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Biodome

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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.

Subject:: Biology
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: WikiEducator
Date Added:: 02/16/2011

A Different Kind of Fuel

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A Different Kind of Fuel

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In this segment from Curious, learn about creating energy from solar rays to meet the growing energy needs of the world.

Subject:: Engineering; Economics
Material Type:: Lecture
Provider:: PBS LearningMedia
Provider Set:: PBS Learning Media: Multimedia Resources for the Classroom and Professional Development
Author:: U.S. Department of Education; WNET
Date Added:: 08/13/2008

Drinking Water: Kids' Stuff

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Drinking Water: Kids' Stuff

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This site teaches kids about the importance of safe drinking water through teaching and learning resources such as an activity on how to build your own aquifer, experiments on the water treatment process, and the drinking water art project.

Subject:: Environmental Science
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Date Added:: 07/19/2000

Energy Resources and Systems

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Energy Resources and Systems

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Several activities are included to teach and research the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources and various energy resources. The students work with a quantitative, but simple model of energy resources to show how rapidly a finite, non-renewable energy sources can be depleted, whereas renewable resources continue to be available. The students then complete a homework assignment or a longer, in-depth research project to learn about how various technologies that capture energy resources for human uses and their pros and cons. Fact sheets are included to help students get started on their investigation of their assigned energy source.

Subject:: Engineering; Environmental Science
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Jan DeWaters; Susan Powers
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

Energy Technology

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Energy Technology

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This course looks at all forms that energy exists. It explains how energy is used in: transport, agriculture, industry, commerce and households. It describes how energy is stored using storage systems such as: battery, flywheels, compressed air, chemical energy systems and pumped storage. This course explains the problem of depletion of energy resources. It describes the environmental damage associated with the use of fossil fuels, acid rains, dangers posed by leaded fuels, oil spills, gas leaks and explosions, water pollution caused by poorly managed coal mines, and air pollution. It describes the environmental damage associated with the use of fuelwood, uranium, hydro-power plants and wind. It also explains possible solutions to the energy-related problems.

Material Type:: Full Course; Homework/Assignment; Reading
Provider:: WikiEducator
Date Added:: 02/16/2011

Got Energy? Spinning a Food Web

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Got Energy? Spinning a Food Web

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Students learn about energy flow in food webs, including the roles of the sun, producers, consumers and decomposers in the energy cycle. They model a food web and create diagrams of food webs using their own drawings and/or images from nature or wildlife magazines. Students investigate the links between the sun, plants and animals, building their understanding of the web of nutrient dependency and energy transfer.

Subject:: Engineering
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Christopher Valenti; Denise Carlson; Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:: 09/26/2008

Go with the Energy Flow

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Go with the Energy Flow

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Students learn about energy and nutrient flow in various biosphere climates and environments. They learn about herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, food chains and food webs, seeing the interdependence between producers, consumers and decomposers. Students are introduced to the roles of the hydrologic (water), carbon, and nitrogen cycles in sustaining the worlds' ecosystems so living organisms survive. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

Subject:: Engineering; Ecology
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Christopher Valenti; Denise Carlson; Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

Let the Sun Shine!

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Let the Sun Shine!

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Students learn how the sun can be used for energy. They learn about passive solar heating, lighting and cooking, and active solar engineering technologies (such as photovoltaic arrays and concentrating mirrors) that generate electricity. Students investigate the thermal energy storage capacities of test materials. They learn about radiation and convection as they build a model solar water heater and determine how much it can heat water in a given amount of time. In another activity, students build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. In an associated literacy activity, students investigate how people live "off the grid" using solar power.

Subject:: Architecture and Design; Engineering
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Denise Carlson; Jeff Lyng; Malinda Schaefer Zarske; Sabre Duren; Xochitl Zamora-Thompson
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

Nutritional Health, Food Production, and the Environment

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Nutritional Health, Food Production, and the Environment

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This course provides an understanding of the complex and challenging public health issue of food security and in a world where one billion people are under-nourished while another billion are overweight. Explores the connections among diet, the current food production system, the environment and public health, considering factors such as economics, population and equity. Case studies are used to examine these complex relationships and as well as alternative approaches to achieving both local and global food security and the important role public health can play. Guest lecturers include experts from a variety of disciplines and experiences.

