This activity is a field investigation where students will learn the importance of detail when nature journaling.
SYNOPSIS: Students will learn about renewable and nonrenewable sources, ways they use energy in their everyday lives, and ways to conserve energy.
SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson allows students to explore the differences between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources and to analyze U.S. energy data to broaden their understanding on carbon footprint from the energy sector. There are no scientific misconceptions in the lesson, and all materials are properly sourced. Thus, this lesson has passed our science credibility process.
POSITIVES:
-This lesson on renewable energy may lead to students' first exposure to climate change.
-There is a useful glossary at the end of the slideshow.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Renewable Energy unit.
-Students may have trouble differentiating between coal, natural gas, and petroleum. You can explain that they are all fossil fuels and take a long time to develop underground.
-Students may inquire about nuclear energy, which is not included in the sort. Nuclear energy is nonrenewable because it uses uranium, a finite resource.
-The term "natural gas" is used in this lesson instead of gas, methane, methane gas, fossil gas, or other names because "natural gas" is the most recognizable name for it. The term "gas" is incredibly confusing because it is one of the states of matter and refers to any number of gases. It also is shorthand for the liquid fuel called gasoline that is used in motor vehicles. If you're interested in learning about the problems associated with calling it "natural gas," check out this intriguing data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
DIFFERENTIATION:
-Before the lesson, you may want to review natural resources with the students, which is typically taught in K-2. Natural resources are anything in nature used by humans.
-You can group students of different abilities together when they are completing the energy sort.
-You can share the energy sort with your students on paper or in digital form.
-Students can complete the energy audit on paper or in digital form.
Students graph data from 20th century hurricanes that affected the state of Texas. Along the way they answer questions that ask them to interpret what they see represented on the graphs.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
This is an introductory lab for Environmental Science, investigating the bulk density of soil and water holding capacity.
This activity is a self-created lab investigation where students gather data on acid and its affects on seed germination.
In this lab activity, students use brine shrimp as a proxy for krill to study how environmental factors impact behavioral responses of krill in the unique environment of Antarctica.
This activity is a field collection investigation where students gather earth materials and make observations about their collection that leads them to discuss the nature of Earth surface and how it is changing.
In this lab, students will observe and compare fossils with living organisms.
Short DescriptionThis activity is a field investigation where students construct a diagram of a lava flow from top to bottom based on observations made in the field and then attempting to make connections between the lava flow features and the resulting shape of the shoreline of Lake Superior.
This activity is a guided inquiry where students develop questions around a group of rocks, use their observation skills to describe the attributes, record and analyze their findings, and use their data, in conjunction with available resources, to categorize the rocks .
Watershed Awareness using Technology and Environmental Research for Sustainability (WATERS)
The WATERS project is developing and researching a student-centered, place-based, and accessible curriculum for teaching watershed concepts and water career awareness for students in the middle grades. This 10-lesson unit includes online, classroom, and field activities. Students use a professional-grade online GIS modeling resource, simulations, sensors, and other interactive resources to collect environmental data and analyze their local watershed issues. The WATERS project is paving a path to increased access to research-based, open access curricula that hold the potential to significantly increase awareness of and engagement with watershed concepts and career pathways in learners nationwide.
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. The software is licensed under Simplified BSD, MIT or Apache 2.0 licenses. Please provide attribution to the Concord Consortium and the URL https://concord.org.
This is a field investigation where students will explore and observe sediments within a local gravel pit and from their observation create an investigation that will help to determine the nature of the sediments.
Exercise to recognize regional groundwater flow in the Cretaceous aquifers of the North Carolina and Virginia Coastal Plain and their changes through time. Includes interpreting flow before and after human withdrawals, so students can discover impacts on the groundwater system, especially for depletion and saltwater intrusion.
(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)
In this field investigation students document outcrop descriptions, develop investigable questions, present findings, and interpret a sedimentary rock sequence's depositional history.
In this classroom guided inquiry lesson, students will explore the properties of rocks. Students will make observations of granite and develop a hypothesis explaining what makes a rock.
This activity is a classroom quick lab where students explore sand, soil, and water in relation to absorption and permeability.
This activity is a guided inquiry investigation where students gather data on which soil is the best for growing plants. Student will interpret their data, and develop a conclusion from the data. The student will determine which type of soil they would like to use in the next activity of making their own terrariums. The data collected could lead to further questions, which can be investigated in some extension activities.
This activity is a guided exploration of how static electricity works and how it relates to lightning.
This is a field investigation where students will gather data about the South Crow River using techniques of their own design and develop a group (multimedia) presentation for class presentation.
This article profiles Charles Bentley, a geophysicist who has worked in Antarctica over a period of seven decades. The article provides an overview of his research as well as changes in the way scientists live and work in Antarctica.