Teaching Resources - Ecosystems

Visit ecosystems links on our other EE sites:

EPA links

Acid Rain Educational Resources
epa.gov/acidrain/education
Experiments and activities, basic acid rain concepts, and things you can do about acid rain.

America's Wetlands Grades 9-12
epa.gov/owow/wetlands/vital/toc.html
This site will give you a better understanding of the rich variety of wetlands, their importance, how they are threatened, and what can be done to conserve them for future generations.

Coral Reef Protection Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
epa.gov/owow/oceans/coral/
This site explores why coral reefs are important and what is being done to protect them.

Darby Duck and the Aquatic CrusadersGrades K-5
epa.gov/owow/NPS/kids/DARBY.HTM

Estuaries Grades 9-12
epa.gov/owow/estuaries/about1.htm
What is an estuary? Why are estuaries important? Why protect estuaries? Find out this and more at this site.

Happy Earth Day Activity Book Grades K-5
epa.gov/region5/publications/happy/happy.htm

Eco Kids On-line: Our Planet Our FutureGrades K-5
www.ecokidsonline.com/pub
This innovative, interactive environmental education web site for children, families, and educators is loaded with information and includes interactive, fun, educational games and activities that utilize participants' willingness to learn. Kids are encouraged to form their own opinions, make decisions, get involved and understand the impact their own actions have on the environment.

Environmental Science Center GamesGrades K-5,Grades 6-8
epa.gov/region3/esc/library/kids.htm
Online games about laboratory science and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Ages 8 & up.

Exploring Estuaries Grades 6-8,Grades 9-12
epa.gov/owow/estuaries/kids
What are estuaries? Why are they important? This site provides introductory information for students of various ages and background information for teachers. Includes links and a glossary.

Climate Change Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
epa.gov/climatechange/
Detailed information about climate change concepts and developments: what it is, what it can do, and what's being done about it. Access the Greenwire news service for Climate Change news and the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

Integrated Pest Management Teachers
epa.gov/pesticides/ipm/
Integrated Pest Management is a safer, and usually less costly option for effective pest management in the school community. Employ common-sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests while continuing to take advantage of the careful use of pesticides when necessary.

Paper University Grades 6-8
Great history of papermaking and lots of activities and information about forestry.

Stream Corridor Project
epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/streamProvides an explanation of the structure of streams and their role in the environment. Also discusses stream restoration.

Locate Your Watershed Grades 9-12, Teachers
cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm

Wetlands Education K-12
epa.gov/owow/wetlands/education/
Everything you need to help your student understand wetlands and how they fit into the water cycle and the environment. A portal site of links to activities, curriculum, education programs, resources and teaching tools to assist you in wetlands and habitat education.

What's Wrong with this Picture? Grades K-5
epa.gov/owow/NPS/kids/whatwrng.htm

World in Our Backyard Grades 9-12
epa.gov/region01/students/teacher/wetlands.html
This guide is a resource of information and activities about wetlands, including ways to study wetland characteristics, why wetlands are important, and how students and teachers can help protect a local wetland. Grades 6-8.

World of Fresh Water Grades K-5
epa.gov/ord/WebPubs/fresh/
Use these activities to help your students understand the effects of pollutants on lakes, rivers, and streams. Grades 4-6.

External links

Action Bioscience Grades 9-12
www.actionbioscience.org
Learn about current topics in bioscience through this wide range of articles by scientists, science educators, and science students. Site also provides original lessons and resources to enhance bioscience teaching.

Adventures of the Agronauts Grades K-5
www.ncsu.edu/project/agronauts/TeacherResources/
A science curriculum with a space biology theme for elementary grade level students.

The Alaska Native Knowledge Network: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Teachers
www.ankn.uaf.edu/tek.html
The Alaska Native Knowledge Network is designed to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. This site provides documentation related to the ways in which Native people acquire and utilize knowledge related to the ecological system in which they are situated.

American Forests Teachers
www.fs.fed.us/dxnf/lrmp3.htm
From the U.S. Forest Service comes this Primer on Forest Ecosystem Health, focussing on seven general concerns including loss of biodiversity and pollution.

