Ecologists now accept human beings and our activities as a significant influence on the Earths ecology. ASTER data is being used to better understand urban ecology, in particular how humans build their cities and affect the surrounding environment. Will Stefanov of Arizona State University will present the first set of ASTER images of the urban skeleton of the amount of built structures in 12 cities around the world and discuss the Urban Environmental Monitoring project which will examine 100 urban centers to look for common features (or lack of them) in global city structure and monitor change over time.

Ecologists now accept human beings and our activities as a significant influence on the Earths ecology. ASTER data is being used to better understand urban ecology, in particular how humans build their cities and affect the surrounding environment. Will Stefanov of Arizona State University will present the first set of ASTER images of the urban skeleton of the amount of built structures in 12 cities around the world and discuss the Urban Environmental Monitoring project which will examine 100 urban centers to look for common features (or lack of them) in global city structure and monitor change over time.

Ecologists now accept human beings and our activities as a significant influence on the Earths ecology. ASTER data is being used to better understand urban ecology, in particular how humans build their cities and affect the surrounding environment. Will Stefanov of Arizona State University will present the first set of ASTER images of the urban skeleton of the amount of built structures in 12 cities around the world and discuss the Urban Environmental Monitoring project which will examine 100 urban centers to look for common features (or lack of them) in global city structure and monitor change over time.

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.

The needs of humans and the living organisms and processes that comprise the biosphere are inextricably connected. Because of this connection the proper management of biological resources requires that genetic diversity and suitable habitats be maintained.

The earth's biogeochemical systems involve complex, dynamic processes that depend upon many factors. The three main factors upon which life on the earth depends are......

The earth formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from a nebular cloud of dust and gas that surrounded the sun. As the gas cooled, more solids formed.....

Developed for third grade. Students will:; understand the damaging effects of acid rain on the environment.; understand the damaging effects of acid rain on plants.; pose a hypothesis and use the scientific method.

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.

This exercise is a field study of the ecology of aquatic insects in a small stream. By using the inquiry technique, students discover how different animals have unique adaptations for being successful in particular habitats, especially at small spatial scales. Students also learn how these specializations establish essential ecological roles for the aquatic insects in stream ecosystems. Thus, students gain an appreciation of how biodiversity is not just a list of species in a particular environment; it also includes what they do in that environment.

This pop-up book was designed for K-4 students to introduce them to remote sensing. By following Echo's journey through Arizona they become more familiar with map use and remote sensing images. After completing this book, children ages 5-6 should be able to distinguish between what a satellite sees and what Echo sees, be able to identify patterns and color in the satellite image and compare these to what Echo sees, and begin to extend the concept that texture is not only how something feels but is also how something looks. Older children (ages 7-9) should begin to describe what the satellite is seeing by just looking at the satellite view and they should also be able to describe the location of patterns and colors (i.e., square patterns of irrigated crops are near rivers and green forests are on top of mountains) and make more elaborate observations about texture in the satellite images. A set of activities reinforce the four basic themes or concepts fundamental to interpreting satellite imagery: perspective, shape and pattern, color, and texture.

This is the Alaska Range viewed from Delta Junction in interior Alaska (September, 2007).

In this lesson, students investigate the physical and behavioral characteristics of different microbes and create research- based 'Microbe Biographies.' Students then visually compare microbe sizes and examine how the size of a microbe relates to its physical and behavioral characteristics. This lesson is part of the New York Times Learning Network, a service in which lesson plans are created to accompany newspaper articles.

Evolution has resulted in changes in the sizes and forms of organisms. Everything about the biology of an animal, including its physiology, anatomy, and ecology, is influenced by its body size. Frequently there seem to be limits on the sizes that different organisms can attain, even when larger size might be thought to be evolutionarily advantageous. Often an increase or decrease in size is correlated with a change in proportions. Understanding the significance of a particular morphology or interpreting the factors that underlie a particular evolutionary trend involve studying the relationships that exist among size, shape, and function. This lab introduces allometry, the study of size and its consequences, using celery and woodlice as subjects.

This Ocean Explorer lesson plan (PDF) explores the questions: What colors, if any, are visible down in the deep sea? What is bioluminescence? Students will learn about white light (visible light), the quantity and quality of light as related to ocean depth, the difference in water penetration between red light and blue light, bioluminescent organisms, the color of most bioluminescent light, and why organisms bioluminesce. The lesson plan includes background information and keywords, a list of materials, teacher preparation instructions, learning procedures, related links, evaluation and extension ideas, and correlation to the national standards.

This collection consists of approximately 4,500 photographs documenting natural environments, ecologies, and plant communities in the United States at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. Produced between 1891 and 1936 by a group of American botanists generally regarded as one of the most influential in the development of modern ecological studies, these photographs provide an overview of important representative natural landscapes across the nation. They demonstrate the character of a wide range of American topography, its forestation, aridity, shifting coastal dune complexes, and watercourses. Comparison of early photographs with later views highlights changes resulting from natural alterations of the landscape, disturbances from industry and development, and effective natural resource usage. The photographs were taken by Henry Chandler Cowles (1869-1939), George Damon Fuller (1869-1961), and other Chicago ecologists on field trips across the North American continent.

Among the natural features these images document are ecological settings such as dunes, bogs, forests, and deserts; individual plants from the Ponderosa pine and birch to grasses and mosses; landscape features like the Grand Canyon, Lake Superior, and the Sierra Nevada; and the consequences of natural and human changes to the environment ranging from erosion and floods to irrigation and lumbering. The collection also includes photographs of University of Chicago botanists as they conducted field research, led students on summer field classes, and traveled across the North American continent on tours including the International Phytogeographic Excursion of 1913.

This kit is aimed at teachers and their pupils at the end of primary school education living in areas affected by or under threat from desertification.

A laboratory exercise for increasing knowledge of trophic cascades in aquatic ecosystems has led to a better understanding of several basic ecological tenets, including competition, predation, and a variety of other community-level food web interactions using microcosms from whole water plankton collections.

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.

This is a a free university web-course module which focuses on the largest single contributor to the global ecological footprint: energy. The Ecological Footprint is a powerful tool for introducing the concept of sustainability to students. The module is designed to teach college students and resource management professionals how to calculate the ecological footprint of energy use and the carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion.