Learners examine different types of land use by humans and evaluate the ways land is used in their local community. They also consider the environmental effects of the different types of land use. Students assume the role of community...

Learners review and evaluate the ways land is covered and used in their local community. They consider the environmental effects of the different types of land use. Students act as community planning engineers to determine where to place...

Motivate young scientists to stand up and take action with this environmental science lesson. To begin, the class works in small groups brainstorming actions that support the conservation of the earth before creating and implementing an...

The best laid plans can lead to meeting renewable energy goals. A culminating project for the unit has pupils research the amount of solar and wind energy at their locations. They set renewable energy goals and use the information they...

Young people have an opportunity to make it a beautiful day in their neighborhoods with an activity that asks them to identify what is healthy and unhealthy in their community and develop some ideas about what they can do to fix the...

Teachers turning into students? It's not Freaky Friday! It's a thoughtful workshop that teaches participants how to plan professional development for staff. Third in a 15-part series, the workshop provides a platform for the other...

Understanding geography and government begins at the local level. Using maps and the parts of a newspaper, a unit plan introduces the concept of community. It starts with the creation of classroom and school maps, and then moves through...

Third graders plan for a garden. In this garden planning lesson, 3rd graders investigate the use of a grid to accurately map out and plan for a vegetable garden. Students predict the space requirements for different vegetables.

A project-based learning plan focuses on landscapes in the community. After identifying problems, such as dead trees or misplaced automatic sprinklers, learners design solutions, contact local organizations to fix the problems, and do...

Fourth graders plant a tree. In this sustainable forestry instructional activity, 4th graders define community forest and brainstorm a location to plant a new tree on the school grounds. Students learn how to plant a tree and discuss...

Twelfth graders construct a timeline to show changes and trends in the future of urban and community forestry. In this forestry instructional activity, 12th graders discuss the importance of trees. They read a timeline and add future...

Fifth graders decide how one uses resources within a particular bioregion.  For this decision making lesson, 5th graders consider the biodiversity and complexity of the ecosystem.  Students select a resource (water, paper,...

Whose home is it anyway? Design teams plan a housing development in which they must also protect a native species. The teams consist of a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer, and graphic designer. Teams present their...

Learners analyze how the environment and family history impacts personal health. In this personal health lesson, students discuss cancer and survey the school community about the disease. Learners create a bulletin board about...

Students investigate how communities grow and change. In this communities lesson plan, students discuss how their community has changed and construct a model of a community.

Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...

Provide your class with the tools they need to design a research project. Groups examine case studies to gain information about the process involved in designing a research project. They use materials provided to brainstorm and develop a...

Build a bridge to learning in a STEM-aligned unit about urban infrastructure. Young engineers explore the many aspects of civil planning and design in a five-day unit. Content includes the challenging aspects of balancing building with...

A person in the US uses 20 times more energy than a person in India—that's a drastic difference! The final lesson in the 12-part series goes back to the initial energy audits, analyzes which room showed the most conservation of energy,...

Before your learners excuse themselves to get a drink at the water fountain, prompt them to think about where that water comes from. A middle school science lesson encourages groups to research their community's source of drinking water,...

Students prepare to build and plant a garden. In this service learning lesson, students take all the necessary steps to prepare a community garden for planting and reflect on the experience.

Did humans and dinosaurs coexist? How do we know? Scholars dig in to the tools and methods researchers used to study the process of human evolution by watching a slideshow with embedded video clips. Pupils learn the importance of asking...

In grades kindergarten through fifth grade, scholars take part in a social-emotional learning unit designed to boost social responsibility. Three hundred pages provide lessons and activities related to everyday classroom practices, the...