Subject:: Health, Medicine and Nursing
Material Type:: Case Study; Full Course; Homework/Assignment; Lecture Notes; Syllabus
Provider:: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Provider Set:: JHSPH OpenCourseWare
Author:: Lawrence,Bob; Walker,Polly
Date Added:: 02/16/2011

Our Amazing, Powerful Sun

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Our Amazing, Powerful Sun

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The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the students to the Sun. They explore various aspects of the Sun including its composition, its interior workings, and its relationship to the Earth.

Subject:: Engineering; Astronomy
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Brian Kay; Geoffrey Hill; Janet Yowell; Jessica Butterfield; Jessica Todd
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

Photosynthesis: Life's Primary Energy Source

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Photosynthesis: Life's Primary Energy Source

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This lesson covers the process of photosynthesis and the related plant cell functions of transpiration and cellular respiration. Students will learn how engineers can use the natural process of photosynthesis as an exemplary model of a complex yet efficient process for converting solar energy to chemical energy or distributing water throughout a system.

Subject:: Engineering; Biology
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Christopher Valenti; Janet Yowell; Karen King
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

Planting Thoughts

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Planting Thoughts

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Students gain an understanding of the parts of a plant, plant types and how they produce their own food from sunlight through photosynthesis. They also learn about transpiration, the process by which plants release moisture to the atmosphere. With this understanding, students test the effects of photosynthesis and transpiration by growing a plant from seed. They learn how plants play an important part in maintaining a balanced environment in which the living organisms of the Earth survive. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their evolving understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

Subject:: Engineering; Botany
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Christopher Valenti; Denise W. Carlson; Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

Renewable Energy

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Renewable Energy

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In this lesson, students are introduced to the types of renewable energy resources. They are involved in activities to help them understand the transformation of energy (solar, water and wind) into electricity. Students explore the different roles of engineers working in renewable energy fields.

Subject:: Engineering; Environmental Science
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Amy Kolenbrander; Janet Yowell; Jessica Todd; Malinda Schaefer Zarske
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

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Solar Car

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In this video from DragonflyTV, follow the investigation of Isaac and Anjali as they record, measure, and analyze data about how the Sun's position in the sky affects a solar-powered car's speed.

Subject:: Environmental Science; Ecology; Forestry and Agriculture; Chemistry; Physics
Material Type:: Lecture
Provider:: PBS LearningMedia
Provider Set:: PBS Learning Media: Multimedia Resources for the Classroom and Professional Development
Author:: National Science Foundation; WGBH Educational Foundation
Date Added:: 08/09/2007

Using Heat from the Sun

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Using Heat from the Sun

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In this lesson, students will first discuss where energy comes from, including sources such as fossil fuels, nuclear, and such renewable technologies as solar. After this initial exploration, students will investigate the three main types of heat transfer: convection, conduction, and radiation. Students will learn how properties describe the ways different materials behave, for instance whether they are insulators or conductors. Students will complete a crossword puzzle to reinforce their vocabulary in this content area. The class will then focus on the acquisition and storage of energy through the design, construction, and testing of a fully functional solar oven.

Subject:: Engineering; Environmental Science
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson Plan
Provider:: TeachEngineering
Provider Set:: TeachEngineering
Author:: Lauren Powell
Date Added:: 09/18/2014

What Is the Design Process?

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What Is the Design Process?

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This video segment, adapted fromThinking Big, Building Small, demonstrates each part of the engineering design process, which is fundamental to any successful project. Though it does this in the context of building skyscrapers, the process is applicable to any sort of project, including constructing schools, building bridges, and even manufacturing sneakers. Students will recognize the value of going through its steps sequentially when constructing scale models. Recommended for: Grades 3-12

Subject:: Engineering
Material Type:: Activity/Lab
Provider:: PBS LearningMedia
Provider Set:: PBS Learning Media: Multimedia Resources for the Classroom and Professional Development
Author:: National Science Foundation; WGBH Educational Foundation
Date Added:: 01/22/2004