Symbiosis in the Soil

In this project, students will assume the role of citizen scientists—helping researchers answer questions about how dandelions acquire beneficial symbiotic microbes from different soil types. Students will collect and transplant dandelions, conduct experiments on dandelion growth and microbe growth, and then submit data to scientists at the Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The researchers will use these data to supplement DNA and RNA sequencing efforts. Students will receive results from the genetic analyses from a limited set of classrooms whose dandelions had previously been sequenced. By maintaining a connection with researchers, students will have an active, hands-on role in current science. Besides aiding scientists with research, students will also create their own inquiries.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Amy Lawson, Arthina Blanchard, Laura Cochrane

Project Noah

Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Individual Authors

Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change

Journey North engages students in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. K-12 students become involved in citizen science and share their own field observations with classmates across North America. They track the coming of the seasons through the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, bald eagles— and other birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events. Find migration maps, pictures, standards-based lesson plans, activities and information to help students make local observations and fit them into a global context.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

The Pollen Project

The goals of the International OER Exchange Pilot project are to: facilitate the development and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) by teachers and students globally, track the development and use of the science learning materials and data collection, especially around climate change study, created in the project through OER Commons, and highlight the process and results through workshops and conference presentations.The broader purpose of the project is to support the international exchange of information and understanding through freely available resources among teachers and students, especially in the area of environmental science and climate change investigation.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Simulation, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Project Budburst

Project Budburst is a national network of people monitoring plants as the seasons change. Data is collected in a consistent manner across the country so that scientists can learn more about the responsiveness of plant species to changes in climate locally, regionally, and nationally. The website includes extensive educational resources for implementing the project within various classroom and informal settings.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive

Authors: Chicago Botanic Garden, NEON

WhatBird: North American Bird Identification

WhatBird is a step-by-step search engine for identifying bird species. Can be used in conjunction with lessons on dichotomous keys and other classification systems. The site also demonstrates uses of "citizen science" data collections via smartphones, videos, forum posts, etc.

Material Type: Reference Material

Author: Mitchell Waite

12 Steps to a Sustainable High School

This activity includes an assessment, analysis, and action tool that can be used by classrooms to promote understanding of how the complex current issues of energy, pollution, supply and consumption are not just global but also local issues.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Absorption by Atmospheric Gases of Incoming and Outgoing Radiation

In this activity, students are split into groups to examine a specific band of the electromagnetic spectrum and the absorption spectra of seven atmospheric gases in that wavelength range. Using a jigsaw approach, the students regroup to have an expert on each band to examine the full spectrum, identify and rank greenhouse gases, and estimate Earth's temperature from satellite data.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Sara Harris

Air: Fuel for Thought

This lesson plan engages students in a real-life exploration of climate change as it is affected by greenhouse emissions from vehicles. The aim of this activity is for students to realize the impact of vehicle use in their family and to give students the opportunity to brainstorm viable alternatives to this use.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS

Animation About the Greenhouse Effect

This is a basic animation/simulation with background information about the greenhouse effect by DAMOCLES. The animation has several layers to it that allow users to drill into more detail about the natural greenhouse effect and different aspects of it, including volcanic aerosols and human impacts from burning fossil fuels.

Material Type: Simulation

Antarctica Ice

This short video examines the recent melting ice shelves in the Antarctica Peninsula; the potential collapse of West Antarctic ice shelf; and how global sea levels, coastal cities, and beaches would be affected.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: National Geographic

Arctic Climate Perspectives

This video, along with a background essay, focuses on impacts of climate change on the lives of Native Alaskans around Barrow, Alaska. Specific changes include the timing of the changes in the formation and breakout of sea ice and the impacts on subsistence living.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program and WGBH

As the Rotor Turns: Wind Power and You

In this hands-on engineering activity, students will build a tabletop wind turbine. Students get acquainted with the basics of wind energy and power production by fabricating and testing various blade designs for table-top windmills constructed from one-inch PVC pipe and balsa wood (or recycled materials). The activity includes lots of good media and Web resources supporting the science content.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide

This is a figure from the 2007 IPCC Assessment Report 4 on atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide over the last 10,000 years (large panels) and since 1750 (inset panels).

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration

Author: IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change)

Automotive Emissions and the Greenhouse Effect

This is a laboratory activity in which students will compare the amount of carbon dioxide in four different sources of gas and determine the carbon dioxide contribution from automobiles. They test ambient air, human exhalation, automobile exhaust, and nearly pure carbon dioxide from a vinegar/baking soda mixture.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Texas State Energy Conservation Office

Bering Sea Expedition

Learners research the effects of melting sea ice in the Bering Sea Ecosystem. They create research proposals to earn a place on the scientific research vessel Healy and present their findings and proposals to a Research Board committee.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Alaska Sea Grant, Alaska Seas and Rivers Curriculum

The Big Energy Gamble

In this activity, students conduct an energy audit to determine how much carbon dioxide their family is releasing into the atmosphere and then make recommendations for minimizing their family's carbon footprint.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Jeff Lockwood, NOVA Teachers

Biomass - Creating Bio-Diesel

This detailed chemistry lesson from the U.S. Department of Energy focuses on transforming vegetable oil into biodiesel through a process of transesterification. The process described offers a good model for many chemical reaction processes that are used to produce a viable product.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Matthew A. Brown, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Raymond I. Quintana

Biomass - Investigating Gases

In this lab activity students generate their own biomass gases by heating wood pellets or wood splints in a test tube. They collect the resulting gases and use the gas to roast a marshmallow. Students also evaluate which biomass fuel is the best by their own criteria or by examining the volume of gas produced by each type of fuel.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Eric Eric Benson, Melissa Highfill, US Department of Energy - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - Energy Education and Workforce Development

Blooming Thermometers

In this activity, students develop an understanding of the relationship between natural phenomena, weather, and climate change: the study known as phenology. In addition, they learn how cultural events are tied to the timing of seasonal events. Students brainstorm annual natural phenomena that are tied to seasonal weather changes. Next, they receive information regarding the Japanese springtime festival of Hanami, celebrating the appearance of cherry blossoms. Students plot and interpret average bloom date data from over the past 1100 years.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: et al., Lisa Gardiner, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)