Curated OER
Wacky Water Critters
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...
Curated OER
Relating Number of Insect Species to Water Quality
Students are asked to respond to questions such as:" Have there been surveys of the area to inventory the species?" (For example, for a wetland area, do they know what amphibians live there and how abundant they are?) Are there any...
Curated OER
Precious Water: Is it a Need, a Right, or a Commodity?
Students determine whether water is a need, a right, or a commodity. In this water lesson, students investigate land and water ecosystems through activities. Students also discover water as a resource and energy source as they observe...
Curated OER
Biological Sciences
Students examine biodiversity and interrelatedness concepts. In this ecology lesson students go on a field trip and fill out a data sheet.
Curated OER
Sensational Soil
Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...
California Academy of Science
A Day inthe Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Although the lesson is specifically about the San Francisco Bay area, it's good enough to be adapted to any local region. Children research what the landscape in San Francisco was like prior to settlement, they consider the types of...
California Academy of Science
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Before Google, before Sillicon Valley, before the Gold Rush, the San Francisco landscape was a biome filled with grizzly bears, mule deer, tule elk, coyotes, gray fox, gophers, and moles. To explore the early days of yesteryear, kids...
Curated OER
Food Webs in a Pond
Students explore food chains and food webs in a pond and identify common creatures found in ponds. They look for tadpoles, fish, mites and other creatures in a pond during a field trip for first hand research.
Curated OER
Creating a Pond Habitat
Students create a pond habitat inside and outside their classroom. In this pond lesson plan, students create a habitat with animals, water, and plants in order to create a proper pond habitat.
Curated OER
Where Oh Where Did the Rainwater Go?
Third graders conduct an experiment to determine how water moves through different soils found in the Apalachicola River watershed. They read a scenario, conduct the experiment, answer follow-up questions, and draw the water movement...
Curated OER
Biomes Internet Lesson
In this biomes worksheet, students use an on line source to complete a table of the Earth's biomes. Students include the types of plants in each biome, the types of animals, the climate and any details about the biomes. Students answer...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Scrapping the Biomes
Fifth graders investigate biomes of the earth. In this biomes instructional activity, 5th graders explore eight different biomes which include the tropical rain forest, deciduous forest, grasslands, and taiga. They design an artistic...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Learners write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Learners research animals indigenous to the area.
Curated OER
Watershed Landscape
Students demonstrate how water flows by building a human watershed using themselves. In this ecology instructional activity, students compare and contrast point-source and non-point source pollution. They write what they have learned...
Curated OER
Salty Solutions
Students measure salt content in water. They determine salt content of four samples using a hydrometer.
Curated OER
Wanted: Water!
Learners determine what percentage of the Earth is water and how much water is needed by humans.
Curated OER
Salt is Good On Sunflower Seeds, But What About Cypress?
Students record their observations about growing a cypress plant and putting salt in the plant. In this cypress plant lesson plan, students observe and record what is happening as the cypress plant grows. This gives directions for...
Curated OER
A SALT WATER-Y WORLD
Students observe a model of the distribution of the earth's water and compare the relative volumes and percentages of types of water on earth.
Curated OER
What is Happening to Our Water?
Learners compare and contrast Wisconsin's water resources to that of Puerto Rico. They research books about islands, particularly the Puerto Rican islands. Student view illustrations of island ecology. They discuss the illustrations and...
Curated OER
Getting Physical with Estuaries
Students study estuaries and how the physical factors change over time. In this investigative lesson students use a website to gain knowledge of estuaries then in groups they create and present their charts.
Curated OER
Fertilized Death Water
Students investigate the effect of chemicals on Platyhelminthes and planaria development. They observe the growth and development of planaria and investigate what fertilizer can do to living organisms when it is introduced into their...
Curated OER
For the Last 10,000 Years...
High schoolers study the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and discuss why they have important cultural artifacts. In this estuarine weather lesson students use the Internet and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
User-friendly rivers
Learners explore and explain their connection to rivers through watersheds. They break into three groups. Each group needs: Blue enamel paint, Miniature objects to simulate a model river system, modeling clay, Tempera paint, Toothpicks...
Curated OER
What is an Estuary?
Students define the terms estuary and watershed. They conduct an experiment to determine the density differences between fresh and saltwater. They examine the salinity distribution of the Peconic Bay Estuary.