National Science Teachers Association
Hop into Action
Young scientists find out what makes amphibians such unique and interesting animals in this simple life science lesson plan. After looking at pictures and discussing the characteristics of amphibians, learners complete a...
Curated OER
All Wrapped up and Nowhere to Go
Students consider the impact of legislating exessive packaging. In this environmental issues lesson, students visit selected websites to discover information about packaging and UK laws to reduce it. Students...
Curated OER
Land Use and Lawmaking in California
Learners read writings by Ralph Waldo Emerson to analyze transcendentalism and analyze photographic essays depicting environmental issues. In this art and history lesson, students read excerpts of Nature by Emerson to identify...
Curated OER
Writing a Legal Brief
Twelfth graders work together to write appeals for their side in a famous case. Using a format, they write a legal brief and incorporate the legal, scientific and environmental information needed to make a strong case. They share their...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Write On!
Students write a book, newspaper, or other chose published writing that explains the connection between engineering and the environment. They determine why engineers need to be good communicators.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: History of the Periodic Table
Although the article that launches this lesson is about the history of the Periodic Table, the objective is reading comprehension. Using the eight-page informational text, learners answer five comprehension questions and craft one essay....
Curated OER
Designing an Ecologically Sound City
Fifth graders design an "ecologically sound" city. They write laws for the city to help make all citizens aware of their ecological responsibilities and propose alternative power sources for light and heat.
Curated OER
Parallel Timelines
Twelfth graders research the history of how a particular environmental issue moves through the Conservation Movement. They create timelines that show the progression of public sentiment and the legislation about the issue.
Curated OER
Physiological Adaptations
Students investigate the concepts of genetics and how it is tied to the variations found within different species and how it is tied to adaptations. They review the theory of evolution and factors found to help create variation. The...
Teach Engineering
Where Are the Plastics Near Me? (Mapping the Data)
The last activity in a nine-part series has teams create a Google Earth map using the data they collected during a field trip. Using the map, groups analyze the results and make adjustments to the map to reflect their analysis. A short...
National History Day
“Saving the Bear”: The Russian Expeditionary Force of World War One
How have Russian politics affected countries on a global stage? The discussion of the Russian Revolution and World War I begins with an analysis of primary resource letters. Learners finish with a project where they create a timeline of...
Curated OER
Air Conditioning
Students explore the roles that the United States government agencies play in weather forecasting, climate control, and other climate-related environmental issues. They then write letters to President Bush recommending how a new National...
Curated OER
An Underground River
Seventh graders describe how water flows through the ground, what an aquifer is and what soil properties are used to predict groundwater flow. They consider the affects of pollution on groundwater supplies and write a letter drawing...
Curated OER
In Search of a Land Ethic
Young scholars research the theory that everything is connected to everything else. Students explore the concept of how do we put normative values on our nonhuman environment. Young scholars investigate an ecologist and write an...
Curated OER
Genetically-Modified Food
Students investigate the pros and cons of genetic engineering. They watch a short Bill Moyers video, conduct Internet research, create a poster, participate in a pro/con debate, and write an essay expressing their personal feelings on...
Curated OER
Windmill of Your Mind - Distributed Energy Goes to School
Learners research the possibility and feasibility of installing a wind-turbine distributed energy system for their school. They conduct research, watch an online video, analyze the cost of the project and examine the benefits, and write...
Curated OER
You Be the Judge
Students research and evaluate a case considered by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. They watch a Bill Moyers video, conduct a debate, and write about the decision they would make if they were a...
Curated OER
Fossils Footprints Across Time
Students examine fossils to understand how they are formed and how they give information about geological history. In this fossil lesson, students research and write about fossils and make models of different fossil types.The PDF...
Curated OER
Going...going...gone? Tropical Rainforests-How They Work, What They Do for Us, What's Being Done to Them...
Sixth graders explore the Tropical Rainforest and come to understand what it is and how it affects the ecosystem. In this rainforests instructional activity, 6th graders write about the Tropical Rainforest, imagine they are in the...
Teach Engineering
Basically Acidic Ink
If you don't want to drink red cabbage juice, here's another use for it—a decoder! Using vinegar and ammonia-based window cleaning liquids as invisible inks, scholars create designs in the second lesson of the series. Red cabbage juice...
California State Parks
California State Capitol Museum School Packet
Here is great packet of worksheets to introduce your young learners to the general history of California and basic facts about the Golden State. Topics covered range from state counties, Sacramento, and the capitol to...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Lab 2: Nanocatalysts Clean Your Car Emissions
Surface area certainly surfaces as a variable for chemical reaction rates. Scholars perform an experiment to discover how the size of catalysts affect the rate of a chemical reaction. They record their results in tables and graphs to...
Curated OER
Transitions – Review Worksheet
In this transitions review worksheet, students practice their grammar skills as they fill in the blanks in 3 paragraphs using the appropriate transitions.
Curated OER
Muddy Waters: A historical view of land use patterns, water quality, and the conservation movement
Young scholars research the impact that human activity had on Pennsylvania's water supply over time. In this water quality lesson plan, students research, discuss, and write about how Pennsylvania's water quality has been affected and...