Students will explain the need to reduce the amount of trash they generate, and describe ways in which they can make changes in their actions to support waste reduction.
Students will identify and describe the similarities and differences among cacti plants as related to physical structure, growth, change, and movement; explain that all plants have basic needs and identify the specific needs of cacti plants; differentiate between natural and man-made habitats and explain how both can support plant life (dish garden vs. desert habitat).
Students will understand the property and structure of matter; sources and properties of energy. Students will make observations as ice cubes of various colors are melted.
Students will hear and discuss the story of Johnny Appleseed, focusing on his example of stewardship and how we can follow his example. The students will then participate in a tree planting activity and learn what needs to be done to take care of the tree after planting. As a culminating activity, students will create a stamp to honor Johnny Appleseed.
Students will identify and define the pros and cons of the use of landfill gas to generate energy.
Students will create a sundial from simple materials and use it to make observations, record, and interpret data about the movement of the sun during the day.
Students will create a web diagram to illustrate environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with everyday items. This lesson expands the concept of "ecological footprint" to consider impacts of a given lifestyle on people and societies. Students develop ideas to reduce the ecological footprint and associated impacts related to an everyday item.
Students will construct a topographical map of the United States, including the outer continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, that shows the major land and underwater formations. Students are then divided into groups to research and prepare short presentations on the various resources, where they are located, how they were formed, how they can be recovered, their uses and economic benefits, and the environmental impacts associated with their recovery.
Students will prepare and participate in a mock trial to try to assign responsibility for the consequences of climate change from the build up of CO2 emissions in the earth's atmosphere.
Students will work cooperatively to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the energy sources used to generate electricity by developing energy plans for a fictitious country and presenting the plans to the class.
Students will work in groups to build simple solar stills filled with salt water and observe what happens when the stills are placed in the sun. The students then taste the water they have collected and discuss what has happened in their stills.
Students will have the opportunity to investigate alternative catalysts for the degradation of hydrogen peroxide, which will be used as a model system for the breaking down of cellulose into sugar. After identifying other potential catalysts, students will develop their own research question about catalysts and conduct an additional experiment of their own design to investigate their question.
Students will create environmentally friendly planters out of newpaper and glue.
Students will understand renewable energy and the scientific method, by conducting a scientific research project, maintaining a research notebook and writing a report summarizing their findings.
Students will use a simple mathematical model to estimate the vulnerability of a small town's water supply.
Students will test different types of soil to determine which is best for growing plants.
Students will observe, record, and compare the amount of the earth's surface covered by land and by water. They will also discuss the difference between fresh and salt water.
Students will investigate the role plants, grasses, and trees have in preventing soil erosion. They will identify some causes and effects of soil erosion, observe erosion results made with different materials, and explain how planting grass and other plants can reduce erosion and run-off.
Students will use a thermometer to measure the air temperature in several places around the school and then return to the classroom to graph the data. In addition, students will grow three plants in different amounts of sunlight and record their growth.
Students will make a topographic map and use it to predict ground water flow and investigate the most likely source of ground water contamination.