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...
Wild BC
Is Climate Change Good for Us?
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,...
NOAA
Coastal Dynamics
Life's a beach! The 16th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program first examines different types of coasts and how they form. An activity then has learners investigate the shoreline...
NOAA
A Quest for Anomalies
Sometimes scientists learn more from unexpected findings than from routine analysis! Junior oceanographers dive deep to explore hydrothermal vent communities in the fourth lesson plan in a series of five. Scholars examine data and look...
Oxford University Press
The Jungle Book
Most every teacher dreams of a ready-to-teach and print book study. Well, here it is! The Jungle Book novel resource includes 12 complete lessons studying poetry, author's craft, themes, characters, and more. Scholars role play,...
World Wildlife Fund
Bar Charts & Pie Charts
Learn about life in the Arctic while practicing how to graph and interpret data with this interdisciplinary lesson. Starting with a whole group data-gathering exercise, learners are then given a worksheet on which they analyze and create...
Earth Day Network
Conserving Water Through Art!
Having fresh, clean drinking water is a privilege many people take for granted. Help raise awareness about the scarcity of water and the importance of conservation by discussing different ways water is used in everyday life. Brainstorm...
Curated OER
What Makes Up an Ecosystem?
In this ecosystem introduction worksheet, students examine a picture of an ecosystem and respond to 4 short answer questions.
Curated OER
ECOLOGICAL BIOASSAY OF COPPER SULFATE IN DAPHNIA MAGNA
Students use this lab as a follow up to the introduction of the ecosystems and productivity levels, bioassays and what and how they measure, and Daphnia magna as an index organism, i.e., a species whose health within an ecosystem...
Curated OER
Please the Trees, But Not These, Please!
Students study trees. In this forestry activity, students complete a variety of activities where they learn the basic parts of a tree and their functions.
Curated OER
Graphic Organizers Aid Comprehension
Students create story webs to aid comprehension of ecosystems. In this reading strategies instructional activity, students discover the importance of organizing information while reading a nonfiction text. Students produce story webs to...
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: The Role of CO2
Though this is meant to be second in a two-part lesson, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react according to...
Curated OER
Glimpses of Japan: Picture books are an avenue to geographical knowledge
Student gains insight into the culture of Japan. They articulate the main ideas and supporting details, also they create a "glimpse of Japan" with an illustrated and written summary of the main idea and four supporting details from the...
Curated OER
Sharks ~ Taking a Bite Out of the Myth
The first thing to know about this activity is that the commercial fisheries data for the activity no longer seems to be available. That being said, there are fascinating links to other websites, some about the comparative odds of being...
Curated OER
Introduction to Urban & Community Forestry: Why Do We Need Trees?
Twelfth graders construct a timeline to show changes and trends in the future of urban and community forestry. In this forestry instructional activity, 12th graders discuss the importance of trees. They read a timeline and add future...
Curated OER
Primary And Secondary Succession
Middle schoolers cover the topics of primary and secondary succession with interest to its ties in the study of ecosystems. They study how the introduction of an insect can effect the ecological balance. Students make predictions and...
Curated OER
Alien Invaders: An Invasive Species Game
High schoolers are introduced to invasive species and how they affect the ecosystems they now occur in. They explore the basic life histories of several invasive species that are of regional and or national importance. Pupils...
Curated OER
Drama in the Salt Marsh
Students are introduced to the various organisms that live in a salt marsh. They recognize adaptations of organisms that live in the salt marsh. Pupils review concepts of the ecosystem and niche. Students explain the different roles...
Curated OER
What is an Ahupua'a?
Students research ahupua'a ecosystems. In this ahupua'a lesson, students explore how land is subdivided in Hawaii and the effect on the ecosystem. Resources are provided.
Curated OER
The Important Role of Biomes
Travel the world from the comfort of your classroom with this unit on the Earth's biomes.
Wild BC
Bearly Any Ice
After reviewing food chains, your class members participate in an arctic predator-prey game that exemplifies the impact of climate change of food availability. If you are in a hurry, skip this lesson, but if you have the time to...
Curated OER
MATERIALS, Using What’s Local: Native Materials, Local Sources
Students consider the development of different societies. In this environmental building lesson, students consider local resources and how societies choose to use them. Students use their findings to design a 'green' building for use in...
Curated OER
Chocolate Chip Cookie Mining
To understand the impact coal mining has on the environment, pupils will extract chocolate chips from a cookie. Imagine the cookie is the environment and the chips are the coal. Instruct them to mine as many chips as they can, then have...
Teach Engineering
Dirty Decomposers
Do not let the class just sit and rot. Pupils learn how decomposition and nutrient recycling is important to an ecosystem. Groups design an experiment to determine how environmental conditions affect decomposition. They develop a poster...