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This collection of Science NetLinks lessons and resources will help teachers and students prepare for the 48th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. These resources will also help teachers who want to incorporate the holiday's messages of ecology and environmentalism in the classroom year-round.
Filter Resources by Grade:
Lessons
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K-2 | Interactive
This lesson about animal diversity will help students understand the difference between actual physical attributes of animals and fictional ones.
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K-2 | Hands-On
In this lesson students explore the habitats of local plants and animals to learn about how living things depend on one another.
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K-2 | Audio
This students introduces children to the concept of animal camouflage.
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K-2 | Hands-On
In this lesson, students will probe the problem of what happens to a battery-operated flashlight when it is not turned off.
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3-5
In this lesson, students explore how almost all kinds of animals’ food can be traced back to plants and that the sun is often the ultimate source of energy.
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3-5 | Hands-On
This lesson helps students understand that some insects depend on dead plant material for food and they interact with other organisms in various ways.
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3-5 | Hands-On
In this lesson, students distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy while comparing the benefits and drawbacks of each.
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3-5 | Hands-On
This lesson introduces students to the amazing variety of life around them.
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3-5 | Hands-On
This lesson explores how organisms satisfy their needs within their environments and the relationships that exist between organisms within an environment.
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3-5 | Interactive
In this lesson, students compare and contrast different energy sources and the trade-offs of using them.
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3-5 | Hands-On
This lesson shows that products and objects have lifespans so we need to recycle, reuse, and re-imagine new purposes for them.
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6-8
This lesson introduces and explores the various issues and problems faced by endangered species globally.
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6-8
This lesson focuses less on the science and more on the actual work of saving endangered species.
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6-8
This lesson is a study of the plants that comprise the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) of a bay, as well as the animals that feed on and live in the SAV.
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6-8 | Audio
The lesson introduces students to the scientific basis of climate change.
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6-8
This lesson explores the contributions made to science and society by the naturalist, Jean Craighead George.
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6-8
In this lesson, students will learn about the national marine sanctuaries found in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and off the coast of American Samoa.
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6-8 | Website
In this lesson, students will use Internet resources to investigate renewable sources of energy.
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9-12
In this student-centered learning model, students work collaboratively in small teams to design a heat- and water-conserving “green roof” of plant material for an urban apartment building.
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9-12
This lesson advances student understanding of why diversity within and among species is important.
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9-12 | Video
In this lesson, students learn about organism interactions and how those interactions shift in response to climate change, especially in grassland communities.
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9-12 | Audio
This lesson provides an introduction to conservation biology via the memoirs of a scientist who has traveled throughout the world to study and defend endangered species.
Tools
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3-12 | Website
This resource discusses The Amateur Naturalist, by Nick Baker, which is full of information to enhance any outdoor learning experience.
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K-8 | Website
The Biomes of the World resource provides information on rainforest, tundra, taiga, desert, temperate, and grassland biomes.
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3-8 | Interactive
This resource explores Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the largest structure on Earth built by living organisms.
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6-12 | Video
This 12-minute video produced by AAAS features a number of experts on global climate change talking about its impacts to our planet.
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6-12 | Interactive
Earth Day Lessons focus on conservation, ecosystems, ecology, and more and have been tailored to encourage a deeper exploration of different environmental issues.
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K-12 | Teaching Aid
SB&F has put together a list of our top environmental books to help the consumer make informed, eco-friendly choices and to encourage children to take an active role in saving the environment.
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K-8 | Video
NASA's climate change site for kids asks and answers important questions relating to climate change as well as providing entertaining career insights, online games, videos, and hands-on activities.
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K-12 | Interactive
This interactive is based on the classic story of evolution by natural selection—the story of the peppered moths in England during the Industrial Revolution.
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6-8 | Teaching Aid
Learn about The Prairie Builders, which tells the remarkable story of an effort to bring back part of the native tallgrass prairie in Iowa.
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9-12 | Video
What We Know is an assessment of current climate science and impacts that emphasizes the need to understand and recognize possible high-risk scenarios.
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K-12 | Interactive
YardMap is a free, interactive, citizen science mapping project about habitat creation
and low-impact land use.
Science Updates
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6-12 | Audio
As climate change heats up the world's ecosystems, many species of plants and animals, from songbirds to whales, are leaving their time-tested home ecosystems for uncharted territory. This Science Update looks at how some plants are changing altitude to find a cooler place to live.
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6-12 | Audio
Carbon gases are prime culprits in global warming. One study suggests we're making even more of them than we thought. You can learn why in this Science Update.
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6-12 | Audio
Climate change may precipitate violence, according to a historical analysis.
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6-12 | Audio
Human activities like farming have contributed some amount of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere for ages
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6-12 | Audio
Fish in acidified waters exhibit strange and often reckless behaviors.
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6-12 | Audio
Learn about a thirty-year plan to replace 70 percent of our fossil fuels, using only current technologies like storable solar power, safer nuclear plants, and methanol from crop waste.
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6-12 | Audio
This Science Update explores why pollution from cities could dry out nearby mountains.
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6-12 | Audio
In this Science Update, learn why human sources of nitrogen may be just as environmentally costly as carbon emissions.
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6-12 | Audio
Sinking old warships creates new habitats for marine species.
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6-12 | Audio
Once the Earth warms to a critical temperature, permafrost in Siberia will melt, releasing massive amounts of carbon.
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6-12 | Audio
In this Science Update, hear how researches are using Henry David Thoreau's plant journals to study climate change.
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6-12 | Audio
Deforestation can lead to droughts hundreds of miles away.
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6-12 | Audio
Strategically placed grass, ivy, and other greenery can significantly improve air quality in urban centers.
Videos
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6-12 | Video
This video from Science Magazine explores how today's forests have been greatly altered by human activity and face increasing threats from drought, insect infestations, and fire.
AAAS Resources
Adopt a NOAA Drifter for Earth Day
Grade Band: K-12
Description: Learn about a collaborative project that lets classes adopt a NOAA research buoy in this 2012 blog post.
Earth Day: Green Cities
Grade Band: K-12
Description: Celebrate Earth Day by learning about how the world's cities can become more sustainable places in this 2014 blog post.
Top 5 Numbers To Know for Earth Day
Grade Band: K-12
Description: Science NetLinks created this 2015 infographic detailing five important numbers that everyone should know when considering the state of the earth's health.
Other Resources
Earth Day
Grade Band: K-12
Description: This page provides links to the federal government's site for Earth Day and the environment. You'll find podcasts, lesson plans, action items, and a video project.
Earth Day Network
Grade Band: K-12
Description: Earth Day Network is the leading organization advancing Earth Day activities worldwide. It includes an Educator's Network and information about making schools greener.
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