Curated OER
Wetland Water Testing
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.
Curated OER
Pond Ecology
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...
It's About Time
The Water Cycle
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...
Berkshire Museum
Camouflage!: Collecting Data and Concealing Color
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...
Pulitzer Center
Extractive Industries
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...
Florida International University
Are You Concentrating?
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...
Curated OER
All Hands on Deck: A Harbor Education Program
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.
Curated OER
Natural Inquirer Ecosystem Article Lesson
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...
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Conservation: Water
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...
Curated OER
Investigating Local Ecosystems
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...
Curated OER
Treasure Hunt
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.
Curated OER
Animals Abound
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...
National Park Service
The Secret of Life
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...
Virginia Department of Education
Organisms in Symbiosis
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...
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Fish Morphology
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.
Curated OER
Reading the River
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...
Curated OER
TAKING APART OWL PELLETS
Students dissect and owl pellet and then reconstruct small rodents on a presentation board using a textbook picture as a guide.
Curated OER
Prairie Plant Investigation
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.
Curated OER
"Using Cichlids To Demonstrate the Effects of Human Activity On Ecosystems"
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.
Curated OER
Ecology and Ecosystem
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...
Curated OER
Two Way Causality in Ecosystems
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.
Curated OER
Water Pollution
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...
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Waste and Recycling: Recycling Paper
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....
Curated OER
The Dirt on Worms!
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...