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Human Impact on the Environment and Pollution
Students illustrate the impact humans have on the environment through analogies and models. They observe demonstrations of human impact and pollution and create a composite picture of how people can have an impact on their environment.
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TE Activity: Pollution Politics
Students examine how a bill becomes a law in the US Congress. They investigate legislation about global warming. They determine the role of engineers as they educate Congress, the public and other government institutions about global...
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Seepy Sandwich
Students study how water infiltration can carry pollution underground. In this water infiltration lesson, students conduct an experiment on water infiltration and underground pollution.
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Sustainable Livestock
Young scholars investigate healthy eating habits by researching livestock. In this food sustainability lesson, students research the negative impact factory farming has on our environment due to pollution. Young scholars define...
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Scavenger Hunt Worksheet
Exactly how environmentally friendly is your school? From the air fresheners in the bathrooms to the cleaning solvents used in the classrooms, young conservationists search the school grounds for sources of air pollution in...
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Water Pollution Lesson Plan: What's the Flow?
Students study urban runoff. They identify the urban runoff in a simulated area and determine peak flows using charted data. Finally, they discuss possible causes of the differences in flow rates.
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Ecosystem Services - Water Purification
Middle schoolers see that ecosystems provide services to people that are essential to life as we know it. Reporters (drops of water) could interview the trees and soil in the surrounding ecosystems for news stories on how they helped...
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Soil Porosity, Moisture Content, pH, and Density
This lab activity does not have to be done with AP environmental scientists. It can also be done with middle to high school earth scientists. The procedures aren't complex. Learners determine the density of dry and wet sand in order to...
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Water Pollution
Examine water pollution and legislation through this reading comprehension instructional activity, intended to correspond with a specific text but valuable even without it. Learners read 10 sentences, unscrambling the bold word to...
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Soil Pictures and Mud Puddles: Spring is Here!
You can take creative advantage of a season that offers soil in various forms, and inspiration for art lessons.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
What is Groundwater? Our Underground Water Supply
Learn about the consequences of groundwater with a lesson about the different ways California handles water conservation and pollution. After reading a passage about the water table, learners apply what they have read to six...
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Is That Legal? A Case of Acid Rain
Develop an environmental case study! Elementary learners discover how a case study is used as an analysis tool. The goal of this activity is to show pupils how techniques of persuasion (including background, supporting evidence,...
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Changing Planet: Permafrost Gas Leak
Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...
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Understanding Groundwater & the Effects of Pollution
Students complete a unit on the effects of pollution on our water supply. They create a graph to examine the density of earth's land surface, round the population to the nearest hundred million place, participate in a...
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Water Pollution
Fifth graders observe and record what happens when household products are added to a tank of water to depict water pollution. They brainstorm ideas of how to clean the contaminate out of the water before watching demonstrations of...
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Environment: How'd That Pollution Get There?
Learners examine how global wind and water patterns aid in the spread of worldwide pollution. In groups, they read articles about the domino effect of pollution and create posters displaying its journey. On blank world maps, students...
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Mystery Photo
Young scholars research the effects of soil erosion and pollution in the soil.
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Colors of our Earth
Students are introduces to soil profile classification. They remember that classification of soils is an important aspect of studying soils as it aids in predicting how soils react to weathering, transport nutrients or pollution. ...
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Stream Table
Learners explore channelization, riparian habitats and soil erosion to find out about the aquatic habitats in Iowa. In this aquatic habitats lesson, students define important terms and read an article about pollution. ...
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Salt Marsh in a Pan
Students create a model of a salt marsh to discover the impact of pollution and human activities on water-based habitats including bays and the ocean. They recognize the relationship between natural and developed areas. Students impact...
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Water Filtration Challenge
Students create an all-natural water filtration system. In this activity on natural water filtration, students build upon prior knowledge to build a filtration unit made of plants, soils, sand, pebbles and rocks that can purify...
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Recycling
Third graders observe the importance of recycling. In this environmental lesson, 3rd graders will view experiments on water filtration, paper-making, and breathing pollutants, and will categorize recyclable materials.
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Water Filtration Competition
Students design water filtration systems. They draw sketches and write paragraphs about their systems. After presenting their systems to the class, each group then builds their system and determines its effectiveness for purifying...
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Forest as a Filter
Learners experiment using soil and water. In this forest as a filter lesson, students identify the role of forest cover, vegetation, and foliage impacts erosion and evaporation. Learners conduct a simple experiment, form a hypothesis,...