Students examine and calculate the percentage of potable water remaining on the earth. In this ecology and geography lesson plan, students brainstorm the main factors affecting water distribution. Students use mathematical problem...

Young scholars investigate the effect of dams on the ecosystem. For this environmental lesson, students read case studies on the Aswan Dam and the Colorado River Basin and construct a T-chart to compare the effects on the region.

Students role-play a meeting of the Elwha River council in which they present opposing views to council members on hydroelectric power and salmon fisheries resources. They brainstorm possible conflicts between various people in land-use...

In this energy worksheet, high schoolers calculate how much an appliance costs to buy and use over a lifetime, comparing energy use between different appliance models. This worksheet has 5 problems to solve.

Students brainstorm what they do that requires land use and use a worksheet to calculate their footprint (the total area of land and water required to produce all the resources they consume). They then compare their footprints to each...

Students describe the pros and cons of different energy sources. In this earth science instructional activity, students respond to survey questions and discuss each other's opinion about the issue. They research an energy source of their...

Students investigate how the loss of soil, a valuable natural resource, affects their lives through loss of productive land to grow food, loss of coastal land mass, and poor water quality from runoff. They design a project to keep soil...

Students study a topic of an environmental nature that is relevant to them (as individuals) on a local level, but with global implications. They consider whether their family's shopping habits have any lasting effects on the environment.

Fourth graders listen to key events in John Muir's life and plot locations on a California map. They discover that John Muir was an immigrant to California who encountered environmental problems and found solutions.

Young scholars apply knowledge of soil, environmental impacts, economics, multiple human demands, and use given data for a proposed scenario in making land use decisions. They debate land use issues and/or scenarios and discuss a case...

Sixth graders keep track of the amount of paper they consume on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The goal of the lesson is to have them all find ways to reduce the amount they use. Everyone creates recycled paper from old newspapers...

Students explore the environment they live in. In this habitats lesson, students define habitat and create a web in kidspiration. Students take a walk outside and record what they see and hear and may take pictures as well. Students...

Junior high schoolers learn how to read a water meter, track their family water usage, and discuss the amount in class with other pupils. They will interpret real-world data and graph it. It is ideal for increasing awareness and...

Astronauts train underwater to simulate the change in gravity. An out-of-this-world unit includes three hands-on activities, one teacher demonstration, and a discussion related to some of the challenges astronauts face. Scholars apply...

Ninth graders explore environmental concerns of the community and identify the basic needs of people, wildlife and domestic animals. Working both individually and in groups, they also define natural resources and compare and contrast...

Here's a fine lesson on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy for your 5th graders. In it, learners list a number of natural resources on the board, then try to sort the resources into appropriate categories. This helps them to...

Students study day-lighting and other types of light bulbs that are used for energy efficiency.  For this engineering lesson students study the light bulb parts and the light wavelength.

Students seek solutions to environmental problems. They discover how to conserve and protect natural resources. They examine the role of acid rain on plants and discover how to filter pollutants.

Kindergarteners arrange manipulatives or everyday objects in groups of one through five. They identify groups seen in pictures of nature and compare same numbers of different objects.

Playing games is a wonderful way to practice skills, start a discussion, or build memory. First, the class discusses extinction and conservation, and then they play a game of bingo. The game cards are printable and include images of...

Students visit various rainforest websites and answer questions about the rainforest in Spanish. They create an oral and visual presentation on the rainforests, urging conservation of the rainforests.

The theory that adding iron to ocean water may increase phytoplankton ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is examined. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is monitoring conditions off the California coast to...

Students explore a variety of ways of how to care for the environment in the nine lessons of this unit. They observe how to be responsible "Earth Kids."

High schoolers research the Internet to fill out their scavenger hunt sheet.  In this research lesson students search the Internet for answers to the questions on the scavenger hunt worksheet.