This live, interactive electronic field trip to a North Carolina estuary is conducted on two dates each year. Previous field trips are stored for non-interactive access. Teachers can access resources on such topics as estuarine and coastal monitoring, management, cultural traditions, invasive species, and habitat restoration. The lesson plans include grade level and standards applicable for technology, ... Full description.

A team of scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is studying the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Antarctic. During January and February 2002 an educator travelled there to participate in the study, and posted daily reports. In addition, this site contains learning activities that you can use to find out how scientists think and work. These include research ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to sample, identify, and count macroinvertebrates at a Hydrology Site. Students collect, sort, identify, and count macroinvertebrates from habitats at their site. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to understand that soil, under different environmental conditions, plays a role in the decomposition of organic materials. Students use bottle experiments to observe changes in the decomposition of vegetable scraps. Students vary temperature, moisture, and light conditions to determine the conditions that best facilitate the decomposition of organic material in soil. ... Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to use a land cover type map to make environmentally sound decisions. Full description.

This lesson plan teaches students that the earth is a complex sphere composed of a variety of interdependent systems which can be placed in the following order of increasing complexity: organism, species, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere. The lesson plan provides objectives, skills, time needed, a content outline, materials, significant terms, a glossary, resources, questions ... Full description.

This lesson plan teaches students that populations are dynamic with identifiable characteristics and measurable growth patterns. Factors of population survival that are taught include immigration and emigration, environmental resistance, carrying capacity, and homeostasis. The lesson plan provides objectives, skills, time needed, a content outline, materials, and significant terms. The overarching ... Full description.

Students will study the following concepts based on this lesson plan: the area an organism lives in must provide it with its basic life requirements and the ability of the habitat to do so is affected by abiotic and biotic factors. Abiotic factors in the environment are explained in terms of light, temperature, precipitation, and the process of soil formation. The types of biotic organization covered ... Full description.

This lesson plan addresses the following concept: the earth is a complex sphere composed of a variety of interdependent systems. Students will learn about factors that cause ecosystems to be different by studying the basic components of aquatic ecosystems. Field activities where students examine a nearby ecosystem include finding living things in the soil, separating soil into its parts, measuring ... Full description.

The objectives of this lesson plan are twofold: to have students understand the benefits and problems associated with fire and to understand the role that fire plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Emphasis throughout the lesson plan is placed on manager-ignited prescribed burns and natural fires, and their relevance and importance to various types of fire-adapted ecosystems such as chaparral, ... Full description.