Science

Goo-Be-Gone is a science fair project idea from Science Buddies that tests the absorptivity of different materials to determine which are the best for cleaning up oil spills. The project is most appropriate for middle and high school students and can be adapted to meet educational standards in science and math.

In this lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network, students create experiments to learn more about the effects of oil spills and apply their findings to coastal communities in the gulf region. They also explore the economic impacts of the oil spill as well as the technological progress involved in stopping the leak. The lesson is appropriate for students in grades 6-12 and meets McREL standards in Engineering Education, Geography, Health, Science, Technology and World History.

This lesson plan from the American Society for Engineering Education focuses on how engineers use various techniques to provide speedy solutions to oil spills. Students work in teams to analyze an oil spill, then design, build and test a system made from everyday materials to contain and remove the oil from the water. The lesson is appropriate for grades 3-12 and adheres to National Science Education Standards as well as Standards for Technological Literacy.

Groups of students do research to evaluate the school's recycling and waste management practices. After analyzing current methods, teams develop a new recycling plan, and create a slideshow presentation to share their plan. They present their proposals to the principal for consideration. This lesson is best suited for grades 5-8, and adheres to Louisiana Science, Mathematics, and Educational Technology Standards.

Students research different physical and behavioral characteristics of birds and create theories about their migratory behavior. They research the natural history of different migratory birds and create diagrams of the bird's annual cycles of behavior. This lesson is best suited for grade 6.

Songbirds at the Crossroads of Migration is a comprehensive curriculum guide that provides educators with information, hands-on lessons, and opportunities to involve students in learning about the importance of New Jersey's habitats and ecosystems as they relate to the needs of migratory songbirds. This lesson is best suited for grades 7-12 and adheres to New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards.

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.