Backyard Jungle Grades 6-8
pbskids.org/backyardjungle/
Fun activity lets students share photos and information about backyard or schoolyard with a global audience. Info for parents and educators.

BirdSource Teachers
www.birdsource.org/
Use several national bird watching projects as environmental education projects to increase an understanding of the ways animals interact with their habitats. Learn how to participate in local and national bird counts.

Chesapeake Academic Resources for Teachers Grades 9-12, Teachers
chart.chesapeakebay.net/
This regional partnership directs and conducts the restoration of Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Helps educators provide meaningful watershed educational experiences to their students. ChART offers lesson plans and activities, field studies and professional development opportunities.

Dive and Discover Expedition to the Seafloor Grades 9-12
http://divediscover.whoi.edu
Immerse yourself in the excitement of discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover brings you right on board a series of research cruises around the globe, and gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research as it happens!

Ducks Unlimited for Educators Teachers
www.greenwing.org/dueducator/noncssdu_educator.html
Teacher guide and curriculum for teaching about wetlands. A wide variety of activities geared to particular age groups.

E-Field Trips Grades 6-8,Grades 9-12
Teachers can sign in to take their class on virtual field trips to a variety of National Parks and other nature sites. These visits are free, and include worksheets for students and the possibility of Q&A and scheduled chats. Requires Flash Player.

EcoHealth Teachers Guide Grades 6-8
Targeting grades 5-8, students and teachers will find information for research as well as lesson plans on the issues of global warming, ozone, ecosystem balance, world food supplies and globalization.

Ecological Footprint Quiz Grades 9-12
This Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard.

El Niño and La Niña Grades 6-8,Grades 9-12
www.elnino.noaa.gov/
www.elnino.noaa.gov/lanina.html
From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration comes general information, forecasts, the differences, and the impacts of El Niño and La Niña.

Environmental Concern Teachers
www.wetland.org
Build a wetland schoolyard habitat. The site provides information on wetlands educational opportunities, publications and services to enable groups to do wetlands restoration.

Environmental Education at the Bureau of Land Management Teachers
www.blm.gov/education
The Bureau of Land Management website features quizzes, activities, volunteer opportunities, and background information. It is designed to provide information about the management of our public lands in the United States.

Environmental Inquiry Grades 9-12
ei.cornell.edu/teacher
Developed by Cornell University to help students conduct environmental science research and participate in communities of fellow student scientists.

Everglades National Park for Teachers Teachers
www.nps.gov/ever/forteachers/
Are you interested in teaching your students about the Florida Everglades? Check out this site to find activities and background information that will help you tell the story of this fascinating natural ecosystem. Even if you don't live near the Everglades, you will find valuable information that can be applied to many ecosystems throughout the country.

Exploring the Environment (NASA Classroom of the Future) Grades 6-8,Grades 9-12
www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/modules.html
This extensive site provides an array of modules teachers and students can use to explore Earth and the environment. Features problem-based learning so students can investigate scientific, social, political, and cultural aspects of controversial, authentic environmental problems. Standard problem-solving models, online resources that include relevant satellite imagery, and recommendations for extended inquiry are available to students.

The Fragile Fringe (Coastal Wetlands Teaching Guide) Grades K-5, Grades 6-8
www.nwrc.usgs.gov/fringe/ff_index.html
A guide for teaching about coastal wetlands.

Frogwatch USA Grades 9-12, Teachers
www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/
This website explains the role of amphibians in our ecosystem and how they are affected by our changing world. It provides information about volunteering and educational opportunities.

FT Exploring Science and Technology Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Teachers
www.ftexploring.com
Learn what energy is, how it's created, and how it's used. Explore how energy, as food, moves through Earth's ecosystems. Find out how energy makes life possible and how we can use energy better.

Global Change Teacher Guide Grades 6-8, Teachers
interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/globalchange.htm
These activities give a very good introduction to the Earth's environmental. They span a range of grade levels and provide very thorough introductions for teachers.

Global Warming Facts and Our Future - Koshland Science Museum Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
www.koshlandscience.org/exhibitgcc/
Explore the latest scientific information on global warming. Discover how a warmer climate might affect your life and what could be done to minimize the potentially harmful effects of climate change.

