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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The World's Water Woes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss their community's water sources and assess the factors affecting the water availability and quality. They research water disputes around the world and explain common factors among them.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Backyard Blitz

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students create a landscape design using shapes, colors and textures. A key is created with hyperlinks to information reports pertaining to the plants, trees and shrubs used in the design. Explore design principal utilizing a variety of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Weather

For Teachers All
Students investigate the weather by reading children stories.  In this weather observation lesson, students read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and several other stories about weather before they create a KWL chart....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It'll Go With the Flow...

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students construct a water table elevation contour map and consider the direction and rate of groundwater flow to predict the actual runoff pattern. They discuss their findings and evaluate a hypothetical landfill site based on data...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beaver, or not?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study the role of the beaver in Illinois during the 1800's and how overtrapping cause the near extinction of the beaver colonies in Illinois by 1900. Students role play various people in 1945 who have an opinion about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students acquaint with co-participants and identify the practice basic compass functions and orienteering procedures. They also work together to solve a small challenge. Students then identify how the challenge of orienteering relates...
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Interactive
Curated OER

Milk and Monarch Butterfly Mania Journal Entry

For Students 7th - 8th
In this milk and monarch butterfly mania journal entry learning exercise, students write a scientific journal entry about the milkweed plant, using the information from another linked website.  This learning exercise includes many...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Grand Canyon

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate how dams help and hurt the ecology of an area. In this Grand Canyon lesson, students research the Glen Canyon Dam and why it flooded in 1996. Students create a pros and cons list about dams and write a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explain the purpose of MPA's. In this biology lesson plan, 9th graders identify MPA's in Southern California. They simulate coastal sampling using candy from two buckets. Students analyze their results and share it with the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Justice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate the problem of pollution and its effects on the environment. The use of questions for research stimulate thinking and advanced problem solving skills. The important skill of reflection is used to help students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography and Social Sciences

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and explain how geography is connected to other academic areas and historical events.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea to Sky

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the Earth's major landforms and how they occur, and how engineers apply this knowledge for the design of transportation systems, mining, and measuring natural hazards. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, match...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

5 Themes Awareness of Current Event Issues

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students identify the 5 themes of geography as being location, place, human-environmental interaction, movement and region. They explain a current event from the perspective of each theme and their interrelationship..
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Panther Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the Florida Panthers through a Web-quest. In this web-based lesson plan, students find clues that will help them to identify the habitat of the Florida Panther and the history of human activity which threatens these wild...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Currents

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders work in groups to research ocean currents and create posters with their findings. They locate the patterns and names of major ocean currents and identify them on a map. Students also use red pencil to show ocean currents...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Ways Lesson Plan #1: Who Catches Your Fish?

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students explore the types of fish caught in the Mid-Atlantic region. In this fishing lesson plan, students learn about fishing methods and meet fishermen that catch the fish. Using the water ways website, students research types of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Habitat Cards

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discuss the relationship between a habitat and the environment. In groups, they use the internet to research the relationship between the animals and the habitat on their card. They present their information to the class to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change Challenge: Earth Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this environmental stewardship activity, students watch a video about state policies pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions. Students plan and carry out an Earth Day service project...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Panther Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students research a website to learn about the Florida panther. In this animal research activity, students use the scavenger hunt directions to search a website about Florida panthers. Students also solve word puzzles within the activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Meat-Packing Industry in Chicago During the Progressive Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine maps showing the hog and corn distribution of the United States. In groups, they research the reasons why Chicago became the natural hub for meat-packing processing in the United States. They examine changes in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GPS Art

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars design their own logo or picture and use a handheld GPS receiver to map it out. They write out a word or graphic on a field or playground, walk the path, and log GPS data. The results display their "art" on their GPS...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where The Wild Things Are

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders brainstorm where they think wild things exist. Then using the same strategy they discuss natural surroundings from using prior life experience. This part of the instructional activity can also be done with using a nature...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes In Japan

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study the characteristics of volcanoes in this unit. They apply the research to the study of three volcanoes in Japan. They complete mapwork, identify indicators of impending volcanic activity, and describe the dangers...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water in the Texas Coastal Basins

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, after researching a Texas coastal basin, map and graph the information they collect and then translate it into a short report to be presented to their classmates. They brainstorm unique ways to maintain Texas estuaries as well...