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The Physical Environment

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use damp sand, a baking pan, and water to simulate erosion. In this erosion lesson plan, 4th graders participate in a simulation to show what moving water does to land.
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Are You Balanced With Your Environment?

For Teachers K - 4th
Students discuss the impact of not keeping the environment in balance for future generations. As a class, they are introduced to the concept of "Balance of Nature" and what it means. In groups, they research the role of trees and how to...
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Desert Adaptations: Water

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students experiment with methods of water conservation. For this water conservation lesson, students explore the importance of water for plants and animals in a desert biome.
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The Living Environment

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners explore the cycles of an ecosystem.  In this environmental science lesson plan, students work in groups to research the nitrogen cycle, the water cycle, or the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle. Learners prepare a PowerPoint or...
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Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students observe what happens to water as it goes from a solid to a liquid.  In this exploratory lesson plan students gain an understanding for the water cycle while working in groups observing what happens to water as it changes...
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Rock Creek Water Quality

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders test water in a local creek using chemical kits and probes. They take GPS readings and digital photographs. They calculate the Water Quality Index and create a spreadsheet.
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Water - Planning for the Future

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore and examine the increases and/or decreases for water user groups: irrigation, municipal, manufacturing, steam electric power generation cooling, livestock, and mining. They utilize percentage changes during their...
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Are You Thirsty? The Effects of Pollution on Drinking Water

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Discuss the availability of clean, plentiful water and the causes of water pollution. In groups, sixth graders discuss problem-solving methods for keeping water clean. They explore the function of water treatment plants and perform...
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Is It Safe To Go In? Water Quality of Bathing Areas in the EU

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students complete an experiment on water to study water quality. In this water quality lesson, students complete a taste test experiment about chemicals in water. Students then study their local water environments and recorded toxins....
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Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars create a water filter according to given criteria. I this chemistry lesson, students evaluate the importance of water in their lives. They develop a book or brochure on the water treatment process.
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Clean Water vs. Dirty Water

For Teachers K
Students study the importance of clean water to the survival of organisms and what activiities and material pollute water. They measure the temperature of water samples and create a class graph.
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Water Pollution Hot-Spots

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils complete internet research in small groups to identify types of water pollution, spotlight water pollution hot-spots, and design a plan for water prevention.
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Water Quality

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students analyze water quality and turbidity of collected samples. In this physics lesson plan, students conduct tests to identify the suspended particles in the samples. They explain how human activities affect water quality.
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Major American Water Routes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders locate and identify the major bodies of water and waterways in the United States. Through a simulation activity, they describe how early explorers would have described their surroundings. Working in groups, they create...
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Understanding the Effects of Water Pollution

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the effects of water pollution by participating in a story. After reading the story, they determine the best way to get rid of the pollution in a river using different objects. In groups, they complete a worksheet...
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Water 1: Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate water in its solid and liquid form. In this states of matter instructional activity, students experiment to see what happens as water goes from a solid, ice, to a liquid, water, and back again. They write about and...
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What Critters Tell Us About Water Quality: A Macroinvertebrate Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore our ecosystem by investigating the quality of our water. In this aquatic insect activity, students examine a group of random insects collected from different streams and ponds in the area. Students record their...
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Environment: The River Classroom

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders engage in hands-on experiments and activities dealing with rivers and greenways. They also observe lectures and demonstrations by experts in water and river restoration. Students and teachers participate in canoe trips...
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Keep It Clean!

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the how water becomes polluted and how it effects the environment, animals, and humans. They watch a video and conduct experiments.
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Week 8 - Sea Life

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a magnifier, mini marine biologists examine the barbules of a bird feather. They swirl the it into a mixture of oil and water and then re-examine the feather. After the activity, discuss how the oily feathers pose a problem to...
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Watershed Protection

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore environmental care by participating in an Earth science activity. In this clean water lesson, students discuss what a watershed is, how they become polluted, and how it affects the overall quality of drinking...
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Galileo's Thermometer: Measuring the Density of Various Unknown Liquids

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Sprouting scientists explore the concept of density by making mass and volume measurements for five different liquids. From these measurements, they calculate densities. They apply their learning to explain Galileo's thermometer works...
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Fresh Water and land of Kiribati and Hawaii (Molokai)

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the islands of Hawaii. Using this information, they organize it and create a map or graph that represents the data. As a class, they discuss how the watersheds on the islands are different and how people react to...
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Week 3: Pollution Source and Effects

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Lab groups set up an experiment to observe what happens over time in collected pond water when fertilizer, representing pollution, is added. This website does not include student lab sheets, but background information, materials, and...