Pennsylvania Department of Education
Animal Classes and Their Ecosystems
Students explore animal characteristics by participating in an environment identification activity. In this animal habitat lesson plan, students discuss a range of different wild life and the ecosystems that they are a part of. Students...
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Oil Spill Lesson Plans
With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now is a great time to educate students on issues related to oil.
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Local Environmental Issues: Pollution
Third graders discuss the ways in which human interaction with the environment and production of waste products contribute to pollution. Through a pollution demonstration, they explain how various groups of plants and animals can be...
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Take a Dip: The Water in Our Lives
Students explore the function of storm drains and the importance of keeping them clean of debris. They obtain permission from local authorities and perform community service painting stenciled messages near existing storm drains.
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The Effect of Automobile Exhaust on Hydra in an Environmental Chamber
Students study the structure and habitat of the hydra in this lab activity. Students determine if the hydra can be used as an indicator to detect pollution from automobile exhaust.
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Environmental Science/Water Pollution
Learners study natural habitats, aquatic life, renewable and non-renewable resources. They discuss conservation efforts for sea otters and desert toad in this units.
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Environmental Education
Second graders examine how their choices affect the environment. They identify different types of pollution and its source. They ask questions to end the lesson.
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Natural Hazards
Young scholars evaluate the hazards of naturally occurring events. After watching a video concerning safety hazards, students work in groups to discuss the safety issues involved in taking a trip to a mountainous region. ...
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Environmental Issues in South Carolina
Learners research governmental agencies that deal with the environment and chart aspects about each agency. They role-play a city council meeting to address the topic of building a waste to energy facility.
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Environmental Justice
High schoolers investigate the problem of pollution and its effects on the environment. The use of questions for research stimulate thinking and advanced problem solving skills. The important skill of reflection is used to help students...
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Environment and the Earth
Students were involved in environmental service learning and they gathered information from academic buildings for a database. The data allowed them to use an establish baseline data on light use, recycling, and water fixtures in five...
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Getting the "Yuck" Out
Students examine various types of household materials for their usefulness as filters. They work together in teams to design a filtration system that produces the cleanest water in the shortest time.
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"Oh Deer!"
Students play a game where half of them are deer and the others are components of habitat: food, water, shelter and space. They signify their needs by hand gestures and take what they need to their side of the game. They discuss real...
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Treacherous Trash
Students recognize the harmful effects people have on the environment. In this environmental lesson, students simulate water pollution clean-up by using tangled objects and untangling them in a cooperative group. Students identify why...
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Monitoring Aquatic Ecosystems Lesson Plan
Students perform an experiment to test the quality of the water in a marsh.
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Porosity And Permeability
Learners participate in an exercise/experiment designed to show how environmental pollution can affect the quality of drinking water.
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A River Ran Through It
Students research how water is used to generate electricity. They investigate water's potential-to-kinetic energy transfer in hands-on activities about falling water and waterwheels. They take measurements, calculate averages and graph...
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Acid Rain And Geology
Young scholars become aware of the environmental problems caused by acid rain and study the pH scale. They determine acidity of local rain water.
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Mapping the Effects of War
Students examine how war can lead to environmental health crises. They read an article, conduct research on a region from the article, and create a poster to depict the geographic region and the environmental health effects of the conflict.
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Activity #8 Simulation of Oil Spills
Young scholars conduct an experiment to simulate an oil spill and identify the characteristics of oil in water. They evaluate the effectiveness of various cleanup methods. They discuss the how to clean up an oil spill, and what causes...
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Toxic Torts
Twelfth graders examine the role of courts in environmental law enforcement. Using examples, they identify civil cases brought against large corporations for violating environmental laws. They define new vocabulary and discuss the...
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Goodbye Honey Buckets
Learners investigate arctic geology and hydrology as well as tundra ecology as they consider options for sewage treatment. Public safety, environmental impact, and issues of construction and engineering be explored.
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Positively Paper
Students discover that all paper is recycled the same way, and that some paper requires complex chemical treatments before it can be made into usable recycled paper. They see that we must choose what kinds of paper minimize environmental...