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Environment and the Earth
Students were involved in environmental service learning and they gathered information from academic buildings for a database. The data allowed them to use an establish baseline data on light use, recycling, and water fixtures in five...
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"Oh Deer!"
Students play a game where half of them are deer and the others are components of habitat: food, water, shelter and space. They signify their needs by hand gestures and take what they need to their side of the game. They discuss real...
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How Full is Full?
Young scholars examine porosity and permeability and relate these concepts to groundwater flow. They use simple materials to conduct a porosity experiment and use the information to understand how environmental engineers decide on the...
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A River Ran Through It
Students research how water is used to generate electricity. They investigate water's potential-to-kinetic energy transfer in hands-on activities about falling water and waterwheels. They take measurements, calculate averages and graph...
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Adventures With Super-Absorbers and Substance Solubility
Students understand the concepts of absorption, swellability and solubility and recognize that science is all around us in our everyday lives and is fun to explore.
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Build An Island
Students explore erosion. For this science lesson, students build an island and observe the effects of erosion on the island. Students discuss freshwater ecosystems in Hawaii.
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Monitoring Aquatic Ecosystems Lesson Plan
Students perform an experiment to test the quality of the water in a marsh.
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Treacherous Trash
Learners recognize the harmful effects people have on the environment. For this environmental lesson, students simulate water pollution clean-up by using tangled objects and untangling them in a cooperative group. Learners identify why...
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Porosity And Permeability
Students participate in an exercise/experiment designed to show how environmental pollution can affect the quality of drinking water.
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Eek, It leaks!
Middle schoolers construct model landfill liners out of two-inch strips of garbage bags within resource constraints. The challenge is to construct a bag that will hold one cup of water without leaking. This represents similar challenges...
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Meteorology (Condensation)
Second graders define condensation and evaporation. They identify and describe the steps in the water cycle. They ask questions to end the lesson.
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Acid Rain And Geology
Students become aware of the environmental problems caused by acid rain and study the pH scale. They determine acidity of local rain water.
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Activity #8 Simulation of Oil Spills
Students conduct an experiment to simulate an oil spill and identify the characteristics of oil in water. They evaluate the effectiveness of various cleanup methods. They discuss the how to clean up an oil spill, and what causes oil...
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River Planning
Students use a model to conduct an experiment involving dam construction. Based on their observations, they draw conclusions about social, economic, and and environmental issues and make a decision concerning dam location. As a group,...
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Positively Paper
Students study concepts related to paper recycling. In this recycling lesson, they investigate the chemical processes used to recycle paper, and look at the environmental problems associated with using and recycling different types of...
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Digging Up The Facts
Young scholars research environmental issues. In this environmental lesson, students use the Internet to research an environmental problem and list ten facts about it. Young scholars write a summary of facts.
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Positively Paper
Learners discover that all paper is recycled the same way, and that some paper requires complex chemical treatments before it can be made into usable recycled paper. They see that we must choose what kinds of paper minimize environmental...
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Rain Shadows and Sea Breezes
Students plot the average rainfall for a variety of cities in the United States. Using the map, they work together to determine patterns on which toxicants are transported through the air. They determine the impacts of various weather...
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Marine Debris and Me
Students study the environmental issues that pertain to the marine environment. In this research ocean landfills lesson students come up with alternative means of disposal.
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Acid Rain Research
Students collect samples of rainfall, cloud condensation, and water that trickles through the soil. These samples are tested for pH, conductivity, and the presence of sulfates, nitrates, calcium, and magnesium.
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The Urban Heat Island Effect - Lesson 2 (Grades 8-9)
Students use the scientific process to show that when various surfaces are exposed to similar environmental conditions, surface temperatures may vary. They examine the "urban heat island" phenomenon and analyze why it increases energy...
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Earth Day Grocery Bag Art
Students decorate grocery bags with messages aimed at increasing environmental responsibility. They deliver the bags to local grocery stores in time for Earth Day.
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What Trickles Down?
Students explore different levels of permeability and compare the permeabilities of several different materials. They are introduced to the basic concepts of building design, landscape architecture, and environmental pollutant transport....
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Earthworm Bridge
Fourth graders complete analysis experiments for decomposers and their adaptable traits. In this decomposers lesson, 4th graders test worm behavior to light, sound, warmth, touch, and moisture. Students work in groups to analyze the...