Why would water 2700 meters deep suddenly become warmer? Explore this and other ocean floor discoveries through this reading response activity. Scholars read information about the organisms discovered by Alvin, a deep-sea submersible....

Students explore the concept of extinction by studying dinosaurs. In this extinction instructional activity, students watch dinosaur video clips or complete a puppet finger play about dinosaurs. Students may then complete a dinosaur...

Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...

Students examine ecosystems in the Connecticut River Valley. They view and discuss photos of ecosystems within their community, and create a picture web of an ecosystem.

Students examine the regions of the world, and identify the basic characteristics of industrialized and developing countries. They conduct Internet research on the economic and population characteristics of industrialized and developing...

Seventh graders investigate what pesticides are and why people use them. They examine the effect of pesticides on prairie grasses and what alternatives can be used.

Examine a slug? Of course, what else would a 2nd grader do with it? Pupils use clues and go on a slug hunt, read a slug story, or make a cooperative group mural of a slug's habitat. While older learners catalog slugs, go on a slug hunt,...

Young scholars examine the process of photosynthesis; its products and reactants, and the sequence of the process. They diagram the light reactions, record observations of plants, and discuss how difficult it is to measure plant growth...

Solve the mystery of a declining frog population! Lead your junior ecologists on an investigation that simulates actual events concerning pollution, predation, poaching, and more. Investigators read a story online, then analyze survey...

Is it really that big of a deal if the global climate undergoes a little change? Young environmentalists consider this very question as they discuss in small groups the impact of different climate change scenarios on their lives,...

Young environmentalists study the effects that pesticides have on birds, such as the peregrine falcon. They also look at predator/prey interactions. Some wonderful in-class activities accompany an inventive lesson plan. After an activity...

How do plants and animals survive in habitats with very little water? Explore arid ecosystems and the way their inhabitants have adapted with a lesson and science experiment. After kids listen to a presentation about adaptation, they...

Seventh graders investigate how the ecosystems of the world has influence upon the immediate and nonimmediate environments. The interelationships of food webs is discussed. The class researches one type of ecosystem for a class project...

Student explore ecosystems. In this ecosystem organization instructional activity, pupils consider how scientists study living organisms. Students participate in a teacher guided activity that requires them to visualize an organism and...

Students are told to create a community using words or pictures. They walk outside to an area in front of the school which has a strip of grass, ditch, and corn field. Students discuss the difference between an ecosystem and a...

Students, in groups, visit an exhibit and for a prairie scavenger hunt to locate sunflowers and name products made from them. After sketching a prairie dog, they find nature cues farmers use when growing plants and raising animals. The...

Musical chairs may be a classic game, but Ruffe Musical Chairs is a unique lesson on invasive species! Using the time-honored game, pupils role play the behaviors of the invasive fish called Eurasian ruffe. Learning about this aggressive...

Sixth graders create a TerrAqua column. In this ecosystems instructional activity, 6th graders build a TerrAqua column to conduct investigations on how living things impact the ecosystem.

Pupils investigate the chemistry of water and how its molecular structure supports life through its biochemcial, physical, and environmental roles. They investigate the quality of water as it interacts with the environment. Students...

Students build a collage of an ecosystem. The goal is for them to understand interactions in a community, plant and animal adaptations, and how all life depends on plants. This activity is based on Wump World and students describe what...

Students participate in the production of a play that highlights the direct linkage between storm drains and natural river, stream, or creek ecosystems. They explore their thoughts, feelings, and actions through dramatic interaction and...

Students discuss key terms used to describe ecosystems and how humans are altering natural resources. They listen to the book, Grandfather's Wisdom, and list the renewable and nonrenewable resources they have used or consumed in the past...

Learners consider why we eat and where our food obtains its energy. They illustrate food chains that might be found on an open field, dissect owl pellets, identify the remains of animals in the pellets, watch videos and participate in...