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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wetland Water Testing

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine the different properties that affect water quality.  In this pollution lesson students play a game, complete a hands on activity and computer lab. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pond Ecology

For Teachers 4th - 6th
A lab activity is a great way to incite thoughtful questioning and scientific processes. Pupils will collect organisms with a Petri dish, make observations, sketch the organism, ask questions, then attempt to identify the specimen...
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Activity
1
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It's About Time

The Water Cycle

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Explore the water cycle with a hands-on earth science activity that prompts pupils to measure the amount of water normally transpired by plants. After they describe the flow of the water cycle and provide examples of how human activities...
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Lesson Plan
Berkshire Museum

Camouflage!: Collecting Data and Concealing Color

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Help young scholars see the important role camouflage plays in the survival of animals with a fun science lesson. Starting with an outdoor activity, children take on the role of hungry birds as they search for worms represented by...
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Lesson Plan
Pulitzer Center

Extractive Industries

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is a chance for environmental studies classes to take a critical look at crises occurring around the globe by reading articles and viewing video clips. The human activities under scrutiny are the extraction of oil, logging, and...
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Lesson Plan
Florida International University

Are You Concentrating?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Explore the importance of a concentration gradient in the rates of dissolution. Using the ocean ecosystem, learners study rates of dissolution around coral reefs. A hands-on experiment helps individuals discover the effects of changing a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Hands on Deck: A Harbor Education Program

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars build a model of an estuary. In this wetland lesson, students build a model estuary with a paint tray and modeling clay. They use the model to illustrate the impact of non-point pollution on the watershed.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Inquirer Ecosystem Article Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discover new ways to preserve the ecosystem by completing graphic organizers.  In this environmental lesson, students read an article from the Natural Inquirer in small groups and fill out a graphic organizer based on the...
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Lesson Plan
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Conservation: Water

For Teachers K - 2nd
Here is a fantastic experiment-based lesson on water conservation, waste, and filtration. The lesson plan is well-developed and provides background information, discussion leads, and six scripted lab activities anyone can do. The class...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Local Ecosystems

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars investigate the habitats of local plants and animals. They explore some of the ways animals depend on plants and each other. Students observe living organisms in a local ecosystem and create detailed drawings and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treasure Hunt

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners actively search a the ground outside and find several types of leaves, lichen, feathers and trash. They place items into journals, write entries, draw pictures and ask questions about the items found on their exploration.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals Abound

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore the world of mammals, birds, and fish to compare and contrast their habitats, adaptations, and camouflages. Through research, musical experiences, and hands-on activities, the lives and adventures of these animals are...
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Activity
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National Park Service

The Secret of Life

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Dead trees provide nutrients for the soil, food for animals, protection and a home for organisms, a seed-bed for new trees, and a place for nitrogen-fixing bacteria to live. In the activity, pupils collect decaying logs, expose them to a...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Organisms in Symbiosis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Searching for an activity that allows emerging biologists to explore symbiosis up close and personal? Pupils collect samples and view lichens through a microscope and conclude with a discussion about the relationship they have with other...
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Lesson Plan
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)

Fish Morphology

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Life comes in all different shapes and sizes, and fish are no exception. Here, young scientists create fish prints as they learn how specific characteristics allow different species to survive in their particular habitats.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading the River

For Teachers 5th - 8th
In collaborative groups, young ecologists measure the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen for three different freshwater samples. They examine each sample with a microscope and record observations on the microorganisms in the pond...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TAKING APART OWL PELLETS

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students dissect and owl pellet and then reconstruct small rodents on a presentation board using a textbook picture as a guide.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prairie Plant Investigation

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students carefully observe prairie plants and record their observations in a science journal. They examine the root systems of grasses and flowers and surmise how these plants can grow together on the prairie.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Using Cichlids To Demonstrate the Effects of Human Activity On Ecosystems"

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students explore the freshwater ecosystem of Africa's Lake Victoria by creating a freshwater aquarium. They investigate factors affecting the aquarium's ecosystem and conduct lab activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecology and Ecosystem

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students are introduced to the concepts of ecology and ecosystems. In groups, they use the Internet to research one of six topics. They present their information to the class sharing the most interesting information they found. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Two Way Causality in Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students complete various activities in order to explain that ecosystems are complex and that animal behavior (mainly that of a predator) is not necessarily intentional or bad.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Pollution

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study the impact of human activity on water quality and on the ecosystems of Earth. After a discussion on the various ways that water can be polluted, groups of youngsters get together to figure out the best way to clean a...
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Lesson Plan
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Waste and Recycling: Recycling Paper

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
We take paper for granted, while thousands of trees are being made into the paper we toss in the trash. Start a dialogue about paper reduction and recycling in class, and share the negative effects paper production has on our ecosystem....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dirt on Worms!

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders make predictions, observe, collect and record data. They investigate several soil and worm websites. Finally, 4th graders write a letter to The President which defends earthworms by explaining their value to the United...