| The following are lesson plans written by teachers around the world. They were placed on the Internet for public use.You may also want to use the Middle School Lesson Plans or the High School Lesson Plans.
TITLE: School Yard Park/Ecosystem
OVERVIEW: I am extremely fortunate to teach in a school directly across from a city park complete with a spring fed pond. We have used this setting to expand the Life Science
Unit of our 5th grade Addison-Wesley Series, the Small Friends Community Unit and Ecosystems Unit from Gr. 5, HOES. You can also use your own school yard for variation. TITLE: All I want for Christmas is a nice, clean earth
OVERVIEW: This particular activity is designed to allow students to investigate those items of litter that cause harm to the environment. It may be extended to increase awareness of the natural role of energy sources within the living organisms of the environment. TITLE: Planet Earth
OVERVIEW: Introductory lesson in measuring individual, family, and community involvement in caring for the earth. Includes using questionnaires, interview techniques, statistical information, graphing skills, and being able to compare and contrast beginning and ending results. TITLE: Guidebook
OVERVIEW: Environmental education is stressed in all grade levels. Often children perceive "outdoor education" to mean the national forests or any land that is outside the urban area. I use this lesson to make children that "outdoor education" encompasses all land.TITLE: Our Environment
OVERVIEW: Our world is in danger. Pollution of the air, water, and land is rampant, overwhelming the delicate balance of nature of the planet. Many species of plants and animals face extinction at an alarming rate. Until all of the peoples of the world are educated and informed, this destruction will continue. TITLE:
Environmental Fair
OVERVIEW: Students need to become more aware of the environmental concerns of the earth.TITLE: Endangered Species - Can we help them survive?
OVERVIEW: The topic of endangered species and their impact on society is both of high interest and controversy. This lesson is part of a unit designed to address this while specifically working with higher level thinking skills.TITLE: Studying the ABCs of the Environment
OVERVIEW: This project will promote an awareness of environmental issues and ways in which each student can help to improve our earth. Research will be done by students on a variety of topics and students will create a big book about the environment which includes an index. TITLE: Designing an Ecologically Sound City
OVERVIEW: To make students aware of the need to respect their environment, and its natural resources. To apply that knowledge. To develop an "ecologically sound" city. TITLE: Erosion
OVERVIEW: No matter where you look, the land you see is a battleground. On one side of the battle are the forces beneath the surface. These forces cause the crust to be faulted, folded, tilted, and lifted. On the other side of the battle are the natural processes of weathering and erosion. Once rock has been broken up by weathering the small pieces can be moved by water, ice, wind, or gravity. Everything that happens to cause rocks to be carried away is called erosion. TITLE:
Animal Life Cycles
OVERVIEW: Almost every elementary school child has had the opportunity to directly observe the stages in the life of a plant or an animal. Since most children have seen a puppy or kitten turn into the adult dog or cat it was destined to become, this unit focuses
on the diversity in change around us. To the young student, these observations are often like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, somewhat interesting as individual bits of information, but difficult to assemble into a coherent picture. With instruction, the pieces are brought together. The study of the life cycles of different species helps put into perspective many aspects of human development, a topic that is often the subject of
youthful curiosity. The connections are made between various real life experiences and, more often than not, the result is enthusiastic understanding. TITLE: Water Quality for Freshwater Organisms
OVERVIEW: In modern day society there are many types and sources of pollution which
directly affect the environment. One such type of pollution, which is becoming even more predominate through the construction of nuclear power plants, is that of thermal pollution. Power plants use vast amounts of water which are converted to steam by the thermonuclear reaction. This steam is used to turn the blades of the turbines which turns the generators producing the electricity. The hot water resulting from condensed steam is
partially cooled in specially designed towers before it is released again into the environment by means of a reservoir or stream. The temperature of the return water is great enough to raise the temperature of the body of water several degrees. Such increases in temperature could greatly affect the organisms living in the water. TITLE: "Oh Deer!"
OVERVIEW: This lesson in environmental education is necessary to show children the interdependence of animal life with their environment. TITLE: Outdoor Education
OVERVIEW: The key element to a successful environmental conservation program is education. The younger the student becomes informed about conservation, the easier it is to encourage continued study. This program stresses the "hands-on" approach. If the program is exciting and challenging to students, they will learn whether they realize it or not. TITLE:
The Woods and Pond
OVERVIEW: In today's world of high consumption it is important to keep people in touch with the earth and its diverse life forms. As long as one's senses are involved, much can be learned by even the youngest child. If we allow children the opportunity to experience nature, and let them see our own enthusiasm, they will be on their way to a lifelong
appreciation of our natural surroundings. If we give them direction in their observations, they may become the natural scientists and caretakers of tomorrow's world. TITLE: Water Pollution
OVERVIEW: There are a wide variety of pollutants that can affect water and the plants
and animals that live in the water. This pollution can be divided into three groups: chemical pollution, thermal pollution, and ecological pollution. Since not all pollution is human produced students need to understand that there are sometimes "natural" reasons for some pollution. |
