Students brainstorm a list of environments and animals from around the world that need protection. They then design and create a slogan about an animal or environment and an environmental protection poster.

Students investigate jungles and the people who depend upon them.  In this sustainability instructional activity, students research wild life conservation and discover the importance of a jungle to Amazonian people.  Students...

In this economics worksheet, students respond to 3 short answer questions and complete a graphic organizer about public goods and common resources.

Students complete a worksheet while watching a film about whales. They examine the human impact on whale migration and identify adaptations the whale has acquired in able to survive. They discover how global warming has effected the...

Eighth graders compare their local ecological zone to the tropical rainforest. In this natural ecology lesson, 8th graders complete an activity about the differences in ecological zones. They compare their biome to the Guatemalan...

Students use geographic information to suggest how to manage natural resources through a simulation. They engage in a simulation, and decide how to protect, allocate, and exploit the resources of a hypothetical location.

Students investigate why the North Star was important for navigation, how stars move across the night sky, how to locate the North Star, how to make a crude sextant, and how to determine latitude using a sextant and the North Star. They...

Students recognize differences in the size, shape, texture, and color of different rocks. In this rocks lesson plan, students also learn and repeat back how a volcano erupts and make one out of a toilet paper tube.

Students learn about the techniques engineers have developed for changing ocean water into drinking water, including thermal and membrane desalination. They begin by reviewing the components of the natural water cycle. They see how...

What prompted congress to pass the Clean Water Act? Has this legislation been successful? The Natural Resources Defense Council offers information on fresh and ocean waters, pollution control, conservation, and more.

This site defines and describes causes of ocean pollution. Easily navigated links to education, research, and current issues on pollution.

This site, from an archived Smithsonian exhibit, describes and illustrates the effects of toxic materials on wildlife in bodies of water.

Excellent site covers all types of water pollution. Hundreds of links including books, articles, organizations, specific topics.

Harmful algal blooms occur when algae, which form the base of the ocean food web, grow in massive numbers and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. In this project you will learn how to...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Water pollutants can have an effect on both the ecology of ecosystems and on humans. As a result of water pollution, humans may not be able to use a waterway for...

Students build a saltwater circuit, which is an electrical circuit that uses saltwater as part of the circuit. Students investigate the conductivity of saltwater, and develop an understanding of how the amount of salt in a solution...

This field guide to the marine organisms of the intertidal zone of Casco Bay was created by 7th grade students in Portland, Maine, as part of a Learning Expedition called, "In the Zone." Students were engaged in scientific research at...

An article and resources for research and teaching that explains how technologies are being used to desalinate ocean waters to be used for various municipal, industrial, and domestic purposes including a means to provide fresh water to...

Describes the properties of seawater and the variations depending on its location, e.g., near a shoreline, in an estuary, or as sea ice. Discusses the instruments scientists use to measure the density of water and explains other...

The planet Earth has more ocean than land, so oceanographers have a lot to work with! Whether they study marine biology, tides, engineering, or water quality, there is always more to learn about the ocean and the life within it. While...

This Ocean Explorer lesson plan (PDF) explores the questions: What colors, if any, are visible down in the deep sea? What is bioluminescence? Students will learn about white light (visible light), the quantity and quality of light as...