Curated OER
Your Blooming Pond
Young scholars model a pond system that becomes enriched with nutrients (fertilizer). They manipulate variables, make observations over time, and draw conclusions that may lead to further inquiry. They, in groups, simulate a pond...
Curated OER
Potential Hazards in Your Home
High schoolers increase their awareness of the hazardous chemicals humans come in contact with, and explore less hazardous alternatives.
Curated OER
Sodium Bentonite Swelling Index
Students research the effects of sodium bentonite being combined with water. They discuss the reasons why this chemical is used in landfills. They measure the swelling index of sodium bentonite clay.
Curated OER
Environmental Destruction in Vietnam
Students watch video clip on Environmental Destruction of Vietnam, select and discuss passages from essay, Resuscitation of the Dead Earth, that emphasize destruction to the land, and write essay on whether United States should have been...
Curated OER
Science: Designer genes
Young scholars engineer new organisms using biotechnology. In small groups, they write procedures, list benefits and drawbacks, and explain how their new organism might affect the environment. After creating their new organisms, they...
Carnegie Mellon University
Ocean Acidification
After brainstorming what they know about ocean acidification, youngsters place eggs in acid to determine the effects on calcium-containing organisms, and add carbon dioxide to solutions with sea shell material to discover the impact on...
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect of Minerals on Plant Growth
How do different minerals affect the growth of plants? Budding botanists find out in a multi-week experiment that has them using solutions with specific mineral deficiencies. While there is a lot of preparation for the investigation,...
Nuffield Foundation
Monitoring Water Pollution with Invertebrate Indicator Species
Healthy invertebrates mean healthy ponds. An outdoor activity has scholars collect samples of invertebrates from local lakes or ponds. They identify and count different species and use the information to estimate the level of pollution...
Nuffield Foundation
Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria in Root Nodules of Leguminous Plants
Fixin' to add a great resource to your plans? Scholars perform an experiment to investigate nitrogen-fixing bacteria from plant roots. Along the way, they learn about the concepts of symbiosis and mutualism.
Curated OER
Riparian: The Guardian of the Waterways
Young scholars become educated on what a riparian is, the need for riparian, and how a riparian corridor (forest, habitat) can protect waterways. Students construct dioramas depicting riparian habitats.
Curated OER
Living Without Oxygen: Oxygen Tolerance in Bacteria
Learners explore and experience a variety of chemical processes that are carried out by bacteria and determined by the amount of oxygen present in the environment in which they live. They review and examine various chemical processes...
Curated OER
Ecological Inventory
Students brainstorm possible life forms and chemical composition of surrounding water environments. They research background information through internet and library resources.
Curated OER
Investigating the Response of Worms to Soil Improvers
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, but do they care what soil is all about? Find out in an easy and fun controlled experiment. Have your young biologists hypothesize, test, and draw conclusions about which type of soil worms...
Nuffield Foundation
Biodiversity in Your Backyard!
Take your enthusiastic ecologists outdoors to explore the biodiversity right in their own schoolyard! In preparing for this activity, it may be worthwhile to research websites with local flora to help in the plant identification...
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, 11th graders measure different tree circumference. They prepare a report and share findings in class.
Curated OER
Fossil Fuel and the Ticking Clock
Students study energy sources to learn about fossil fuels and environmental concerns. In this energy sources lesson, students watch demonstrations for various energy examples. Students find hidden pennies, make a bar graph on their data,...
Curated OER
pH Potential
Students experiment to determine the positive and negative impacts of human activities on environmental change. They examine how physical and biological processes such as decomposition affect soil characteristics while looking at the pH...
Curated OER
Consequences of Garbage
First graders consider the problem of too much garbage in America. In this garbage use lesson, 1st graders discuss ways to decrease garbage in the United States and complete a coloring sheet.
Curated OER
Ocean Pollution
Middle schoolers study their role in eliminating ocean pollution and helping keep the oceans clean. In this environmental issues lesson, students define pollution and brainstorm examples of ocean pollution. Middle schoolers define...
Curated OER
Environmental Hazards
Students identify environmental hazards on a simulated field trip. They analyze the exposure and suggest methods to eliminate or reduce exposure to toxic sources.
Curated OER
Activity #8 Simulation of Oil Spills
Young scholars conduct an experiment to simulate an oil spill and identify the characteristics of oil in water. They evaluate the effectiveness of various cleanup methods. They discuss the how to clean up an oil spill, and what causes...
Curated OER
Environmental Risk Analysis
Young scholars complete a survey and enter the responses in a spreadsheet. The spread sheet is used to create a bar graph. Students complete spreadsheets listing types of hazards in their community.
Curated OER
Activity #4 Ground Water Model In a Jar
Students devlop a model, which they illustrate a water table and allow for the discussion of common terms and illustrate what those terms mean. They comprehend that a flow rates, removal of contaminants, and the amount of water stored...
Curated OER
Activity #7 Recycling of Newsprint
Students illustrate the paper recycling process. They collect and weigh all the newspapers that come to their house in a week's time. Pupils multiply this number by all the weeks in a yeat and again by an estimate of the number of...