This course is assembled from UC-approved college preparatory courses and is designed to acquaint students with the physical, ecological, social, and political principles of environmental science. The scientific method is used to analyze and understand the inter-relationships between humans and the natural environment. The course shows how ecological realities and the material desires of humans often clash, leading to environmental degradation and pollution. The course covers: Earth's Systems, Human Population Dynamics, Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, Global Changes, and Environment and Society.

SPARK tails artists Jim Denevan and Cris Drury as they create large earth works. This Educator Guide is about the history and tradition of artists making work in and about the natural environment.

SPARK follows conceptual artist/engineer Natalie Jeremjienko as she works on her One Tree(s) project, planting 100 pairs of cloned trees throughout the Bay Area. This Educator Guide explores conceptual art as well as the investigative and ethical issues of life science and cloning.

Watch this short video and try to identify the location of the sculptures. Then see how art and these sculptures relate to the science of mathematics.

Artists are often particularly keen observers and precise recorders of the physical conditions of the natural world. As a result, paintings can be good resources for learning about ecology. Teachers can use this lesson to examine with students the interrelationship of geography, natural resources, and climate and their effects on daily life. It also addresses the roles students can take in caring for the environment. Students will look at paintings that represent cool temperate, warm temperate, and tropical climates.
In this lesson students will: Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards; Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards.

Students learn how forces are used in the creation of art. They come to understand that it is not just bridge and airplane designers who are concerned about how forces interact with objects, but artists as well. As "paper engineers," students create their own mobiles and pop-up books, and identify and use the forces (air currents, gravity, hand movement) acting upon them.

SPARK trails writer, critic, and Conceptual artist Jonathon Keats as he works on his project, Divine Taxonomy, which attempts to find God's place on the phylogenetic tree. This Educator Guide explores the history of Conceptual art and the role of science in contemporary art.

This lesson is a classroom activity where students learn to use their balance knowledge to create a beautiful mobile.

Developed for the second grade. A biodome is a self-sustaining habitat for plants. Students will make a biodome in a recycled soda bottle and watch as their seeds grow. Students will observe and understand how the water in the biodome continues to recycle itself through condensation and evaporation.

Biology In Elementary Schools is a Saint Michael's College student project. The teaching ideas on this page have been found, refined, and developed by students in a college-level course on the teaching of biology at the elementary level. Unless otherwise noted, the lesson plans have been tried at least once by students from our partner schools. This wiki has been established to share ideas about teaching biology in elementary schools. The motivation behind the creation of this page is twofold: 1. to provide an outlet for the teaching ideas of a group of college educators participating in a workshop-style course; 2. to provide a space where anyone else interested in this topic can place their ideas.

Lena Delta is part of a collection of images of the Earth from space called, Landsat: Earth as Art. The images are designed to capture the attention of people who might not otherwise be interested in remote sensing. The images link the disciplines of science and art, and can be used to teach how the creative aspects of those disciplines employ similar human skills. The Lena Delta lithograph is intended to help the layperson understand the images better, particularly to help parents investigate the images with children ages 7-10. It encourages children and their parents to recognize patterns made in the surface of the Earth and is designed to help them see the inherent beauty of the Earth from space.

Includes lessons on energy conservation, energy efficiency, geothermal energy, water and electricity, stream environments and stream health, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and the life cycle of salmon. High school students can conduct an energy audit of their school.

Students design and construct a device to trap insects that are present in the area around their school. The objective of the exercise is to ask the right design questions and to conduct the right tests to determine if the trap works properly.

This activity allows children to construct something themselves and be creative while learning about the concept of the center of mass.

Students will construct bird nests and birdhouses. The students will research a bird of their choice in order to design a house that will meet that bird's specific needs. This activity works well in conjunction with a 9th-12th wood shop class whose students would partner up with your class, however this is not a necessity.

Survey potential bridge sites, research bridge design, and select the right bridge for the right location in this interactive activity from the NOVA Web site.

Students create their own anemometers instruments for measuring wind speed. They see how an anemometer measures wind speed by taking measurements at various school locations. They also learn about different types of anemometers, real-world applications, and how wind speed information helps engineers decide where to place wind turbines.

Students will create a model of an object of their choice, giving them skills and practice in techniques used by professionals. The students will use sketches as they build their objects. This activity will facilitate a discussion on models and their usefulness.

You will be investigating the physics behind the launching of a bottle rocket that you will design and build.

You will investigate some of the components that go into designing your own model of a solar car. This is to kindle car design ideas, not limit them.