Students consider the adaptation of life forms through natural selection to fill various niches and accommodate changing environmental conditions. They select an ecosystem and conduct research to provide as much detailed information as...

Students explore first-person accounts of volcanic eruptions throughout time and use second-hand information about volcanoes. They use both types of accounts to write news articles covering the events of a historic volcanic eruption as...

Students collect data as they identify and classify native prairie plants and insects. They create their own population study using a variety of sampling techniques to determine the population density of various species. Students...

Students red and discuss an example of a biographical essay. They read The Last of the Falling Tide by Car Hiassen, answer factual questions concerning the work, and create their own story about a natural place they are familiar with ,...

Fifth graders explore the concept of waste management. In this recycling lesson, 5th graders discover the history of waste management and discuss how the U.S. should respond to the issue of ever-increasing waste.

Learners explore cladistics and create a cladogram of their own. They are shown how the scientist at the American Museum of Natural History use a method called cladistics to group animals. Students are asked how the animals (lion,...

Learners discover that throughout history cities have been centers of population but that human exploitation of fossil fuels was key to the growth of large cities worldwide. They research urban growth through a number of websites.

Students work together to make recycled paper. They identify examples of recycled materials and discover what can and cannot be recycled. They explore the history of paper making as well.

Students are introduced to the environmental hazards their community is facing. In groups, they develop a list of the ways humans have changed the Earth and how these changes have lead to environmental hazards. They record their...

In this fertilizer worksheet, students read about natural and manufactured fertilizers. They answer four critical thinking questions about fertilizers and their use.

Students research the signs that panthers leave. In this panther track lesson plan, students conduct Internet research into the signs that panthers leave such as tracks, scat, scrapes, and scratches. They make a three-dimensional poster...

Third graders research the history of cocoa. In this cocoa lesson, 3rd graders investigate how the cocoa bean has been traded from one country to another. Students create a timeline and map to track the history of the cocoa bean.

Students compare and contrast traditional Chinese and contemporary Western approaches to medicine. They bring a rational and scientific approach to the evaluation of alternative medicines. They study acupuncture from a Chinese and...

Students examine their assumptions about forest fires. They explore the conflicts involved with the forest service's new strategy. in addition, they will study one case where a prescribed natural burn had a significant impact on a later,...

Middle schoolers study earthquakes, monitor seismic activity using the Web, and plot real-time activity. They examine movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. They create an earthquake preparedness project.

Students examine the characteristics of a tornado. They practice using new vocabulary and participate in a question and answer session. They use the internet to gather more specific information.

Students explore an important role of environmental engineers by studying the Exxon Valdez oil spill. They experiment with different strategies in order to clean up their own manufactured oil spill.

Students make a tree sculpture. In this trees and the environment lesson, students learn about the parts of a tree, discuss what a tree needs in order to grow, find images of trees in art and nature, use various materials to create a...

Learners study wildlife and identify similarities and differences between their home and wild environments. In this wildlife lesson plan, students make connections between wildlife and wildlife habitats. Learners then build...

Students explore a variety of guidelines that involve collecting plants in a responsible manner and participate in a plant pressing activity. In this teacher's plant collection guide lesson, students collect data regarding plants,...

Students discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental conditions.

Students explore the process of mummification through a British website. They read about why the process began and how it is done. They can follow along in the process in how to make a mummy as well.

Students analyze Gregor Mendel's discovery of a process of biological evolution. They also explore how recessive and dominant traits are passed from one generation of living organisms to the next. This instructional activity involves...

Students identify and interpret both individual families and whole cultures learn about their pasts by collecting and analyzing stories and artifacts. Then they identify that not all archaeological finds readily reveal their history to...