Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Research how engineers use their knowledge of hydrology to control floods.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Engineering. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine the complexities of snowpack formation and avalanche prediction.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Meteorology. Motion & Forces.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Identify major mountain-building formations and understand how the Himalaya Mountains were formed, why they are located near Bhutan and why they are becoming larger.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Discover how knowledge gained from disasters has influenced changes in safety features and building codes. Describe how codes have been used to try to prevent future loss of property or lives.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Technology and Civilization.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine the issues surrounding access to fossils by debating ownership by researchers and commercial dealers of fossils found on public land.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ethics in Science. Geology & Natural Disasters. Paleontology.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Great Lodges
Construct a clay model of Oregon Caves National Monument depicting various dripstone formations found within the cave.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Learn about some of Earth's extreme environments and possible dangers they present. Identify ways to deal with potential dangers in extreme environments.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Health & Fitness, Science & Tech
Topics: Body Systems & Senses. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Observe the relationship among volcanoes, earthquakes and lithospheric plates by collecting data and creating maps.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Measurement. Geology & Natural Disasters. Motion & Forces.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Identify the contents of permafrost found in the Denali Wilderness of Alaska, describe the difference between winter and summer permafrost and discuss the hazards of building structures in locations where permafrost exists.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Learn how to use a topographic map, construct a topographic map of the Denali National Park, and identify on the map different features, elevations, historic landmarks and geologic structures of the park.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Conduct an experiment and investigate how air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and precipitation affect evaporation. Graph the data collected during the experiment.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Atmosphere & Space Science. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Explore the processes of soil erosion, and discover that soil erosion rates vary in relation to amounts of rain.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Understand that soil is made up of inorganic and organic particles and that the structure of soil is determined by the arrangement of these particles. Experiment with different soil structures and the ability of each to carry a specific load.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Measurement. Geology & Natural Disasters. Motion & Forces.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: American Field Guide
Examine the concept of fire management in ecosystems and the role of forest fires in maintaining diversity. Discuss the effectiveness of and the different issues and interests surrounding the Forest Service's prescribed burning strategies.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Discuss data and statistics to determine the information conveyed, patterns revealed and conclusions that can be drawn. Present information in various ways, such as bar graphs, tables and pie graphs and determine what other information is desired.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Data Analysis/Probability. Statistics. Ecology. Energy. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Explore the conditions needed for combustion to occur and how firefighters contain fires.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Chemistry. Energy. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine the types of ecosystems that could be subject to wildland fires and identify fire risk factors for a property located near a wildland area.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Energy. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine different types of flood control and what would happen without any human interference in flood situations. Construct a model of a river system with levees.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters. Meteorology.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Explore the dynamics of river flooding, and propose ideas that will reduce the risk of floods.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Nature
Examine and analyze how dynamic interaction between extreme temperatures influenced the earth's development. Observe and analyze how natural forces, such as volcanoes, earthquakes and floods influence the planet's climate and topography.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: American Field Guide
Understand the concept of relative dating of fossils, determine the geologic age for several "rocks" and identify which rocks will be most useful for oil companies looking to drill for oil.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Examine the various types of glaciers and the landforms they can create.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Describe how tornadoes form, identify the atmospheric conditions that facilitate tornado formation and identify the best time of year and place to position spotters to see possible tornado outbreaks.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Meteorology.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Compare various water samples for density differences. Discover how water layers can create boundaries or zones that prevent vertical mixing of the water column.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Examine the parts of a geyser and how it works and build a model of a geyser.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Energy. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine the thinking process involved in constructing an earthquake-proof building by building and testing a model.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Engineering. Geology & Natural Disasters. Motion & Forces.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Scientific American Frontiers
Investigate the possibility that simple, modern terrestrial bacteria might have inherited some of the traits associated with ancient forms. Research and demonstrate how a caldera is formed.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Microbiology.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine the range of natural climatic variability prior to human influences and graph and analyze chemical concentrations from ice core data.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Data Analysis/Probability. Chemistry. Geology & Natural Disasters. Meteorology.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Explore how to use nonstandard forms of measurement to describe the dimensions of objects. Calculate length, width, height and speed of different features related to the flood that occurred in the Pacific Northwest near the end of the last ice age.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Measurement. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Identify characteristics of the desert environment, determine how much water can be retained by sand through a classroom experiment, and draw conclusions as to why there is so little water in Namib.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The West
