Montana State University
Everest Extremes: Biodiversity
How many animals can live in a climate as cold as Mount Everest's? Find out with a science lesson all about biodiversity. Activities include research, presentations, group work, coloring maps, and a simulation of a food web.
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All Hands on Deck: A Harbor Education Program
Young scholars build a model of an estuary. In this wetland lesson, students build a model estuary with a paint tray and modeling clay. They use the model to illustrate the impact of non-point pollution on the watershed.
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Can You Control Floods
Young scholars assume the role of an engineer or planner. As an engineer or planner they must come up with ideas that can be put into place to control floods. They produce a working model of flood control.
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Storm Watch: Knowing What To Do
Students study the different types of weather and how storms form. In this weather lesson students make their own "tornado in a bottle" and create brochures.
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The 1927 Flood
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the Great Flood of 1927 in the state of Arkansas. They each prepare an oral report about this flood and the huge impact it had on the economics of that time. Additionally, learners research...
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Biomanipulation
Students explore the effects of aquatic trophic relationships on water transparency. They observe and explain the effects of reducing nutrient inputs on agal density on water transparency.
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
Perpetual Flow Activity
Set up a demonstration of how gravity can drive the perpetual flow of water during your hydro power unit. Science learners work in teams to make observations and formulate questions about how it works. They compare the model to what they...
Curated OER
Where in the world is the Hydra Electron?
Walk your class through the journey water takes once it leaves your kitchen sink, all the way through the water cycle. Demonstrations support your lecture. This plan is thoroughly written, but ideally you would follow it up with water...
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Location
Students explore the tools used by Columbus to chart his latitude. They study the change of a location over time.
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Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon: A Publicity Campaign
Students investigate the environment by designing a group project. For this ecology lesson, students identify the man made threats to the Amazon while reading environmentally conscience vocabulary terms. Students collaborate in groups...
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Exploring Ecosystems
Pupils examine the relationships between plants, animals, and the environment in ecosystems. They sort animal cards, collect natural materials from the schoolyard, and record an ecosystem web in the form of a poster.
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Splish Splash
Students study drinking water. In this environment lesson, students draw the path of drinking water from the place of precipitation to the tap after researching a map and information from the United States Geological Survey water...
University of Southern California
Wave Erosion Lab
Using a stream table, erosion enthusiasts examine how the density of sediment and how the slope of land contribute to the amount moved by waves. You will not be able to use this entire resource as is; there are teachers' names and...
Curated OER
Summer Camp 2050
Students create a camp for the future. In this simulation activity, students will research various energy sources, and create a proposal for the "city council" to recommend what energy sources should be used for a summer camp in the year...
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Interactions Everywhere!
Students examine interactions within the environment and environmental engineering careers. They discuss and view photos of natural and manmade environments, explore various websites, create a web to identify interactions between living...
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A Study of Your Domestic Water Supply
Students create a diagram that traces the path of a raindrop from its source into the water supply for their house and back to the environment. They also diagram the processes that occur in a sewage treatment and water treatment plant.
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Biodiversity - Who Cares?
Students articulate some of the impacts of loss of biodiversity. They play a game that demonstrates why having a rich variety of life is important to the survival of ecosystems and how invasive species are threatening local biodiversity.
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Watershed Tourist
Students recognize and categorize different bodies of water. In this watershed and water environments lesson, students "Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean." Students define the different bodies of water and sort from smallest to...
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Pond Life
Environmental explorers create an experiment related to ponds and then present their finding to the class. This resource is extremely open-ended. It needs more concrete objectives and procedures for meeting them.
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Does Cloud Type Affect Rainfall?
Student uses MY NASA DATA to obtain precipitation and cloud type data. They create graphs of data within MY NASA DATA. They compare different cloud types as well as precipitation types. They describe graphs of the precipitation and cloud...
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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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Utah Weather
Fourth graders diagram the weather in Utah through the use of a glyph. In this Utah weather lesson plan, 4th graders create weather glyphs of different areas in the state. Students answer questions about the weather and then compare...
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What is a Watershed, Anyway?
Students constrct a watershed and write about their observations. Students use maps to locate their area in relation to the watershed and inquire about what is applied to the ground above.
Curated OER
Water Walk
Students conduct a visual survey to discover information about local land use and water quality; document their findings by mapping and profiling the water body; and use this initial investigation to raise questions about local land use.