This activity has students explore the role that forests play in their own lives by listing everyday products made from trees. They use the Internet to find as many uses for trees as possible in order to develop a class list that should include foods from trees, products derived from all parts of a tree, environmental benefits of trees, and recreational uses of trees. Students are then asked to imagine ... Full description.

This lesson will help students to distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy, investigate a variety of renewable energy resources and compare the benefits and drawbacks of each. Students will use internet resources to investigate and compare alternative sources of energy. It is presumed that students have some basic prior understanding of the concept of energy. Full description.

Most people today get their water from public utility companies, who obtain it from a natural source. Some of our water comes from surface water such as lakes and rivers. Other utility companies get water from underground sources (rock, clay, sand, gravel) called aquifers. Public utility companies must clean this water to make it safe. This process is called water treatment. This lesson has students ... Full description.

This resource for younger students about the hole in the ozone layer is part of a series of information sheets about the atmosphere, climate, and the environment. It begins with a description of the ozone layer and its importance to our health, then describes the ozone hole and its cause and gives information about the effects of the ozone hole on humans and other living things. The difference between ... Full description.

This resource for younger students is part of a series of information sheets about the atmosphere, climate, and the environment. It offers information about the cause and effects of air pollution, both past and present, and an explanation about deadly smog and the advent of clean air acts. It also provides information about indoor pollution and the dangers of smoking. Two special sections tell why ... Full description.

Students participating in this lesson will make a simple tester that can be used to collect and observe particulate pollution. The lesson provides essential elements, objective, focus, a list of materials, background information, procedure, and ideas for extension. Full description.

In this activity, students play the roles of environmental investigators, examining a building site for a hypothetical restaurant and writing a partial environmental impact statement. They will compare and analyze the project's environmental impact and socio-economic value, create alternative solutions to minimize negative environmental impact, evaluate evidence, and write an assessment of that evidence. ... Full description.

Younger students will enjoy this brightly decorated information sheet about acid rain which is part of a series of information sheets about the atmosphere, climate, and environment. It offers information about the cause and effects of acid rain on trees and plants, lakes and wildlife, human health and buildings. It also explains how acidity is measured and lists gases that are major cause of acid ... Full description.

This lesson will help students understand the concept of ridesharing and provide opportunities for the student to identify and demonstrate an individual's responsible behavior in protecting and preserving the environment. It starts with a list of thirty terms with which the students should be familiar and a link to a glossary to assist the students with the definitions. Other activities include making ... Full description.

This lesson plan is designed to help students apply the pollution prevention (P2) concept to the use of pesticides. It provides guidance and activities that will help students define pesticides and their uses, explain why pesticides can be harmful to humans, pets, and the environment, and explain how P2 concepts can help reduce or eliminate pesticide use. The site also has a fact sheet that contains ... Full description.