Here are some outstanding lessons on the geology and history of the Great Lakes. These lessons are divided into Grade 4 -6, and Grade 7 - 8 activities. The activities all use the background information, maps, graphs, data, and Great...

Stories from "The Great Lakes Mariner" provide pupils with an opportunity to practice their synopsis-writing skills. The tabloid, which focuses on the Great Lakes region, is filled with stories written by sea captains, that are filled...

Can you fathom a fathom? Through this activity, learners get a grasp of how deep a fathom is and how the floor of The Great Lakes might look. They compare topographic maps to Great Lakes navigation charts, which you will need to obtain...

An online animation demonstrates how the lock system between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan works. Pupils then construct their own models of the lock system out of shoe boxes that they bring from home. This is an educational activity...

Young biologists find these Great Lakes birds names in this word search. Each of the 18 birds has an accurate and colorful representation on the worksheet. There is an answer key at the bottom of the worksheet as well. The birds all live...

Students identify species and components of a Great Lakes food web. Using note cards, they place themselves in the correct order of the food chain based on the species present. They discuss what they believe happens to various species...

Another A+ lesson plan on the impact of climate change comes to you from the National Earth Science Teachers Association. In this installment, learners model the stratification of water in lakes due to temperature differences. The lab...

An internet investigation leads learners to discover whether or not weather and light house location are related to the locations of shipwrecks on The Great Lakes. They work in cooperative groups to plot the locations of light houses and...

Eager ecology learners read about characteristics of the Lake Erie water snake and the round goby fish. They find that the goby is an invasive species, introduced to Lake Erie in 1990, and has since had an impact on the water snake...

After reading about the Lake Erie water snake and the change in its population after the introduction of the round goby in 1990, young ecologists graph water snake diet data. They analyze the data and answer 10 questions based on their...

Three class periods are required to carry out this science lesson on glacial movement, the Great Lakes basin, and the lock system that allows travel on the lakes. It is an ambitious undertaking as your class experiments with a glacier...

Introduce junior oceanographers to ice conditions in The Great Lakes. The ice map links are no longer available, so you will not be able to have your class perform the mentioned data activity. You can, however, access the Canadian Ice...

Upper elementary learners identify the Aztecs as the builders of a great city and rich civilization in what is now Mexico. They locate the Aztec Empire and its capital on a map and place the Aztecs in the chronology of American history....

Students examine the Michigan state quarter and discuss the effects glaciers have on land formation. They perform an investigate using ice cubes and sand to show how glaciers have carved the land.

Students participate in a variety of activities in a unit about the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System. They create a diorama, read related stories, and correspond with other classes located in other port cities along the St Lawrence...

Students investigate Great Lakes' navigational charts while practicing topographical map skills. They draw an 'elevation' of the bottom of the lake and graph the depths of the lake.

Railways are an integral part of the history of California. Using a timeline format, class members connect major historical events to the rise of the railroads and their impact on the state. Activities include a mix of independent and...

Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...

Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...

For this science worksheet, 5th graders will focus on the names of Great Lakes birds. Students will locate the names of 16 birds in the word search.

Learners examine a fresnel lens and compare it to simple concave and convex lenses. They measure its focal length and then discuss why this type of lens is useful in a lighthouse system. That is about all there is to this activity. It...

Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...

Students participate in a virtual field trip to Lake Superior. In groups, they perform experiments in which test the level of toxins and bacteria in the water. They also watch video segments life in the lake and discuss their observations.

Young scholars interpret data on snow cover and analyze trend patterns. In this snow lesson plan students compare data and locate their school's GPS coordinates.