Environmental Science

This lesson is part of an interdisciplinary unit on birds which contains math/science and language arts components. In the math/science wing, students will prepare frequency tables and construct a circle graph of the species of birds observed at bird feeders. This lesson is best suited for grade 7, and adheres to North Carolina State English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards.

Students are introduced to using websites as resources for science content information. Specifically, in cooperative groups or pairs, students find information on a bird of their choice by accessing online resources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, research databases, and bird association and organization websites. They select, record, and organize this information into a bird profile and then present it to their peers.

In this lesson, students examine the effects of packaging decisions and the engineering advancements in packaging materials and waste management. They also observe biodegradation in a model landfill. This lesson is best suited for grades 3-5 and adheres to Colorado Life Science and Interrelationships Educational Standards.

Students compare and contrast reptiles and amphibians. As a class, students discuss the yellow-spotted lizard mentioned in the novel Holes. Using internet resources, students research facts about reptiles and amphibians and document their findings on a provided worksheet. This lesson is best suited for grades 5-8 and adheres to National Technology, Science and Language Arts Standards.

This lesson plan engages students in a real-life exploration of climate change as it is affected by greenhouse emissions from vehicles. The aim of this activity is for students to realize the impact of vehicle use in their family and to give students the opportunity to brainstorm viable alternatives to vehicle use.

Students identify the role of government in protecting the environment and participate in a game where they run a profitable or unprofitable power plant in changing market conditions. They summarize the pros and cons of emissions credit trading. This lesson is best suited for grades 9-12 and adheres to National Education Standards.

In this lesson, students examine the causes and effects of air pollution, as well as ways in which various industries and government organizations are aiming to control it. Students first use the internet to answer a series of questions about air pollution and to compile a list of related websites, and then use these websites to create informative posters about air pollution topics.

Students study lichens as indicators of air quality. They learn to use GPS units, track their lichen research using scientific data collection methods, and determine the air quality of a region based on their findings. This lesson is best suited for grades 6-8 and adheres to National Science Education Standards.

Students will observe and record the use of carpools and become aware of alternative means of transportation. Students will collect, tabulate, graph, and analyze information on how they get around. They will compare advantages and disadvantages of different forms of travel. This lesson is best suited for grades K-5 and adheres to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards.

Students engage in experiment activities, which illustrate that air is made of matter, does take up space, and is very important to our health. This lesson contains activities for a variety of grade levels. This lesson is best suited for grades K-5 and adheres to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards.