Curated OER
The Case of the Missing Water
Students examine the major concepts related to the water cycle in this lesson. They recognize and define evaporation, condensation, precipitation and the natural cycles that occur as weather. They also participate in an activity of...
Curated OER
Water Pollution Lesson Plan: Don't Trust Your Eyes
Students develop a list of actions they could perform that would protect our water resources from pollution. They formulate hypotheses, conduct experiments and draw conclusions about actual pollutants found in our water supply.
Curated OER
The Water Dilemma
Students read about and discuss the importance of easily available, clean drinking water. They participate in a role play scenario in which only one drinking fountain in the school has potable water.
Curated OER
Raging Rivers
Students explore the concept of the water cycle and how it affects flowing rivers. In this water cycle lesson, students talk about the effects that the water cycle and rainwater has on roads and sidewalks. They also discuss how engineers...
Curated OER
Water Resources
Students explore the differences between surface water and ground water. They collect data using maps and graphs and investigate a Texas river basin and a nearby aquifer. They complete a written report of their findings regarding the...
Curated OER
OK...Just Whose Water Is It, Anyway?
Students recognize that each person has a right to clean, safe drinking water. They explain that changes in behavior may be necessary when considering water usage. They role play a water rights courtoom dispute.
Curated OER
Ways We Use Water
Fourth graders write a persuasive paper after a demonstration about the properties of water and how they work. The lesson also uses a mind map to outline the paper.
American Museum of Natural History
Bio-Benefits
Kick-start a discussion of the importance of biodiversity with a colorful resource that touts the benefits of maintaining healthy ecosystems. The images stress the interdependence of all the elements of an ecosystem.
University of Wisconsin
Designing a Rain Garden
Now it's time for all of the data collected in previous lessons to be applied to the design of a rain garden. This resource can only be used as part of the greater whole, since learners will need to rely on gathered knowledge in order to...
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Water's Journey Expedition
Step into a scientist's shoes to go online and discover the Florida Springs Expedition, and participate in two activities focusing on how humans impact the environment. The first activity asks scholars to summarize the six dispatches at...
Carnegie Mellon University
Renewables Workshop
Youngsters examine resource maps to find out which states are using solar and wind power and discuss as a class various other renewable energy sources. They use a provided data table to record pros and cons to each technology, build and...
University of Colorado
Can Photosynthesis Occur at Saturn?
In the 19th activity of 22, learners determine if distance from a light source affects photosynthesis. Participants capture oxygen in straws and find that the amount of water the gas displaces is proportional to the rate of photosynthesis.
American Museum of Natural History
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
Without the greenhouse effect, Earth would not be inhabitable. A thorough online resource describes the greenhouse effect and how it occurs. The source highlights the different types of gases that work together to absorb the sun's...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This?: Mythic Creatures
Fantastic beasts, and where to find them, are featured in a resource that offers images of real animals that just might have given rise to some of mythic creatures of legend.
Rainforest Alliance
Sounds of the Rainforest
Do you hear what I hear? Encourage scholars to use their listening skills and participate in a series of activities that demonstrate how the sense of hearing is crucial to the human and animal world. Activities guide learners on nature...
American Museum of Natural History
Field Trip Mars
Fly around the Martian surface. Pupils view a presentation on the planet Mars featuring a flyover that shows different views of the surface where rovers have landed and explored on different missions. As individuals watch the images, the...
Teach Engineering
Life Cycles
Breathe some life into product design. Pupils learn about the stages of product creation, use, and disposal—sometimes called a cradle-to-grave assessment. They see how this cycle relates to the life cycle of organisms.
Beyond Benign
Daphnia Bioassay LD50
De-icing materials may have a harmful effect on our environment; have your class perform an experiment to test the nature of these effects. Scholars monitor the survival rate of a sample of daphnia as the concentration of a de-icing...
American Museum of Natural History
A Whale of a Tale
What's the most interesting fact about a blue whale? Learners read an interview about the similarities between the Titanosaur and the blue whale displays at the American Museum of Natural History. Pupils learn not only about blue whales...
Curated OER
Thermal Pollution
For this pollution worksheet, students read about thermal pollution and how hot water affects wildlife. Then students complete 1 short answer question.
Curated OER
Watch Your Water Use
Pupils record their freshwater usage over a period of a week. They calculate the amount of water used for all water activities such as brushing teeth, flushing the toilet, showering, and washing the dishes. They use an online tally to...
Curated OER
Breaking it Down
High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...
Cheetah Outreach
Population Change
Your youngsters become cheetahs in search of food, water, shelter, and space in a fun physical game that does a fantastic job of representing fluctuating species population based on resources available over years.
NOAA
Stressed Out!
Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...