Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sewage Spill into Biscayne Bay

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students use a hypothetical case study to learn about environmental health issues associated with water, recreational water, and sewage. They use an inquiry-based learning module to generate questions, draft a research plan, and generate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soybeans: The Miracle Seed

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discover why soybeans are called the "miracle seeds." They make their own soynuts and share other foods made from soybeans. They create a bulletin board of soybean products.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Urban Ecosystems 2: Why are There Cities? A Historical Perspective

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Second in a series of five lessons, this lesson plan encourages preteens to consider cities as urban ecosystems. First, they keep a food diary for a few days. They visit the Natrional Agricultural Statistics Service website for current...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Handout
Disney

Earth Day Guide to Being Green

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Have fun completing Earth Day related activities while learning about simple ways to preserve the Earth. Implement some of the ideas for going green as a class, like cleaning up a local park or planting a tree at school.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers

For Teachers K - 4th
Students discover the impact "Lady Bird" Johnson had on America by reading a short biography.  In this historical persons lesson, students read a multi page biography of the former first lady and write a summary of her life's work....
PPT
Curated OER

The Willamette River

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An informative set of slides inspects the Willamette River. Hydropower dams, agriculture, and the presence of major cities on its banks have led to increased bacteria, temperature, and mercury content as well as skeletal deformities in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Environmental Change

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine environmental change of land, water, and air, discuss Clear Skies Legislation, and experiment on solid compaction and resultant water filtration.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day in the Life of Bottled Water

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students research natural resources. In this environmental lesson, students define what a natural resource is and explore the life of a single-use water bottle. Students create a waste-reduction plan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wacky Water Critters

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students visit a local creek or stream. They collect water samples from the creek and observe and sort the "water critters" they find in the sample, observing smaller organisms under a microscope if necessary. They identify each organism...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Event: Earth Day Activities

For Teachers K - 12th
Students identify solid waste and water pollution concerns. They discuss how to prevent water and air pollution as well. They describe any behaviors they have that would be considered environmentally irresponsible.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Ways Lesson Plan #1: Who Catches Your Fish?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Pupils explore the types of fish caught in the Mid-Atlantic region. In this fishing lesson plan, students learn about fishing methods and meet fishermen that catch the fish. Using the water ways website, pupils research types of fish,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design That Makes a Difference: Focus on Shelters and Water

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students analyze three different types of temporary shelters and their designs for environmental factors. In this shelter design lesson, students analyze how designers address environmental problems for homeless or refugees. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gulf Oil Spill in the Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this interdisciplinary activity, students investigate the media response to the Gulf oil spill as they examine live streaming video, interpret data, and share their personal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

LitterFlotsam and Jetsam: A Little Litter Goes a Long Way

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners explore the concept of environmental stewardship. For this science lesson, students investigate data from the International Coastal Cleanup, identify sources of marine debris, and discover the impacts of this debris on wildlife.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Your Water Clean?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compare water quality of different sources. They test water samples for odor, phosphates, pH, bacteria, and dissolved solids. they fill out a data table and answer questions about their findings.
Lesson Plan
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Strength of Water

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students perform experiments using flexible bottles of water and eyedroppers partially filled and placed in the bottle. They record what happens when they tighten the bottle lid and squeeze the bottle.
Lesson Plan
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Conservation and Environmental Protection

For Teachers 4th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
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Water Quest

For Teachers K - 5th
Students visit the Hydrology Study Site, conduct a visual survey to discover info about local land use and water quality, and document their findings by mapping the water body. They use this investigation to raise questions for further...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Walk

For Teachers K - 5th
Students follow the appropriate sampling protocol and take two measurements of a local water source. These measurements are Transparency and Temperature. This info about local land use and/or water chemistry issues may require further...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Monitoring River Levels

For Students 6th - 10th
In this environmental science learning exercise, students read and study water maps from an interactive website to complete 8 short answer questions that follow.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landfills, Leaks and Spills

For Teachers 6th - 9th
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...