Curated OER
Characteristics of Living Things
Seventh graders identify the characteristics of living and non-living things. For this biology lesson, 7th graders define vocabulary words as they go through the lesson. They answer a crossword puzzle after class discussion.
Curated OER
World's Most Dynamic Force
Young scholars explore the Earth's forces. They review an assessment task and its accompanying rubric. They classify ten items as long-term or short-term interactions of the Earth's components and rank the destructive impact of the...
Curated OER
Cotton and Cabbage
Students note how given traits could be achieved by selective breeding and by transgenesis. They identify different uses of GEO. Students recognize that the use of letters (Bt) before an organism's name means that the organism has had a...
Curated OER
Land Biomes Research and Presentation
Fifth graders work in cooperative groups to research an assigned land biome using various sources. Groups create either a book or a PowerPoint presentation of their assigned land biome.
Curated OER
Salton Sea - Live or Die?
Students read and discuss the scientific article attached to the lesson. They compose a letter to the editor citing the importance of preserving an ecological environment.
Curated OER
Gwynns Falls
Students investigate the question: What is the impact of urban development and expansion on the health of a decidious forest ecosystem and humans? They examine the issue of land development by responding to a specific scenario and...
Curated OER
How Electronics Come to Us: Distribution and Use
Students identify environmental challenges that can be solved throughout a product's life cycle. They experiment and examine how we can choose and use products in an environmentally responsible manner. Each student is also involved in...
Curated OER
The Breathtaking Nature of the Urban Explosion, Part 2
Students explore ozone levels. They measure the concentrations of ground-level ozone in the atmosphere. Students observe changes in the concentrations of ozone over time. Students complete a data sheet to record ozone readings over a...
Curated OER
"Approaching Walden: From Emerson to Thoreau"
Students examine selected local leaves in greater detail in the classroom by using more analytical drawing techniques. They use Thoreau's drawing of a Scarlett Oak as their model. Students choose a leave from a box of leaves removed...
Curated OER
Watersheds
Students discover the importance of watersheds and how they impact other bodies of water. Using a map, they identify and analyze a watershed in their local area and evaluate the health of the water nearby. In groups, they plan their...
Curated OER
Where Do Fish Live in the Hudson?
Students explore the environmental factors that influence where fish live and determine the makeup of fish communities in the Hudson. They interpret guided observations and measurements to assess patterns, sequences and relationships.
Curated OER
Toothpicks and Timber
Students problem-solve how to log five acres. Working in pairs, they construct models of logging sites before and after the trees are harvested. they paint their models and include other environmental details.
Curated OER
Polishing the Petoskey
Students select a stone and polish it. Throughout the process they demonstrate an understanding of rocks and fossil formation.
Curated OER
Reverse Glass "Painting"
Students examine the life and works of John Audubon. They compare and contrast various pieces of art and identify the purposes of stained glass. After observing his art, they create their own stained glass creation using the concepts...
Curated OER
Polishing the Petoskey
Students polish a Petoskey stone to show how to make an attractive rock display. In this polishing rocks lesson plan, students use sand paper and polishing materials to polish a rock and remove the rock dust. This is to display a nice...
Curated OER
Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
Curated OER
Global Symposium
Ninth graders work together to develop a sysnopis on the Earth. Using the Internet and print sources, they focus on one country to research and determine its condition. They offer possible solutions to the problem and share their...
Curated OER
Coral Reefs Endangered
Learners research where in the world coral reefs are located. For this ecology lesson, students create food chains and food web. They simulate growing coral reefs to understand their characteristics better.
Curated OER
Streamflow
Students discuss the topic of streamflow and how it occurs. They take measurements and analyze them. They interpret data and create their own charts and graphs.
Curated OER
Salmon Smolt: Stella PC and Mac
Students investigate the Stella Smolts Migration Model and its use in previous simulation models to help managers deal with the many factors contributing smolts decline. They participate in an interactive exercise in the role of fishery...
Curated OER
The Path of Pollution
Students conduct a brainstorming exercise that asks them to list all the ideas about air pollution that can be recalled. The ideas are recorded on a chart that the teacher has prepared. The lesson contains sufficient background...
Curated OER
Carbon Adventures Game
Sixth graders examine the processes and transformations that occur in carbon pools. They play a game to identify paths taken by carbon through the environment.
Curated OER
Surveying an Environment / Ecosystem
Students visit a local ecosystem to survey the plants and animals present and identify interactions between organisms. They identify interactions that occur between living organisms and their ecosystem and present their ecosystem to the...
Curated OER
Estimating Loggerhead Hatchling Gender Ratios
Pupils study sea turtles and the concept of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Using a specific set of temperature data, they determine the probable sex of a nest of sea turtle hatchlings and then determine the overall ratio...