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Dangerous Air

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate how pollution is a global issue. They locate the countries affected by radiation from Chernobyl, sequence the progress of radiation transport from Chernobyl and plot the pollution points on a world map, and read and...
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Insect Monitoring

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students practice the scientific method in the classroom, either in preparation or as a substitution for real-world field experience. They examine a simulated biodiversity research situation, using a "mini-plot" or sampling square...
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Endangered Species

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students create a postcard about endangered species. In this biology instructional activity, students identify how human activities endanger other species. They research and recommend ways to help protect them.
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Biodiesel: An Alternative Fuel Source

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students explore the advances that are being made in alternative fuels.In this biodiesel lesson students evaluate different petroleum and alternative fuels.
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Micro-Ecosystems

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students create a sustainable, self-contained ecosystem in a ten-gallon aquarium.
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Garbage Pizza

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine amount of garbage disposed of by average household weekly, classify different categories of garbage and describe composition of landfills, investigate what happens to waste after it is collected by garbage trucks, and...
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THE BUSINESS OF CLEAN AIR

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students determine that air pollution control is caused by a combination of market incentives and government regulation. They realize that businesses exist to make profits for their owners and that governments make rules for individuals...
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Biodegradability

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners study the effects of water, salt water and heat on common household materials. They separate an emulsion and show that the materials are completely recoverable and observe the effect of acetone and water on polystyrene.
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Oil Spill!

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine how oil spills are cleaned through an interactive program. They review the facts of oil spills and how the oil spreads. They discuss the short and long term effects of a spill and how they can be avoided.
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Energy of the Future

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine technologies that already exist and record their findings in a journal. They work with students in other countries to explore alternative energy sources They publish their designs online.
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Biome Exchange - Send the "Stuff" Not The Kids

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students exchange ecological information with students from different geographic biomes. They box up the "unique ecologically significant features" of their area, send the box to another class in another area and then receive a similar...
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Plant Needs

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the needs of plants.  In this plants biology lesson, students work in groups to perform an experiment with tomato plants.  Each group records observations in a journal, takes pictures, and interprets the...
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Tropism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct various experiments on tropism. In this biology lesson, students explain how gravity affects the growth of plant roots. They identify the different types of tropisms.
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Watershed Tourist

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners recognize and categorize different bodies of water. In this watershed and water environments lesson, students "Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean." Learners define the different bodies of water and sort from smallest to...
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Pollution Prevention At Ft. Riley

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Student examine methods of pollution reduction used at Ft. Riley military institution. Students review the economic impact of the use of enviromentally sensitive materials.
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Drought Threatens Huge Man-Made Lake

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary...
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Tobacco Smoking and Lung Cancer

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore tobacco smoking and the impact it has on society.  In this health lesson students complete several experiments on smoking and lung cancer.
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Energy Divide

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, after viewing a video on "The Future" Fossil Fuel grade, participate in an energy consumption simulation game in order to analyze how consumption, population, and choice of resource affect the availability of future...
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Global Warming: Life in a Greenhouse

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the evidence that scientists have used to support the existence of global warming and the greenhouse effect. How the concepts have been developed and evaluated form the focus of this lesson.
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Ecological Footprint

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discover their own ecological footprint and create a plan for reducing this figure. They extend this to the school and community to see how they are doing on this scale. They discuss the concept of the ecological...
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Naturally Disastrous!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore, research and examine the causes of natural disasters and how to survive them. They research on the internet world climate, recent disasters, how they happen, what to do if one occurs and what preventive measures to take...
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The Copper Basin Problem

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars view a video about how human actions impact the environment. They design a set of experiments to address some of the problems and issues raised by the video.
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Tree Seedling Planting- My Relationship and Responsibility to our Forests

For Teachers 4th
In this trees lesson, 4th graders read the book, A Tree is Growing and complete a KWL chart on how trees grow and how they are used. Students research the symbiotic relationship of humans and trees, create tree collages, plant a...
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Radioactivity Experiments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study the difference between types of ionizing radiation and how elements are transmuted. They determine that radiation is normal and surrounds us. They calculate the amounts of alpha, beta and gamma radiation emitted from a...