Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are You One of Us?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students compare and contrast insects and arthropods, identifying characteristics of each. In groups, they sort pictures of arthropods into the five different classes of arthropods. They also sort pictures into insect and non-insect piles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Warming - The Heat is On: Global Climate Change Revisited

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After listening to your lecture on climate change, young scientists access NOAA's database listing Mauna Loa's carbon dioxide data. They graph the monthly means and then compare their graphs to NOAA's. This is a concise plan that could...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Iron Fertilization - Pumping Iron

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The theory that adding iron to ocean water may increase phytoplankton ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is examined. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is monitoring conditions off the California coast to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pollution

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students seek solutions to environmental problems. They discover how to conserve and protect natural resources. They examine the role of acid rain on plants and discover how to filter pollutants.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aquatic Exotics

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students identify and describe the aquatic exotic species found in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the species origins and discover their effects on native species in the area. They discuss how appropriate it is to introduce...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study different bodies of water and how they fit into the water cycle. They explain that materials exist in different states (solid, liquid and gas) and change from one to another, that there are systems, order, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock River Watershed

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover what a watershed is and which one they live in. Using the internet, they research why watersheds are important to an ecosystem and how to keep them from getting polluted. They use a map to locate various items within a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photosynthesis

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students are introduced to the process of photosynthesis. In groups, they test the effects of the lack of sunlight on plant leaves and compare the results with their hypothesis. They note the characteristics that plants and animals share...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Protecting the Environment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners explain what biodegradable materials are and list examples of them. They design, with online partners' feedback and input, a product made of biodegradable materials and develop a marketing campaign to best sell their product.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solid Waste Recycling

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Pupils plan a "no garbage" lunch and hold a classroom contest to sort grabage into what can and what can't be recycled. They assess the importance of reducing the amount of garbage in the environment and set up a book recycling program.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Rot or Not!

For Teachers K - 1st
Students discover that composting helps reduce landfill waste and is good for the soil. They explore the techniques of composting through a variety of media, art activities and hands-on experience.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

9th Grade

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders discuss the principal source of energy entering the marine ecosystem. They name some of the autotrophs at the Maui Ocean Center. Students name some of the heterotrophs at Maui Ocean Center. They are taught that plants are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Which Falls Faster?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study force and what it does.  In this motion lesson students complete a demonstration on force and gravity and share their ideas. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy and Energy Conversion

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate different energy conversions through hands-on activities. In this energy instructional activity, 3rd graders move through four stations and conduct experiments illustrating energy conversions. Wave energy,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harvesting Water from Fog

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students analyze the water issues of Cape Verde in the Peace Corp lesson. In this water resources lesson, students analyze the concept of water being harvested from fog. Students explore the Peace Corps project site by watching...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Splish-Splash: Daily Use of Water

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore the daily use of water in Kenya and Ghana. In this Peace Corps lesson, students compare similarities and differences between water use by people in Kenya and Ghana and their own communities as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather and Water in Ghana

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students research the rainy and dry season to investigate Africa's weather. For this African weather lesson, students use the given websites to research the rainy and dry seasons of Ghana in Africa. Students then read stories about life...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Galapagos - Discover the Diversity

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Pretend you are exploring a newly discovered species of fish in the Galapagos. Your budding marine biologists access FishBase Database's list of marine/brackish fishes and choose one to research. The link through this website does not...
Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Energy: A Day in My Life

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily...
Lesson Plan
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Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program

Mummies in the Morning Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphics

For Teachers 1st - 4th Standards
Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...
Lesson Plan
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Teach Engineering

Introduction to Water Chemistry

For Teachers 7th - 9th
What are the issues surrounding water quality? Viewers of this short presentation gain information about the importance of clean water, the lack of fresh water, water contamination, and ways that engineers treat water. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons' Journey: As the World Turns

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the earth's revolution around the sun and the changes in weather that follow this motion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DAY AND NIGHT

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students use a lamp as the sun and his/her body as the earth. They rotate in different directions to explain how the earth moves around the sun. Using specific questions in their discussion, students discover the reasons for day and night.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Does Temperature Vary Over Time?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the temperature flucuations on the Earth. After defining new vocabulary, they identify the flucuations of the Earth on a map. As a class, they develop a hypotheis on the temperature variation by examining the data.