Assign reasons from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to explain pioneers' migration to and return from the American plains in the 1800s. Research, write and produce a newspaper dedicated to a natural disaster such as the 19th-century drought.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Journalism. United States History: 1870-1900.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine the Jakobhavn Isbrae glacier on Greenland, discuss the difference between weather and climate and analyze how changes in climate have affected the Greenland Continental Ice Sheet. Watch the related video online.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Meteorology. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Identify the factors that contribute to the intensity of a hurricane. Discuss how global warming is contributing to hurricane intensity, and conduct a survey to discover what the public understands about global warming.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Collect micrometeorites from space -- remnants of the time when the solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Create a sky dust collector, sort particularate matter according to attributes and identify micrometeorites by their fusion crusts.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Atmosphere & Space Science. Chemistry. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Identify the contents of a glacier like those found in Patagonia, construct a mini glacier model in class and compare and contrast the classroom model with Patagonian glaciers.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Scientific American Frontiers
Research the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano that devasted the island of Montseurat, and create a mini volcano using the chemical reaction caused by mixing baking soda and vinegar.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Chemistry. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Scientific American Frontiers
Research Mt. Vesuvius and scientists'preparations for a future eruption. Produce a television program about volcanoes for middle school students as part of a public information campaign to inform citizens of Washington State about Mount Rainier.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Great Lodges
Cite geology terms in a newscast-style report to describe the landforms resulting from glacial activity.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Understand how icebergs are suspended in water, differentiate between the floating behavior of ice and cork and describe the melting process of an iceberg.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Chemistry. Geology & Natural Disasters. Oceanography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Great Lodges
Research Bryce Canyon National Park to learn about the Park's geologic features, recreational activities and scenery. Compose lyrics that reflect the nature and history of the park.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters. Geography. United States History: 1890-1930.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Journey Into Amazonia
Compare plants grown in simulated Amazon soil to those grown in soil prepared by the slash-and-burn method. Describe leaf development in plants grown in different soils and chart, average and graph plant growth by height
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Botany. Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Discuss how hurricanes develop. Examine how wetlands can deprive a hurricane of some of the warm, moist air that supplies its energy.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Scientific American Frontiers
Explore the clues that archaeologists and other scientists use to piece together a picture of the past. Create models to compare and contrast the geology of two islands, and compare the characteristics of various types of fibers.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Anthropology/Cultures. Archeology.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Examine basic features in structural design, compare architectural features that work and those that don't during an earthquake and explore structural engineering through three design challenges.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Engineering. Geology & Natural Disasters. Motion & Forces.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Learn about the societal and environmental impact of natural disasters by interviewing people about their experiences during a natural disaster that directly impacted their lives.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Louisiana Public Broadcasting: Enviro-Tacklebox
Research natural disasters that have occurred in your community or state. Explore the impact natural disasters can have on humans and the environment.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NewsHour Extra
Conduct a demonstration to learn about how waves function in water. Create a poster that shows the physics of waves, how tsunamis work, the devastation caused by the 2004 tsunami or information about relief efforts for the 2004 tsunami.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Motion & Forces. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Thirteen/WNET: Planet H2O
Discover how water is created in nature and the path it takes to reach our rivers, streams and taps. Conduct an experiment that simulates the water cycle.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Scientific American Frontiers
Identify the original geometric crystalline shapes of the six crystal systems, and grow crystals of the same substance over different periods of time. Explore the field of mineral mining, select a method and simulate mining for minerals.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Learn about Mount Kilimanjaro and develop a travelogue to describe the distinct ecological regions of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Understand what a sine wave is and how sine waves are combined. Explore constructive and destructive interference of sine waves and plot a complex wave.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Functions and Algebra. Energy. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Thirteen/WNET: Planet H2O
Examine the different types of contaminants found in water. Research the world's most polluted water hot-spots and devise a plan for pollution prevention.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Thirteen/WNET: Planet H2O
Consider what it means to conserve water. Monitor daily water use and propose methods for home water conservation.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures
Explore the water cycle by completing a treasure hunt and creating a topographic map of a watershed in your community.
Grade Level: 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech
Topics: Ecology. Geology & Natural Disasters.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: NOVA
Calculate the approximate speed of three tsunamis. Create a time travel map and chart that shows their arrival at specific geographic locations.
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Math, Science & Tech
Topics: Functions and Algebra. Geology & Natural Disasters. Oceanography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan
Source: The Living Edens
Define the terms geyser, mud pot, hot springs, erosion and uplift. Identify the geologic wonders of Yellowstone National Park and write a description of the geologic features to be included on a map for a self-guided tour for park visitors.
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8
Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies
Topics: Geology & Natural Disasters. Geography.
Resource Type: Lesson Plan