Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tank Man

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore the events surrounding the confrontation at Tiananmen Square between Chinese forces and "The Tank Man." They discover how censorship affects what the media reports and what the public learns. Students research China's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Did the Water Go? An Investigation in Scientific Methods

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students view a teacher demonstration that prompts them to solve a problem using the scientific method. In this scientific method lesson, students guess which cup has water and are presented with a conundrum when the water does not...
Lesson Plan
PBS

America's Infrastructure: Miller Center National Discussion Debate Series

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Junior high and high school learners study infrastructure and its relationship to the current economy. They review handouts, watch a PBS clip, and review case studies in order to answer provided questions and role play over...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biotechnology: An Agricultural Dilemma

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the types of genetically modified crop plants there are and the benefits and risks of such plants. The agricultural needs in developing nations for this biological knowledge to resolve societal issues is also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Will Biotech Crops Solve World Problems?

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Young scholars read an online article to examine what biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology are. They answer questions and complete worksheets based on the article's information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Know Your Watershed

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners investigate the importance and the location of their own watershed by visiting and EPA website and also work in groups to create an action plan on how to protect their local watershed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Oven

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students construct a solar oven using cardboard, duct tape, aluminum foil and other materials. They use the solar oven to cook something and keep a journal of their project.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Genetic Research and Liberties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine civil liberties issues in relation to genetic research, and discuss how genetic medical information may be used. They present personal viewpoints about genetic research as it relates to civil liberties
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change Challenge

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students explore the issue of climate change through participation in an interactive game show. They explore climate change issues in the news. Students write and discuss their own questions about climate change.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change-Boon or Bust for Northern Waters?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore about and evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on northern hydrological systems. They work in small groups, research the background to climate change in the north with a particular focus on lakes and rivers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Love Canal-A Man Made Disaster

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch a "Waste Management" Power Point as well as a "Love Canal" PowerPoint (a link is provided for the second presentation). Students write the chemical formula for each chemical and convert the contamination to grams using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ammonium Nitrate- Stoichiometry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students quantify the relationship between moles and mass. They comprehend that ammonium nitrate is used as a fertilizer and an explosive. Students study the chemistry of ammonium nitrate and consider the advantages and disadvantages of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oil Slick Emergency

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how to recover and remove oil from an oil spill.  In this oil spill clean-up lesson students use role play and act like a committee to determine how to clean up an oil spill.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Is An Ecosystem Worth?

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students explain and discuss the importance of ecosystems. They analyze the natural resources in the environment. They also suggest actions that would protect ecosystems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Go Where No Student Has Gone Before

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders participate in interactive video teleconference with employees of NASA Johnson Space Center. Students visit inside of space station module, take video tour of Russian-built Service Module by Astronaut Bill Shepherd, visit...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biodiversity

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students match certain animals with a possible fate that could happen to them from a provided list in order to discover the threats to biodiversity and the role humans play. They also discover the importance of biodiversity and what we...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vanishing Rainforests: How can We Save Them?

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students focus in on the Amazon Rain forest. They research about various plants and animals that exist in our rain forests. Students develop knowledge of resources that come from our rain forests. They analyze the cause/effect of rain...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carbon Dioxide Exercise

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students work in groups, plotting carbon dioxide concentrations over time on overheads and estimating the rate of change over five years. Stacked together, the overheads for the whole class show an increase on carbon dioxide over five...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First Farmers

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students show how constant irrigation, with repeated evaporation of water that left salts in the soil, eventually ruined much farming land in southern Mesopotamia. They discuss the idea that with the development of irrigation people...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Troical Atlantic Aerosols

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore the effect aerosols have upon he weather and climate. They observe NASA satellite images to explore and draw conclusions about aerosol transport. From studying the images, students track the path of aerosols. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Observation

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students describe the different methods used by MBARI researchers to study the ocean.  In this ocean instructional activity students research the Internet and use the information they find to write in their journal. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chewin' in the Chesapeake

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine a web page on food webs and select a habitat to research.  In this research activity students identify the organisms found in the food web and present their findings to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice Core Clues

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create a PowerPoint presentation on the information they research about the ice cores and what they tell us about Earth's past. In this ice core lesson plan, students research radioactivity, air pollution, sodium, snowfall...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overpopulation

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Young scholars examine population growth and how it impacts our environment.  In this population instructional activity students identify the causes and consequences of overpopulation.