Curated OER
TE Activity: Pollution Politics
Students examine how a bill becomes a law in the US Congress. They investigate legislation about global warming. They determine the role of engineers as they educate Congress, the public and other government institutions about global...
Curated OER
Pass the Jug
Students discuss water rights. In this science lesson, students simulate an exercise whereby they begin to understand the meaning of water allocation and limited water supplies by actually passing out water from a jug.
Curated OER
Who Dirtied the Water?
Students develop a greater understanding and concern for the plight of our coastal waterways. Students begin to recognize that we are all partially responsible for water pollution.
Teach Engineering
Red Cabbage Chemistry
Using the natural pH indicator of red cabbage juice, groups determine the pH of different everyday liquids. As they work, pupils gain an understanding of pH that may help deal with contaminants in the water supply.
Teach Engineering
Density and Miscibility
The liquids did not mix — so what do density columns have to do with it? The seventh part in a series of nine provides the theoretical explanation of why density columns do not mix. The activity covers the topics related to mixing and...
Teach Engineering
Grow Your Own Algae!
Develop a model of a wastewater treatment center. The last activity of the unit has pupils mix a lake water sample into a tank of water containing fertilizers. Over time, the algae from the lake water grows and removes the nutrient-rich...
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 1
Mass and density — aren't they the same thing? This activity has groups use balance beams and water displacement to measure several objects. The pupils use the measurements to calculate the density of the objects.
Curated OER
The Dirty Water Project
Students investigate different methods (aeration and filtering) for removing pollutants from water. They design and build their own water filters. Students identify the pollutants in a water sample using sight and smell, explore what...
Curated OER
Environmental Problems and Solutions
In this environmental problems and solutions worksheet, learners are given a list of 25 environmental problems. They match them with a given solution and paste the matching pairs to a piece of construction paper.
Curated OER
Can You Catch the Water?
Students work together to construct a model of a water catchment basin. They survey water patterns and complete experiments to see where rain travels and collects. They discover how engineers design structures that help with drainage.
Curated OER
Acid Rain Effects
Get out the goggles and conduct a simple experiment to model and explore the harmful effects of acid rain (vinegar) on living (green leaf and eggshell) and non-living (paper clip) objects. Young chemists observe and describe the harmful...
Curated OER
Moving without Wheels
Students observe a simple water cycle model to better understand its role in pollutant transport. This activity shows one way in which pollution is affected by the water cycle; it simulates a point source of pollution in a lake and the...
Curated OER
From Lake to Tap
Students use the Internet to study how water is treated to make it safe to drink. They use a tutorial on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website to gain this information. They complete a worksheet for the assessment portion...
Curated OER
Groundwater Detectives
Students measure the pH of soil samples from a hypothetical site to locate a contaminant spill and will predict the direction of groundwater flow using mathematical modeling. They use the engineering design process to develop...
Curated OER
Straining out the Dirt
Students design and construct a water filter using activated carbon, cotton and other materials to remove chocolate powder from water. They test and record their observations, and complete a KWL chart.
Curated OER
On the Move
Students explore different pathways and consequences of pollutant transport via the weather and water cycles. They observe and record weather information and produce their own weather report for the class.
Curated OER
Lesson 12 - Landfills, Leaks and Spills
Learners define spill, leaks and landfills and identify the environmental problems caused by them. They complete worksheets and a quiz.
Curated OER
Landfills, Leaks and Spills
Students define spills, leaks and landfills. Students list environmental problems caused by spills,leaks and landfills. Students access the Internet to complete Prediction lab report worksheets, etc. Students test/quiz over their...
Curated OER
How Dense is Salt Water?
Young schoolers explore the concept of linear regression. They determine the mass and density of salt water. Pupils add salt to water and record the density as salinity increases, and perform a linear regression on the data to model the...
Curated OER
Activity #5 Environmental Effects
Learners explain the implications of particle theory of The Law of Conservation of Matter for problems of pollution and waste disposal. They describe, in terms of atoms and molecules, what happens to materials when they are dissolved or...
Curated OER
Conservation and Environmental Protection
Students brainstorm a list of environments and animals from around the world that need protection. They then design and create a slogan about an animal or environment and an environmental protection poster.
Curated OER
Midnight Dumpers
Students explain how pollution affects ground water. They participate in a simulation to discover the location of an illegal dump. Students explore the monetary benefits, risk and environmental concerns are factors in business decisions.
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Can Small Pollutants Harm Aquatic Organisms?
Nanoparticles have toxic effects on plant and animal life—even though you can't see them. The second lesson of a two-part series has young scientists conduct an experiment that exposes plant and animals to nanoparticle pollutants. They...
Curated OER
Pea Soup Ponds
Students perform an experiment where they learn how water can be polluted by algal bloom. They grow algae with different concentrations of fertilizers or nutrients and analyze their results.