the water. They talk about primary and secondary succession as different ways that ecosystems are changed. Show the short video,...

Few children's books convey the message of conservation as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Read the story aloud, emphasizing the interconnectedness of plants and animals in an ecosystem and discussing different ways people can help the...

Trace pollutants through the environment in the seventh lesson of this series on the science of food. Looking at a picture of the plants and animals in an aquatic ecosystem, learners use dot stickers to represent harmful chemicals as...

Why is it important to look at the world from other species' points of view? Author Michael Pollan claims it is a way to reanimate the earth, realize Darwinian insights, and to take the food we need from the earth while healing it in the...

Students analyze the impact of climate variability and change utilizing a broad span of topics over a wide range of grade levels. This three activity unit is easily adapted for the various instructional levels listed.

Students explore food webs. In this food web lesson, students investigate how plants, animals, and people are interdependent upon one another for food and resources. Students participate in a hands on activity to demonstrate this...

Marine biologists research sea ice communities. Assign some groups to construct paper models of sea ice communities in winter, and some to construct models of them in summer. The lesson is simplistic, but the Internet resources provided...

Students investigate Australia's Great Barrier Reef and create oil paintings of it. After their research, they apply various painting techniques to depict air bubbles, sun's radiation, and color blending. For older students, the...

Children research plant and animal components of marine ecosystem, visualize undersea life, and picture themselves wearing scuba-diving equipment needed to explore underwater. Young scholars then create underwater scene in which they...

Fourth graders explore the concept of food chains. In this food chain lesson, 4th graders discuss what different animals eat and how they are all connected. Students explore a garden and the environment around them to find examples of a...

For this Earth's environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 35 clues about a variety of topics related to our Earth. Topics include ecosystems, precipitation, biomes, energy transfer, soil, weathering and rocks.

Sixth graders are able to explain that there are pollutants in the Anacostia River, what these pollutants can cause, and how to prevent further pollution. They examine the impacts that the pollutants of the Anacostia River could have on...

This smart slide show outlines energy flow in ecosystems. It addresses the sun as the primary source of all energy, flows into explanations of photosynthesis and respiration, and explores trophic feeding levels and productivity....