The Coral Bleaching: Making our Oceans Whiter lesson was developed by National Geographic. This lesson plan deals with coral reefs and the recent increase in coral bleaching. The students will be learning about the ecology of reefs, the habitats they create, the algal symbiosis that ends with bleaching, and the role of human impact. The plan also outlines a role-playing debate for the students, and ... Full description.

This game is actually an on-campus field lab that has students using directions and a GPS receiver to make their way from one stop to the next. At each stop, they identify a building stone (or tree for an environmental studies or plant biology class). If possible, have the students work in small groups, taking turns using the GPS receiver and with each group having its own direction sheet. At the ... Full description.

This USGS site explains what an aquifer is and defines the different types of aquifers based on six principal lithologies; sandstone, carbonate, sandstone-carbonate, igneous and metamorphic, sand and gravel, and other rock types. The site features maps and descriptions of the major aquifers in the United States as well as general information about groundwater occurrence and quality. The site also ... Full description.

This website is part of National Geographics Xpeditions Hall and includes lesson plans and activities related to the topic of the seasons. Using images and text, this site teaches students about why the seasons occur here on Earth, how they affect different animals, and how ancient civilizations celebrated and explained the phenomenon of seasons. A short quiz tests people on their knowledge of the ... Full description.

In this activity students use a map of the Mississippi Watershed to label and count rivers and the states associated with them in a particular watershed. Students "build" the watershed in a pan using modeling clay or soil. They use small objects to represent things such as pollutants, litter, fertilizers, sediments, etc., that could be transported by water flowing in the drainage system. Students ... Full description.

In this activity, students work through two exercises that will demonstrate the construction of intensity maps, familiarize them with the basic Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, and give them the opportunity to build their own maps online for the purpose of locating the epicenter of an earthquake. In the first exercise, the students will construct an isoseismal map using a background map of southern ... Full description.