Pennsylvania Department of Education
Wind and Water Wheels
Students identify wind and water as natural resources that create energy. In this natural resources and energy use lesson, students work in groups to construct a pinwheel, then explore the effects of wind and water on the pinwheel....
Curated OER
Salmon vs. Dams: The Dam Removal Debate on the Elwha River
Students use roll playing to discuss the merits of tearing down these dams so that the Elwha River can run free. The activity is presented in the form of a council meeting to encourage students to try to build consensus in finding...
Curated OER
Scavenger Hunt for Ancient Egypt
Seventh graders do a scavenger hunt in order to investigate Ancient Egypt.
Curated OER
Give Me Back My School: A Back to Basics Approach to Ecological Restoration
Ninth graders research local geography to create successful, ecological school landscaping. They determine soil type, average weather patterns and temperature graphs and use the information to select ideal plants and plant maintenance...
Curated OER
What Can You Do?
Students explore reasons for the destruction of the wetlands and identify ways people can help protect them. They create and design a wetlands conservation poster to be presented to the class.
Curated OER
Hopper Hunt: IPM Decision-making in Alfalfa
Learners describe migrations and life cycle pattersn of a key alfalfa pest, the Porato Leafhopper. They define the Economic Inquiry Level and Economic Threshold. Students evaluate data in relation to profit as it applies to IPM. They...
Curated OER
What's in My Water, and How Did it Get There?
Students analyze water samples to see the contaminants and then use the Internet to find the sources of the contamination. In this investigative water lesson plan students analyze water and work together to solve the mystery of...
Curated OER
Ride the Wild Leaf Cycle
Fourth graders complete a worksheet. In this life cycle lesson, 4th graders learn about the leaf cycle and complete a worksheet where they put the leaf cycle steps in the correct order.
Curated OER
The Mountain Community: Why Flagstaff?
Students identify geographical features that hindered or promoted settlement in the city of Flagstaff, Arizona. In this settlement lesson plan, students write a summary of what they learned and identify geographical features on a map.
Curated OER
Which Way is Up? The Tree of Life in Africa
Students read a book titled This is the Tree about a baobab tree and draw a picture and label the tree. For this tree lesson plan, students also write a paragraph explaining why they drew that tree.
Curated OER
Water Saving
Water conservation and management is the focus of this lesson plan. Young scholars identify the need for being "water wise" in society through research and discussion. and present their findings in many different formats (short story,...
Curated OER
Cruise Indonesia
Students work together to create a cruise package to Indonesia. They collaborate on a travel brochure and coordinate daily activities for fictitious travelers to discover the diversity among the islands that make up Indonesia.
Curated OER
Maple Syrup Production
Young scholars examine the steps of maple sugar production and the labor and effort involved from the tree to the final product. They participate in a taste test game, and if they have access to maple trees, make their own syrup and sugar.
Curated OER
Who Were the First Americans?
Second graders explore Native Americans through a PowerPoint presentation.
Curated OER
Where, Oh Where
Students use maps to explore several traditional regions of Native Americans. They research information on the regions' climate, resources, landforms, flora and fauna.
Curated OER
Indians of the Plains
Second graders, in groups, explore the Plains Indians and explore how the physical climate of the Plains region affected their lives.
Curated OER
The Seminoles
Students explore the Southeast Woodland region and culture of the Seminole Indians using video, art projects, books, maps and discussion.
Curated OER
AFGHANISTAN IN RUINS
Learners explore the meaning of the term global interdependence, why rich countries help poorer countries, and match types of international aid to their scenarios.
Curated OER
Hypoxia and the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico
Students investigate the causes of hypoxia, the characteristics of a watershed, and how the actions and management practices of people can both negatively and positively affect aquatic ecosystems.
Curated OER
The State of the Planet
Learners address four different environmental topics (water issues, the threat of food shortages, human population growth, and global warming) as they watch a film and discuss the future of the earth. In groups, they complete various...
Curated OER
Light Plants and Dark Plants, Wet Plants and Dry Ones
Students plant sunflower seeds in plastic cups, and once germinated, these are exposed to different conditions of light levels and/or soil moisture contents. Students measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard...
Curated OER
Defining Drought
Students examine the hydrologic impacts of drought. They look at drought from a variety of prespectives. Students first focus on the scientific definition of drought, including weather patterns, water cycles, water requirements by plants...
Curated OER
What's In Your Grocery Bag?
Young scholars explore the global implications of consumer decisions when purchasing groceries. They examine labels of food products and discuss the wording on the labels. They calculate food miles of how far each ingredient in foods...
Curated OER
Down, Dung and Dirty
Students investigate the stages of succession in animal dung communities. They create a dung culture using fresh cow, goat or horse dung then record data on the fungal species that appear over a two week period.