Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Big Hideout

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers identify the types of camouflage used by animals in the desert. They work together to create their own animal creating their own type of camouflage. They determine how well the camouflage works.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Challenge geography classes to locate the major volcanoes and earthquake faults on a world map. In groups, they identify the pattern made and examine the relationship between the locations of the faults and volcanoes and tectonic...
Lesson Plan
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Building an Ecosystem

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research a variety of local and world ecosystems. Students will create a collage to represent the biotic and abiotic factors and interactions important to their given ecosystem.Students will understand that an ecosystem is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nanofiber Chocolate Factory: An Analogy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate Nanotechnology. In this physic's lesson, students evaluate a hands-on model made from chocolate syrup and pretzels to determine the advantages of size.  Students weigh chocolate syrup to determine it's wait...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students focus on the production of maple syrup in Northern New England as they study the effects of climate change. They investigate other environmental factors on the forests of Northern New England.
Lesson Plan
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Genetically-Modified Food

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the pros and cons of genetic engineering. They watch a short Bill Moyers video, conduct Internet research, create a poster, participate in a pro/con debate, and write an essay expressing their personal feelings on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conservation in Costa Rica

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students brainstorm what they do that requires land use and use a worksheet to calculate their footprint (the total area of land and water required to produce all the resources they consume). They then compare their footprints to each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Write Picture Captions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students notice and investigate a large range of devices for presenting texts-captions. Students write original captions for several audiences. Students write a fictional news story based around a certain caption.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Everything You Do Makes a Difference

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students choose a current environmental issue and research historical conditions as well as present conditions. They assess the changes in ecosystems, populations of specific species, air quality, or any other aspect of an ecosystem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feeling the Heat

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate the urban heat island effect. For this urban heat island effect lesson, students learn how trees, grass, asphalt, and other things on the school grounds effect temperature. They use the information to generalize it...
Lesson Plan
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Reading Satellite Images

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students analyze satellite images.  In this astronomy lesson, students examine 3 satellite images in order to understand how satellite images are taken and what they can teach scientists.
Lesson Plan
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Coral Reef Conservation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct discussions on current threats to coral reefs around the world and write letters to conservation organizations urging support for coral reef protection.
Lesson Plan
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The Cream of the Crop

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars read and discuss article, "Simple Method Found to Vastly Increase Crop Yields," then research the basic components of conventional and organic agricultural methods. They, in groups, organize and present their research to...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

The Sun and the Earth

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study and diagram the positions of the Earth and sun during the four seasons. They predict weather for cities in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Lesson Plan
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Greenhouse in a Bottle

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students create models of the greenhouse effect using recycled 2-liter bottles. They discuss how their models compares to the real greenhouse effect the earth experiences.
Lesson Plan
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State of the Planet's Wildlife

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners view and discuss a video about the challenges facing wildlife on the planet Earth. They define key terms, watch the video, and answer discussion questions about the film.
Lesson Plan
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Endangered species

For Teachers K - 8th
Students define the following words: extinction, endangered species, meteorite collision, glaciation and climate warming. They investigate that there are 307 species on the endangered list, and an average of 10-20 species are added each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going the Way the Wind Blows

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the cause and effect relationship between geography and ancient civilizations. After reading an article, they determine how new findings can help scientists examine the migration patterns of these civilizations. Using...
Lesson Plan
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Heat Pollution and Communities

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students examine thermal pollution by collecting temperature data on the school's photovoltaic panel. Students collect data for four consecutive days and retrieve information from other classes that meet at different times of the day. ...
Lesson Plan
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Understanding Biodiversity Via Ecological Footprints

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate the ways in which human beings impact the environment and ecology through the calculation of their own ecological footprint, discussion questions pertaining to biodiversity and potential imbalance hazards, and...
Lesson Plan
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The Nutrient Cycles

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars investigate the circle of sea life by creating nitrogen compound models.  In this oceanography lesson, students discuss sea creatures and where their waste goes.  Young scholars identify nitrogen cycles in the...
Lesson Plan
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Sea Level Trends ~ Ocean Front Property: An "Immerging" Market

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young oceanographers take a look at sea level data from several cities over a few centuries. They use the data to fuel a discussion about what kind of changes are taking place and the impact they are having on the coastal ecosystems....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environment or Economy?

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students develop counterarguments to John Mizzoni's article on business sustainability. In this economics vs. environment lesson, students present examples of greenwashing and support them with rationale. They also discuss whether...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fractional Distillation

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Learners brainstorm the different uses of petroleum distillates. In this chemistry lesson, students explain the process of fractional distillation. They analyze the impact of oil extraction to the environment.