Curated OER
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
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Thesis Statements
A good thesis is hard to craft. Model for your writers how to develop and refine thesis statements with a series of slides that discuss the purpose and format of this all-important sentence. Viewers following along as the process is...
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Echo, Echo, Echo, Each can help others
Students discuss and research arguments about philanthropy. In this persuasive speech writing lesson, students choose a needed project for the community and present the reasons for the project through an original persuasive speech....
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Environmental Justice in Chester, PA
Over several days, learners communicate and defend an argument regarding environmental justice issues in Chester, PA. After discussing the issue and viewing a video about the location of several toxic waste facilities in Chester, they...
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Human Cloning, Genetic Engineering and Privacy
Review the aspects of human cloning and the moral issues associated with it. Individually, your students will keep a list of the articles related to this issue and research issues related to the ethic issues people are concerned with....
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Perceived Risks
Students rank a list of everyday risks to compare with classmates. They rate each risk on both its ability to be controlled and its observability in the environment. Results are graphed.
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School discipline includes paddling
Young scholars debate the pros and cons of paddling in schools. Students investigate the policy in their corporation. If young scholars disagree with the policy, students write an editorial that helps your readers find ways to make the...
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Adopted Dog Goes Home
High schoolers examine the pet victims of Hurricane Katrina. After reading a story about one dog who was misplaced, they write about the situation and their reactions to it. They share their reactions to the class and discuss other...
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The Ozone
Students engage in lesson concerned with the concept of the ozone layer. They write a reflective journal using prior knowledge. Students read sources of information about the existence of a hole in the ozone layer. Finally they create...
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Population Patterns
Students study patterns of population growth in an ecosystem and why populations must remain in balance. They interpret basic population graphs and suggest scenarios about different population growth patterns in an ecosystem.
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Four Corners Debate
Should the student population wear uniforms to school? Pupils express whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with a controversial statement, moving to a designated corner of the room to indicate their stance....
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Renaissance in Your Backyard
Students research the demographic and environment changes in their local community over the past years. They identify areas that need rehabilitation. Students create a plan for improvement and create a diorama to illustrate their...
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America's Favorite Landmarks
Students research using Google Earth a variety of websites to explore America's most prominent and famous buildings. They then compare and contrast architectural styles and write a position paper defending or arguing against their chosen...
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Who Takes Care of the Maya Forest Corridor?
First graders study the animals in the Maya Forest Reserve. In this conservation lesson, 1st graders create a graph to compare the environment of animals to their own. They design a 3D model of these two environments.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...
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Reindeer Herders
Pupils examine the life of of nomadic herders in Siberia. They read and discuss an article and maps from National Geographic, identify threats to this way of life, and write a letter to the Russian government identifying ways to protect...
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Suburban Ecosystems
Students conduct simple sampling of plant and insect biodiversity at ground level in two contrasting environments of their own choosing. They recognize and record different species then compare and contrast species numbers in the two...
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The Debate Over Teaching Intelligent Design
Students explain the current nationwide debate regarding the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution in public schools. They examine the content of the debate and then analyze and critique the merits and flaws of both sides of...
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How Do New Species Form?
Students read an article by Niles Eldridge about species and the environment and break into small groups to discuss it. They write essays noting strengths and weaknesses of punctuated equilibrium and gradualism, or other topics listed.
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Amazon Rainforest Conservation, Brazil
Students explore the concept of understanding the effects of disturbances in an environment. In this life science lesson, students use the game Jenga to help capture the idea of environment disturbances. Students discuss the effects of...
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Spoken Word Poetry
Students examine the spoken work poetry of Abiodun Oyewole. They discuss the West African Griot tradition, listen to spoken word poetry, write and perform a poem, and watch a video excerpt of a poetry workshop.
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Stewardship Letter
Students write a persuasive letter. For this stewardship lesson, students discover the basic format for a formal letter and some effective persuasive techniques. Students write a letter to bring about change in the way humans interact...
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Polythene: Bags Of Trouble
Students investigate the use of polythene bags in the community and measure the possible impact upon the environment. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create an evaluative opintion...
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Sea Turtles: An Issue Investigation
Fifth graders explore sea turtles and the issues relating to them as endangered species. They research sea turtles on the Internet and find reasons why the turtles are endangered. They identify potential issues to be considered when...