Students audit their classroom for environmentally friendly practices. In this "green" instructional activity, students take an inventory of the classroom and identify ways to improve practices. Students complete a worksheet, brainstorm...

Students investigate the interdependence of agriculture and the environment. They research areas of interdependence and provide examples of situations where farmers are practicing conservation in the local area. Their findings are...

Written as field trip preparation to Gateway National Recreation Area, this resource is also appropriate for any class that is studying the impact of human activity on the environment. During the first activity, learners identify...

Young scholars reach out into the community and learn about different environmental science careers in this inquiry-based instructional activity. Beginning with a short research assignment, children gain background knowledge about...

Role play community members who are both for and against the construction of a dam. Research the pros and cons and then hold a classroom debate. This activity ideally follows a series of stream studies, links to which are included. Use...

Learners explain the complexities of environmental decisions, rather than to recreate the actual circumstances and outcome of the original case. They simulate a real environmental case a regarding the Pine Barrens of Long Island, NY.

Students develop counterarguments to John Mizzoni's article on business sustainability. In this economics vs. environment lesson, students present examples of greenwashing and support them with rationale. They also discuss whether...

Pair earth scientists up to use an amazing online arctic portal mapping tool and Google Earth to analyze permafrost changes. They compare changes to data on atmospheric concentrations of methane to see if there is a correlation. Then...

Students make a tree sculpture. In this trees and the environment lesson, students learn about the parts of a tree, discuss what a tree needs in order to grow, find images of trees in art and nature, use various materials to create a...

Transform your classroom into the African savannah, a mountain range, the forest, and an urban environment! Young scientists embark on an imaginary field study observing various cat species in native habitats and recording in field guides.

Collaborative earth science groups create a working model of a watershed. Once it has been developed, you come along and introduce a change in land use, impacting the quality of water throughout their watershed. Model making is an...

High schoolers review the garbage/landfill graphs included with the lesson. They discuss the information on the graphs and discuss which garbage products come from their homes. Students collect examples of over packaging to share with...

Teach middle schoolers how to develop healthy relationships with activities and lessons designed to create a kind and inclusive classroom. Pupils create guidelines to develop a safe and civil learning environment. They learn how to...

Students investigate nutrient cycling in a simplified desktop ecosystem involving aquarium and hydro-ponically grown plants. They set up an aquarium with 10 gallons of water at least a week before the lab is planned and place...

Here is a different approach: emerging epidemiologists first go home to interview family on the topic of infectious disease. Then they come to class and view a video and PowerPoint that explore how climate change may increase the...

A good concept map requires high thought processes. This makes it a great tool for teaching and evaluating your pupils. A helpful article describes a great approach for teaching young scholars the art of concept map building and how best...

Students explore environmental safety by planting seeds outside their classroom. For this Earth Day lesson, students identify the different ways to recycle and conserve resources on Earth while facilitating recycling bins around campus....

Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...

Students explore and model the characteristics of the ocean floor and near shore environments through in-class demonstrations, laboratory activities, and internet research. They use classroom materials to research the characteristics of...

Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students investigate the media response to the Gulf oil spill as they examine live streaming video, interpret data, and share their personal...

Middle schoolers observe, record and analyze the mortality rates of the monarch larvae that are being held in a controlled environment versus those that are in the wild.

Young scholars analyze classroom solid waste. In this environmental lesson plan, students weight and categorize classroom waste over a one week period. Young scholars examine ideas on how to limit the amount of waste.

Learners are shown why they should care about evolution. They become specialists in one sphere influenced by evolution and then share their findings with their group. Students are lead into a class discussion, so that each student can...