The Global Water Sampling Project Grades 9-12
www.k12science.org/curriculum/waterproj/
Collaborative project that allows the participant to compare water quality of local water streams, lakes, etc. with other fresh water sources around the world.

GLOBE Program K-12, Teachers
www.globe.gov/
This site is a world-wide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. Available in English, French, and Spanish.

Great Backyard Bird Count K-12
www.birdsource.org/gbbc
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

If Trees Could Talk Grades 6-8
http://foresthistory.org/Education/Curriculum/
This 8-module, middle school curriculum gives teachers the opportunity to download social studies activities. Each module is a compilation of primary resources--documents, maps, newspaper articles, oral histories or photographs--from which students will be asked to gather, examine, and analyze information, and synthesize insights.

Interactive Green Swamp Grades 9-12
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/greenswamp/
Learn all about wetlands in this wonderful virtual tour of Florida's Green Swamp!

Journey North Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
www.learner.org/jnorth/
A global study of wildlife migration. Students in North America track the journeys of a dozen migratory species and share their own field observations with classrooms across the Hemisphere.

Journey to Planet Earth Grades 9-12
www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/
A PBS educational program that explores the fragile relationship between people and the world we inhabit. Includes videos, teaching guides and internet resource links.

Lessons on the Lake Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12
www3.selu.edu/turtlecove/lessonsonthelake
Lessons on the Lake is a free interactive tool to learn more about watersheds, in particular the Lake Ponchatrain Basin. The Lake Ponchatrain Basin, in Louisiana, is part of the much larger Mississippi River watershed which covers more than half of the United States.

Nab the Aquatic Invader Grades 6-8
www.sgnis.org/kids/
This interactive cartoon uses detective characharters to learn about invasive species -- different kinds, why they are harmful, how they affect economy and ecosystem.

National Environmental Education Week K-12
www.eeweek.org/resources/curricula_library.htm
Whether you are a teacher in a public, private, or homeschool classroom, or an educator at a nature center, zoo, or aquarium, Environmental Education Week can help you to actively engage your students in environmental education. The Environmental Education Curricula Library provides environmentally-themed lessons and activities for K-12.

National Estuarine Research Reserve System K-12 Educator Resources Grades 9-12
Estuaries, where rivers met the sea, are facinating ecosystems. Find out about what makes estuaries special, the threats to estuarine ecosystems and explore estuaries around the U.S.

National Wetlands Research Center Grades 9-12
www.nwrc.usgs.gov
This site from the U.S. Geolocic Survey explores the many factors that affect wetland health, and provides resources for teachers on preserving our wetlands.

Nature Net Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
www.nature.nps.gov/
Detailed materials about natural resources that the National Park Service maintains, including biology, geology, air, and water. Check Links to Learning for environmental education resources from different Parks.

NOAA Education Web site Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
www.education.noaa.gov//
Explore this site to find the information you need to teach students about weather, climate change, and oceans. You'll find activities, background information, and much more!

NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources Grades 6-8
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/
Learn what this office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is doing to protect marine mammals and endangered species.

Ocean Science Education Teacher Resource Center Grades 9-12
www.vims.edu/bridge/
This site links by topic to a large collection of environmental web sites which contain lesson plans and class activities.

Project Learning Tree K-12
www.plt.org
This national environmental education program includes correlations with the national environmental education performance standards. This program is recognized around the country as providing facilitators and participants with well-conceived and inquiry-oriented activities. The curriculum is available for a fee; the newsletter is free and there is a sample curriculum online.

PBS American Field Guide Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
Immerse yourself in the great outdoors without ever leaving your desk. Over 1400 video clips that enable you to experience America's wilderness. Video clips and other visual resources about science for use by teachers and students.

Peace Corps K-12
www.peacecorps.gov/wws/lessons/earthday.html
The Peace Corps website provides you with curriculum and activities designed to help you educate your students about global environmental issues. You have the opportunity to obtain speakers for your classroom as well as correspond with a current Peace Corps volunteer.

