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Making & Breaking : The Rock Cycle
Students examine the rock cycle and how rocks can change over time. In this geotechnical engineering instructional activity students draw a diagram of the rock cycle.
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Water Wars
High schoolers investigate the water wars taking place in East Africa. In this global issues lesson plan, students watch video clips and read selected articles about the water shortages in East Africa. High schoolers estimate their own...
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Analyzing Soil Samples
Students grow grass or radish seeds in this experiment, which takes three to four weeks to complete. They become familiar with basic soil analysis techniques, as well as, explore the importance of analyzing soil samples.
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Recycling-Taking it Easy on the Environment
Students review the garbage/landfill graphs included with the instructional activity. They discuss the information on the graphs and discuss which garbage products come from their homes. Students collect examples of over packaging to...
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Tree Cookies
Young scholars identify heartwood, sapwood, and a tree's annual rings, infer from a tree's rings what damage or stress might have occurred in its life, and make a time-line of human history that coincides with a tree's rings.
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Illinois Biodiversity
Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...
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Bird Seed Mining
Learners search through the seed mixture and separate out our "mine" beads, sunflower seeds, and other grain products, making piles of each. students count up the number of gold, silver, and blue beads, and sunflower seeds from their piles
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Yesterday and Today
Eighth graders are introduced to the concept of conservation. As a class, they brainstorm ways in which they can or already have helped the environment. Using the internet, they research key individuals and organizations that help the...
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Leaf, Tree and Prairie Study
Students are introduced to the topic of Botany and the process of photosynthesis. Using various habitats, they research the amount of destruction it is facing and how to solve the problem. They make a leaf booklet with leaves they find...
Teach Engineering
Introduction to Water Chemistry
What are the issues surrounding water quality? Viewers of this short presentation gain information about the importance of clean water, the lack of fresh water, water contamination, and ways that engineers treat water.
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Cumulative Effects Assessment - What if?
Tenth graders discuss natural and human influences that may affect the ecological integrity of national parks. They study the concepts environmental assessments. In groups, they research a park's situation and present their findings at a...
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Class Conservation Corps (CCC)
Students investigate how the loss of soil, a valuable natural resource, affects their lives through loss of productive land to grow food, loss of coastal land mass, and poor water quality from runoff. They design a project to keep soil...
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Issues Awareness
Students work together to create a survery about environmental issues in their community. They calculate and graph the results. They discuss the importance of surveys to engineers.
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TE Activity: Cool Views
Students define preservation and conservation before listening to an article read by the teacher about John Muir and Gifford Pinchot, famous environmentalists. They complete a Venn diagram before deciding which side of this environmental...
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Making Your Own Sampling Tools
Students begin a class recycling project. They create data sampling equipment using their own designs and test them in the field.
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Ocean Color
Students examine NASA's SeaWiFS Project Web site to explore how the SeaWiFS Project monitors environmental and climatic changes in the oceans and atmosphere. They answer questions and write a summary in support of continued funding for...
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Water Filtration
Learners work together to examine the role of water in their lives. They discover the process to clean water so it is clean for one to drink. They explore the role of environmental engineers and their problem of getting clean water to...
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Save the Planet!
Third graders explore the Recycle City Web site. They examine ways to save the environment. They write a short interview between a news reporter and an environmental expert. They practice acting out their news report.
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Volcanic Violence
Students complete activities to study volcanic activities. In this volcanic activities lesson, students read an article about violent volcanoes. Students complete discuss questions and volcano projects for the lesson. students also take...
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GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM
Students research different environmental issues in order to become familiar enough in order to brainstorm possible solutions. They form a task force that makes projects that are proposed solutions to environmental problems.
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The Acid Rain Test
Fourth graders engage in a research project to increase their ability to conduct experiments, interpret data and discuss results in a scientific paper. After doing a lab which simulates effects of acid rain, pairs of students write a...
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Should We Allow New Mining in the Upper Peninsula?
Students compose an essay taking a position on whether or not a proposed
mine near Marquette, MI should be opened. Students defend their position addressing relevant issues through factual supporting details. Their essay includes an...
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Smithsonian Research Cuts
Students investigate the Smithsonian research projects of 2001. They complete a Webquest that explores the Smithsonian Institution website, answer discussion questions, and locate newspaper articles about research conducted by the forest...
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Rainforest Deforestation and the Water Cycle
Students create terrariums (mini rainforests). They observe and discuss the life processes that occur in their terrariums and how changes in these processes affect the plants and organisms inside. They collect and graph data and present...