Throughout history, the growth of big cities has resulted in the destruction of ecosystems. In the case of Chicago, IL, a grassland that was once home to bison, deer, wolves, and foxes quickly became a booming city of over three million...

Learners create covers for their "nature journals" using watercolor techniques and the artistic ideas of color, depth, and focal point. This lesson can be used in the Science or Art classroom and meets national standards for both.

Add a touch of Dr. Seuss whimsy to your Earth Day celebration with six pages consisting of Earth-friendly, inspiring, and engaging activities designed to enhance the beauty of your school campus and showcase the famous story, The...

Children gain first-hand experience with Native American agriculture while investigating the life cycle of plants with this engaging experiment. Focusing on what the natives called the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash - young...

Students practice using an online encyclopedia to research native animals to Virginia. Using the information from the encyclopedia, they identify the main and supporting ideas. They share their information with the class using the...

Fourth graders access prior knowledge of rocks and minerals. In this petroglyphs lesson, 4th graders become familiar with artwork on rocks. Students create original artworks using rock art.

Third graders discover the main purpose for totem poles was to communicate with others. In groups, they compare and contrast the four types of totem poles and the various symbols used. They write their own stories based off of pictures...

Visible Thinking Routines are designed to help learners deepen their understanding of what they are learning and enable them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. Individuals adopt one of these routines to use to...

What was the most significant tool used by the Chumash? How did the environment make the tool possible? What group behaviors allowed the Chumash be be successful for thousands of years? After watching West of the West's documentary Once...

What would you be willing to do to save an animal from extinction? After re-viewing a video about the restoration of the Island Fox on Santa Cruz Island, individuals adopt the point of view of one of the key players in the...

As part of their study of the restoration projects on Santa Cruz Island, class members demonstrate their understanding of the connections among plant life, animals, and the actions of humans by crafting a model that reveals these...

After re-viewing a documentary segment on the restoration of Santa Cruz Island,, individuals craft an essay in which they compare the views of the various stake holders featured in the video and identify the point of view they find...

How did the environment and natural resources found on the Channel islands influence the culture of the Chumash? Archaeology meets technology in an activity designed for middle schoolers. After viewing West of The West's documentary Once...

Students are introduced to the terms related to the water cycle in their native language. In groups, they describe the steps of the cycle using different materials found in their art classroom. They describe how energy helps water...

Students explore coffee production.  In this cross-curriculum rainforest ecology lesson, students research regions where coffee comes from and investigate how the native birds in the rainforest are effected by coffee...

Students research chosen sub-topics on mud. They research topics such as idioms about mud, crime solving using tire tracks and animal homes made of mud. Afterward, they choose a presentation method such as a Word document, PowerPoint...

Twelfth graders explore the changing concept of "prairie" through written and artistic works. They write their own poem or essay describing the prairie after discussing how differently people perceive the prairie.

After reading Mowgli's Brothers, each third grader will choose an animal and write a poetry, in couplet form, for that animal. Then, they complete a black-line drawing of their animal. Consider having learners post both of their finished...

Learners use plaster of Paris, talc, and cornstarch to create their own chalk. They hypothesize what mixture of ingredients produce the "best" chalk. Students discuss what they think are the characteristics of the "best" chalk.

Students present information about a species, its niche, and adaptations. In this lesson on animal environments, students explore how surroundings can affect a given population resulting in adaptation.

Students determine how animals and people adapt to the desert environment. For this desert lesson, students review vocabulary about the desert and how humans have to make changes to accommodate their environments. They listen to and...

Students examine the ways that government works to help improve aquatic habitats. In this water habitats lesson students view a video and plan a school restoration project. 

Students investigate the ecosystem. In this environmental instructional activity, students read the book The Tree by Dana Lyons and list ways to save the trees. Students create a poster about saving the trees.

Students read a story entitled, "The Window," and discover how some cultures are rejected by others. Students write a letter expressing feelings of rejection and keep a journal of significant events in the story. Using a graphic...