Dawn N . Ericson
California Kelp Forest Restoration
This unit is so cool, you won't be able to "kelp" yourself! Intended for all grades, this science and activity guide for teachers offers a unique opportunity to understand kelp's role as a valuable ecological resource. Teachers and...
Curated OER
Forest In A Jar
Learners conduct an experiment using soil, water, seeds, a plant, and a jar; and then draw a poster to represent their observations and findings. They make a poster showing what happened to their aquatic environment.
Curated OER
Forest Stewardship
Students go on a nature walk. In this forest stewardship lesson, students brainstorm a list of things found in the forest, go on a nature walk and discuss forest stewardship.
Curated OER
Animal Habitat Dioramas
What a better way to have learners show what they know than with a diorama? Kids research an animal, its habitat, ecosystem, and environment in order to create a three-dimensional diorama. Have older children write a short paper on their...
Curated OER
Biodiversity
Students investigate the diversity of temperate forests and tropical rainforests. They catch and observe local insects, sort leaves and insects on a chart, listen to the book "A Walk in the Rainforest," and create a class bar graph that...
Curated OER
Seahawk Educational & Environmental Discovery Program
Learners identify and describe local poisonous plant/animals. They compare characteristics of three local ecosystems and describe common plants from different ecosystems; comparing shapes, colors, textures, and measuring sizes.
Purdue University
Invasive Plants: Impact on Environment and People
It's the attack of the invasive species! Young scientists simulate the behavior of an invasive species with a game-like activity. They assume the roles of native plants, invasive plants, and resources and watch the invasive plant takes...
Curated OER
The Unique Rain Forest
Students explore the unique Rain Forest. In this Rain Forest lesson, students watch a video about the dangers the Rain Forest faces. Students create a Rain Forest mobile. Students choose plants or animals from the Rain Forest then write...
Rainforest Alliance
Colombia Biodiversity
How diverse is the rainforest? How much more diverse is a rain forest than a temperate forest? Explore these focus questions in a lesson plan that explores the plants, animals, and insects in forests. After listening to a reading about...
Curated OER
Habitat, What is That?
Students explore animal habitats. In this environmental stewardship lesson plan, students match animals to their habitats in a classroom activity. Students also observe a firefly habitat and read Fireflies. Students create bulletin...
Curated OER
Paper Makers
Students make recycled paper out of scrap paper, water, and leaves. In this natural resources lesson plan, students learn about conservation of the forest and how we can use recycled paper to fuel our paper supply.
August House
Anansi And Turtle Go To Dinner
That tricky Anansi! Join him and Turtle in the story Anansi and Turtle Go to Dinner by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, based on the African folktale. Kids answer comprehension questions and sing songs about spiders before creating spider webs...
Curated OER
"Habitats"
Learners complete a unit of lessons on animals and animal conservation. They observe a square meter of ground outside the school, set up a model environment, analyze an owl pellet, grow bread mold, and explore various websites.
Curated OER
Prairies
Students identify the basic characteristics of the prairie ecosystem, and several commonly known prairie species. They create a classroom mural of a prairie ecosystem; and create reports about what they have found out.
Curated OER
Biodiversity
Students are challenged to examine the diversity of their own forest and make comparisons to a tropical rainforest. By exploring and grouping tree and insect types in their local forest, students will develop an understanding of diversity.
Curated OER
Maple Syrup
Students explore maple syrup. In this natural resources instructional activity, students identify a maple tree in their neighborhood and observe the sap. Students sample maple products and create a graph of the taste-testing results.
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students observe what happens to water as it goes from a solid to a liquid. In this exploratory instructional activity students gain an understanding for the water cycle while working in groups observing what happens to water as it...
Curated OER
Environmental Exchange Box
Students examine the characteristics of their own environment and compare them to another region. They prepare a box filled with items and stories about their own region, exchange the box with another class in another region, and...
Curated OER
Home Away From Home
Students discover some of the threats to tigers in the wild and some of the challenges of keeping them in wildlife preserves and zoos. They then sketch and explain their designs for sensible tiger enclosures in zoos.
Curated OER
How Far Away is a Tropial Rainforest?
Students explore how far a rainforest is from their home. In this rainforest lesson students examine how far they live away from the rainforest. Students use the length of their school day to compare how long it will take to travel to...
Curated OER
Rollie-Pollie - - Ceramic Art
Students are introduced to a variety of sculpting techniques: rolling, pinching and scoring. They practice utilizing additive and subtractive processes in making simple sculptural forms to depict bugs. Each student also interprets...
Curated OER
Regions: Meet the Experts Presentation
Students gather information and create a web site on prairies and plains using a variety of resources, including the internet.
Environmental Education for Kids
Eek!: Teacher Resources: Invaders of the Forest [Pdf]
A 140-page teacher resource guide of lesson plans in environmental education for K-12. Students will learn how to distinguish between native, non-native, non-native invasive, and native invasive plants, and the impact invasive plants can...
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Plants
The Discovery Channel provides numerous lesson plans dealing with plants. Content is organized by grade level, but all lesson plans include suggestions for adaptations for older or younger audiences.