Prairie Information from Fermilab Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
www-ed.fnal.gov/ntep/f98/projects/fnal/teacher.shtml
Web sites about prairies, sources of seeds and restoration tips, general agricultural information and virtual weather.

Rainforest Alliance Learning Site K-12, Teachers
www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/education/
Providing a rainforest curriculum for grades K through 6 this site provides materials to teach current conservation challenges, cultural differences and the wise use of resources, to help students understand the rainforest environment.

Resources To Learn More About Endangered Species Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Teachers
www.fws.gov/endangered/education/
From the Fish and Wildlife Service, a list of materials that may give you some ideas to help a species near you get on its road to recovery, because recovery is the ultimate goal for each threatened and endangered species.

Schoolyard habitat Teachers
www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/schoolyd.htm
The Schoolyard Habitat program helps teachers and students create wildlife habitat on school grounds.

Science NetLinks K-12, Teachers
www.sciencenetlinks.com
This site provides standards-based lesson plans that incorporate reviewed Internet resources, and can be selected according to specific benchmarks and grade ranges. Each lesson is tied to at least one learning goal and uses research-based instructional strategies that support student learning. The lessons are written for the teacher, but include student-ready materials such as student sheets (student reproducibles) or E-Sheets (online worksheets that enable students to engage directly in Internet activities).

Southwest Florida Water Management District Education Resources
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/
Great virtual, interactive field trips that will help you to teach about wetlands and watersheds. Explore Florida's Green Swamp, Hillsborough River and Springs Coast Watershed. Includes lots of other neat resources too such as educational tabloids, teacher's guides, and comprehensive educational kits.

Southwest Florida Watershed Excursions
www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/watersheds/
Learn all about watersheds in this awesome online excursion through the Hillsborough River watershed of southwest Florida.

Square of Life: Studies in Local and Global Environments
www.k12science.org/curriculum/squareproj/
Elementary school curriculum that allows classes to compare their inventory of a 1 meter outdoor square in their school yard with another class across the country or the globe. Registration to participate is twice a year in spring and fall. Site contains lesson plans, activity instructions, reference materials, discussion area, standards comparison and a help contact.

Take a Dip Grades 6-8
www.k12science.org/curriculum/dipproj/
For a few days each year, students will team up around the globe to test fresh water. Join this collaborative project, comparing the water quality of your local river, stream, lake or pond with other fresh water sources around the world.

TEACH: Environment K-12
www.great-lakes.net/teach/envt/
Why do water levels change in the Great Lakes? What fish do people catch there, and what's threatening one of the world's largest freshwater fisheries? Learn about the environment of the Great Lakes region and the environmental issues there, including water quality, airborne toxics, invasive species and sustainable development.

Teaching Earth Science (NASA) K-12
earth.nasa.gov/education/
The unique vantage point of space provides information about the Earth's air, land, water, and life-and the interactions among them-that is not available using any other means.

This Land is Your Land Grades K-5
web4.msue.msu.edu/msuewc/kent/yourland/
The curriculum is designed for 3rd-5th grade teachers to help students grow and develop into involved citizens who understand the importance and practice of wise land use. Curriculum correlates to Michigan standards but the lessons are applicable nationwide.

Toxic and Algal Blooms K-12
www.bigelow.org/edhab
Interactive information about how toxins can pose risks to the human body.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Page Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
endangered.fws.gov/kids/heyteach.htm
Information and educational materials about endangered and threatened species.

Virtual Watershed Tour Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12
ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/cbwm/virtualwatershed/
Learn about watersheds on this informative virtual tour.

Wildlife Fact Sheets Grades 9-12
species.fws.gov
From the Fish and Wildlife Service, basic information about species of regular public interest.

Wyland Ocean Challenge Grades K-5
www.wylandoceanchallenge.org
Learn all about marine ecosystems through free activities that support National Science and Art Standards.

Year of the Ocean Kids Page Grades K-5
www.yoto98.noaa.gov/kids.htm
More goodies from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, learn about endangered whales, seals, and sea lions; fascinating facts about fish; how to Adopt a Buoy; and much more.

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Teaching Resources - Ecosystems

Visit ecosystems links on our other EE sites:

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