Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disposable vs. Reusable, Biodegradable vs. Non-biodegradable

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine and identify biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials. They discover ways in which biodegradable materials can help minimize pollution.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Kids: Kindergarteners Taking Care of the Earth

For Teachers K
Students explore a variety of ways of how to care for the environment in the nine lessons of this unit. They observe how to be responsible "Earth Kids."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fish Parasite Survey

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students count nematodes, cestodes and crustaceans on approximately one-hundred and fifty fish. They fill out autopsy reports for external and internal parasites then complete and discuss guide questions to make inferences about parasite...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fish Parasite Survey

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students survey and dissect as many fish as possible. They count nematodes, cestodes and crustaceans on the fish, fill out autopsy reports, and transfer data to a chalkboard data table. Students graph the results of the entire class...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beyond Organic?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students examine the critiques of organic agriculture and its production and marketing approaches.  In this sustainable agriculture lesson plan students study how the ideas about ethics of the food system are changing. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthworms and Making a Wormery

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore the environment by researching insects. In this earthworm lesson, students utilize soil and plexiglass to build a see through wormery in which students can observe the worms at work. Students identify the benefits of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1-Use, 2-Use, Re-Use, New Use

For Teachers K - 4th
Students list the possible uses of grocery bags. They trace the steps of a grocery bag either to recycle or trash. In groups, students use the grocery bags to create posters promoting reuse.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conservation Collage

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students identify many different ways the environment is polluted, and determine ways to prevent pollution. They create a collage of pictures describing how the earth becomes polluted.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Night Creatures of the Kalahari

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Learners conduct an experiment to demonstrate how fruit fly populations are controlled by spiders. They observe a variety of environments with fruit flies and spiders and consider how vital spiders are to controlling the insect population.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Odyssey of Life, Part II-The Unknown World

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars complete an experiment in which they observe different natural sample in which they uncover the microbial world. They complete a two part worksheet that accompanies the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biodegradability

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students test a variety of plastic bags to test its biodegradability. They record their observations and discuss them once the experiment is complete. They identify materials best suited to be placed in a landfill.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Composting Competition

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In a multi-week experiment, students monitor the core temperatures of two compost piles, one control and one tended, to see how air and water affect microbial activity.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Decomposing Energy: Heat Energy From Compost

For Students 9th - 10th
In this energy and power science fair project, the student will calculate the heat energy produced by an active compost pile, surrounding a tin can filled with water. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: What Will Biodegrade?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate what types of materials biodegrade in the soil, and learn what happens to their trash after they throw it away. The concepts of landfills and compost piles will be explained, and the students will have an opportunity...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Too Much Trash

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about recycling to reduce trash in landfills. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.